The wedding ceremony location comes down to the type of wedding you would like to have as well as a central location for ease of access for your guests. Some couples decide to get married in a church and go through a religious ceremony of marriage. Others choose to wed outdoors at nature preserves. Another option would be to wed at the reception site. If this option is appealing, you should ensure your reception site can host your ceremony. Jennifer’s Garden has an outdoor garden and gazebo area for outdoor weddings and a very warm and inviting foyer area with a brick fireplace. When choosing a ceremony site, ask questions, view the premises and ask about availability of your wedding date.

Once your ceremony site is nailed down, it will be easier to find the reception site. If you worry about location, doing an Internet search of reception venues within a 20 to 30 mile radius of your ceremony site should come up with your venue. It also helps to be close to hotels for your out of town guests to stay. Some of the key things to look for in a reception site besides location is the ambiance, the food and the value to your dollar. Tour the tentative reception sites with very high standards. Look at the decor- is it tasteful? Look at the floor – Is it dirty? Check the bathrooms-are they clean and tidy? Peek in the kitchen-is it neat and organized? and last but not least, ensure the event coordinator is attentive to your needs. Jennifer’s Garden prides itself on maintaining a neat and clean environment, gourmet food and providing dedicated service.

Regardless of your choices, ensure you start looking for a ceremony and reception site at least 12 to 15 months before the wedding date. Reception venues book up to 2 years in advance and can sometimes only accommodate one party at a time. At Jennifer’s Garden, we can comfortably host up to 4 weddings a night. Also keep in mind that in order to hold your wedding date, a non-refundable deposit is usually required. Therefore, in order to save yourself from a headache and settling on a ceremony site and/or reception site, look early and book early.

Social Networking sites allow the user to create events, share their thoughts as well as photo and video. Social Networking sites are not for everyone. Grandma might be able to dance at 82 but its doubtful she tweets very often. Which is why any formal invitation should not be sent via social networking sites but by US Mail. However you can create a little twist to your wedding that many people can access and partake in.

After your formal invitations are sent out and your a few weeks away from your wedding, setup an event on Facebook for your wedding. Specifically state that this page is to post photos/video from the wedding for all to share. Include only those people who you actually are inviting to your wedding. (You can also add that they invite people that you might not be friends with on Facebook to the event as well) Ensure you allow everyone to post video and pictures and that you are the only one able to delete pictures/video!

The day of your wedding, encourage people to check into your event (Jennifer’s Garden Facebook) and post as many relevant photos of the food, decor and anything they find suitable for your wedding day. Most people have smart-phones they can upload pictures and video with instantly, while those with digital cameras can upload pictures in the days following. After you return from the honeymoon, you can reminisce (and save) those photos and video taken by family and friends on your wedding day.

Technology is a big part of our lives. I would suggest that if you are the bride or groom, keep your the picture and video taking to others. Keep in mind it is your day so if you would rather not have people on their phones, ensure you clearly state that in the invitation.

Photography

There is nothing like a professional photographer that can capture your wedding day. All the candid and formal photos will bring back memories. You will remember what you were thinking and how you were feeling during these moments and will cherish them for years to come. When choosing a photographer you obviously have to look at a number of variables: Price, value, and their previous work. When selecting a photographer, tell them about your wedding and how you want to remember it. Many photographers already have a great sense of what people want and it shows in their work. We strongly suggest getting a professional photographer as oppose to a family friend with a camera. (Granted they might have a $1000 camera and have taken a few photography classes) Professionals have done weddings before, know where to be, to get those candid moments and usually have an assistant or counterpart who also takes some of the same pictures from different angles. Most photographers also give you all of their high quality images on a disc for you to keep and use as needed.  With all of your digital photos, you are able to print and distribute with no worry of copyright infringement.

Video

Jennifer’s Garden has seen a drop in videographers over the past few years. Yes it is just another expense, however, this expense is to capture all of your memories at your wedding.  A photographer captures a moment, a videographer captures them all. Professional Videographers are all different. The best ones use the latest technology and record everything in High Definition. Videographers have different package deals for their services, so you can choose your package based on your budget.  Like photography, most videographers have tons of raw footage that is yours if you choose. Usually, they require you to provide a minimum 300GB external hard drive to hold all of the raw footage, as the HD quality files are very large.

Photo Booths / Disposable Cameras

Photo Booths have been immensely popular at weddings over the past few years. Personally, I think they are a little overdone. To pay for people to take pictures of themselves (most of the time making funny faces, etc.) with the same background. These photos cannot capture the candid moments. However, they do have some innovative qualities. We have seen brides buy a book with sleeves to fit the photo booth strips and encourage their guests to stick in that strip and write a caption about it and the bride and groom can store the book along with their wedding album. But, if you had to choose between a photo booth or a photographer I would strongly suggest a photographer.

The disposable camera is not very popular as much anymore since digital cameras are very affordable and mostly everyone has one or if not they use their phone. I would definitely suggest to not waste the money on disposable cameras.

Remember, professional vendors are required to have insurance. Jennifer’s Garden requires all vendors to provide a certificate of liability to perform services here. Ultimately, the vendors you choose for your wedding should be leaders of their trade, have value for the money, and you should be comfortable with them capturing your wedding day. Jennifer’s Garden is committed to provide your wedding with world class service, gourmet food and amazing memories. Why choose a vendor that is not willing to share this same commitment?

Shot/Shooter Appetizers/Desserts: IN
These perfect size appetizer or desserts come packed with flavor and are definitely elegant and trendy. This application is a spin off of the small plates trend the restaurant industry pushed a few years back.
Great for gourmet desserts and a new twist on classics.

Vegetable and Cheese Platters: Out
Crudites have been a staple at weddings and parties alike for years, and its usually the same vegetables and cheeses. Superbowl parties have vegetable platters, why would you want it at your wedding? If you want something refreshing and light, try Jennifer’s Garden Cucumber Canapes. Sliced English cucumber with a refreshing mix of Boursin and cream cheeses piped on top.

Ethnic/International Cuisine: IN
So you want to make your grandparents happy and serve food from your background. Great! Reflecting and honoring your heritage is a part of who you are. Jennifer’s Garden is able to customize your wedding menu to your needs. We have had numerous different themed weddings and events and can cater to your needs.

Cupcakes: Undetermined.
Cupcakes have been taking place of the traditional wedding cake for years now. In our opinion, the basic chocolate and white varieties are definitely out. Although, there has been a craze of savory cupcakes.
These cupcakes have a savory instead of sweet taste and have been used as appetizers.

Jennifer’s Garden follows many resources (such as theknot.com, National Restaurant Association, and Zagat to name a few) to determine what is in and out for our menu creation and planning. We work extensively on testing and applying new menu items so we can ensure we will cater your wedding to your needs.

When the dancing begins, usually the beverages begin to flow as well. Sometimes there is about 3 to 3 and a half hours from the end of dinner to the time the bar closes. Think of your guests and yourself and consider late night snacks. Think pretzel bites and mini pizzas to soak up that booze and finish the night strong. Jennifer’s Garden has plenty of late night snacks for you and your guests to enjoy.

Just remember, when selecting the wedding menu it all comes down to what you want to eat on your wedding day. The day is about YOU, if you want to choose a certain menu item for your guests but prefer another for yourself (lets say you would rather have a caesar salad as opposed to a house salad) Jennifer’s Garden is here to cater to you.