BIG FAT CAKE » BLOG » Archive for the ‘Ceremony’ Category
PICK A CATEGORY
Photo Source: Trip Advisor
Does anyone in the Washington, DC audience know of a church (DC, VA, or MD) with the following criteria:
Rules, rules…..so many rules. Any help is appreciated! Thanks! 
Photo Source: fanpop.com
Have you seen Love Actually when there was a surprise serenade of a gospel choir and trumpet ensemble?
Here’s a real life serenade that a groom setup for his bride. It takes a lot of coordination to pull this off. I wonder if they practiced. So cute!
Have you witnessed a surprise serenade at a wedding?
Photo Source: YouTube
So I’m sure that many of you have seen video clips of the wedding couple updating their relationship status on Facebook AT THE ALTER. Or, maybe you’ve even seen it in person:
I’m a believer that technology can help our everyday lives, but when technology is an interruption, I think it should be left out. I wouldn’t want to call my wedding the “iPad wedding” especially when technology changes so much. Could you imagine someone bragging about having an “8-track” wedding because they were using cutting technology at the time? Alot of young folks don’t even know what that is! I don’t mean to bash someone else’s idea for their wedding, but I’m a skeptic that it should be included during the ceremony. Shoot, when the next generation iPad comes out, I’m definitely using it when I coordinate a wedding. But during the ceremony, I think it’s best to leave out the unnecessary. And also, you have to keep in mind, there’s always a chance for technology to fail, like an iPad in the summer time.
Source: MyWedding.com
Looking for a wedding officiant and have no idea where to start? Although many couples generally select their officiant depending upon what religious services they attend, others face the daunting prospect of finding a virtual stranger to play such an integral role on their wedding day. Here are a few tips of things to look for when searching for an officiant:
So recently I decided to pick some pew decor options… in my venue, there’s about 20 pews on each side (40 total) down the center aisle. The picture below is from another person’s wedding
I wanted to possibly decorate every other pew (so 20 total) with something that was less overwhelming… Here’s what I came up with:
OPTION 1: Poms <ugh… mine look like a dog chewed them up and spit them out. yeah no.>
OPTION 2: Wreaths
OPTION 3: Wreaths w/ monogram
OPTION 4: Cones
Again, the general ceremony venue will look something like this:
PLEASE HELP ME PICK!!!!!
Some bloggers claim that this has been done before in Japan, but from the Associated Press on May 16, 2010:
A humanoid robot conducted a wedding ceremony in Tokyo on Sunday – a world first, according to the manufacturer of the “I-Fairy,” a four-foot (1.2 metre) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. (May 16)
I doubt this idea would be legal in the US anytime soon. Personally, I wouldn’t want to lose the personality of a human-officiant, nor lose the idea that the officiant is leading the spiritual aspects of the wedding. However, if the idea ever gets adopted in the US, I could see people customizing robots to sound or looks like their favorite celebrity.
What do you think of the idea?
We decided to get married at Herrington on the Bay in July! I’m so excited but it was really hard to make the decision. It came down to the fact that Herrington was so much more affordable for both us and our guests. And, we could afford to do the little extras like getting a band rather than a DJ and we can have specialty drinks in addition to the open bar. And, it fits the casual feel we’re looking for.
So, planning is underway! I just need a florist, a minister, music, hotels, transportation, a honeymoon, a menu, favors, invitations, stamps, etc!!! No problem….in a little more than 2 months! Wish me luck!
Floating Wedding Chapel in St. Petersburg, Florida
This past weekend, I was with friends cheering Scott on during the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida. He did a great job! As usual, he crushed the bike portion and did his first open water swim. Crazy! Congratulations, Scott! This triathlon is the reason behind the $150 Spa Gift Card giveaway that we had earlier. Thanks to all who participated!
While we were on the pier at the swim start, I was told that the floating building on a boat was a wedding chapel. Of course, I must verify what I hear so I looked online, and it’s true! They offer weddings 7 days/week for ceremonies and renewal vows. The company is Weddings on the Water. Talk about unique wedding ideas! Anyways, let us know if you look into it.
We decided to take a day trip to see all three sites. We are really starting to like the idea of having a wedding by the water (my picnic idea may be out the window, some parts of it at least). Here’s the scoop…
Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Wow! So beautiful! They have 3 different sites to get married at…all great choices, all different but all great! We love the tavern ballroom because it is centered around the tavern. The ceremony is outdoors along the bay with the amazing Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the background. The dinner is inside in the ballroom and if necessary tables could be placed in the tavern bar. It’s a very cool, hardwood floored tavern that really appealed to our relaxed vision of our wedding. 
I would love to have just heavy hors d’oeuvres all night with tables randomly placed throughout the two rooms. In addition, there is a roof top deck with a bar in which you and your guests can hang. 
The view is awesome. The only part I don’t like is that there will be two other weddings going on at the same time as ours and not so far away. And, it has a beach but only about 10 feet of sand. The price is definitely steep, and you have to have a minimum of 150 guests if you have a Saturday evening wedding. So much for our little celebration. They had a lot of Friday and Sunday availability but not so much on Saturday except for Aug. 21. Of course, that’s to be expected considering it’s April.
Pictures from www.chesapeakebaybeachclub.com
Harbourtowne
Located in St. Michael’s MD, I have to say the only thing really great about this place is the view from the edge of the lawn. You can see all the way to the Bay Bridge (I like the Bay Bridge) on clear days. The coastline is a small cliff of large rocks. The water slaps up against them and looks beautiful. Otherwise, there wasn’t anything really exciting about the venue. You have to rent a block of 11 rooms which lead right out to where the ceremony and wedding would be held. There isn’t any tent, so if you want shade you and your family would have to go inside to the restaurant or the ballroom (which you can use, but don’t have too.) The ceremony takes place on a small brick patio which is cute but not exciting. 
The reception takes places in an adjacent patio and lawn. 
The whole thing takes place at the water’s edge so that’s cool. Tony loved that the golf course is across the street…but that’s all he loved. The price here was also pretty steep. More so than Chesapeake Bay Beach Club.
Photos from www.harbourtowne.com
The Oaks!
So we weren’t sure if we were going to have to time to see this place because we were running a bit late. But I’m so excited that we did. We called and asked if we could have a condensed version of the tour and they were very accommodating! So we got there to see a precious 1700′s style house which is like a B&B. It has a pool, shuffle board, paddle boats, bikes and other fun activities to do. We walked in and Sarah greeted us promptly and immediately began showing us around. To my surprise we were greeted by a well dressed waiter with homemade fudgey brownies and a signature drink. It was the nicest touch and it was nice to feel like they were really happy for us to be there. This place allows you to have the whole property from Friday night to Sunday morning. No one else has a wedding there and no outside visitors can stay while your wedding is there. That’s one down side. You have to rent out the 14 rooms for 2 nights which isn’t cheap since it’s minutes outside of St. Michael’s. Is it wrong to ask you family and friends to stay at a hotel that’s pretty expensive? It makes me feel bad just thinking about it. Anyway, that’s the only thing about it that I don’t like. Sarah went through it all. It was like seeing a show. The entry room, the staircase leading outside, the ceremony site along the water, the covered dock, the lounge chairs, the upstairs deck, then back to the entry room which was now converted into an amazing reception room… all set up just for us!
One word…WOW! You should see the amenities that come along with this place too!! We’d have to have a more formal wedding that at first thought, but I definitely can see us adding our own casual twist to this place with no problem at all! Price….ehh, definitely more than we should spend, but definitely worth it if we do spend. I can see beer and wine tubs along the house, a full bar in between, a basket full of blankets for chilling in the grass or to keep from getting cold, chocolate fountains flowing in the entry room with fun snacks and a (hopefully) yummy, casual dinner in the ballroom. They do have dates available that made us both just a little bit excited!
Photos courtesy of www.the-oaks.org
Today was a fun day!
We visited Algonkian Park the other day to see what the venue had to offer. We were a bit disappointed because you can have an outdoor ceremony but not an outdoor reception. The reception hall is very nice though with it’s floor to ceiling windows, large gas fireplace and very high ceilings. It looks out onto the golf course but the golfers can’t see in. When a picture is taken in front of the windows it turns out as if you were taking a picture in front of a giant mirror…very beautiful. Little side note… if your going venue hunting, don’t go in the winter. Everything looks miserable! No leaves, brown grass, no flowers….yuk! I have to rely on photos from other people, the website and the wedding coordinator’s word that it looks nice. The really cool thing about Algonkian Park is that they have onsite waterfront log cabins which can be rented the night of your wedding. So if you’re the type to hang out and party with your friends after the wedding, its a great idea to reserve the 10 cabins for you and your closets friends and/or family.
This is the entrance to the room at Algonkian Park.
We are not going to be using Algonkian Park because it just doesn’t have what we’re looking for. But it would be a beautiful sight for a winter wedding.
We then headed to Bull Run to check out the very large pavillion. I thought perhaps we could do a picnic wedding. We’d rent the pavillion for $500 then spend the rest of out budget decorating, cleaning, and we would get picnic baskets for each couple with a blanket, a bottle of wine, grapes, cheeses, plates and napkins. Upon arrival, the guests would get a basket and either sit in the grass or at a table enjoying their goodies. The pavillion is very large and nice for a park. It would need to be cleaned and the picnic tables would be removed for rental furniture. However, the bathrooms were yucky and the “grassy” area was more of a muddy area. I think the grass would need to be plush and soft for this idea to go off without a hitch. So, we nixed Bull Run Park.
Finally we went to Herrington on the Bay. The website is awesome and the pictures are bee-u-tee-ful! Again, we were massively disappointed because we got there before the blooming season started and everything was dead and dull. After roaming the site a bit we met up with Stacey, the wedding coordinator, who showed us multiple photo albums to remind us of how beautiful it looks in the spring, summer and fall. We immediately felt better. They have two outdoor areas for outdoor weddings and ceremonies. The larger Paradise Ballroom and Bridal Lawn has a very beautiful pergola for the outdoor wedding. It easily seats 500 people and is flanked by tropical flowers and palm trees with the bay in the background. There is a large grassy area, a dock (not to be used by boats), and a very large tent which is elegantly decorated with white lights. The smaller bridal lawn and tent is located across a channel but you cannot get from one to the other easily. You have to travel around the site to get from one to the next. So you don’t have to worry about guest from the other wedding sneaking over to crash yours. The smaller bridal lawn has a smaller but still beautiful perogla to get married under, with the bay in the background and tropical flowers and palms trees surrounding it. Both lawns have a small waterfall at the entrance. Very pretty! The tent is a bit small and less formal but still seats 300 people easily. The great thing about the smaller venue is that you have access to a lovely beach with lounge chairs, paddle boats, and small covered tables. You also have access to an outdoor gaming area, a recreational dock and a large grassy area. This second smaller area seems more like what we’re looking for. Stacey was very fun to work with. She sat us down and we quicky put together a menu and she got us a proposal on the spot. This was great (and shocking) to have in our hands. It will give us a point to compare everything else against. And it’s good for 30 days. They’re very flexible and happy to accomodate our non-traditional ideas. So far, it’s our favorite!!!
Polynesian Bridal Lawn outside of the Paradise Ballroom at Herrington on the Bay.
Paradise Ballroom. The Polynesian Bridal Lawn is to the left.
Herrington Bay Bridal Garden
You are currently browsing the archives for the Ceremony category.
"
About | Terms of Use | Contact Us | 
