Weddings are hosted at Bay Horse year round, and every couple brings something different to the wedding experience. To help you plan for your own wedding, we have gathered together a list of our top wedding day tips that couples should keep in mind for their special day. Our hope is that these pieces of advice can be something to keep in mind to help you enjoy the entire wedding experience from start to finish.

Our Wedding Preparation Tips:

1. Read & Review Your Contract

For each wedding, we sit down with our client and go over our venue’s policies and expectations for their event. Each client also signs a contract that binds them to these policies. One of these expectations is that any outside alcohol is prohibited on the property. Bringing your own alcohol to an event at Bay Horse Inn is against Indiana law. The Barn at Bay Horse has an Indiana liquor license, and any outside alcohol consumed on the property could jeopardize this license. Violating our venue’s policies regarding outside alcohol could put our client at risk for $500 in additional fines.

Our Advice: Read, understand, and follow your venue’s policies. Avoid the burden of having to pay an extra $500 because someone disregarded the venue’s policies. We suggest speaking with your entire wedding party before arrival, and make sure each person fully understands the policies regarding outside alcohol. If you would like to read more about Indiana law regarding alcohol permits and licensing, here are some additional resources below:

Indiana Code 7.1-5-8-4

https://www.in.gov/atc/alcohol-permit-resources/designated-outdoor-refreshment-areas/
http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2016/ic/titles/7.1/

2. Bar Tabs are Sneaky Sometimes

People often love to drink at weddings. At Bay Horse, people can set up a tab at our bar and enjoy drinks throughout their event. However, sometimes these tabs tend to run up quickly, especially if someone decides to buy drinks for others. This unexpected total often leads to the awkward moment where the wedding guest is expected to pay up but clearly blew their budget.

Our Advice: Put a little extra cash in your wallet or purse before you leave home. We recommend at least $60, but of course this cash could be more or less depending on what works best for you.

3. Delegate and Prioritize

One person cannot do it all. The bride/groom/mother of the ___ cannot be everywhere at once. We cannot stress enough the importance of delegating what needs done on the big day. We have seen brides, mother-in-laws, best friends, etc. try to facilitate each move made before the event begins. The result usually ends up with an already nervous bride worrying about things that could have been resolved without their involvement.

Our Advice: Have a designated wedding coordinator to assist on the big day. This coordinator’s responsibility would be making sure that the little things are being taken care of and communication is flowing smoothly. We recommend that this coordinator be given the job of delegating while decorating and ensuring the entire group is on schedule. This person could be hired, someone in the wedding party, a family member, etc. However, the coordinator needs to understand the wants of the bride and groom and speak from their perspective. An effective day-of coordinator consistently asks “what would the bride and groom want?”

4. The Unexpected will Happen

Brides, grooms, and their families often spend months and months planning for the special day, and when it finally arrives something unexpected happens. There aren’t enough chairs, the weather is supposed to be colder than anticipated, something was left at home, etc. The truth is that something unexpected (big or small) is bound to happen. Not everything can be planned for, and that is okay! Sometimes things happen that are completely out of our control, and finding a way to deal with it is part of the experience.

Our Advice: Have a backup plan for the big stuff and deal with the little things as you come to them. Some things, such as layout changes or unexpected weather that impacts the entire event should be dealt with right away. However, other little inconveniences also happen. Our advice for these mini obstacles: Everything will work itself out, and it’s important to keep in mind what the day really is about. While making sure the chairs, linens, and flowers are perfectly in place is important, it is not the entire day. The main goal for the whole day should be making the bride and groom happy and making their day memorable. It’s extremely hard to do that if too much time is spent worrying about the little things.

5. Don’t Forget to Remember Yourself

This tip is arguably the most important for the to-be wedded couple. Typically, brides love making sure that those around them are happy and pleased. However, on your wedding day this should not be in the forefront of your mind. You and your soon-to-be spouse should be the sole focus.

Our Advice: Remember to take care of yourself before the ceremony begins. You have likely spent months planning every decoration, revising the guest list, approving layouts, and matching tablecloths to napkins. That is something to be proud of, but you shouldn’t be tied up in it on the wedding day. It is time to hand off the management and coordinating duties to someone else and take time for yourself. Remember to enjoy the entire experience from start to finish. This tip ties directly back into Tip #3 and the idea of having someone else in charge of making sure everything gets done. Remember whose day it is, why you are there, and what you want to remember after it’s over.