Seminar

Seminar

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Will you need extra tables and outdoor tents? Make arrangements to rent those,too. Alterations, food and music

Regardless of whether the wedding dress is an heirloom or store-bought, the bride should select a bridal alterations specialist. Taking into account the stress-induced weight fluctuations leading up to the wedding, the final alterations should be made no later than two weeks before the big day.

More expensive is not necessarily more. That applies to food as well as photos. If the reception will be at a hotel, restaurant or inn, see what their policies are about bringing food in. Some may require that you rely on their chefs. Using their services or hiring a caterer means sampling the food and selecting the menu.

Not all wedding music is created equal. Some people go with DJs, who, once again, should be booked well in advance. Others, including a few James has known, have hired bagpipe or hammered dulcimer players.

A third option, and one available at places like Canterbury Cottage, are customized tapes made by the bride and groom. The indoor/outdoor sound system allows the couple to pop in the music and doesn’t require much supervision.

With those items crossed off the list, it’s time to think about invitations. The couple can hire a calligrapher to do them or use a computer and design them themselves. (The calligrapher may also be retained to do the name cards for the reception).

James said the invitations should offer guests a sense of what the day will be like. A Christmas wedding, for example, might include a piece of tinsel, she said. Anything from bird seed to confetti can be tucked into the envelope. If someone else does the invitations, the couple should proof the copy carefully before they are printed.

Of cakes and first dances

A few months before the wedding, the couple should contact a cake maker and decide what they want to go on top of the cake. Some freelance cake mak