This past weekend I attended a wedding, as a guest, not a wedding planner and boy did I wish they had hired one! Didn’t have to be me, but someone, preferably certified!  Yikes! Is all I can say.  I sat at one of the tables further to the back of the small reception and boy did I see everything – good and BAD!  It took every bit of my being to not get up and speak to the staff at the venue about proper etiquette during a wedding reception.

First thing that bugged me was when staff constantly kept moving around plants and fixtures to make room for their carts for cleaning up to pass through.  Now, these plants and fixtures belong to the venue and were not placed in their original location because the bride/groom wanted it specifically there.  After the 3rd time of hearing them move things around it was clear to see that the guests at my table were beginning to become very annoyed since we could not hear a thing when the M.C. spoke.

Second oops: During the speeches, I all of a sudden spot a big round wooden table being rolled through the reception! AHEM, Excuse me!! – are you serious?  Why was a table being rolled out? Well because they were trying to clean up a smaller party that was happening behind a transition wall.

Three times a charm? Nope!  During the speeches we were told they were going to be making room for a dance floor, we thought it was going to be in the space behind the transition wall since the staff was starting to open up the area.  Wrong!  They opened up the area to reveal staff cleaning and then proceeding to take their break by eating what was now part of the reception.  If that was what the area was to be used for, then they should have kept it closed.  – It completely wrecked the atmosphere!

I’ll mention just one more oops as I don’t think I need to go on much more – the staff started cleaning up tables so much that they even took the tablecloths off the tables.  I saw guests sitting at a wooden round table with their drinks on the table.  Were we now at a picnic? – Yikes again!!

If they had a wedding planner none of this would have happened.  Wedding planners are trained on etiquette and when others (like venue staff) don’t have it, we are there to enforce it.  The bride/groom may have not noticed a few of the things I did; however, I can bet you that their guests did and they will go on to talk about it. – Hmm…just like I did!  Remember, what memory do you what your guests to have of our wedding?

sofia.

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Posted: Monday, May 3rd, 2010 @ 3:08 pm

 tips .