Many brides are asking us "What do most guests prefer?" when they are trying to make their decisions. Taking care of their guests is a high priority with our brides and we'd like you to help them out. Do you enjoy or dislike the dollar-dance? Are the toasts too corny or the best part of the reception? Band or DJ? Should their be a social/cocktail hour before dinner or not? Assigned seating or sitting wherever you want? Please complete our short questions to enable our brides to plan the perfect reception for their guests! Scroll past the surveys to see the results from our respondents!! Survey #1: Thank you for filling out the form below. As a guest at a wedding, I really would prefer it if the bridal couple would not ...... As a guest at a wedding, I really like it when .... Survey #2: How valuable is the internet in the planning of your wedding? We have a website our family and friends can access to see our wedding plans and progress. Yes No We obtain most of our wedding ideas and find most of our wedding professionals (caterers, photographers, reception venues, florists, etc.) from the internet. Yes No We do not use the internet very much or at all in the planning or sharing process. Yes No Survey #3: Thank you for filling out the form below. All questions are optional so you are free to skip any that you prefer not to answer. We hope you will complete it in full to help us understand what brides need from us! I found my wedding vendors via: Yellow Pages Internet Referral from friend Referral from other wedding vendor/venue Other How much influence does/did a venue's "Preferred List of Vendors" impact your buying decision? Big Influence Some Influence No Influence Had to no choice but to use the venue's vendors Before buying or shopping for a wedding cake, did you have an idea of what a wedding cake might cost? Yes No After shopping or buying the wedding cake, the price ended up being: About what I thought it would be Less than what I thought it would be More than I thought it would be Did you establish a budget? Yes, we had a budgeted plan to follow No, we pretty much winged it! How did you establish a wedding or party budget? It was the amount of money we had available to us. We made a list of what we wanted, researched the costs, then saved up that amount. Friends and family told us what things should cost. When planning our wedding, the ONE thing we decided would have a "money is no object" standard was the: (examples may include the dress, the reception site, the food, the cake, the music, photographer, etc.) Which statement is the most true as it applies to you? I will definitely use a wedding planner. I am thinking about using a wedding planner. I am thinking about using a wedding planner if I can afford it. I will not use a wedding planner. I will not use a wedding planner because I can't afford one. I will not use a wedding planner because anyone can put together a wedding. I'm not sure if I'll use a wedding planner because I don't know what they do or how much they cost. Please add any add'l comments that you'd like to share about your wedding planning knowledge and/or experiences. (These answers are submitted to our database anonymously. If you need a specific reply, please contact us via our "Contact Us" page.) And the standard demographic info for us!!! Age of bride/groom (Example: If bride is 26 and groom is 29, please list in "26/29" format) Education level of bride/groom. (As in the above question, please list in format as (for example) "college grad/some college") Combined income of bride/groom: Who is paying for the wedding? Bride and Groom are paying for the wedding. Bride and Groom are paying for most of the wedding. Parents are paying for the wedding. Parents are paying for most of the wedding. Expenses are being shared between bride & groom, and parents equally. SURVEY SAYS.......! As a guest at a wedding, I really would prefer it if the bridal couple would NOT ...... • Spend hours taking photos between ceremony and reception leaving us waiting; have different food at the head table or make different bar arrangements for groups of guests (if we aren't A-list enough, don't invite us!) • take pictures between the wedding and the reception. It's pretty rude to make your guests wait for hours while you take pictures. • smash cake. • play the silly games to call tables to the buffet like "Does any table have a person with a silver dollar in their pocket?" etc. Just have the M.C. call them in an orderly fashion. • Do anything that we have to pay for. It is awkward and tacky to many people. There should be no cash bar, no creepy dollar dances etc. It may be your tradition but it reeks of tackiness and guests often feel forced to participate. • I hate long, drawn toasts that are delivered by maids of honor and best men who are uncomfortable with public speaking. This isn't in the control of the bridal couple but it's just something I dread at a reception. • shove cake up each other's nose. • Feed some guests one thing and others another without it being a meal option on the RSVP. What comes to mind are those flat tiny slices of cake when some guests get something that's got multiple layers and fillings to it, same goes for kiddie cupcakes. I sort of feel like I've been cheaped out on when I've just spent $300 or so just to show up at the wedding after all of the transportation, hotel, gift, etc.\ • do basically any of the traditional things.. I do not like seeing the bride being given away like she's a piece of property, I dislike the corny toasts by drunken groomsmen, who really wants to do the chicken dance, the dollar dance is tacky, the gartar toss is icky (especially when the groom goes up under the brides dress and gets the garter with his teeth, the bouquet toss is uncomfortable for some single women who do not want to be singled out because of their single status. I sound like I'm a fuddy duddy...actually, I'm engaged, and I'm going to have a wedding and celebration that represents who my fiance and I are ---we will not be offering a choreographed stage production and call it a wedding. • have a receiving line • wait until the end of the reception to cut the cake! • Assigned seating, LONG receptions, chicken dance (or anything else odd), waiting a forever before the couple make their appearance after the wedding (once waiting over 2 hours) • The dollar dance • The couple takes "....SO LONG....!" to get to the reception! So brides, try to get as many photos done before the ceremony as possible! Your guests need your attention! • The couple tells off-color jokes of their courtship • The couples serves only food that the couple likes instead of having a good variety that most of their guests like. • The foods selected for the dinner/buffet are inconsiderate of guests with special dietary needs or food allergies. • Along with the above, guests don't like waiting more than 30 minutes for the couple to arrive at the reception, and then don't like waiting for add'l pictures to be taken before feeding the guests. One respondant pointed out that "....guests get bored and hungry!" • Assigned seating • Cake smashing into each other's face. As a guest at a wedding, I really like it when .... • The bride and groom take time to circulate and say Hi. Even if you don't get to me, I can see you making the effort. Have a seating chart...it's a pain to do, but it gets people where they ought to be, and with the people that they will most enjoy. • Everything is located at the same location and you don't have to drive anywhere, but if you need to drive to the reception that it's within about 20 minutes of the ceremony\ • the speeches are short and sweet • the couple visits each table. • Wehn there is some sort of entertainment at the reception site before the bride and groom arrive. I have seen too often that there is not a listed start time for the reception but people go • there straight away after the wedding ceremony is over. Please make sure that there is food out and available, drinks available, and prefereabily some sort of entertainment so people are just waiting around like idiots • They get the formalities over with right away. • the couple personalizes the ceremony. • The food is good, cold/hot (whichever the option requires), filling, and delish. I also like buffets! There's nothing worse than getting to a site, being herded like cattle into an assigned seat, then being stuck with a plated meal that I or my IL's can't eat half of because of dietary restrictions. I don't expect the bride and groom to keep track of them, but it really is nicer to have a buffet because we can all stay away from the things that are going to literally make us sick and not from any food borne illnesses.. • the couple pays attention to the reason WHY there is a wedding -- joining with the other person they love in marriage...I like sincere, heartfelt ceremonies. I like when a reception feels like something the couple sould chose -- that they are not just doing things becasuse that is what tradition mandates! Can you tell that I am not big on tradition and the multi-billion dollar "Wedding Industry Complex." • The food is served quickly. • the reception flows smoothly, without waiting for the bride and groom to show up, then take endless numbers of photos! • Toasts (especially from bridal party, parents), bouquet toss, open bar • The couple coming to each table to thank each guest for coming. The couple spending more time with the guests and less time with the bridal party. • Getting edible wedding favors (Debi's note: See our wedding cookie favors on our cookie site!) • A buffet to enable more choices for guests with small children, food allergies and dietary restrictions. • An open bar. • A good variety of music by the DJ. About Us Contact Us! FAQ's True Stories! ALWAYS Ask This! Comments from our brides Save Money This Way! Favorite Wedding Links Take our Survey!