The document provides essential tips for wedding planning, highlighting the importance of understanding marriage laws, organizing catering inquiries, and delegating tasks among friends and family to ease the planning process. It emphasizes preparing an emergency kit and packing necessary items for the wedding day, while also considering vendor meals and appropriate tipping guidelines. Overall, it aims to minimize stress and ensure a smooth wedding ceremony with adequate preparation and support.

2. Now, you’re planning a wedding. Between choosing
decorations, planning the guest list and booking the
venue, there are many different tasks to tackle
between now and the wedding day.
To take some stress out of the process, Executive
Limousine has written a list of five things to keep in
mind for the big day, several which are often
forgotten until the last minute.

4. Marriage laws differ from state to state, and
some may require special steps for obtaining a
marriage license. If you’ll be getting married in
Washington D.C., for example, a blood test will
be needed. A few months before the wedding,
contact the jurisdiction where you’ll be married
to learn about the application process.

5. Questions to ask include:
• Do I need to make an appointment for the
application?
• Do both parties need to be present for
the application? (In most states, this is
the case, though there are some
exceptions.)
• What documents do we need to bring
with us?
• After I receive the license, is there a
waiting period?

6. Once you’ve received your license, be sure to bring it
with you so that the officiant can sign it and file for a
marriage certificate. Common sense, right? Well…not
always. It’s surprisingly typical for marriage licenses to
be forgotten on the day of the wedding.

8. When you’re choosing between caterers, you have
your budget, your guests’ diets and the logistics of
the reception to think about. On that end, the
questions you ask your caterer should include the
following:

9. How many weddings do you do annually?

10. How long have you been in business?

11. Is catering priced based on the foods
selected, or is there a flat fee?

12. What sort of food do you offer for guests
with dietary restrictions?

13. Where will the food preparation take place?
Is there a fee if the caterer must bring
additional equipment?

14. Do you have a liquor license?

15. Do you have references I could speak with?

16. Will your company be servicing any other
weddings on the same day?

18. A wedding is a huge event, and while it
may be your big day, that doesn’t mean
that all the planning should fall on your
shoulders. Consider what parts of the
wedding you’ll want to delegate to your
groom, his parents, your parents or your
wedding party. There are several ways you
can divvy up the ceremony responsibilities.

19. The wedding party could be responsible for
setting up lobby decorations and handing
out programs.

20. Some groomsmen could also double as
ushers before the wedding begins.

21. A friend or relative could direct
guests on where to park.

22. A family member could collect cameras at
the end of the evening if you buy cameras
for guests to take pictures with.

23. Have your guests all be wedding
photographers. Designate a specific hashtag
for attendees to include when uploading photos
to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Having
one hashtag will help you organize and locate
your event photos in one location on each
social platform. For high resolution images,
request that the photos be uploaded to Flickr
and hashtag used.

24. A bridesmaid could be left in charge of
bringing your vows, which may get lost in
the milieu of the day.

25. Other wedding party members could also
be tasked with bringing the cake knife and
toasting flutes.

26. Some pre-wedding possibilities for the groom:
creating your wedding website, researching the
marriage license application process, booking
the wedding transportation and planning
reception entertainment.

27. On top of the actual wedding day, you can
also enlist friends’ help with other parts of
the process—invite your friends over and
stuff invitations while you watch a movie,
or have them help with making party favors
or decorations.

29. Before the wedding, there are a few things
you’ll want to pack: an emergency kit, an
overnight bag and some miscellaneous
odds and ends so that the night goes as
smoothly as possible.

30. Unless you’re getting married close to a
drugstore, having an emergency kit to help
with last-minute issues can be the difference
between a mountain of stress and an ocean of
calm.

31. • Bug spray
• Hair spray
• Lint roller
• Sewing kit
• First-aid kit
• Straws (you can use them to drink
without ruining your lipstick)
• Band-Aids
• Clothing stain removers
• Make-up
• Chalk to hide any last-minute
smudges on your wedding dress
Things to include in the kit:
• Fabric tape
• Aspirin
• Lotion
• Feminine products

32. Entrust a friend or family member with the
kit; have them double-check its contents
one or two nights before the ceremony.

33. Other things to consider
bringing with you are an
extra boutonniere for the
groom, tech chargers for
your electronic devices if
you’ll be using them for
reception music, bottled
water and snacks to fuel
you and your wedding party
and comfortable shoes to
change into at the end of
the night.
In your overnight bag, don’t
forget makeup remover and
a light snack in case you
don’t get much to eat at the
reception.

35. In the midst of your marital bliss, don’t forget the
people who helped make it happen. When giving the
caterer your final count of people, be sure to include
your vendors, too.
According to Bridal Guide writer Stefania Sainato,
“Most caterers will count your vendor meals as half-
price, so be sure to include your band members,
photographer, videographer (and any second
shooters), as well as your planner and their
assistants.”

36. Sainato also suggests that you review your
vendors or e-mail them a testimonial once the
honeymoon period is over. If everything went
well, let them know that.
If something could have been done better, be
honest. The only way they can improve their
service is if you point out their missteps.

37. As for tipping, the
Knot has a brief
guide of who and
how much to tip:

38. Wedding planners: Varies, from gifts to
a cash tip of up to $500

39. Hair stylist and makeup artist: 15-25%

40. Set-up staff and delivery persons: $5-$10
per person

41. Officiant: Donations of up to $500 to their
affiliated church or synagogue, or optional
tip of $50-$100, if non-denominational

42. Musicians: $15-$20 per
person

43. Photographer/videographer (optional): $50-
$200 if they are not the studio owner

44. On-site coordinator, maitre d’ and
banquet manager: 15-20% of food and
drink fee, or $200-$300 for maitre
d’ (Double-check contract for service
fees)

45. Bartenders and
waitstaff (optional):
$20-$25 per
person (Double-
check contract for
service fees)

46. Band, DJ and/or sound technicians
(optional): $20-$25 for musicians;
$50-$150 for DJs

47. So there you have it, five tips that will
hopefully decrease your stress levels in the
days leading up to the ceremony.
Executive Limousine knows that your
wedding day is a big one, and that’s why
we wanted to provide these tips—with
enough preparation, you’ll be ready for
anything that could steer your wedding off
course.

48. In addition to being a resource for brides-to-be, we
also provide a number of stylish, reliable options for
your wedding day. From a classic white stretch for
the bride to a luxurious party bus to a Rolls Royce
with a complimentary bottle of champagne for the
newlyweds, Executive has a vehicle that will
complement any wedding.

49. Want more information about wedding
transportation preparation?
Call us at (516) 826-8172
or visit our website at
www.executivelimousine.org