Wedding Party Guide

Spanish weddings are unique events with copious amounts of alcohol and food being consumed at alarming rates. The traditional wedding ceremony is the same as in other countries – held in a church with all the women wearing colorful gowns and dresses while the men cram into suits of varying sizes. The bride’s dress is again the traditional wedding dress and she does her best to look radiant throughout the day. The groom usually wears the standard dark wedding suit, and acts pretty much like any other groom in any other country – like a buffoon when he gets drunk. Church weddings, in this bullfighting nation, are very expensive. A great deal of money is given to the church. Catholic wedding ceremonies are long drawn out affairs with endless praying and singing. The Priest will ask the couple to make promises and both dutifully comply, yet neither has any real intention of keeping. When all the singing, praying, and promising are over, the congregation moves out from the church, and there is almost a stampede to the reception.

After arriving at the reception venue the guests wait in a small garden and mingle. Wait staff serve drinks and light snacks prior to the opening of the reception lounge or dining area. Inside the huge dining room, designers make the finishing touches to, what they hope, with be the best wedding centerpieces the guests have seen. Other employees make sure each table has enough glasses and alcohol to keep the waiting throngs happy. And in kitchen, the head chef wanders from entrée to entrée making sure everything is as he or she ordered. At the main table, the bride’s and groom’s seats a given a quick clean and both chair positions are checked to make sure the couple are easily seen by everyone.

Around one hour after the wedding ceremony is completed, the reception begins. It is worth noting here, that most of the male guests are drunk by this time as they have been drinking constantly since arriving at the center. Guests take their seats and many of the women comment on how beautiful the centerpieces are – indeed the best wedding centerpieces. After all are seated, the MC introduces the bride and groom and the entire room erupts in applause. There are smiles of happiness and tears of joy. The bride waves to friends she sees in the crowd, while the groom winks at his buddies. There are no long speeches at Spanish weddings, people have probably had enough of listening to speeches in the church. The rest of the evening is just drinking and eating and enjoyment for all – a real wedding party!

The Mamas and Papas sang about taking a walk on a winter’s day. In the song, the vocalist describes all the leaves are brown and the sky is gray and we, the listener, can truly understand that it is indeed a dreary day. However, for a young couple about to have a wedding at this time of year, the weather is far from dreary. Winter wedding centerpieces on each table bring warmth to winter. That is what the planners and designers tell the young couple in the weeks prior to the big day. They are promised a magical wedding reception, and more often than not, what these talented people promise comes true. Most people, about to tie the knot, give their input – explaining what they want, and then leaving it for the hotel staff and centerpiece designers to come up with the best wedding centerpieces ever seen. The staff then has a meeting and based on what the couple wants, they begin to design something special.

Special is the key, because if the ideas they come up with are in no way unique or imaginative, then the the couple will more likely be dissapointed and look somewhere else. This is also where a wedding planner can come in handy (although it is an expensive option). So what kind of centerpieces would bring life to a winter wedding? There are many ideas and most hotel employees know what will work and what will not work. Using something that relates to a newly married couple is something to consider. If the bride’s and groom’s hobbies or interests are known, perhaps centerpieces that tell the guests a little about each person can be used. For example, if the groom is an avid skier, then having fake snow sculptures of mountains can be displayed. Or if the bride is a pianist and enjoys the classics, perhaps miniature grand pianos can be arranged along the center of the tables. An equally miniature set of skis could lean up against each piano.

Creating the best wedding centerpieces is not an easy job as a great deal of planning and setting up is required, however these pros know their job and usually come up with fantastic displays. They couple their own ideas and past experiences with whatever the couple wants. They also take the couple’s own ideas into consideration. With the inspiration from all these factors, these centerpieces can create a wonderful ambiance for any wedding party.

With everything ready, everyone waits as the guests file into the huge ballroom. The beautiful winter wedding centerpieces catches everyone’s eyes and indeed it is a magical winter wedding, with the couple hopefully living happily ever after.