6 minute read
Cue the Celebration
Industry pros talk minimizing stress on the wedding day
By Alex Krutchik
The months of preparation are done. The couple has picked out their outfits, the wedding band has been chosen and the cake has been baked. Now, the focus shifts to the day of the actual wedding and the small things that may arise.
Fortunately, a local wedding planner and a garment and alterations expert have tips for what marrying couples and those close to them may – sometimes unexpectedly – need to consider when the action begins.
WEDDING PLANNER’S PERSPECTIVE
Of course with the number of moving parts during the ceremony and reception, the wedding day has the potential to be stressful, no matter the amount of preparation. This is where Kim Singerman, owner of Noteworthy Events in Solon and Cincinnati, steps in.
Her job starts as soon as the wedding-planning process begins, sometimes more than a year before the wedding. That’s when she starts gathering information and putting things together in a very detailed timeline.
The timeline is also a collaboration, useful when she first starts working with the wedding party, hiring vendors and gathering information.
“I refer to it as my Bible,” Singerman says. “Because it’s just the most important thing I do. And if it’s done with every bit of detail that could possibly be needed, that’s all I need.”
The months of planning is meant to make the day of the wedding as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Singerman
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says her role is to manage the couple’s day. This includes managing the vendors, guests and the timing of the day.
Whenever any issue arises with a vendor, she acts as the go-to person for the family, so the vendor is not going up to the client and asking them questions that they shouldn’t be bothered with on the special day.
“I once had a client tell me afterwards in a thank you note that I was her CEO,” Singerman says. “And I never thought about it like that, but I’ve used it ever since.”
Because of the work Singerman and other planners put in, the hope is there is no action needed on behalf of the clients once the day of the wedding comes. Singerman says her 18 years of experience with planning weddings has prepared her for pretty much anything, while most couples are doing this for the first time. This is how she is able to make the event as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
Singerman says the most important thing is that the family enjoys the day. If there’s an issue that she may not see, the family should let her know so she can deal with it. Her job, as she puts it, is to alleviate tension or stress.
Singerman shares a story where at one wedding she was running, during the ceremony, somebody bumped into the wedding cake. It caused the cake to collapse and smear itself all over the table, seemingly ruining it. Before anyone from the ceremony could find out, she got the cake baker, gave her a glass of white wine to calm her nerves, and fixed the cake. To this day, Singerman says, nobody from the family found out.
ABOUT GARMENTS
Of course, everybody wants to look great on their special day. Not only the couple, but the wedding party wants to look their best as well.
Much like Singerman, Jen Rondinelli’s job begins long ahead of the wedding day. Rondinelli, in-house marketing manager for Alterations Express in Mayfield Heights, says brides typically come in for alterations three or four times in the six weeks prior to the wedding.
About a week prior to the wedding, brides will pick up their gowns and men will pick up their tuxes.
Rondinelli says her biggest piece of advice is to make sure the dress is steamed properly, and for the tux or suit to be pressed properly.
“Before I started working for the company, I had never steamed or pressed any of my clothing,” Rondinelli says. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s actually pretty common, especially with younger people being married. ... I know it doesn’t seem like it makes that much of a difference, but it really does.”
Rondinelli says this is especially true if you’re having a summer wedding while it’s hot outside. In these conditions, garments tend to wrinkle more.
As for the day of the wedding, Rondinelli said bustles are essential for bridal gowns, as they hold up the train of a dress. So, if a wedding dress is a little bit long in the back, bustles allow for the buttoning up of the ends of the dress so it’s easier to get around at the reception.
However, bustles sometimes break on the wedding day. So, Rondinelli suggests making sure to get extra bustles when clients pick up gowns from a seamstress or tailor.
Similarly, Rondinelli suggests having a sewing kit on hand for any wedding attire. This will help fix any minor wardrobe malfunctions, such as bustles falling off.
Alterations Express
FINAL THOUGHTS
Rondinelli recommends all brides get their gowns preserved after their weddings. Alterations Express offers this service, in which it cleans the gown and boxes it in special paper and a special box that will preserve it for years to come.
As for the wedding itself, Singerman recommends incorporating family heirlooms, like a tallit. Using a tallit of a deceased grandfather or a kiddush cup that’s been passed down through the family makes a meaningful touch for the whole family.
“Weddings are very stressful,” Singerman says. “And if you have someone else to help alleviate that, or take on the stress, then you’re golden. There are things that can happen at weddings that families have no idea that it happened.”
Publisher’s note: Kim Singerman is married to Paul J. Singerman, board chair of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company.
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