What To Expect From Your Wedding Party

The wonderful staff at our wedding venue near Knoxville, as well as the many excellent wedding professionals that we can steer you toward, are all here to help you throw the most amazing ceremony and reception possible. A few other people that can help you take care of some successful wedding planning are the members of your wedding party. They are a fantastic support team, and Country Jewell has compiled a list of the duties most often associated with each position. 

Maid/Matron of Honor
This wonderful woman is the bride's "2nd-in-command." (After the groom, of course!) She is the person you can call with questions, bounce ideas off of, and spill all of your wedding planning frustrations to. This is most likely one of the people that knows you best, so she should be able to convey and carry out your wishes to others when you can't. Your maid/matron of honor is also the "leader" of the rest of your bridesmaids. 

Before the wedding, she will make sure that plans are made for pre-wedding events, like a bridal shower and the bachelorette party. Her jobs on the wedding day include making sure that you have everything you need, getting you where you are supposed to be on time, holding your bouquet during the vows and photographs, and making sure your train is straightened after you come down the aisle. She may be asked to make a toast at the reception, possibly hold the groom's ring until you place it on his finger, and she will sign the marriage license as a witness. During the reception, your maid/matron of honor will be "on call" for anything that you may need. 

Bridesmaids
If your maid/matron of honor cannot get to a task, these ladies are there to jump in and help out. They will assist with the planning of the bridal shower and bachelorette party, usually sharing the costs of throwing them. They are your support team before and during the ceremony, and at the reception, they can take on a hostess role and guide guests to where they need to be. This is a good group to keep the crowd entertained and excited to spend the majority of the reception out on the dance floor.     

Best Man
This is the groom's "go-to guy." He can help your future husband with any wedding planning tasks he has agreed to take on. He is the head groomsman, so this is the man to make sure the rest of the groom's wedding party know what is expected of them, such as when to get fitted for suit rentals and knowing when to be where at what time. The best man is usually the one in charge of making the bachelor party happen. 

The best man makes sure that the groom gets to the wedding on time. He is often asked to hold the bride's ring until the ceremony, as well as the envelope containing the officiant's fee if it has not been collected before the wedding. He is the other witness to sign your marriage license, and you may ask him to give a toast at the reception. If the men's clothing is rented, the best man can be in charge of making sure that all returns are taken care of. 

Groomsmen
These gentlemen are "team groom," led by the best man. They will assist in planning the bachelor party, and they usually share the costs of throwing it. They are great for any heavy lifting that may be involved while setting up and decorating for the big day. If you need ushers and have not given anyone that title, the groomsmen can step in and take care of getting the guests seated, and they can help the bridesmaids keep everyone entertained at the reception.

You should make sure that each member of your wedding party knows what may be expected of them before they agree to be in the wedding. This includes paying for their own attire and hotel stays while they are in town, unless that will be part of your thank you gift to them. 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 some of the preparations before and during the special day when we can. Your wedding party is there to help you with all of the rest. We see lots of successful celebrations take place here at Country Jewell, and the best ones involve a supportive team to make it all happen. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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The Pros & Cons of DIY For Your Wedding (Part 2)

Last week's blog was all about a few of the Pros & Cons of DIY For Your Wedding at Country Jewell, and this week we've got a few more to add to the list. It's important to decide exactly how much you can take on before the wedding planning gets to be too much for you to handle. Hopefully, the tips we're sharing can help you make that decision in a few areas of the wedding. 

Hair & Makeup
Some brides believe that nobody can do their hair or makeup better than themselves. This is true in many cases, but if you are doing it on your own, you will need to start getting ready much earlier in the day to get everything done. The benefit of using a professional is that there is very little risk of a "bad hair day" because they do this for a living. Also, they have the experience to know exactly how much time will be needed to get you to the altar on time. While they are getting you ready, that's a great time to close your eyes, relax, and gather your thoughts for the excitement that's about to happen.  

Photography
You will cherish your wedding photos for years and years to come, unless the pictures are horrible! Even if you have a trusted friend that wants to take them for you, if they don't do wedding photography professionally, don't risk it. A professional knows how to get clear, high-quality images in every type of lighting, as well as all of the important shots to capture. If you have a very limited budget, you may be able to find a photography student that knows what they are doing and needs to build a portfolio, so the pricing will be very reasonable. 

Catering
Cooking for a big group of people is a lot different than making dinner at home. Also, if you want the food to be hot and fresh, you'll need someone else taking care of the cooking because you'll be busy getting married! This task can be handled by family members that are aces in the kitchen, but realize that they will miss a portion of your special day if they are preparing and setting out the food. At Country Jewell, some of our wedding packages include delicious catering, so there's no DIY necessary!

Music
Many couples choose to save money on music by creating a playlist of their own to be played throughout the evening, but you still need to have someone in charge of making sure the correct music is playing at the right times. If you have enough money in your budget, a DJ will have a much larger selection of music to choose from, but it is possible to handle this on your own for a small wedding. The Dazzling Country Diamond Package at Country Jewell comes with a DJ for 3 hours. 

Before you decide to take on any DIY projects for your wedding at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville, ask yourself these questions: 

#1 - Do I have enough time and skill to do this? 

#2 - Will it save any money to do it myself? 

When you hire wedding professionals, it allows you to benefit from their experience and expertise, plus it can save you from a lot of stress. On the other hand, DIY is an excellent way to put your personal touch on this very special day. 

It is up to you to decide how important each aspect of the wedding is to you and if you truly believe you or someone close to you can handle certain DIY tasks in a way that you will be happy with. Be objective, give yourself lots of time, and only take on as much as you know you can easily handle, and your Country Jewell wedding will be everything that you are dreaming it will be.   

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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The Pros & Cons of DIY For Your Wedding (Part 1)

We have seen a lot of brides, and even a few grooms, get "DIY Fever" at our scenic wedding venue near Knoxville. Adding DIY elements to your Country Jewell wedding is a marvelous idea that adds a wonderful, personal touch to the ceremony and reception. 

It's not always quite as simple as Pinterest makes it look though, and it will take a LOT of time to get projects finished alongside all of your other wedding planning tasks. The sooner you begin your DIY projects, and the more help you have to take them all on, the better. The thoughts in today's blog can help you decide if you should DIY a particular wedding element or if you should let the professionals take care of it. 

Stationery
If you are the type of person that pays extremely close attention to detail, is creative, and has a good grasp of grammar, then you can probably handle creating your own invitations, programs, menus, and other printed materials. You can find beautiful stationery that is ready-made to pop into your home printer, all you need to do is provide the desired wording. When you are planning a small wedding, you may even want to get crafty and hand-make the invitations from scratch. On the other hand, ordering invitations instead may give you more paper and ink options. 

Coordination
Extremely organized brides may be able to handle this before the wedding, during the planning, but on the wedding day you really need to have someone making sure everything that needs to happen is being done, and they will also keep the wedding day festivities running on time. A friend or family member may be organized enough to handle this, but it's harder for them to enjoy the wedding if they are "working" the entire time. Be sure to take that into consideration before asking someone.       

Centerpieces
Big, elaborate centerpieces look impressive when you walk into the reception, but after that initial "wow" factor, may not have much attention paid to them. Something simple can be just as beautiful and much easier to piece together yourself. A small vase with flowers and a few candles can be plenty, and a simple setup allows you to create it ahead of time and trust someone else to put it on the tables while you're busy getting ready on the wedding day. The same idea works for the decorations you use around the rest of the room too. 

Flowers
If you will be using artificial flowers and they can be put together weeks before the wedding day, so this may be a safe area for you to DIY. When you decide to use real flowers, it might be better to leave the floral design to a florist. Just like with the centerpieces, if you are doing something simple like putting some cut flowers in vases and you have help, you may be able to handle it. A good compromise could be to do some of the flowers on your own and hire a pro for the more difficult arrangements.  

Favors
Wedding favors aren't a necessity, but they are a nice additional touch if you have the time and budget for them. When you make these yourself, it's easy to personalize the favors for each guest. This is an item you can get started putting together a long time before the wedding day, unless it's edible, so you should be able to get them all done in plenty of time before they are needed. There are lots of favor kits available too, which allow you to add the DIY touch, but have some of the work already done for you. 

Next week we'll discuss a few more things that you may or may not want to DIY for your special day at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville. With lots of time and lots of help, a lot can be accomplished. The staff here at Country Jewell may be able to help you handle some of the wedding day tasks. Let us know what you need and we'll do our best to help you come up with a way to make it all happen. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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9 Romantic Gestures to Surprise Your Future Spouse at Your Wedding

Your wedding day at our scenic wedding venue in Tennessee is supposed to be all about the two of you, the bride and groom. During the wedding planning, a lot of focus will be put on making sure the guests are taken care of too. 

That's also important, but don't let too much attention be taken away from the romantic reason you are there in the first place. Country Jewell has come up with 9 sweet and creative ways that you can remind your future spouse how much you love them with these wedding day surprises. 

Schedule a First Look
The "first look" was created so that the bride and groom could have their "wow" moment of first seeing each other all dressed up for the wedding without all of the guests staring at them. It's a wonderful way to keep that very special moment all to yourselves, and of course, your photographer. (You'll definitely want photos of this!) In addition to sharing this romantic moment privately, you will be much more relaxed during the ceremony having gotten the initial surprise out of your system. 

Scrapbook Your Love Story
A scrapbook filled full of pictures from your dating years leading up to the wedding is a wonderful start. Go a step further and include messages from that time too. Since most people don't write letters anymore, most of your correspondence is most likely in digital form, such as texts, social media posts, or emails. Type these up, print them out, and include them alongside all of those wonderful photos. It will be a sentimental walk down memory lane, for them when they see it, and for you while you're making it. 

Send a Care Package
Surprise the person you're about to marry by sending a wedding morning care package full of breakfast items or a mix of their favorite snacks and drinks to the room they are getting ready in. Be sure to include enough so that they can share the treats with their wedding party too. 

Deliver a Love Letter
You could send a letter full of all of the reasons that you fell in love with them and all of the reasons you cannot wait to become their wife/husband. Your maid of honor or best man can deliver the letter before the ceremony. We've also had couples stand on different sides of a door (because they hadn't seen each other before the ceremony yet) and hold hands around the corner while they read each other's letters. Have a handkerchief handy, because this always brings on lots of happy tears. 

Hide a Love Note
Rather than a long letter, or in addition to it, you can hide a short and sweet "I love you" message someplace for them to find. The bride could have a message sewn onto the back of the groom's tie, and he could do the same on a handkerchief for her to carry with her bouquet. Another idea is to write the message on the bottom of their shoes. 

Blow Up Their Phone
Each hour leading up to your walk down the aisle, send a special text or photo to their phone. This will put a smile on their face and give them something to look forward to each time their phone chimes. If you don't mind seeing each other before the wedding, you can send pictures of yourself getting ready, and if you are going the traditional route and not seeing each other before the ceremony, send some of your favorite old photos.  

Deliver Treats All Day
Instead of phone messages, you can send actual gifts to your future spouse throughout the wedding morning. You could even keep them coming during the ceremony if you really love giving surprises. Some ideas of small gifts you could send are:

• Letters to be opened at certain times, like "when you wake up," while you are getting dressed," "before you walk down the aisle," etc...
• Novelty socks to take care of any "cold feet"
• Their favorite candy with a cheesy note attached
• A piece of jewelry to wear for the wedding
• Tickets for an event or dinner reservations for a date in the future

Engrave Your Wedding Rings
Lots of couples have something sentimental engraved inside of each other's wedding rings. It may not be a surprise that you're having it done, but the message that you choose to engrave can be hidden from each other until the wedding day. 

Plan a Reception Surprise 
Work with your wedding planner, the rest of the wedding party, or a family member to plan a reception surprise that your future spouse knows nothing about. You could arrange to add their favorite food to the cocktail appetizers, put together a slideshow starring the two of you, or plan a choreographed dance to perform for them. Think about what would put a huge smile on their face and do something relating to that. 

No matter what you have chosen as the theme of your wedding at Country Jewell, the overall theme of the day is love! Any idea that you can come up with to show your future spouse exactly how much they mean to you will be much appreciated and create fantastic memories. If you need a little help coming up with a few ideas for that or any other part of your special day, the staff at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville is always happy to help. 

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

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