Katie & Hunter Stutz

My cute sister-in-law Katie was married August 25th, 2017 in the Portland, Oregon temple. It was a beautiful summer day in Portland. I was able to assist Katie and Layne (my mother-in-law) from day one with all the wedding planning. I even went wedding dress shopping and was her helper for her Bridals that she had done here in Utah.

Katie's colors were blush and coral accented with navy and gold-her decorations and flowers were beautiful. She wanted a classic garden theme so we searched for tons of different venues all over Puyallup, Washington where her and her Hunter (her husband) are from. She decided to go with the Pioneer pavilion downtown Puyallup and it turned out great. Lots of natural light made the gold really accents stand out and it was great for a summer wedding so guests could go in and out as they pleased.

She had Honeybaked Ham cater different meats, cheeses, breads, crackers, fruit, salads etc. for food. Her cake was from Thriftway and of course it was delicious (that's where I got my wedding cake and she even had the same flavor).

Her decor consisted of: candles, flowers/greenery, Bridal pictures, chalkboards and signs etc. Her exit was Bubbles that the guests got to blow which was very kid-friendly which was nice for my one year old at the time. She was even one of my few brides who had a line which I think it always nice. She stood in front of that beautiful greenery backdrop and you can ask Katie yourself- she still had time for all the traditional wedding festivities like: speeches, dancing, cutting the cake, bouquet toss, garter toss, etc. and even got to sit down and eat! So brides, consider having a line so you can properly greet your guests.

Here are the pictures...

Photography: Kylee Ann Photography

4 Tips On How To Make Your Guests Happy

Last August I attended one of my friend's weddings at a beautiful golf course in Portland. The ceremony and reception was gorgeous and I was very happy to be there. If I remember right the ceremony started at 5pm and the invite said to arrive 30 minutes prior. We got there in plenty of time and so did the other guests. We were all just standing around unsure what to do. It was 93 degrees outside and we all were sweating. It soon was 5pm, and there was still no sign of the bride and groom. Finally 5:15 rolled around and the groom came out. Tip 1: Start your ceremony on time. Guests don't want to wait around for you especially in the middle of August. After the ceremony we found our place cards and sat at our designated table. There was again a lot of waiting around for the bride and groom to enter so they could be seated and we could begin the dinner. If you are going to be serving dinner you should consider giving two options for dinner. I really liked that my friend did this so they aren't stuck with something they don't like. So Tip 2: Give your guests an option if you are serving dinner at your reception. They also gave out two drink cards per guest to redeem for alcoholic beverages or whatever you wanted besides water. Most weddings I've been to also only have coffee, water or lemonade. It is nice to be able to get a soda or alcohol and not have to pay extra for it. After dinner, we were all unsure what was going on. I had never been to a reception where there was so much waiting around time. Tip 3: The less waiting around time between dinner, speeches, dances, cake etc. the better. After sitting at the table for about 45 minutes, we were being greeted by the bride and groom and thanking us for coming. They took the time and went to every table-every guest to say thank you and greeted them. I have been to many weddings where the bride and groom don't even talk to most of their guests. Tip 4: If you are not going to have a line where guests can greet you, you need to go around to each table and thank your guests so they know you care and appreciate them coming.

Hopefully you can take away from this some valuable tips on how to make your guests happy.

Designing Your Layout

I am currently planning a wedding for my friend. She was so thankful I had mentioned to her the importance of designing a layout of the reception. i.e., where you want the chairs, tables, decorations, etc. She had also told me that her venue was asking for a layout down the road so they could help set up and get tables and chairs where they need to be so she was thankful I had mentioned it to her now. Her wedding is still a little over three months away but since I'm in Oregon and she is in St. George its even more important we are ahead of the game.

I recommend all brides start designing the layout of their reception four months prior to their big day so they can figure out how many decorations, and table cloths amongst many other things you will need. The layout should not only include tables, chairs, which decoration, centerpiece and flowers go where, but a detailed map of the venue. You will want to decide what door you want guests to come through, and which rooms you will be using on the day. You also need to know where all the outlets are so if you have lights and music you can plan out where it's all going to be plugged in and that will determine which tables go where.

If you are going to have a formal dinner then you need to strategically place where the head table is going to be so all the tables can see you. Remember the head table needs to be rectangular- you don't want guests looking at your back all night and guests don't want to! Have your immediate family sitting at the table closest to you. A lot of people forget about this and in the end only a select few tables can see them. You also can decide what guests you want at each table at this point as well. Remember not to over-cram the tables. Don't ever put more than 10 guests at each table.

Designing your layout is critical so that your reception setup will run as smooth as possible, and those helping will know what to do so they can get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Make your layout look very nice. This can take a while so take your time and don't rush this or it may reflect in the appearance and layout of your reception.