Guest Lists, Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
Wedding guest list compilation sometimes needs to go farther than usual. There is sometimes a delicate situation that comes up – you need to invite both former spouses or even former business partners. Here’s how you handle this.
The Bickering Former Partner Situation
Whether it’s former business partners or freshly broken up romantic partners, it is a sensitive situation at your wedding. Typically, you’re friends with both ends of that equation so it’ll feel like you need to make a King Solomon level of decision. But you don’t have to split the couple and decide who you get to keep. No, there is a way that both can attend your wedding and reception.
This couple’s inability to be civil to each other creates much high drama. That drama feeds the problem itself and makes everyone around them miserable. But your duty is to have them there and handle it in such a way that it neutralizes the problem itself.
The Wedding with the Hatfields and McCoys Attending
There are some tricks for the wedding ceremony when the feuding partners are attending.
- Give them arrival times that are ½ hour apart, preventing them from standing in line together.
- Have assigned seating. Put their seats equally far away from the front and far away from each other side to side, avoiding them having a line of sight of the other. Create a buffer zone of friends around each of them.
These three items will keep a lid on their explosive nature. If done perfectly, they won’t even know the other is there. Then the wedding is a pleasant experience for both of them – and everyone else at the wedding ceremony.
The Wedding Reception Plan
At the wedding reception, keep on the mission of keeping this couple apart. Here are some suggestions:
- Make the Villa Ragusa Event Coordinator aware of this situation. We will do what we can to keep the situation defused.
- Assign one of the wedding party to interact with one of the problematic couple and another person to be the point of contact for the other.
- If group family photos are required, put them at opposite edges of the photo.
- Consider an alcohol-free wedding reception.
- Avoid any mention of their split.
Additional Help at the Reception
Remember you have help with those former partners all around you. Always feel free to mention the couple to the Villa Ragusa event coordinator, your wedding planner and your friends. This takes the worry off you. They won’t be able to spoil your wedding.
Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
It is your wedding reception to celebrate your love for each other and forge your future. Making it like no other reception is important. There are several ways you can show your guests “your story.”
Your Couple Uniqueness
When your wedding reception includes a celebration of your unique personalities and your story as a couple, it adds so much more to the experience.
Think about the entire story behind your falling in love.
How and where did you meet? On vacation? At a horrible workplace?
Was it a silly experience or a very serious one?
What were your wearing back then?
Who introduced you?
What did you think of each other? Was it love at first sight?
Discuss these details with your partner and come up with “your story.” Then incorporate these details with the obligatory heartwarming details heavily peppered with a good sense of humor.
Here are some ideas on how to weave your story into your reception.
- Put on a short, funny skit of your story. Make the telling a little quirky and fun when highlighting the most important moments. Make it last no more than 15 minutes.
- Offer a slide show over dinner. Feature places and people you met along the way. Have your engagement photo at the ending.
- Include décor symbolic elements. Did you meet at a park? Include wildflowers on the table. Did he write you a sticky note? Include sticky notes all over the tables.
- Personal meaning wedding favors. Pack a bag with little things that represent what you love as a couple, a surprise baby announcement, sand from the beach where you met, etc.
Villa Ragusa Wedding Reception Event Spaces
When you reserve your space at Villa Ragusa, just let us know you need a little help with the planning. Our Event Coordinators love to give suggestions on fun and meaningful things to include with your reception.
Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
It is important to consider the timing for transferring your guests from the wedding to the reception, even if this two events are happening in the same location. You want to ensure people arrive on time at the next event so their arrival isn’t disruptive.
At Villa Ragusa we’ve hosted hundreds of wedding receptions, so we know all too well how important that timing is.
Guest Transport
Drive the route from your wedding location to the farthest parking lot at Villa Ragusa. And do this test of time on the same day of the week and time as your wedding. This is the only way you will know for sure how long it will take for your guests to arrive.
And, FYI, people tend to take a little break between the ceremony and the reception. They’ll smoke, vape, use a restroom, chat with someone that haven’t seen in ages, etc. So, it is smart to allow an additional hour aside from the drive.
Consider hiring buses or vans to move people from one location to the next. And remember to give them a ride back to their vehicle! That makes it easy for them to get to the location and still have the celebration going without traffic headaches to blow the mood.
The Same Location Issue
If you’ll be having your ceremony in the same space as the wedding reception, there is a lag time to setup the reception. Ideally, the guests should be ushered elsewhere when this happens. A possible solution is to book two event spaces. One set up for the ceremony only. Then have them walk to the next event space that is all set up and ready for the party.
Focus on the Guest Experience
Directly after the wedding ceremony, bring out cocktails and light refreshments. Let them mingle and snack for an hour before being transported to Villa Ragusa for the reception. People are in a large group and they’ll be very excited to talk to friends and family they haven’t seen in some time. So go with the flow of that need for a short time before the big reception.
Contact Our Event Coordinators
We are happy to help with the details of your reception at Villa Ragusa. Book an appointment with one of our Event Coordinators.
Unique Party Ideas, Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
This is going to be the happiest day of your life so far! So, it’s time to come up with some fun things to do to entertain your family, friends and guests at your wedding celebration. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Thinking Outside of the Wedding Gift Box
Everyone’s fear is that their wedding reception will be boring. While that is never the case – it is a joyous occasion so nobody really gets bored. People know each other and will enjoy visiting with friends and family regardless of the activities – so rest assured your reception will be fun and memorable even without the pomp and circumstance.
But! All that being said, it’s time to think about fun things to add to your reception.
Entertainers
Even the shy wall flowers will have a lovely time watching and participating with some of The Bay Area’s best entertainers. You can have clowns, jugglers, magicians, singers, dancers and even historical event reenactors. You’re living in an area where there are oodles of talented people. Have a reenactment of a historical love story like Anthony and Cleopatra maybe?
Interactive Food and Drink Stations
Help your guests get to know strangers by providing some interactive food stations that make it easy for conversation.
Include:
- Do-It-Yourself custom drinks and beverages.
- Signature Cocktails for the Bride & Groom.
- Gourmet Taco Bar
- Waffle Building
- Design Your Own Desserts Table
Dramatic Décor
Have a spectacular ambiance and décor that screams elegance and fun. You can hire someone from the stage department at one of the numerous theaters in Campbell or the surrounding area. They will help you set the lighting, drape fabric and set the stage to bring to life how the two of you feel about each other. Share the love visually.
Photobooths
Photobooths are still a thing. While the idea might not be very fresh, people still love to play around with the photobooth! Have plenty of strange and wonderful costumes available that match the theme of your wedding.
Villa Ragusa Event Coordinators
We have event coordinators available when you rent your wedding reception space. They love to give fun ideas for weddings. They have seen hundreds of weddings, after all. They know what works and which will fall flat. Give us a call.
Event Venue, Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
Let’s face it. Planning a wedding ceremony and reception is hard! This is a lifechanging event and it needs to be perfect, right? The pressure is on!
So, here are five wedding trends to help you inspire your creative side. Incorporate some or all of these ideas and they will lead you to an amazing wedding.
1. Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Weddings
In the 2020s it is all about sustainability! This year is no different.
Impress your friends and family with numerous ecofriendly choices. Start by using biodegradable décor, decorations, and have plant-based catering for your luncheon or dinner.
Tackle one of the biggest wastes of money and resources – wedding invitations! This can be not only more efficient but it saves a lot of carbon: Go digital with wedding invitations. It is so much easier for you to manage your guest list and there is no paper used, no mail trucks driving around delivering them, etc.
For the wedding ceremony, choose a sustainable locale like a public botanical garden, a vineyard or a nature center. Your guests will love you for it and so will Mother Earth.
2. High-Tech & AI-Integrated Weddings
Maximize on tech to really do your wedding right. For instance, if one guest is going to miss the wedding due to illness. Live stream the wedding for them. Guests who really wanted to attend but now they can’t, will love a live stream to watch. Kick it up a notch and add some virtual reality! Now we’re talkin’!
3. Maximalist Decor & Statement Pieces
This year, going bold and over-the-top with décor is what’s in! Is an Elizabethan wedding theme in your future? Big hair, humungous dresses and gawdy overdone décor! Have fun with doing and overdoing an unforgettable, dramatic ceremony and reception experience.
4. Unique & Interactive Guest Experiences
Have your wedding a guest-facing great time. No more just sit and watch. Let them have fun playing bartender for a few minutes at the DIY cocktail bar, take Karaoke to new levels as guests provide the entertainment. Add a photobooth that has an augmented reality upgrade to raise the level of fun and hilarity.
Of course, the dining needs to be handled by the caterer, but a DIY omlet bar let’s guess have fun playing around with crazy mixes of ingredients.
5. Non-Traditional Wedding Attire & Fashion Statements
Have everyone join in the fun of a crazy DIY designer outfit for your wedding. Mix Plaids and stripes, wear oversized bows and bowties, datable sleeves, 1960s long gloves and pillbox hats. Are suits with sneakers back yet??
Contact us at Villa Ragusa to discuss booking your classic or going all out wedding reception.
Wedding Reception, Wedding Venue
These websites should make it so easy to just jump in and start planning your wedding ceremony and reception. They’ll let you know the things you need to know and give you loads of brilliant ideas.
- Style Me Pretty
- This is a blog that is dedicated to you and your soon to be spouse. There are numerous sections to explore on every topic that is important when planning your nuptials and afterparty. And there are loads of images, too! You can’t have too many pics!
- 100 Layer Cake
- This blog will keep you in style, because who needs accidental early 1970s puffy sleeves? Aside from current wedding fashions, they have very helpful blog posts on numerous related subjects.
- Preowned Wedding Dresses
- Once the shock of the prices on brand new wedding dresses wears off, go to this website and browse some pre-owned dresses. This might be just the ticket to you’re your wedding under budget.
- Once Wed
- This Instagram account is loaded with so many gorgeous wedding pics. It’ll get your ideas flowing while you scroll there for a while.
- Wedding Wire
- This wedding website gives you super helpful stuff. One thing in particular you’ll need is a wedding website! They show you where to go. And there are many vendor links to help you plan.
- Ruffled Blog
- The Ruffled Blog is big on wedding themes. If you don’t have your heart set on a theme just yet, browse their theme categories. You be creatively inspired instantaneously.
The Best Venue
Of course, the best wedding venue in Silicon Valley is going to be Villa Ragusa! Our helpful staff will even give some suggestions they know work very well for weddings. Give us a call to schedule an appointment. Be sure to ask about our discounted dates! (408) 364-1900
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