500 Wedding Ideas - What is the one thing you most remember about the weddings you have went to?

What is the one thing you most remember about the weddings you have went to?

I am in the process of planning my wedding and wanted to know what I should focus my attention on. For example, the D.J. for the dancing, the cost of food, or even the favors. So I was just wondering what is the one thing you truly remember...

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At my friend's wedding I remember how happy and in love the couple was. At that same wedding, I remember their string quartet for the actual ceremony.
I always remember the food and the entertainment from each wedding. Skip the ice sculptures! :)
The overall experience. The laughter, the kids, the families, cake cutting...Oh and one DJ had karoke and we (bridesmaids) picked Got you babe and had the bride and groom get up and sing. It was hilarious! Forget the favors and just focus on the little things. :)
I was a flower girl when I was 4 and rolled my eyes the entire way down the aisle, people still talk about it. I think breaking the ice with something funny is something everyone will walk away remembering.
Make sure you have good music, with good music your wedding will be remembered forever... why? because music brings up everyones' spirirts, it gets people motivated to dance!
Food and music
the dancing with the amazing dj another thing i remember is when my aunt mandy was coming down the aile i looked back to see my uncle dan looking as if he were in heavan the way that he looked at her when she was walking to him is the way i want my future husband whom ever that may be to look at me.
Food and entertainment. Honestly, I usually assume that both will be mediocre or bad - so I remember the ones that are good!
Two things: I have never forgotten an especially unique theme for a wedding. Went to a wizard of oz wedding once and secondly is the food. If a wedding has amazing food, you will not forget it.
The one good thing I notice is the cake, but I am a cake decorator so that could just be me! I also "notice" and remember the food - that is the best part! The bad thing that I tend to remember is the huge amount of time spent waiting while the b&g has pictures made - to a guest it seems as if it takes forever!
I always remember the bride walking down the aisle.
A flash-light dance for the first dance. All of the lights were turned off and the guests recieved flash-lights as favors-- very cool!
I remember being cramped at one, so try to not squish people into tables just to save space on the dance floor. At the same wedding I also remember HATING the music. Try to cater to your guests. What's the point in having a reception with music if nobody is going to dance because the music stinks? I remember having a lot of fun at one wedding because the music was great, and so was the DJ. Receptions are all about the music and food. :o)
I always remember if I leave hungry, if the food was bad, or if the couple didn't make an effort to talk to their guests. The best wedding that I ever attended was for a friend of mine who waited years to get married and threw a huge party after their destination wedding with a live band and tons of wonderful homemade food. That type of event isn't always possible, but it was a great party. Best wishes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waiting around for an hour or more while the &^%$@ photographer takes 100 photos. This has become ridiculously rude. I wish more couples would do the bulk of their photos before the ceremony.
Entertainment i think that main part in the wedding. my brother wedding was in march of this year and want he did was hire people to video tape every aspect of that day in between the reception the DJ announce that there was a video for the guest hope you enjoy. they had a projector on the stage had a screen, (since i enter the reception i was wondering what it was for) and we got to see what took place on there big day right up to the cutting of the cake that was really nice and every one in enjoy it. as for me i reach late for the service at the church so it seems as though i was there early cause whatever i miss i got to see so it was not like "what happen, what went on " kind of thing. Food he had Chinese so that was unusual. (he's not chinese) Enjoy!!! Congratulation Have a wonderful and blessed day
I remember the dancing and the fun.
We focused on the food. We provided tons of hot and cold appetizers, wine and liquor, and an amazing sit down dinner that was 5 courses. We wanted people to eat and be happy and we knew that if they had, they'd enjoy themselves no matter what.
The Bride & Groom, food, and dancing. I however love to look at there pictures afterwards!
I always remember the reception part.
THAT THE BRIDES ALWAYS LOOK EXTRA NICE , EVEN WOMEN YOU CAN'T STAND OR HAVE ANY USE FOR . IT ONLY LASTS FOR THE CEREMONY ----BUT SOMEHOW IT DOES .
a lot of people remember if the food was good or bad...but i think most people expect it isn't going to be fantastic and they will more than likely be hungry at the end of the night after all the dancing and drinking. my brother and s-i-l had a nacho bar set up around 10pm or so. everyone really loved that. i think the thing i remember most is the overall feel of the wedding, and if the bride and groom really thought about their guests. my s-i-l and i probably went overboard, but we did everything we could to make our guests feel special and comfortable. so there were small gifts for all the kids to keep them occupied, pictures of us and our families for people to look at, etc. at my wedding we also made sure to explain things - our table names were the names of cities in door county where we got engaged, so we made sure to leave a note at the placecard table that explained the importance to us. you can always tell when a couple has paid attention to detail, and that seems to stick with me the most. at my bf's wedding she didn't put much thought into anything and it showed. her main color was a sage green, but she used so many different shades of green that nothing matched. she waited until the last minute on a lot of things, and she had limited options. i definitely pay attention to the details, so that's what i remember. i also remember the general feeling of the wedding - were people excited to be there, and did they feel included? you can tell if the dance floor is full and people are happy and smiling and staying til after midnight that you had a great party for everyone. i've been to receptions where it's completely cleared out by 9pm because no feels like they are included in the reception, or they just feel out of place. one thing that really made our reception great was the band. we were going to go with a DJ because of price, but we found an amazing band for about $600 more than what a DJ would have cost. It was well worth the money. They really got everyone into the dancing and our dance floor was packed all night. plus every DJ i've ever seen is obnoxious and irritating, and the band was anything but. we are still getting comments on how great the band was, and our wedding was a year ago. so, above all, think about making the people at your wedding feel comfortable - greet every guest and thank them for coming, have pictures and little pieces of you and your fiance sprinkled throughout the reception - whether it is table names, favors, pictures, etc. people will love it! good luck, and happy planning! it's the best!
The food & entertainment. If its good or bad, nobody will forget it!!
the food. next the music/dancing. definately not the favors.
Each wedding is special in a different way. One of our friend's weddings was really extravagant and I remember some of those things. My in laws had a great photo slide show. Another wedding I remember because FI and I had a great time dancing.
This may sound odd, but I always remember the mishaps, disorganization, and ...for lack of better terminology - the less than sophisticated tastes. For example, I once attending a wedding where the reception was held at a remote location - our city's hockey team practice headquarters---complete with a bowling alley, ice rink, and casual food court. Dont get me wrong, the banquet rooms were great (located on the upper levels). The problem came in when all the guests arrived from the church in their wedding attire (attendants and all) and we (all 150 guests or so) were forced to WAIT downstairs amongst the bowlers and chili cheese dog eaters in our formal attire! All because the banquet room wasnt fully decorated yet. The wedding "planner" (if you can call her that) didn't manage time efficiently and we had to sit there for about 40 minuets before we were allowed upstairs. The couple should have booked a seperate space for a cocktail hour..that would have avoided all that. Ive been to a wedding where soloists sounded HORRIBLE!--Like American Idol Auditions horrible - -no joke! At one garden wedding, the couple made the mistake of rolling out a cheap PLAsTIC isle runner ! It blew EVERYWHERE! It was a complete disaster...the ushers had to chase and pin it down....it was quite country. At another garden wedding, wind played a factor, the couple tried to light the unity candle. HELLO! CANDLES WONT LIGHT IN THE WIND! At other weddings (including all these mentioned), I hate it when there is no assigned seating for the guests. I've had to fish for a seat and ask random strangers whom I DID NOT want to be next to for an entire evening, no less, if the seats taken or not. A guest should not have to do that. I could go on and on. Listen, your food and music could be the crem de la crem and talk of the town, but if you approach your affair with no planning, no thought, cheep-skating and cutting corners, it will prove much more costly in the end. Spend some time making sure you avoid disasters and guests' uncomfort at all costs. And you'll have the best wedding ever!
The couple looking into each other's eyes. The food, favors and such were irrelevant. It was all about the couple.
The things that I remember from the wedding ceremonies I have been to thru the years are all unique to each event. Some are planned things, like special poems, songs, or prayers that have a particular connection to the bride & groom or those tear-jerk moments when something is done in honor of parents, grandparents, or other loved ones (whether present at the wedding or not). Some are not planned like the cute things kids sometimes do, or the way the groom looks at his bride (& vice versa) or a parent at his/her child, or even someone’s nervous reaction that brings a real genuineness and endearing feeling to a ceremony. Often the same things apply at a reception – songs, prayers, toasts, touching moments – but mostly it’s the things that are unique and/or have significance to the couple that are memorable to me. I only remember the food (and cake) if it is really bad or exceptionally good…same goes for entertainment. These are two important elements that you will probably need to spend enough on in order not to fall into the “really bad” category. The problem is that everyone has different tastes in everything. Really great food to one guest may turn another’s stomach. The most expensive band you can find won’t likely play the music that everyone just loves, so maybe variety and flexibility is the way to go here? Where I think you can definitely cut your budget is on things like table decorations, personalized stuff, and favors. I can’t really remember a week later what anyone’s decorations looked like. Who cares if your napkins are monogrammed? How many people really keep those little trinkets etched with your friends’ names & their wedding date? I honestly think the most important thing is that the B&G are truly enjoying themselves. If you’re having the time of your life (assuming your idea of fun isn’t offensive to your guests), people can’t help but feel your joy and have a great time too. If they enjoy themselves, their memories of the event will be positive and happy even if your cake wasn’t “to die for”.
The favors should never be the focus of the night. I have to agree with everyone else.... food and dancing. For me, it's cake. I normally hate wedding cake, because it's so pretty and fancy that they don't do a good job making it taste good (there are a few exceptions, including the wedding I attended last week... yum!) If you want a rocking party on the dance floor, a DJ or live band that does cover songs would be the best. The food at weddings can be hit or miss. I've been to several "chicken or beef" weddings. Some are done well, others are tolerable. I enjoy buffets, myself, because picky eaters have a variety of choices and won't starve (my fiance is picky, not me.) Things that are NOT memorable: favors; flowers; LONG ceremonies; decorations; what everyone is wearing; etc.
You can always tell when the wedding has been arranged too upmarket for the family. For example, don't try showing off and ordering really fancy food when you know your guests are down to earth people who prefer plain cooking. Just be yourselves.
The ceremonies, obviously. Each is lovely in its own way. For the reception, awesome food, kickin' music, and a full open bar.
I have used several of their programs, most have rocked, some didnt -- so overall, I say that they are safe to do business with and have good programs.