Mr. Tutera's 3 Rules

Ask a Celebration Specialist

Dear Marilee,

I'm familiar with the standard formula of big-white-dress... ceremony... dinner... dancing. But frankly I'm a little bored by all that. I want my wedding to be more personalized. I really want it to be more memorable and fun! Do you have any ideas about how I can create a more memorable and fun wedding celebration?

Signed,
Thinking-Outside-the-Box Bride

Dear TOBB,

This is a very exciting topic! In November 2007, I attended a Conference with the Association of Bridal Consultants in Orlando Florida. The keynote speaker was David Tutera (Party Planner to the Stars).

Generally I’m only marginally interested in what’s going on with the stars. I’m much more interested in what’s going on in my own community with people I already know or might meet. But…

OHMYGODIMETDAVIDTUTERA!!! I purchased his beautiful book, listened to his talk and jostled with everyone else to get my book autographed. By the end of it I was giddy, AND I learned lots. Here are David’s 3 rules for wedding celebrations.

1. Take your guests on a journey.
Regardless of your budget, you don’t need to have a cookie cutter wedding. You can tell your story in many ways, but the key is to invite them into an experience. All the details can invite your guests to discover more about you individually and as a couple- what’s important to you?

2. Change it up.
The typical wedding day schedule is:
•Ceremony in the early afternoon
•Take a break for the bridal party to pose for photos and visit a bar
•Serve cocktails and appetizers around 5
•Grand entrance around 6
•Dinner
•Toasts
•Cake
•Dancing
You can keep things more interesting and less predictable just by changing the order. Imagine joining your guests for the party and ending the evening with your wedding vows by candlelight.

3. Keep things moving.
If something different happens every 30 minutes, you’ll have a unique and exciting celebration- your guests will be glad they accepted your invitation! Let the excitement crescendo toward a climax with a final denouement. If your vows are later in your party, that would be a beautiful climax that everything else can build up to.

If you are inspired by the possibility of having an outside the box wedding, but are a little nervous about the logistics, just drop me a line and I’ll give you a call. We can set up a free consultation.