3 Part Wedding

We have the pleasure of hosting multiple weddings every year and wanted to share with the world what a typical wedding day looks like from start to finish here at Edgewood. The timeline chosen reflects what we see most often but it can be altered to be earlier in the day.  This blog will be broken up into 3 categories; getting ready & set up, ceremony & cocktail hour, and reception & clean up. The below portion goes over the start of the day.

7:45am: Our wedding coordinator arrives to turn on the lights and air conditioning/heat in the bridal suite and begin to prepare the water, sodas, and mimosas that were added on by the bride for the morning while they get ready.

8am: Bride, Bridesmaids, and Moms all arrive along with the Hair and Makeup team to begin getting set up in the bridal suite. Elaine greets the bride and her bridal party and then heads into the ballroom to continue set up of the wedding.

• After check that the tables and chairs are all accurate and match the layout provided, Elaine and set up staff will proceed with setting tables.
• Once finished with that, they will open the décor boxes that were brought in and begin setting up place cards, card box, guest book, table numbers, assembled centerpieces (if provided), and basic additional décor brought to Edgewood in advance of the wedding day.

12pm – 2pm: Vendors arrive at Edgewood to begin their set up and to start photos.

1pm: Elaine begins set up of ceremony site and cocktail patio.

2:30pm: Our serving staff and bartenders clock in and begin going through their checklist of items (set up coffee station, count out salad and dinner plates, prepare dressings and dipping sauces for cocktail hour, etc).

3:15pm: Elaine has a meeting with the serving staff to go over the wedding details and timeline.

3:30pm: Gentlemen arrive and we assist them in storing their belongings and getting them settled in the ballroom.

Welcome back to our wedding day recap blog. Below is the next segment of this running blog topic, ceremony and cocktail hour. Once again, this helps to give you an idea as to how a wedding day goes at Edgewood.

4pm: Guests begin arriving and staff direct them to the outdoor ceremony location.

4:15pm: Elaine’s assistant heads outside to get the parents and gentlemen ready for the ceremony; Elaine heads to the bridal suite to check on the ladies and give them a 5-minute warning.

4:20pm: Elaine begins leading the ladies to the front porch area to line up in proper order for ceremony procession; Elaine’s assistant gets the groom, groomsmen and parents lined up and ready to process into ceremony

4:30pm: DJ starts the first song of the ceremony processional. Once the parents, groom and his groomsmen are at the pergola, Elaine starts sending the bridesmaids and flower girl. Once it is only the bride and her father left, we wait for the song change and Elaine straightens the bride’s train for her entrance to the ceremony location.

4:35pm: Ceremony Begins

4:50pm: Ceremony concludes, and the new Mr. & Mrs. make their way back down the aisle followed by their bridal party. They immediately go into family photos and the serving staff finishes last minute preparation on hors d’oeuvres trays and bar set up.

5pm: Bar opens, serving staff begin passing the hors d’oeuvres and signature drinks.

5:10pm: Bridal party and photographers all get into golf carts and are led out onto the course by a staff member to take additional photos.

5:50pm: Elaine’s assistant and the serving staff start directing guests to the main entrance of the ballroom. Guests are directed to the place card and guest book table. Bridal party returns to the bridal suite to enjoy some hors d’oeuvres while the guests find their seats.

6pm: Cocktail Hour and Bar Service closed outside and any remaining guests are directed to the ballroom entrance.

In our last segment of the wedding rundown blog, we discuss the reception and clean up portion of the wedding day. This covers introductions, dinner and dessert, and concludes at the end of the evening with the staff cleaning and headed out the doors. We hope you have enjoyed the run down of a wedding day to help you get a glimpse of what it looks like at Edgewood.

6:05pm: Elaine and the DJ start to get the bridal party lined up for introductions while the serving staff take laps around the room to check on empty waters or plates that can be cleared.

6:10pm: Introductions begin followed by the couple’s first dance as husband and wife which is then followed by the parent dances and then the toasts and the blessing.

6:30pm: Serving staff clears any remaining salad plates and Elaine and kitchen staff prepare for dinner service.

6:40pm: Dinner service begins. Each server is assigned to a section of tables in the ballroom to make dinner serve go smoothly and efficiently. Bride and Groom provided a meal document to further assist the servers by listing who gets what meal at each table.

7pm: Dinner service concludes and the bar opens again. Servers attend to their tables to clear any plates or glasses and to refill any water carafes that have emptied. Elaine checks on the bride and groom to see if anything is needed. A few more minutes are given to allow people the opportunity to finish their meals before dessert is served.

7:10pm: Bride & Groom cut their wedding cake. After this, the lights in the ballroom are dimmed to set the mood for a night of dancing and fun! The cake is taken to kitchen to be plated and served with the couples chosen dessert.

7:30pm: Servers continue to clear dinner and dessert plates, as well as empty drink glasses from the tables.  Elaine periodically checks in with bride and groom to ensure they are happy and do not need anything.  She also checks in with the DJ, photographer, and any other vendors to see if they are in need of anything.

7:45pm: Elaine says her good-byes to the bride and groom and their parents.  She checks on the bartenders before heading back to the waitress station to discuss any last details with her assistant and the staff.

9pm: Elaine’s assistant helps the photographer in gathering the bridal party and parents of the bride and groom to go out to the front of the ballroom to do sparkler photos.

10pm: The send-off station gets set up in the ballroom. Chicken Fingers with dipping sauces and jumbo pretzels are all out with napkins and plates for the guests to help themselves to.

10:50pm: Servers put out a few small to-go boxes on the send-off table, as well as the cake and any extra/unserved meals by the card box for the bride and groom to take with them upon their exit.

11pm: DJ’s song fades to an end and the lights are turned on in the ballroom. Staff starts clearing any items that are left on the tables for them to be washed and begin blowing out any candles and collect all centerpiece items to one table.

• Elaine’s assistant pulls out the décor boxes and starts carefully packing all of the centerpiece items back up into the boxes.
• Bride and Groom and their bridal party gather their belongings from the bridal suite and begin getting ready to leave for the night. Elaine’s assistant exchanges good-byes with the bride and groom and congratulates them once more before they leave. She also confirms a time with them to come back the next day and pick up their décor boxes and any other items left behind.
• DJ starts packing up his equipment and then moves his vehicle to the handicap ramp to easily load everything.

11:15pm: All guests have headed home or to hotels after a fantastic night celebrating the beautiful couple!