Boy do I! It'll be a sweet 16 years ago this June, and seems like it was last week! At the rehersal, the pastor had a fit because I had four different readers. I got this lecture about only two, because he wanted everything "perfect, perfect" as he snapped his fingers. I explained that my readers were also readers/ministers at their own Church and it would be fine. I won. As we went down the isle, you could hear his fingers snapping, making certain that everyone was at a proper pace. My brother would not come to the wedding, and my friends who drove all the way from Phoenix,her husband walked me down the aisle. I was so excited and kept hearing those finger snappings, that I started down the aisle on the wrong song. I forgot to wait for Cannon in D. I walked down to "Today while the blossoms"...I guess I was in a hurry to get to my future hubby, as he stood there crying his little brown eyes out. I understand his brothers told him he didn't have to do this if he was going to cry about it! During the "perfect" ceremony, all four readers didn't miss a cue. Then, the pastor lost his place in the book. He kept turning pages looking for where he was supposed to be. You could hear fingers snapping from my maid of honor. We almost broke up with laughter! He made another boo-boo in the ceremony, and again, Jenny started snapping her fingers! We took off from the church in a red & white vintage 60's Chevy convertible from a friend of ours. What a gas! Plenty of tin cans and hubby's old army boots. The reception was held at a lovely Polish restaurant. Just over 100 people. My friends were all upset because when they got there with hudred of balloons, the hall had not been cleaned from the night before! It all worked out. The food was served family style and didn't stop coming. Roast chicken, beef,ham, whipped potatoe, green beans with almonds,sausage & kraut, and I forget what else. People are STILL talking about the food today. They never had such a good meal at a wedding. So yes, I remember my wedding ceremony...I'd do it over again, but the pastor has since died : ) Wonder if St. Peter snapped his fingers when he arrived? Cheers, Mickey

That certainly is a photo of a beautiful, happy bride and handsome groom. they even manage to upstage that stunning scenery behind them. Do you have a wall to display all these new photos of married children? and new grandbaby when it arrives? How wonderful to know that your children are married and ensconced in their own families now.

Wouldn't guests usually plan to stay for the reception? Where I am some people don't show for the ceremony but go to the reception. Anyway...I wouldn't mention the band on the ceremony program. As part of the invitation are you doing a reception card? You could put "Dinner and dancing following the ceremony at the Our Town Country Club". If there is no dinner you could just say "cocktails" or whatever you will have. I wouldn't mention the band by name. The day isn't about the band.

First, do what you want to do and what is right for the personality and style of the Bride and Groom. I like the idea of a champagne toast after the wedding ceremony. Having good directions/maps for the guests would be needed. Offer a list of things to do in the area. Are there any antique shops? With the wedding before 1pm and the reception in the evening, some people may want lunch, give suggestions. Some may want to hike or go on a picnic, where can they get a picnic to go? Have you ever heard of Letterboxing? It would be fun to place a couple letter boxes for your guest to find as they enjoy the area. Some people may just like to relax at the cabins or have a little romance of their own! For my daughter's wedding in Monterey, CA we had a local friend give surfing lessons on the morning of her wedding. More than 70 guests came from out of state, it was much like a family reunion. I also had everyone stay at the same place, they offered a great breakfast included with rooms. I printed a list of guest names and cell phones numbers prior to the wedding. I added room numbers as they checked in so people could get together and visit. Some groups went to the Monterey Aquariam, some went to wineries, most went to the beach. In each room I put a small gift bag with a water bottle and snacks. In Colorado with your Dude Ranch theme a simple bag of trail mix would be great to give to guests. The hotel could pass them out as people check in. Here is a link that might be useful: Letterboxing in North America