Some of my favorite weddings are Cultural Hall weddings. I suppose that if everyone in Utah wanted to spend much, much more on their weddings there might be a Wedding Reception Center on every block, possibly as frequently seen as Stake Centers and Ward Buildings. For years I have heard so many comments about “those typical LDS Weddings in church houses”. Some are from brides wishing they could have a larger budget for their wedding that could afford them a beautiful reception center. Others would rather take their chances with the weather and have a garden wedding in their back yard. As for myself, my own wedding reception was held in an LDS Cultural Hall, due to the fact that there were no Reception Centers close to home. A Reception Center on every block could really be convenient. I have also heard people who were not LDS say “Wow, they can use a big gym for free? How do I get me one?”

The truth is that it is a wonderful thing to be able to use your local Ward or Stake Building for your Wedding Reception. There are so many advantages aside from being very reasonable in price such as:

1. Convenient location, it’s easy to spot the steeple from blocks away
2. Plenty of parking
3. Allows you to cater your own food or bring in your own caterer
4. Decorate to your own style and colors
5. Has a large room with a capacity of many more guests than most reception centers
6. Quality sound system, you can actually hook up your IPOD to their sound system
7. Adjustable lighting with canned lights in the newer church houses
8. Tables and chairs included
9. Many Bride’s Rooms to choose from
10. Play area fully equipped with toys, tissues, and Cheerios for little children, often referred to as “The Nursery”

It truly is a good thing to be grateful for what is so nicely available to you.  In addition to a Church House on every block, you can also find a decorator almost as frequently (myself being one of many).  Or you can take the opportunity for yourself to decorate your own wedding and have fun with your own creativity.  This second option is not as often recommended as it still costs a lot and instead of enjoying your day you are stressing and fussing over the set-up, details, and clean-up, not so fun!

Some very fun things you can do with Cultural Halls is to turn them into any theme or style you wish for your wedding, from Formal and Elegant to Casual, Fun, and Festive.  You can have a Princess Wedding with columns and pillars or a Garden Wedding with arches, gazebos, and arbors.  You can turn that Cultural Hall into any theme of your choice: Southern Belle, Cinderella, Medieval, Country, Tiffany, Amber, Megan, Stephanie, or your very own [insert your name] theme. For an elegant finish faux ceilings are a great way to create a formal ambiance with linens to the floor and chair covers.  Or make it fun and festive with lots of color and various Chinese Lanterns to create overhead lighting for dance floors, ceremonies, and receptions.  You can definitely have a lot of fun with the many options available to you.

So, if you are one of those “Truly Lucky” Brides who has the opportunity to hold your Wedding Reception in your local Cultural Hall, you should definitely feel good about how much value you have wrapped up in your cost and believe it or not there are many who wish they had such an opportunity for their wedding.

Happy Planning!

Faux Ceilings Prices|Decorations Prices

Preferred vendor listed in the Payson, Utah Catering and Payson, Utah Decorations and Payson, Utah Wedding Event Planners section of Decidio.com

Amanda and John did it up right with their Winter Wedding Wonderland. The ambiance of the Reception was set by our White Elegance Backdrop Package with wintery accents that range from lighted bare trees and evergreens, to flowing snow drifts at the bases of the decorations, and snowflakes and icycles set against our trickling waterfall to create a light, airy, and wintery landscape. Some of my favorite things they did were:

• Colors: Ice blue, silver, and white
• Centerpieces: 20″ cylinder vases with Cala Lilies and White Roses submerged in water with gems in the base and a thin frost around the top of the vase.
• Lighted bare trees and evergreens
• White linens with white sparkle organza overlays to add a frost to the dining tables.
• Silver twig and berry accents in the white rose and cala lily floral arrangements with touches of ice blue floral accents.

Decorating your wedding with the season can be very fun and also very easy. Decorations for a winter wedding in December or January are far easier to come by than the trendy Citrus colored flowers (i.e. Hot pink, Orange, Yellow, Lime)

Some other great color schemes for winter weddings are:

• Lime green, gold, and glittery orange (Sparkle is good.)
• Black, ivory, and red (keep it classic)
• Black, ivory, and taupe (very elegant)
• White and shades of red such as bright red, deep red, burgundy, and even deep purple (an array of shades creates depth and variety)
• Navy, silver, and white or ivory
• Ice blue, silver, and white

Other great ideas:

• Ice Sculptures
• Snowball desserts (see our catering menu)
• And don’t forget that Winter White Robe for the bride to wear with her dress for those outside pictures.

Before you start looking for the invitation that best fits your special occasion, think about certain aspects of your wedding, such as:

- Do you have a theme for your wedding?

- What are your colors?

- Where is your ceremony and/or reception being held? (church, reception center, backyard, etc.)

- How formal or informal do you want it to be?

Having an idea of what you want it to look like, not only narrows the search down, but it also saves time searching through endless designs, that don’t fit your expectations.  Depending on your choice of formality, will decide how many envelopes you will use when sending out the invitations.  If you want to be formal, having two envelopes is the key.  Place your invitation in an inner envelope, and then place it in an outer envelope for mailing.  If you want to be more informal, then you’d only need to use one envelope.

Additional Inserts: 

Something else to be considered, is if and how many inserts you will need to include with your invitation.

- Do you need a map showing directions to your ceremony and/or reception?

- Do people need to R.S.V.P. for the ceremony and/or reception?

* Make sure you use the host’s address as the return address when you mail your invitations, because this is the address your guests will use when returning an R.S.V.P. slip.

- Are you registering at any stores?

* If you are registering at any stores, make sure you have actually registered before sending out the invitations.  Some people will buy their gift(s) for you right away, especially if they can’t make it to your reception, and want to send it, or give it to you early.

Wording Your Invitation:

How to word your invitation, and what order you list people can be hard to decide.  Do you put the bride or groom first? Do you put the parents at the beginning or the end?  There’s no set way, and there are so many options.  It is all up to your personal preference.  If the bride, or groom have step parents, it is proper to include them on your invitation, and not leave them out.   Important things to include on your invitations would be:

- The date and time of your ceremony and/or reception

- The location where it’s being held

- The formality of it.  This allows people to know how formal or informally they should dress.

Proper Time to Mail:

Sending out your invitations two to three weeks before your wedding is the ideal time.  It gives your guests enough notice to reserve that night to celebrate with you, yet it’s not received too far in advance, and forgotten about later on.  Keep in mind that those living out of state, and in different countries will take longer for them to receive your invitation.

Was it a good proposal? I think so. What makes it a good proposal? I was definitely not expecting it. I should have seen signs in his behavior throughout the night but I didn’t. It was sweet and intimate. It was just the two of us on a beautiful winter night. But, most importantly, I think it was a good proposal because it is OURS. It is a sweet moment shared between the two of us that meant the beginning of the rest of our life together. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

How were you proposed to? Was it a good proposal? What made it a good proposal?