5 Ways to Make the Best of Sefirat HaOmer to Plan Your Wedding
We put together a little checklist to help you get some of the most critical planning elements of your wedding done like dinner during the Omer count.
Check out 5 ways to make the best of Sefirat HaOmer to plan your wedding like a pro, from getting your venue and vendors closed, to finding the perfect photographer, and deciding on who will raise a glass and speak at your big day. As the event inches closer, the excitement will rise, but so will the pressure. Getting all of the most critical details to plan your big day done during a time you simply can’t be married is a great way to efficiently make use of your time and ensure the only sweat you’ll break on your big day is from dancing in the moonlight.
1. Who’s Coming? Planning Your Wedding Invitation List & Seating Arrangements
If you haven’t already sat down with your significant other to make a concrete list of family, friends, acquaintances and business contacts you want to invite to the wedding, you’d better get to it. While this one sounds like a no-brainer, you’d be amazed how tricky this part of wedding planning can get when it comes to considering the cost per person, plus the chemistry of people seated at tables together, and who’s really important to have at your simcha. Not to mention, the involvement of parents, grandparents, friends of siblings, colleagues – the list goes on. And even though this isn’t rock science, politics can come into the picture, because sometimes certain people just should not be at the same table.
Take a good hour or two, sit down with your better half, and break this list up into categories – from friends, family, business contacts, and acquaintances, to contacts at synagogue and recreational activities, to folks from your studies, and anyone who’s worth inviting. Sync on who you both think is absolutely paramount to have at your shindig, and note who can be taken off the list if or when it gets too long. The bottom line: make sure you agree on who’s being invited, because you want the reception to be blissful and exciting with great energy. Everyone who both of you feel needs to be there celebrating with you should be invited – but with the bride and groom in full agreement on the matter.
2. Find Your Key Wedding Vendors: DJ, Decorations, Dress, Make-Up & Photographer
If you don’t have a wedding planner doing this for you, it’s time to settle on the big vendors that’ll make your special day truly perfect and memorable. Weddings are tricky. You’ve got the bride and the groom, their families and a million opinions. At the end of the day, it’s your milestone event. How you want to remember your big day, from your get up, accessories and style, to the look and feel of your hall and reception, to the most intricate details of your chuppa and party, all depends on the vendors you choose and budget.
Sit down and make a little list – from choosing your DJ or hiring a band, to finding your make-up artist, photographer, venue and all of your vendors. You want to wake up the day after your magical moment and remember how stunning the bride looked during the first slow dance with the groom, while reminiscing that your DJ or band played the perfect song without a glitch, great sound, lighting – the works. Flowers, deco, the intricate little details that make every wedding absolutely sparkle and shine with unforgettable sentiment are all things you have to consider. Go online, ask around, get recommendations from friends and family, and make the most of social media. There are dozens of Facebook groups for wedding planning that are local. Ask for ideas, referrals, and even links to vendors. Most importantly, get as many vendors signed and sealed into a deal as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to decide on too many of the most critical vendors that make your wedding special at the last minute. Been there, done that. Not fun.
3. Your Venue & Vendors: Connecting the Dots
Great, so you’re on the way to selecting just the right vendors to make your big day a perfect experience and the wedding of your dreams. But sometimes, it’s not just about getting the right vendor. Making sure the vendors that need to be connected are in sync is equally important. It can make all the difference in capturing the right moments on camera, having special elements of your wedding come together on the dance floor, and seeing every aspect of your dreamy wedding come together seamlessly. What if your decorator doesn’t know that at a specific point in time during the chuppa the rabbi will share a meaningful thought that requires special lighting, flowers, confetti, or silence. What if your rabbi doesn’t know that a special guest has to come up and participate as part of the Shevah Brachot (7 blessings)?
Synchronicity is the name of the game. If you’re a stickler for seeing all of the most touching, breathtaking, and beautiful moments of your wedding coming together for a magical event that leaves an imprint in your and your guests hearts, make sure you communicate to each vendor what’s planned by other vendors. Sometimes, it’s even critical to get vendors connected and meet, so they can ensure every moment of your wedding happens just how you want it to. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask vendors to contact each other. You’re paying each of them a fee and it’s their job to make sure your event is a priceless memory, so the day flows just how you want it to.
4. Rabbi & Witnesses
Getting married isn’t just an event – it’s a huge and life changing moment that you want to remember with love and smiles. While parents and family often have existing opinions about who should be marrying you under the chuppah, you need to choose a rabbi who’s in sync with your beliefs and who will conduct the ceremony with just the right touch of elegance, insight, care, and delivery that makes the holiest moment of combining two souls into one absolutely heartwarming.
The family values and the synagogue you grew up in will likely impact the suggestions of parents and friends, but remember that you’re grown and you need to have a rabbi marry you who’s inline with your beliefs as a couple. Your personalities, the overall essence and energy of your event, and all intricacies of your wedding choices, including your rabbi, are what set your wedding apart with a distinct vibe. If you want the nuances of your chuppah ceremony to be fun and engaging, with a few jokes, while also thoughtful with insights on Judaism and marriage, integrating anecdotes about the lives of the bride and groom, you have got to find just the right rabbi for your wedding. If you have close friends or even acquaintances you know that share beliefs, values, and who you mesh with socially, ask them for recommendations. Google is a terrific third-party source when you don’t have too many people to ask, but at the end of the day, some of the best recommendations for a rabbi in particular will come from close friends.
One more important element of the wedding is the ketubah signing. Making sure you have a witness on both sides is important for the ketubah signing, and you need to plan and have a guest commit the responsibility and honor. At the end of the day, when all else fails, you can always reach out to a good friend or relative at the wedding and engage them as your witness for the process at the last minute. But most times, couples will plan in advance and choose witnesses who are both trustworthy, easy to contact and rely on, and still have a meaningful connection to the bride and the groom or their families.
5. Who’s Speaking at Your Big Day
Standing in front of a crowd of sometimes hundreds of people can be unnerving, and there are countless comedies, from movies to sketches and sitcoms, that create hysterical parodies of embarrassing wedding speech moments. Yes, they are funny, but sometimes, they can be a moment in your wedding you want to forget.
Speeches at weddings are there to engage your guests and share moving insights, memories, and celebrate your special day. It’s pretty common to hear the father or mother of the bride speak, or sometimes it’s the best man, maid of honor, siblings, or close friends. Whoever you think will deliver a winning performance and deserves mic time, captures a crowd with genuine charm, is fun, memorable, touching, or simply honest, you can give them the respect and honor they deserve. But remember this: choose your speeches and speakers wisely. Being prepared to speak at a wedding is crucial.
Writing a speech that delivers just the right messages might seem like a whiz, but it’s not. Often, getting just the right words on paper can be the most challenging part of preparing for wedding speeches. For many couples, it’s best to hire someone who writes professional speeches for weddings. The expert gets to know your speaker, understands your history and relationship with them, and creates just the right messages to make their delivery a moment that truly leaves a mark and memory to cherish for all.
We brought you this handy list to simplify your wedding planning process and make sure that you make the best of the time you can’t be married during the counting of the Omer. It’s time to start getting things done efficiently. To make your wedding an invaluable memory with moments and speeches that will leave lifelong memories that you’ll cherish, we can also help. Our speech writing experts can guide you to ensure every aspect of the wedding speeches is planned, prepared and ready for your big day.
For more information, contact us.