When I attend a wedding that I did not coordinate, I struggle. It is difficult to sit and enjoy the ceremony without viewing it from an experienced and somewhat critical eye. Last night was one of those situations. I was looking forward to attending a wedding as a date night with my husband. It was at the Antique Rose Emporium (such a beautiful venue located between College Station and Brenham), there was going to be dancing, food and of course, my favorite; cake! The ceremony started late, but ran fairly smoothly. The couple took pictures afterward and guests moved to the dining area for punch, cheese, fruit and crackers. Photos took a while as they often do, but eventually the bride and groom joined us. The minister prayed for our meal, and the DJ announced that the bridal party would be first in line. The first error I noticed was that the bride and groom never got in line. They were busy greeting guests and hugging everyone as the couple of the evening always do. However, one of my top priorities as a coordinator at the reception is to make sure that my bride and groom have time to sit and eat so that they can enjoy the meal they carefully selected for their guests. I don't want a fainting bride or groom!
After a long dining time (too drawn out, in my opinion) they cut the cake and immediately engaged in toasts. The toasts were emotional, extensive and touching. However, being the wedding planner that I am, my eyes and focus were on the cakes, which were NOT being carved by anyone. Once the toasts concluded, the cake table was still not being attended to, so my husband and I politely asked the maid of honor if anyone was supposed to cut the cake. She stated that there was no plan for this and the bride's mom had forgotten the cutting set. I kicked myself for not bringing my wedding emergency kit which contains a cake cutting set. But I was SUPPOSED to be a guest, right? I just couldn't help myself. I went to the caterer, got a plastic knife and serving spoon and began to cut and serve the cakes. I've become quite proficient at it; there really is a technique and skill to this age old tradition!
The rest of the reception, my husband and I danced, ate cake (of course) and enjoyed ourselves. We assisted the clean up crew which consisted of the family and close friends. For our efforts? Free cake, cheese cubes and ham. I've got four kids to feed: I'll take it!
You can read the story about my first "cake save" here: The Day I saved the cake!
Erin Joyner Wedding Coordinator Bryan/College Station
No comments:
Post a Comment