<p>Realized today that the contract for the rental facility for S1 and DIL’s wedding celebration is for ten hours, including set-up and take-down. The way it currently stands, we get access to the facility at 2 pm for a 4:30 wedding. To me, this does not seem like enough time to get everything done (esp. since we are catering ourselves and will have to set up and dress tables in this time, decorate the ceremony & reception areas, bring in food, dress ourselves, etc.). </p>
<p>For anyone who has done this, how long did it take to clean up after the party? We will have a serving crew who can start with cleaning/packing dishes during the dancing, and we can put our stuff/decorations into a locked dressing room at the facility til Monday am. </p>
<p>I am thinking that we should take an hour off the clean-up time (we currently have two hours allocated for that) and add it to set-up time - and maybe change the wedding to 5 pm.</p>
<p>Where did you feel was the biggest time crunch? Any advice?</p>
<p>We didn’t do it ourselves, countingdown, but I can tell you that 2:00 for a 4:30 ceremony is definitely not enough time. You will undoubtedly have guests starting to arrive as early as an hour ahead of time. How many people will you have setting things up? For how many guests? For my Ds’ weddings, the set up began 4-5 hours prior to the ceremony, and this included the venue staff, the catering staff, our wedding planner and her two assistants, and the florist and her assistant. The largest guestlist we had was for 120.</p>
<p>It’s hard to know how long the cleanup would take, depending on the venue and what can be broken down and cleaned up prior to the end of the evening. One thing I will say is that even with others doing the cleanup, there is still time necessary for the parents/family who will be transporting gifts, leftover cake, flowers, changes of clothing, etc. home afterwards. Don’t forget to allow for that. I would not recommend leaving things there until the following day/Monday.</p>
<p>I can’t give you any advice, as we’re still pre-wedding. However, I’m kind of glad (though my wallet isn’t) tht we ended up that we’ll be less DIY than first planned. Our venue won’t allow DIY catering, and expects the caterers to handle all set up of tables and all clean up, which left out a lot of smaller scale alternatives for us.</p>
<p>But I do know that we’ll be doing the decorating, and i want that to be done hours before the ceremony, so we can get back home, dress, have time for pictures, etc.</p>
<p>So what AlwaysAmom says makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>For my wedding this summer, we’re working on even a tighter time crunch. However, the venue has hosted numerous weddings, with the same time crunch, so that’s reassuring. </p>
<p>I think the big thing is that it depends on what you’re thinking for decorations. Pipe and drape everywhere, elaborate floral centerpieces, uplighting, etc.? Probably not enough time. Tables and chairs with simple centerpieces? Probably can be done. </p>
<p>Does the venue offer any service for setup, even at a fee? Our venue, it turns out, offers to set up tables and chairs for a fee of $120.</p>
<p>Can you hire some teenagers/housewives/church foks to set up for you? Set up one table to show them how and then leave. In my many years volunteering and setting up rooms for dinner/auctions/events it almost always takes much, much longer to do than you plan. Then you have to run home to change and get ready. The other option is to ask if you can set up earlier. If the room is not being used for an earlier function, they may allow you to do this.</p>
<p>We can get additional time at the venue to the tune of $400/hr. Would really prefer not to go that route, as S and fiancee are paying for all of this themselves (including transportation & hotel for some of their friends). DH and S2 are doing the catering, no florist, no wedding coordinator. Hiring a professional serving crew, who I expect will be dealing with food and cleanup. Looking at ~70 guests. </p>
<p>There is a dressing room and shower at the venue so I can get ready there if need be. Otherwise, I don’t think we’ll have time to get ready at home, so may snag a room at the hotel four blocks away from the venue where everyone is staying.</p>
<p>The venue is in a dance studio/theater, so there is heavy black drapes all around the room. No uplighting, no pipe and drape. Was planning to wrap ivy, ribbon and white lights around the dance barre surrounding the room; we’ll see what we can get done. </p>
<p>Need to confirm who is setting up tables and chairs. as I had understood the venue staff would do that since they want a diagram of where things go. </p>
<p>Gifts will get put in the car that night. The dressing room where we can store things will be locked. We are able to bring stuff there and store it starting the day before the event, but that does not cover food (though it may have to include flowers if I don’t have fridge space).</p>
<p>Talk to your photographer and find out what time they will shoot photos, ours arrived in the morning, maybe 9-10AM for a 5pm wedding. Some take bride & groom only before the wedding, others do family groups, too. If you or helpers are needed for photos, then you need a reliable set up crew.</p>
<p>The set up seemed like it took all day, though we did not have a lot of people. In my mind the set up took much longer than the clean up.</p>
<p>It takes much much less time to tear down than to set up because you don’t have to be as careful about anything. Make plenty of lists. I suggest that black bags be used for only trash. I would have lots of plastic tubs that can be labeled for things like dirty linens, floral displays, decorations and which you can see into. I highly recommend disposable dishes for do-it-yourself. You can buy really nice plastic ware, including glasses, plates, silverware. It will add significantly to your tear down time if you have to deal with preserving dishes and silverware. If you’re going to have candles as part of your decorations, choose them carefully (ie. votive rather than tapers). Make sure they are all gathered in one tub, and DO NOT leave them in the locked room. Make sure someone takes them and preferably leaves them outside for the night, so you take no chances with a fire. If you’re serving food and have to take care of that, too, decide ahead of time what you want to save and what leftovers should just be pitched (ie. lettuce, anything that might melt). If you’re going to save some of it, have a supply of plastic containers, ziploc bags, etc. and decide who will take what. One of the tricks is to put together 2-3 notebooks with instructions (picture of a table setup, contact list, a floor plan of table layouts, what should be on what table, lists and diagrams for name cards if there are any, clearly identify who is responsible for what. A checklist and timeline on the cover are helpful. Put a reliable person in charge of making sure that everything in the notebook is done on time. Have one or two helpers who don’t have any assigned tasks but are available to help in any area where things are falling behind.</p>
<p>Was at a New Years Party in a large hall with tables set for 350 guests, simple centerpieces,table cloths, chair covers. Lights were strung across ceiling and some uplighting, and some draping. All the linens and uplights, and ceiling lights were provided by a company but volunteers from the facility did the actual decorating. They said it took 20 people 2 hours from start to finish.
Tear down and clean-up was much faster.</p>
<p>ango14, thanks for the great suggestions (esp. about storage containers)! I already have several spreadsheets going with various pieces, and we will have a Plan of Operations that outlines everything and its timeline. I had plastic bags & food containers on my list, too. We debated the nice disposable dishes from Costco and they cost just about as much as the rental china. DIL really wants the china, and she has not expressed many strong preferences in this whole process, so I am not going to get in the way on that one (i.e., she has told me I can do what I want re: decorations – boy, is that a dangerous thing to tell a crafty person!).</p>
<p>Found a website today that provides wedding coordination services for $3-10,000. Now I know why they charge so much! </p>
<p>Venue does not allow tapers, so we will have lots of votives. Am going to try gel staining Mason jars.
Alas, we will not have 20 people to help. Ten if we are lucky!</p>
<p>Countingdown, are you sure you cannot get more helpers than that? Don’t be afraid to ask!
I know I LOVE being asked to help with such joyous occasions! (you anywhere near Atlanta?? :)</p>
<p>A friend recently did her daughter’s wedding and, man did she ever DO it! We had a whole crew of friends to set up the venue and we did everything from adding “extras” to existing wreaths and greenery, to adding bows, hanging lights, banner strings, etc. </p>
<p>One genius thing my friend did was because they wanted a very “vintage” look to all the guest tables. So, weeks before the wedding, my friend gathered together a bunch of books, china, vases, lace doilies, etc and created table-scapes. She would create one, take a photo of it, and than pack all the items for that table in a box and taped the printed picture of the finished look on the box. Then all we had to do was unpack the box and duplicate the look. Admittedly, my friend went way over the top (but the wedding was indeed lovely), but you could take the same idea, perhaps, to simplify set up for you and all your volunteers.</p>
<p>My brother had a mostly DIY wedding. They did cater the food, and I think they had 3-4 caterers handling set out, refreshing, and cleanup of the food. He rented the local big hall for maybe 120 people. We were in there the day before from 10 till maybe 3:30 setting up - that was moving and decorating tables (tableclothes, runners, decorations, favors), placing covers over the chairs, setting up strings of lights on the cake table, gift table, the bar, head table and the DJ table, and around the perimeter of the hall ceiling, setup of a rental arbor, setup of the DJ amp, speakers, mike (a buddy was DJ but we did the sound check which did not go well at first). And who knows what else. We had a small army doing this, at least a dozen people. We worked like fiends. (Then we went to the church and decorated there…). Tear down took maybe an hour, and again we had lots of help.</p>
<p>We just helped decorate for an anniversary party for 150 that ended up being about 125. No lights, but table setup and decoration, and food warming and setup, and serving from the buffet line. This was a plan-as-you-go affair, which I do not recommend. If you can get the venue dimensions and make a table plan you will save some time. This affair was catered by us. Again, a small army of people who worked like dogs. You need to plan for every cord, check extension cords and power strips, do a sample serving layout, think about capacity of warming ovens, etc. etc.</p>
<p>Mom of bride - you will need to delegate much of this. I guess if I really had to fit it all into 10 hours, I would leave an hour for tear down, subtract the time guests are present, and do decorating to fill whatever time you have left. And do ask for helpers. I think you will be surprised. Good luck!</p>
<p>Just to clarify – I’m the MOG. S and DIL are in CA. MOB and FOB are in the UK and will arrive here the Wed. before the Sat. wedding. Ditto the B&G. They are happy to help, but they have the same wedding day constraints (if not more) than we do.</p>
<p>I have already done reconnaissance at IKEA – found some big serving bowls, platters, candles, votive holders, etc. I have mason jars here from all my years of canning which I’m going to use for vases. </p>
<p>I had figured on making a sample tablescape and taking a picture so whoever sets it up can see how it should look. To the extent I am doing crafty stuff, I am trying to get that stuff done now before the you-know-what hits the fan later. Saw one site where someone hole-punched leaf and floral patterns into tin cans and used those as votives. Looked gorgeous, but not sure I can commit that kind of time. </p>
<p>We have rented a large warming oven, which is in addition to the oven at the facility. </p>
<p>Churchmusicmom, alas, I am in MD! I feel funny asking folks who have not been invited to come help set up.</p>
<p>S has hired the venue’s sound engineer at the band’s request, so I think that piece is out of my hands. Need to make sure there is a mike we can use for toasts, announcements, etc. There should be, since it’s a contra dance and there will be a caller.</p>
<p>Have extension cords and power strips on my list.</p>
<p>Dinner is buffet-style. DH and S2 have done this at our synagogue many times, so they are familiar with that drill. It just leaves them unavailable for set-up.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions – they are reinforcing what I’ve already done and giving me more good ideas going forward!</p>
<p>Counting down–you may be surprised at the number of people who would be happy to help who are also happy NOT to have been invited. Weddings are joyous occasions and sometimes that’s all it takes for people to volunteer. If you have a social group, co-workers, church, ASK!!! All to gain, nothing to lose!</p>
<p>CD–You or son check with venue’s sound technician and have a detailed discussion. -I would suspect that all those equipment worries are taken care of for one price with the facility. But the facility needs to know up front what you have planned. Tell them what you want to have happen (band, toasts, mics, mics for toast etc, contra dance, mic for caller) and THEN see if you need to do anything (my guess would be no). Whatever is not taken care of by the venue at that point should be up to the band–not you. If the band has specific needs (amps, plugs, available speakers etc) they need to talk to the facility directly with their concerns.</p>
<p>S put the band in contact with the venue and S had to OK the additional charges. Will talk to him to see what is covered. The band members are coming in from Chicago and Boston and will not have their own sound gear with them. </p>
<p>boysx3 – there is one guy who does kiddush cleanup @ shul, but the time we’d need him overlaps when he is cleaning up after services. Might be able to get him there later, though. Alas, it is not a religious wedding and will be held late Sat. afternoon. Just hate to have a chunk of our guests setting things up on a hot Saturday in August.</p>
<p>One other thing is to use masking tape on various items to indicate what to do with them. If you are using anything from the venue, anything that is your own, anything that you’re renting, etc. Labeling, lists, checklists save so much time, because your helpers can look and know where to put things, both for set up and tear down. You might also want to have a misc. tub/bag that will be for anything someone doesn’t know what to do with.</p>
Saw one site where someone hole-punched leaf and floral patterns into tin cans and used those as votives. Looked gorgeous, but not sure I can commit that kind of time. </p>