Destination Wedding

Just as one wedding ends in my family another one begins! The next wedding is my sister Kelly. She has been engaged for over a year now and really wants to have a destination wedding. 

Destination weddings are always a really fun idea in theory but may be very stressful. Planning a wedding in a different venue than where you are currently located is never easy. It requires very tedious detailing and planing in advanced. 

A major downfall to a destination wedding is that not as many people will be able to attend. It is inconvenient for friends and family to pay and travel for weddings far away. Many times people decline destination weddings because they require too much time away from home that many people can not give up on their weekends, especially if they have kids. 

Another major downfall is the expense of the weddings are usually greater and therefore you can not invite as many people.

In my sisters case she would like a smaller wedding which is why she chose to do a destination wedding. She wants to charter out a plane for the family and friends that she chooses to invite. This will make it much easier and more fun for everyone to travel together and enjoy a small vacation to celebrate her wedding! 

Wedding Speeches

Wedding speeches are commonly made by the best man, maid of honor and sometimes the brides father. These speeches are to reflect on the bride and grooms relationship as well as wish them luck.

I was asked to give a speech for my sisters wedding since I was the maid of honor. I had planned out a few different speech ideas which included the possibility of telling the bride and groom why it was ironic that they were getting married by a fish tank or advice to the groom about my sister etc.

The day of the wedding I was extremely nervous to give my speech. I had written it down on note cards to read off of but when the DJ announced my name I made the last minute decision to talk from the heart.

In my speech I discussed three stories about the first time I met the groom, why they are perfect for each other and finally the story about the proposal. I ended with three different advice for the groom. I also shared stories about me and my sister growing up.

Surprisingly, the speech went extremely well!

Wedding Pictures

This is a picture of the reception room that was surround by a shark tank:

 A shark ice luge at the bar with a sharkbite cocktail that came out of the mouth: 

My sister and my nephew Lucas: 

 The gifts were champagne flutes with sharks on it :

 The bride and grooms first dance (notice the red shoes):

 The wedding cake with the shark tank behind it :

Maid of Honor Checklist

The day of a wedding is very stressful and there are a lot of things to remember to do. I provided a checklist for other maid of honors to be as helpful as possible in aiding the bride the day of. This is to ensure that everything goes smoothly and the bride is not stressed on her special day. 

1) Make sure the bride has a well balanced breakfast.

2) Pack her overnight bag for after the wedding.

3) Make sure she does not see the groom the day of the wedding. 

4) Take her to get her hair and make-up done ( Bring Camera, Snacks, and THE VEIL).

5) Have the dress, shoes and jewelry prepared for the photographers. 

6) Help get the bride dressed. 

7) Make sure she is well hydrated.

8) Make a "Bridal Survival Kit" This will include: bobby pins, oil pads, lip gloss, deodorant, lip gloss, safety pins etc.

9) Stock the limo with champagne.

10) Lastly, make sure she does not cry and ruin her make up before walking down the isle. 

Below are all pictures from before the wedding: 

Rehearsal Dinner

The night before weddings, the bridal party will usually have a practice ceremony. This is done to go through the steps of what will take place the day of. It includes when the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle, when the bride walks in, where everyone is supposed to stand etc. 

After the practice ceremony the grooms family will host a nice dinner out for everyone closely related to the bride and groom.  This is hosted by the grooms family because the brides family is responsible for paying for the reception. This is how weddings are traditionally paid for but have changed in recent times and depends on the individuals getting married. 

Below are pictures from the rehearsal ceremony and dinner the night before my sister Laura's wedding: