Wedding Party Duties - Who Does What?

When you are planning a wedding in Tennessee, the majority of tasks will be handled by the bride and groom. You don't have to do it all alone, though. The friends and family members that you ask to be in your wedding party make up a support team that can take care of many things for you. 

Country Jewell has compiled a list of traditional duties that each member of your wedding party is expected to handle. As with all of our wedding planning advice, this is simply a guideline of what is often done. Feel free to adjust it to meet your particular needs and the talents and personalities of the people in your wedding party. 

The Happy Couple
Technically, you are the wedding couple rather than members of the wedding party, but you should see yourselves as the captains of "Team Wedding." You will be asking people to help you with certain tasks, but all final decisions are yours. Your "job" is to convey your wedding wishes in a way so that the ones assisting you know what is expected of them. Oh, and one more "job" for the happy couple: REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! 

Maid/Matron of Honor
This lovely lady is the bride's "2nd-in-command" over team wedding. (After the groom, of course!) She will be the one that you can call with questions, ideas, frustrations, and everything else. This is probably one of the people that knows you best, so she should be able to convey your wishes to others when you can't. For that reason, the maid of honor is the head bridesmaid, keeping the rest of the ladies in your wedding party on the same page. 

Before the wedding, she will make sure that plans are made for pre-wedding events, like the bridal shower and bachelorette party. On the wedding day, her job is to make sure that you have everything that you need, get you where you are going on time, hold your bouquet during the ceremony, and make sure your train is straightened and beautiful after you come down the aisle. This is also one of the people that will sign your marriage license as a witness. She may be asked to make a toast at the reception, and possibly hold on to the groom's ring until you place it on his finger. 

Bridesmaids
If your maid of honor cannot get to a task, one of these women can step up and handle it. They will all assist in the planning and executing of the bridal shower and bachelorette party, usually sharing the costs of throwing them. At the reception, they can take on a hostess role and offer answers and assistance to guests. Once the party gets started, these ladies can help to keep the crowd entertained and having fun all night long. 

Best Man
This fella is the groom's "go-to-guy." Just as your maid of honor is your backup, this man is the groom's. He can help your future husband with any wedding planning tasks he takes on. He is the one to make sure all of the groomsmen know what is expected of them, and he can help to make sure they are all correctly fitted for their suits or tuxedos. The best man is usually in charge of planning the bachelor party too.  

On wedding day, he needs to make sure that the groom gets to the church on time, and often is asked to hold the bride's ring until the ceremony, as well as the officiant's fee if it has not been collected before the wedding. He is the other witness to sign your marriage license, and is usually asked to give a toast at the reception. If the men's clothing is rented and needs to be returned, the best man is someone that can make sure that gets taken care of. 

Groomsmen
These men make up the groom's team of helpers, led by the best man. They will assist with planning and executing the bachelor party, and they usually share the costs of throwing it. At the reception, they can help the bridesmaids keep the wedding guests entertained and having a great time. They can be asked to help usher guests to their seats before the ceremony and act as greeters as people arrive.   

Ushers
Depending on the size and formality of your wedding, some couples choose not to have ushers. If you do, their job is to show up before the other guests so that they are able to help everyone find their seats. They can be in charge of greeting guests and answering any questions that may arise, such as the location of restrooms or where guests should go for the reception. Once the ceremony is over, the ushers will release the guests in an orderly fashion. 

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl
Children usually fill these roles, so there isn't much more expected of them than to make it down the aisle and look adorable. They should attend the wedding rehearsal so that they can get familiar with the other members of the wedding party, and also to practice and get comfortable with their walk down the aisle on wedding day. 

You will want to make sure that each of the members of your wedding party know what will be expected of them before they agree to be in your wedding. Most friends are happy to do the things listed above, plus more. When you choose to get married at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville, we're happy to help you with the venue preparations and offer advice when it is needed. We see a lot of successful weddings here at Country Jewell, and we can't wait to help you pull off the ceremony and reception of your dreams.  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+  

Wedding Day Jobs To Give To Family Members

Following up our blog from last week, Wedding Planning Jobs To Give To Family Members," which listed a few ideas on ways to let family members help before the big day, this blog has jobs that they can assist with on the actual wedding day. Having extra hands around to tackle different tasks at your rustic wedding near Knoxville will allow you to spend less time working and worrying and more time enjoying this special moment in your life.   

Transportation
Making sure that out-of-town guests have a ride from the airport or from their hotel to the wedding venue is a nice gesture. They won't have to spend money to find a ride, plus having a family member pick them up is a great personal touch. This is also a good service to offer for elderly guests that no longer drive. 

Ceremony Readings or Music
There are many lovely readings that can be used during your wedding ceremony, and this is the perfect place to let someone in your family that wants to be included in the celebration as more than just a guest have a job. If you have a relative that is musically talented, let them perform a song either before the ceremony begins or during it.  

Guest Book 
Most guests know what to do when they see a guest book at a wedding, but having a guest book attendant helps to make sure that everyone knows where it is at and that you don't miss getting any guests to sign in. Lots of couples choose to use a unique, alternative guest book, like a large poster or home decor item, instead of an actual book with pages to write in. In this case, it's wise to have someone standing by that can let everyone know where and how to sign in. 

Gathering Family for Photos
This may sound like an easy task, but getting all of the family members to show up when expected to get the family photos taken, and still stick to your wedding day timeline, can be hard to do. If you'll be taking these pictures before the ceremony, have a family member in charge of making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time. If the photos are being taken between the ceremony and reception, you'll need one person making sure that the relatives needed for the photos stick around and don't wander off to the reception area. Your photographer will be thrilled that a person that actually knows "who is who" is in charge of this task, plus it will help you to keep the wedding day schedule flowing on time. 

Cake Cutting
This is a job that is very often overlooked, and while it's not terribly glamorous, it is a very necessary spot to fill. Once the bride and groom cut the wedding cake, it cannot be served to guests until someone steps up to cut and plate the remaining pieces. Some caterers or bakers will take care of this, but don't assume that they will, always ask. Also, be aware that some will charge extra for this service, so you might as well get it done for free and let one of your helpful relatives have this job. 

Gathering Items After the Reception
Once the reception is over after a long day of celebrating, you will be exhausted, both mentally and physically. Designating a family member to be in charge of gathering all of the decorations, wedding gifts, and anything else that needs to go home with you means that the two of you don't have to worry about it, but it all still gets to where it needs to go. 

Planning ahead and filling the positions above before the actual wedding day will take a load off of your mind, plus these positions are wonderful ways to include family members in your special day that want to be helpful. The more help that you have at your scenic outdoor wedding near Knoxville, the easier it will be to get everything done that you've dreamed of happening on your wedding day. 

If you need more suggestions for ideas on how to throw an amazing wedding, the staff here at Country Jewell has a lot of experience in that area, and we're always happy to share that experience with our wonderful couples. For this one very important day, consider us a part of your extended family! 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+  

Wedding Planning Jobs To Give To Family Members

With so many things happening on your wedding day, as well as the days leading up to your rustic wedding near Knoxville, there are lots of different ways to include family members that want to help. Between planning your Country Jewell wedding and the many tasks to take care of on the actual day, you should have no problem finding something for everyone to do. 

This week we'll cover some ideas for tasks to dole out during the planning stages, and next week we'll discuss jobs that family member's can handle on the wedding day. Even if you want to take care of the majority of the wedding planning yourself, you can still find small tasks for family members that want to help out. Sometimes giving an overly-helpful person a specific job to take care of will keep them from constantly pushing their ideas on you, while allowing them to feel useful. It also takes some of the more menial tasks off of your plate, freeing up your time to work on the big stuff. 

Stuff Invitations
After you've picked out your wedding invitations, decided on the wording, and placed the order, you still have to put all the pieces into the envelopes and address them. This is a wonderful task to put a group of family members on. They can set up an assembly line and get it all taken care of in a much more timely manner than you doing it all by yourself. 

Gather Addresses
Once you have your guest list finalized, you need to gather current mailing addresses for everyone on that list. This is a perfect thing to delegate to a family member. 

Craft Favors & Decor
If you have a lot of DIY projects planned for your wedding, don't you dare try to do it all by yourself! Even with the best time management, those things always seem to eat up more time than you would expect. Let your crafty family members get to work on these with you. They will love seeing their handiwork on the wedding day.  

Help Plan a Bridal Shower
For those family members that are trying to influence the wedding planning decisions that you are making, let them plan a different party to take their mind off of your wedding decisions. They can host a family bridal shower and party-plan to their heart's content. 

Gather Family Photos
Featuring family wedding photos at your ceremony or reception is a wonderful way to pay tribute to all of the love that both sides of your families have shared up until this day. Finding all of those photos can be time consuming though. Another family member will be able to take care of this for you while you work on other tasks.  

Even the smallest task can make your family members feel like they are an important part of your special day at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville. They get to feel like a part of "Team Wedding," and you get to take a few planning tasks off of your plate so that you can focus on the bigger stuff. 

Next week, we'll conclude our Family Happiness Month-themed blogs with jobs that you can give family members on the actual wedding day. Country Jewell has some wonderful ideas so that both the bride's and the groom's families can be included on your special day. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+  

Sweet Ways To Welcome New Family Members At Your Wedding

We started our family-themed blogs for August in honor of Family Fun Month last week with 7 Ideas For Hosting A Fun Family Reunion. This week, we are turning our focus back to weddings at Country Jewell with ideas on how to welcome the family members you are gaining due to your new marriage. Whether it be in-laws, children from previous marriages, or a bunch of distant cousins, everyone will feel like one big family on your special day. 

In-Laws
When you get married, you not only gain a spouse, but also new parents, grandparents, and siblings. There are a few things that you can do before and during your wedding to show them that you are excited to add their family to yours.  

• Gifts - Find a special memento that says something like, "Thank you for raising the wonderful man/woman that I fell in love with!" Let them know you appreciate not only the person they raised, but them too. 
• Toasts - The same thing can be said in a toast directed at your new in-laws. Take a moment during the reception to publicly tell them you are thrilled to be a part of their family.
• Planning - You can make your future spouse's family feel like a part of the wedding by letting them assist you with some of the planning details. Even the smallest assistance or using one of their suggestions can make them feel like a part of "team wedding." 
• Unity Ceremony - There are unity ceremonies that incorporate both sides of the family instead of just the bride and groom. One example is the wine ceremony. Each set of parents brings up a carafe of wine, one white and one red. These are blended together by being poured into a single glass that the bride and groom drink from. This symbolizes the blending of the two families.  

Children
If one or both of you already has children from before the marriage, you will want to let them know that they are an important part of this union too. We've got a few ideas on how to make them feel like a special part of your wedding day. 

• Announcements - Let the kid(s) make the wedding announcement by featuring them on the Save-The-Date holding a sign saying something like, "My mom is getting married!" 
• Processional - They can walk as a part of the processional and stand up front as bridesmaids or groomsmen. You could also let them walk mom or dad down the aisle. This especially works well if the children are already adults.  
• Vows - If the kids involved are not adults yet, it can be important to let them know that your new spouse promises to be there for all of you. Special vows specifically written to them can assure them that they are a big part of this new, blended family.  
• Keepsakes - Newly married couples exchange rings, so a personalized keepsake, like a ring, necklace, or watch for children involved is a nice way to physically symbolize what vows state in words. 
• Dance - After your first dance as husband and wife, invite the kids onto the dance floor and have a fun family dance. 
• Unity Ceremony - Sand ceremonies are perfect for couples that are bringing children into the mix. Everyone involved can have their own color of sand so that their portion of the vase or frame is clearly visible. 

One & All
What about all of the extended family that you'll be gaining, as well as the new friends that your spouse is bringing with them? These ideas allow everyone to feel like a special part of your big day.

• Seating - This is where that now popular sign "Pick a seat, not a side" comes into play. Gone are the days of separating the bride's friends and family from the groom's at the ceremony. Instead, remind everyone that you are all in this together and all are welcome.  
• Traditions - Incorporating family traditions or customs into the celebration will honor that side of the family, plus introduce the other side to those things that are now a part of your life too. It can be done with decorations, music, or possibly the food being served. 
• Photos - Set up an area to showcase your guests' wedding photos, both friends and family. They don't even have to be wedding photos. Instead, show off pictures from happy times that you have spent with the people you have invited to your wedding. 

The wedding day is all about the bride and groom saying "I do" and pledging their lives to one another. There are a lot of people that helped you get to this point, and giving them a little bit of special attention can be a wonderful gesture. These are just a few ideas of things you can plan to do when you get married at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville. There is a comfortable, family feel to Country Jewell which will make you and your guests feel welcome and at home while you are here. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+  

7 Ideas For Hosting A Fun Family Reunion

August is Family Fun Month, so our next few blogs will focus on celebrations including family. If you'll be hosting a family reunion near Knoxville in the near future, Country Jewell has the perfect place to host it, and today's blog has a few great ideas on how to keep everyone entertained while they are there. 

Map It Out
If your family has spread out over the years and all live in different areas of the state, the country, or even the world, it can be fun to see exactly where everyone is coming from. Have a large map at the reunion entrance so that everyone can mark where they now live on it for all to see. This can be set up along with a name tag table, because if your family members don't get to see each other often, wearing name tags is an easy way to avoid the embarrassing question of "Who are you?" 

Play Games
Ice-breaker games are great for getting the party going, especially if your group doesn't get together often. These will help everyone get comfortable and be more relaxed with each other. For competitive groups, plan a few relay races and host a family olympics. The games don't have to be overly organized. Your family may prefer to have a few board games and lawn games set out to play at their leisure throughout the day. 

Family Favorites
If there is an activity that always happens when your family gets together or a similar interest that you each seem to share, a family reunion is the perfect time to showcase that. Musical families can bring instruments along and "jam" together, and possibly even teach the younger kids some old classics. If you prefer something crafty, maybe everyone could work on their own quilt square and then spend some time sewing it together. 

Many families have recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. These definitely should be on the menu for the reunion dinner. You can also gather them into cookbooks to share with everyone, and increase the contents be asking each person to bring a new favorite recipe to add to the list. 

Tell Stories
When different generations come together, there is always something new to learn from each of them. Let the elders tell a few stories from their day, then have the younger family members chime in with a similar story from their modern-day lives. You could even turn the storytelling into a game and let everyone try to guess which family member the story being told is about.

Start a Time Capsule
Family reunions should be a regular occurrence. If not yearly, then maybe every 3-5 years. You can encourage this by having everyone bring something special with them to add to a time capsule. Then, make plans to open it back up at the next reunion and see how much everyone's tastes have changed. Don't forget to throw a group photo in their before sealing it up.   

Divide & Conquer
A multi-generational celebration means there are a lot of different age levels to keep entertained. Set up different areas of our rustic event venue near Knoxville to host age-appropriate activities. Young children need an area to run around and let off that youthful energy. Craft tables are nice too, and you can plan crafts for different ages. Teenagers may enjoy an area with a gaming system set up to challenge each other. Grown-ups may prefer a quieter area where they can talk and catch up with one another. Just plan to end the celebration by bringing all ages together for one last activity.  

Take LOTS of Photos
This is a lot easier to do nowadays since nearly everyone has a camera on their cell phone, and most people are never far from that phone. Technology makes it very easy to share these photos with each other too. Set up a photobooth-type area with props where everyone can get a little goofy for pics. Take lots of candid shots too, because it may be a while before you get all these people together again, but great photos will remind you how much fun you had and that you should do it again soon! And of course, don't forget to make the time for one big group picture while everyone is there.  

While you're at it, pull out photos from past reunions and display them at this celebration. After all, a big part of reunions is the chance to take a walk down memory lane together. Here's another thing that you can turn into a game. See if everyone can guess who is who in the old photos. 

Host a Country Jewell Family Reunion
Our scenic event venue near Knoxville is an excellent place to host your next family reunion. There is plenty of room, both indoors and out, for up to 100 guests to spread out and have some fun. You can make use of the beautifully landscaped outdoor areas, and the event barn has two levels, plus the following items for your group to use: 

• 20 folding tables
• 100 folding chairs
• A warming/serving kitchen with:
• a refrigerator
• oven
• microwave 

Country Jewell in Heiskell is available for all of your special celebrations. Our event venue can be rented for parties in 4-hour increments Monday-Thursday, and in 4 or 6-hour blocks Friday-Sunday and on holidays. Give us a call at 865-494-0552 to see if your desired date is available, then set up a time to stop by and see the place for yourself. It's the perfect spot for a happy and memorable family reunion!  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on Google+