Hey brides and babes! I’m your host, Sam Schulze. I am the Community Manager at Forever Bride, which means I basically manage all the things that involve you guys, our brides! The best part of my job is working on anything related to The Forever Bride Market. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s our bridal show that we host twice a year and the next one is coming up on February 16 at Radisson Blu Mall of America presented by Mintahoe Catering & Events! It features about 70 local extraordinary wedding businesses, each offering great deals, discounts, and demos or samples!
Personally, I’m most excited about our booth! Each year we go back and forth about whether or not to have a booth of our own, and we haven’t in a long time, but this year we are going BIG. We will be in the main ballroom selling new merch including Love Your Melon beanies that say Forever Bride, pop sockets with our new heart logo on them, and the super-soft & cute Forever Bride tank tops! Go get your tickets today at foreverbride.com/themarket and use code: FBSHOW for 80% off! Tickets will be full price, which is $20, at the door so get them now before they’re gone. No matter where you are in your wedding planning process, you’re going to have a blast and at least be able to cross one or two things off your to-do list!
The best part about this week is that my ray of sunshine is BACK and she’s MARRIED! Let’s give it up for Mrs. SARAH ZIMITSCH PETERSEN!!!
Tell me where you’ve been and how long you were there for?
RESORT: Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
LOCATION: Mexico, Riviera Cancun
When you were little or even when you first got engaged, was a destination wedding always the dream?
To me, the location didn’t matter as much as the people that were there. So I really wanted my grandma there, but she passed away right around the time I got engaged. That was very hard. So fast forward to when we were touring venues in Minneapolis, we were quickly getting overwhelmed, and one day, my fiance brought up the idea of having a destination wedding. We began to look into that option and ultimately, obviously, went with that!
I absolutely loved it – but it did come with its own challenges.
Like how to make sure your destination wedding guests feel special for more than just one day!
When we chose to do a destination wedding, I knew that I wanted to make sure that our guests felt like the money spent to attend was worth it, so with the help of my travel agent, we were able to make my “Wedding week” extra special!
WELCOME BAGS
This was a great way to make people feel special! It included sunglasses, an itinerary, snacks, sunscreen, Advil, medicine, and even a drink floaty! SO CUTE and an easy way to make your guests know you are thinking of them. *THANK YOU SHARYN OF SHARYN KAYE TRAVEL*
ACTIVITIES
We had a couple of wedding related events that all guests were welcomed to attend, not just the wedding party. Like a bonfire, a night out, pool time and beach time!
(also was there so people could find us!) KEEP COST IN MIND
DAY OF
We skipped a cocktail hour, because we wanted to make sure our guests (and ourselves) had time to cool off if it was too hot between the ceremony and reception. We got so much positive feedback on this! The people who needed a nap could rest and those who wanted to start drinking had so many bars to choose from! It also gave Steven, my husband, and I time together after photos to look out from our ceremony space and just breathe and enjoy the moment.
Also, an important shoutout to Claire Murray Photography for keeping everyone moving and on time throughout the day!
GIVE THEM FREE TIME
Your guests are also on vacation! There were so many things we wanted to host and do for our guests, but after seeing the schedule, it was too much! Make sure your guests have time to also breathe and do what they want! Some people may want to sleep a lot, while others want to take advantage of all the other FREE activities the resort is already doing.
MINGLE
It is so important to say hi and thank you to your guests on your wedding day – especially if it lasts for more than one day! Check-in with your groups. Try and spend intentional time with each guest. Obviously, some groups are going to be too big, but then make sure you are spending time with those who are more out of their comfort zone, people who you know need more attention and those who it was harder for them to travel/afford the trip. Make sure your guests know they are valued and you want them there!
Closing Thoughts
Remember, at the end of the day if your destination wedding guests are not having fun at an all-inclusive, beautiful resort, you can only do so much. Also, do not stretch yourself too thin! You also want to make sure YOU are also enjoying your wedding week!
