I have found myself unexpectedly having to plan my own wedding. I thought it was going to be a "team" thing, but it appears now that I'm doing all the work.

I already know who's doing the wedding cake (and no, I'm not doing my own.. I just refuse to put that kind of stress on myself before my own wedding).

My biggest questions are about the space we'd be renting and caterers. Is there anything I shoudl look out for or be wary of for the location? We are going to get married and have the reception in the same space, and it's small-ish wedding, under 100 guests.

Same thing with teh caterers. Is there anything special I should ask? I fully intend to taste their food!

Thanks for any tips you can offer.

If it makes you feel better, it's definitely normal to be all worrying about the details of "your own" wedding. It seems that you would really want every detail to be perfect. For starters, planning would really be a great way to make everything organized. The food should also be taste-tested by you beforehand as well, so that you'd know if they taste good for your guests. Keep constant communication to those you have assigned on the wedding details in case something comes up unexpectedly and finally, learn to make yourself not worry to much. Trust those you have delegated the tasks to. There are no perfect weddings, only couples perfect for each other.

Congrats! (sorry... no tips.)

When dealing with vendors one of the biggest red flags is if a vendor doesn't keep prompt contact with you. If your main contact is by phone then expect call backs, if it's by emails then they should be prompt in answering your emails..all during business hours of course. However, if it's by email remember that emails can be lost in a spam folder or accidently trashed so if you don't get a prompt answer then call. Any vendor who is not polite and prompt is not someone you want to deal with on your wedding day when you need everything to go smoothly. You want to know that they are professional and can be responsible.

You will want to ask your venue about their requirements for your other vendors...when can the cake be delivered, are there kitchens for the caterer and what time are they allowed to set up..what is required of their clean up (some want the staff to pack their trash, others just want it bagged). Ask about voltage requirements and set up requirements for your DJ as well as time requirements on noise levels. Also when you can get in to set up, when your rental company can arrive and pick up
the rentals if necessary and lastly, how long you have to clean up after.
What is inclued in the rental of that venue...tables? chairs? linens? etc? This will give you guidelines for your conversation with the rental company. Ask about having a room you can change in after setting up...is this available and does it cost extra or included in the fees. What is the fee schdule...how much and when is it due.

Feel free to PM me if you need more help...I've been coordinating weddings for 15 years.
Cat

Best advice I can give is go look at IndyDebi's blog. She has lots of information on there for couples getting married related to the catering/cake side of things. I'm sure she has other things in there too with all of her knowledge.

I don't have much in the way of advice - I just wanted to send out a huge "congrats" from an old friend.

Congratulations!! My daughter gave me the job of planning her wedding. She says yes or no, but other than that it's all on me, so I will be watching this thread for ideas!

congrats!!
just make sure you get what you want and don't settle.
also one thing that i didn't realized and i don't know why i didn't think of it is. that we have to pay the bartenders. i thought they came with the hall.
and several other vendor had delivery fees and other little fees. so just ask about price before you sign on the line.
make sure you get a contract for every vendor. and keep in contact.

but the best advice to give you is to just enjoy planning it and try not to stress about it.