STEPS 11 - 20 NEED TO BE DONE IN THE RUN UP TO YOUR WEDDING
BOOK A CALL ANYTIME AFTER YOUR INITIAL PLANNING CHAT AND PRIOR TO YOUR FINAL DETAILS

BLOOMING WILD CREAR FLOWERS

Things to consider when choosing a hair & make-up artist

Its essential that you feel completely happy with whoever you chose. When selecting a make up artist, check out what products they use, ask how often they work (you don't want old stale make up that comes out once a month or less if it's a 'hobby' job!) and note basics like how clean and hygienic their brushes and products look.

A professional make-up artist will work with a kit insured for thousands of pounds and be able to advise on the products that work best for your skin type.

This is also not the moment to be talked into a whole new look - it is very important for the groom to recognise the bride! Be clear about what you want, however remember if you are unused to wearing much make-up, it may feel as if you are wearing a lot. You do need definition around your eyes & mouth to work well for the photographs.

A good make-up artist will make you feel a million dollars and look your absolute best in reality and photographs. Anything less at your make up trial, try elsewhere. This is also not the time to feel obliged by a kind offer from family or friends ... if you are nervous with what the results may be, simply thank them for their generous thought, however you would not wish for them to work on your wedding day.

Please remember that at Crear there may well be more than a wee puff of wind so your hair needs to be firmly pinned or in a style that will only improve when wind swept! What may work well inside a city hotel where you are in control of the climate is not the style for a Crear bride.

Your Wedding Reception Seating Plan
It's one of the final things on your to-do list before your Crear Wedding. Here are our suggestions to make it an easy one and not a game of musical chairs!

As you’ll be having a fantastic wedding breakfast created by the fabulous Crear Kitchen, you'll want to make sure everyone has got a specific place to sit. People like to know where they are sitting and it’s exciting as a guest to find out who you will be sitting next to. If, as a guest, you are seated next to someone you’ve never met before, the likelihood is the wedding couple think you would get on well and have lots to talk about. Or maybe you’ll get to catch up with that friend from school you haven’t seen in years.

Having a seating plan is also helpful for the kitchen and serving staff to know where people are sitting if they have dietary requirements or allergies.
Try to be accommodating, but don't get stressed out about it. After dinner, everyone will get up and mingle anyway.

Planning your table plan will take a little longer than you expect-so start early. We would like to have your completed table plan a couple of weeks before your special day, so you can be sure we are well prepared for your five-star service.

Break it down and categorise your wedding guests

List all your guests by: your friends, your family, your partner's friends, your partner's family, your family friends, your partner's family friends and so on. This way, you'll be able to easily sort the list and break it down into more logical list. Then you'll need to separate these lists into distinct tables.

Create a paper trail and draw out your wedding tables
If you're more visual, draw circles or rectangles (for tables) on a big sheet of paper and write names inside them (make sure you know how many people can comfortably be seated at each table). Or you could write every guest's name on a sticky note and place it accordingly.

To have a traditional wedding top table or not?
A traditional top table is not round, but long and straight, facing all the other tables. Usually the newlyweds sit smack-bang in the middle (where everyone can see them) with the wedding party and parents sitting alongside them. But you don't have to do it that way. Crear weddings aren’t always traditional, if you don’t want them to be. Let your wedding party sit at a round table or two with each other. If your parents are separated, let each one have their own table of friends or family to host.

Tame any tension between wedding guests
There may also be situations in which certain guests just do not get along. Maybe they haven't spoken in years. Maybe the last time they saw each other there was a drunken fight. Understandably, you want to keep them as far apart as possible. Think about these kinds of relationships (or lack thereof) before you even start making your chart, so you can take them into consideration in the first place.

Provide reunion time for long lost friends at your wedding
As for the rest of your guests, should you put friends together or seat them with people they haven't met? While it's a great idea to mix in a few new faces at each table, remember that people are most comfortable when they know some of their dinner companions. Be thoughtful. Not even your most outgoing friend will want to sit at a table full of complete strangers, so put acquaintances together when you can. If you have guests who don't know anyone, seat them near guests with similar interests. If you have a group of friends that can't fit at one table, split them down the middle, and fill in each table with other guests. Whatever you do, don't leave one of the gang out.

Single wedding guests vs. couples tables
If you've been dying to fix your old roommate up with your partner's sibling, you might take this opportunity to discreetly seat them next to each other. But resist the urge to create a separate "singles" table, as this might embarrass your guests. On the other hand, don't seat your unmarried friend at a table full of gushing newlyweds. A little sensitivity and some good common sense are the best guides.

Seating children at your wedding
If you have several children at your wedding, seat them together at a separate kids' table. If your niece and best friend’s son are the only children at your wedding, seat them with their parents. 

Now that you've figured out where to sit everyone at your wedding reception, decide how to lead them to their seats.

Place Cards
Place cards await guests at each table, designating their seats. They can be anything from a simple tented card to a tree leaf with gold calligraphy. 
 
The Seating Plan
Usually displayed alphabetically or by table in a pretty frame near the entrance of the reception, seating charts list your guests' names with their designated tables. Additionally, place cards may be used at each table to designate assigned seats, if you wish.

Before creating your seating plan, it's a good idea to obtain the floor plan and make several copies. This way, you can experiment with various different arrangements before making your final decision. When in doubt, trust your instincts. And no matter how perfect your final seating plan seems, you'll undoubtedly receive at least one last-minute phone call begging you to change something to make a guest happy. 

Traditional Wedding Top Tables
If you wish to go with a traditional top table, you can place that anywhere in the room. You may wish to have a round top table in the middle. There are absolutely no rules at Crear so what ever works for you.
If you have guests who would prefer not to be in each other's company, please take this into consideration when working on your seating plan. We completely understand that families can be complicated, so dispensing with a top table and seating those giving a speech at opposite ends of the room can work well, with the bride an groom seated together in the middle of a table facing all their guests

Things to consider with table options
Crear Weddings are so relaxed its not uncommon for guests to wander around & reseat themselves between courses. This can leave some guests stranded if those sitting left and right disappear, especially on a traditional top table. The trestle tables are more sociable in that regard and more forgiving to last minute changes to the seating plan .

Buffets require access from both ends to ensure speedy service & avoid hungry guests waiting their turn while contented diners & delicious smells surround them.

If you are planning on having any part of your Wedding Breakfast served family style, flowers, bottles and candles that have to be negotiated can make passing plates into an obstacle course!