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Rixey Manor Couples Handbook

Published by rixeymanor, 2017-08-05 18:07:41

Description: Rixey Manor Couples Handbook

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RIXEY MANORHELPFUL HINTS

CONTENTSCONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................................ 2BUDGETS ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Where to begin ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Things that might not be worth the money.............................................................................................. 4 False economies........................................................................................................................................ 5TO-DO LIST .................................................................................................................................................... 6VENDORS....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Photography.............................................................................................................................................. 8 Caterers..................................................................................................................................................... 8 DJ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 Band .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Cake........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Officiant..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Florist ........................................................................................................................................................ 9PINTEREST ..................................................................................................................................................... 9TIMELINE..................................................................................................................................................... 12 Friday ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Sunday..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Saturday .................................................................................................................................................. 14TABLE LAYOUT ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Downstairs Layout .................................................................................................................................. 17 Layouts for 110 – 120 people ................................................................................................................. 18 Below 110 people ................................................................................................................................... 19CEREMONY SET UP...................................................................................................................................... 22BEDOOMS ................................................................................................................................................... 23ALCOHOL..................................................................................................................................................... 24THINGS TO BORROW .................................................................................................................................. 27THINGS YOU DON’T NEED TO BRING.......................................................................................................... 28THING PEOPLE FORGET............................................................................................................................... 28PACKING, DROPPING OFF AND CLEANING UP............................................................................................ 29

Packing .................................................................................................................................................... 29 Drop Off .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Clean Up.................................................................................................................................................. 29TIPPING ....................................................................................................................................................... 30TABLECLOTHS/ARBORS/SPARKLERS ........................................................................................................... 30REHERSAL DINNER ...................................................................................................................................... 30BREAKFAST/SMORES/OTHER FOOD ........................................................................................................... 31BRUNCH ...................................................................................................................................................... 31GUEST INFORMATION................................................................................................................................. 32SHUTTLES .................................................................................................................................................... 32

BUDGETSThis is less about what to spend your money on and more what in our humble opinion is not! And little bit of educations aboutwhere to start on the big-ticket items.Where to beginThese are guesstimates, but be wary of anyone that seems like an amazing deal. You tend to get what you pay for, but thereare some great new people out there looking to get reviews etc. • Food – ranges from about $30 - $130 per head • Photography - $2,500 - $8,000 • Videography - $2,000 - $6,000 • Flowers - $600 - $5000 • Cake - $4 – 8 a slice • DJ - $1000 - $2000 • Live Band - $2000+ • Officiant - $150 - $400 • Beauty (maids) - $75 - $150 • Beauty (bride) - $150 - $350 • Alcohol - $1000 + • Photo booth - $800 + • Jewelry, dress, menswear is all such a variable can’t even begin to guess. • Other things that add up are rentals, calligraphy, etc.Things that might not be worth the moneyAs a rule of thumb think if you wouldn’t miss it if you were a guest is it worth it. • Favors (unless edible on the way home in the shuttle/car like a cookie bar) • Programs (unless they double as fan’s in the hot weather) • Place cards at the table (unless you have a plated, pre-picked meal) • Candles in the ceremony (they blow out)

• Signs for every little thing (people can usually figure things out) • Personalized things (admittedly they are great fun and on the day guest love them, but there is usually a ton of waste) • Huge invitations, expensive to buy and cost a lot to mail (look at something called Send-and-seal it’s what we used)False economies • Not renting table linens (yes, we have extra’s but they take a lot of time or money to press, usually better through the caterers) • Skimping on the candles in the ballroom • Missing out on DJ Party lights • Real rose petals for the aisle • DIY Flowers (not always a false economy but worth checking out the alternatives, often they are just the same price to get them arranged) • Videographer (this is a big-ticket item so if it’s not in the budget don’t make yourself crazy, but if you can this is a real investment into the long-term wedding memories) • Shuttles (without them you are liable if someone drives home drunk, plus it makes your guests feel much more treasured)

TO-DO LIST For most Couples, we are the first stop on the wedding trail. It is hard, if not impossible to book any other aspect until you have a venue as that also gives you a date! From this point, onward you are then faced with a huge list of tasks broken down into the months that you need to achieve them by. We hate this and consequently would like to propose our own way of organizing your wedding planning and it is based on some simple points.1. Throw out the month-by-month timeline. There is nothing wrong with booking things as soon as you want to book them or buy them. Why you should wait until a month or two out to buy your guest book is crazy. Just get things as you find them, just make sure you have them all before the wedding. You can get most last-minute things on Amazon (overnighted) or Michaels. If you really care about it, by it early, if you don’t care just buy it the next time you drive by a wedding type store and be done with it.2. On that subject, if there is someone you really want to book, be it the pastor, band or cake baker book them as soon as you have a date.3. Don’t rush into buying a dress. Yes, you need to leave some lead time for them to come in, but leave only just enough time to get things fitted. Dress photos are everywhere, and it becomes easy to regret, and second guess your choice. Particularly if you made it early, in the heat of the just-engaged moment.4. Same rule applies to your guest list and wedding party. Don’t put your guest list together then try and figure out how you are going to pay for that many meals or fit them into your venue. Have a clear idea as to what you would like your food budget to be per-head, where you would like to do your ceremony and your budget in general (invitations aren’t cheap), come up with a max number of guest and then figure out some guest list rules (that apply to both sides) to get you to that number. The first thing we always tell couples is if they wouldn’t take someone out for a three-person meal when it isn’t their wedding, why would they do that on a day that is so much more than that. Wedding parties are hard to change, choose small and wisely, then increase it as the months roll on.5. Lastly, remember (like us) that some vendors can only do one wedding a weekend, this applies to photographers and DJ’s, some have a small number they can do in a weekend (florists, and caterers) and some can handle quite a few weddings (calligraphers) – once you have booked those vendors who you knew you wanted to book from the beginning – look at booking the rest based on a scale of ‘how much do I care about this vendor’ vs ‘how many weddings can they do’. Using these rules here is our Wedding To-Do list from first priority to last. P.S Unlike some website I haven’t broken it down into bite size pieces (research caterers, talk to caterers, get quotes from caterers, set up tastings, go to tastings etc.), just get the ball rolling, and keep on top of moving it forward.• Budget• Venue and Date• Guest list• Photographer and/or Videographer• Engagement Shoot• Hotel Block• Wedding Party• Florist• Caterers (including Linens etc.)• DJ/Music

• Dress• Book Hair and Makeup• Save the Dates• Tent/Arbor/Big rentals• Cake• Officiant• Transportation (Shuttles)• Timeline (broad)• Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Clothing• Invitations• Plan Rehearsal Dinner• Smaller Rentals like Signage• Rings• Marriage License (no sooner than 60 days away)• Chase down RSVP’s• Work out Alcohol• Confirm (numbers and arrival times) with all vendors• Seating Chart• Timeline (detailed, including order of photo’s)• All the random bits (ring pillow, ceremony sand etc.)• GET MARRIED

VENDORSWe could write a book on talking to vendors but below are the highlights for each of the major categories.PhotographyDo and pay your engagement session separately before you book the whole day. It’s a good way to check you like thephotographer and their pictures.They should always come with a second shooter.The contract will probably include something about you not getting all the photos. That’s normal… do you really want themall? Usually half are terrible with eyes shut, food in mouth etc.Schedule them to eat as soon as you go to eat.CaterersDon’t cut coffee and tea.Don’t cut water service at the table (two-fold, it makes the tables looked better with glass on them and it stops people gettingtoo drunk)At minimum, there should be about 6 people coming to staff any event over about 70 peoplePre-ceremony lemonade and tea, gives your guests a welcome surprise and refreshment when they arrive.Talk to them on your best day, and if you don’t want to decide just ask them for the best option.DJMake sure they have lights and a lapel mic.Listen to all your songs all the way through and actually listen to the lyrics and what they mean.Cut first dance, parent dance songs to about 60 – 90 secs. If in doubt try standing listening to the song the whole way throughagain.Don’t forget to get the information to your DJ, particularly the order of your entrances into the ballroom.BandPlease read their rider, and send it to us before booking a band. We need to double check we can meet their expectations.Cake

Sugar flowers are more expensive than fresh ones.OfficiantAsk them if they are legally able to marry someone in Virginia (it costs $500 and they must petition the judge to get thelicense)Ask them if they stick to the script.FloristMake sure you can reuse the ceremony flowers somewhere, and don’t skimp on the alter pieces, we use them again in theballroom for dinner so they do double duty and can have a big impact.Greenery is cheaper than flowers, but flowers themselves range in price like crazy. Roses range from $2 - $15 per stem, andorchids range from $3 to $30. What’s in season can also make a difference – so make sure to ask, not just show a picture andask for a replica.

PINTERESTPutting Pinterest into the hands of confused and overwhelmed bride, or groom, is like putting alcohol into the hands ofsomeone who has never had a drink and not warning them about the effects of having too much. I know that seemsdramatic, and yes, it is, BUT it’s not far from the truth. There are three main feelings Pinterest can evoke, each of which cantip a bride over the edge so I am hoping that this will serve as ‘the talk’ and help you navigate what can be an amazing aideto a great night, or the biggest hangover.So, this is how the normal bride comes to the first feeling associated with Pinterest; the ‘overwhelming panic’ as youdiscover the rabbit hole of weddings on Pinterest for the first time. They enter a search query in Google, say ‘wedding décorideas’ and almost the first thing that appears is a link to Pinterest, you click, and up comes a variety of amazing pictures.You have been engaged two minutes and already you are thinking about seating arrangements, photo booths, and cute littleanimal cut outs personalized with each guest’s name. Ouch, you haven’t even found a venue yet. You at this point have twochoices, you log off quickly or you go down the rabbit hole clicking one thing, pinning another. Before long yourinnocuously name board ‘Wedding ideas’ quickly has four thousand pins and you feel like you will never be able to figureout YOUR vision – because every vision you have seen is perfect and you are just not that girl, you could never be one ofthose perfect brides.Which brings me to the second, and most devastating feeling for a bride, inferiority. This feeling will surface twice in thePinterest world. The first time is early on, you put together your budget and meet with vendors. Each person is lovely, wantsto help, and will do anything to make your vision come true BUT they explain as nicely as possible (I hope) that unless yourbudget is the size of the Kardashian clan, those tables filled with designer roses that you pinned so hopefully, or theceremony space with two hundred mismatched antique chairs is just not doable. And the second time is closer to thewedding when, having diverted the budget dilemma by opting into DYI mode you decide to make… something, anythingyourself, and no matter how careful you are, or how hard you try you are lucky is anything comes out how it did in the pin,let alone identically perfect a hundred times over for place cards.Lastly, there is second guessing yourself. This is something I warn my brides about all the time, once you have decided on awedding element STOP looking – you can make yourself crazy, waste a ton of money, and drive friends, vendors andfiancées crazy if you change your mind every few days. This advice, to be fair is not Pinterest, or solely wedding based, buta pretty good lesson in life.So, what is an overwhelmed, confused and inferior feeling bride to do? First – before you fall down the rabbit hole take theoption to log off, and with a traditional pen and paper answer these questions – How do you want to wedding to feel? Doyou have an element (a necklace, flower etc.) that is vital to you to include – write down the first two things to describe it?What do you want to say about you as a couple? Do you have any colors that you love? Say for instance the answers tothese questions are; fun, gold and feminine, fun again, and blue – suddenly you have some key words to start with – take aselection of them, and add elements like tablescape and you are still falling down a hole, but at least now you have a fewthings to cling to.Next – bin the ‘wedding idea board’ and instead be specific, set up boards for each element, ‘wedding flowers-boutonnieres’, ‘wedding table plans’ etc. Yes, each of these boards may end up with only a dozen or so pins but it has twobig bonuses. One, when you pick a vendor you can add them to the board, that way they know exactly what you are inspiredby (and not confused by inspiration over load), and two you can also help with the second-guessing issue. Once you havepicked a wedding dress as opposed to having to scroll through hundreds of wedding dresses you didn’t choose you justdon’t open the ‘wedding dress’ board.

Now for the most heartbreaking feeling, inferiority. There is no quick fix to budget inferiority but there are some key thingsto remember. Many of the images you have pinned of weddings are not REAL weddings – they are staged by vendors toshow what, given no budget, no time limits, and creative freedom they could create – they are also styled by a weddingstylish. This is a job, you can hire them, and they will make your wedding pinnable, and probably help you get close to yourvision on a tight budget but they do this day in, day out. Asking the normal bride to make ‘pinable’ weddings is a little likeasking the same bride to do open heart surgery.DIY inferiority is also mainly solved by a reality check, or by a helpful handy relative. It is very easy get lost in the fact thatsomething wasn’t entirely square, or that two sheets of paper are slightly different shares but even literal machines makemistakes, and no one ever posted mistakes on Pinterest. Once these small elements are added into the big picture, what onceseemed like such a huge problem is not noticeable. I promise.These boils down to something that I tell everyoneof our brides – no one knows what is in your head,so no one can know if it’s not exactly as youenvisioned – once you put on that dress, or that suitand walk down the aisle it is a wedding. You don’thave to try. It just is. All the pictures in the worldcan’t scratch the emotion of that moment, or ruin it.\"

TIMELINEBelow is a basic Friday, and Sunday timeline (two different version), there is also a couple of basic timelines for Saturday,for a template for you to fill in please log onto the couples only website. No timeline is the same so just take them as reference.Friday4pm – Arrive (Bride, Groom, Maid of Honor, all parents)4-6pm – Set up (Table seating, gifts, favor tables etc.)5.30 – 6pm – All people for walkthrough asked to arrive6 – 7pm – Walk through6.30pm – Caterers arrive to set up7pm – Eat8pm – Gifts, and speeches (Father of Groom, Couple say thank you)10pm – Bar Closes (Get people to leave)10 – 12pm – Finish any final bits for the weddingAlternative11am – Arrive (Bride and Bridesmaid)11am – 1pm – Unpack and do basic set up1 – 2pm – Lunch2 – 4pm – Get Nails done3pm – Guys drop off beer4pm – Everyone arrives back at the Manor4.30 – 5.30pm – Walkthrough5.30pm – get dressed6.00pm – Leave for offsite rehearsal dinner

Sunday9-10am – Pack wedding specific things9.30am – Caterers arrive10am – Brunch (onsite or off)12am – Brunch finishes12 – 2pm – Clean upAlternative9 – 10am – Breakfast10 – 1pm – Clean upBelow is a Saturday timeline – everyone’s timeline is different. Please enter it in google sheets and invite us to collaborate,that way we can put together a full master and send it to everyone.We also ask for two more columns, with who from you and your guests is involved, and any extra notes that we may need tobe aware of.

SaturdayTime Block Time Specific Event Morning (7am - 12.30am) 8:00 AM First Breakfast 8.20 AM Hair and Makeup 8.20 AM Final Manor Check with Bride 8.50 AM Bride in Bridal Suite 8.55 AM Hair and Makeup 9.00 AM Second Breakfast 9.25 AM Hair and Makeup 10.30 AM Skeet Shooting 10.30 AM Hair and Makeup 11.30 AM Photographer Arrives 11.40 AM Guys Shooting Pictures 11.50 AM Guys to start getting ready 12:00 AM Bridesmaids get dressed 12.30 AM Bride get dressedPre-Ceremony (1pm - 3.30am) EVERYONE READY 1.00 PM First Look 1.05 PM 1.15 PM Sweethearts 1.40 PM Bridesmaid/Groomsmen Pics 2.15 PM 2.00 PM Family Pictures 2.40 PM Caterers Arrive 3.00 PM First Shuttle Leaves Hotel 3.00 PM 3.00 PM Bride away 3.00 PM First Shuttle Arrives 3.30 PM Photograph Ceremony Space Second Shuttle Leaves Hotel Second Shuttle Arrives Rixey

3.30 PM First Shuttle Leaves Hotel3.30 PM Guests Arrive3.55 PM3.55 PM First Shuttle Arrives Rixey Gather all processional peopleWedding (4pm - 10pm) Gate Closes 4.00 PM Ceremony 4.00 PM Group Photo 4.25 PM Any extra family pictures 4.40 PM Cocktail Hour 4.40 PM Bride and Groom join CH 5.00 PM Bridal Party Gather for Announcements 5.35 PM Ballroom Doors Open 5.35 PM Bar Shuts 5.40 PM Introductions 5.45 PM First Dance 6.00 PM Grace After Dinner Groom/Mom Dance 7.20 PM Anniversary Dance 7.20 PM Open Dance Floor 7.30 PM Golden Hour Photos 8.00 PM Close Bar to pour champagne Move Guests to roof After Groom Toast Cake Cutting Inside 9.00 PM Open Dance Floor 9.30 PM First Shuttle Leaves 10.00 PM Second Shuttle Leaves 10.15 PM DJ Finishes 10.30 PM First Shuttle Leaves 2nd Run Second Shuttle Leaves 2nd Run

TABLE LAYOUTBelow are a few different table layouts, and a blank one at the end for you to use. But here are a few universal things to know. • A 6ft table round seats 10-12 people (10 with chargers, 12 without) • A 5ft table round seats 8 – 10 • A 6ft rectangle seats 6, not including people on the end • An 8ft rectangle seats 8, not including people on the end • Two 6ft tables seats 14, two 8ft tables seat 18, a 6ft and an 8ft seat 16 – not including those on the end • Our cocktail tables are 30” round, and can be normal table height (30”) or bar height (42”) • We have 2 4ft tables, one is usually used at the sweetheart table. • Couples usually choose to max out a table to 12 people and have one less table in the room. • The DJ table is usually a 6ft rectangle. • The cake is usually on a hightop. • We don’t recommend ‘top tables’ unless you are under about 100 people. They are inefficient. If you do want to have top table, try and seat people on both sides except in front of you two.Here is a list of tables you may need outside of the main dining tables and where we usually place them: -The following are usually 6ft rectangle unless otherwise noted. • Gift table (front porch for a front of house wedding, bar patio if ceremony on roof) • Guest Book Table (usually start it on the gift table and move it inside after cocktail hour, into dining room if a buffet so people can sign it one the way through, or in the bar area) • Pre-Ceremony Drinks table (front porch for a front of house wedding, bar patio if ceremony on roof) • Seating Chart Table (in bar or on patio) • Photo Booth Prop Table (in bar) • Candy Bar Table • Cupcake Table • Smores Table (on patio) • Cocktail Tables (usually 6 – 8 total) • Buffet Table (dining room is 6ft to 18 ft)

• Appetizer tables for cocktail hour display (sometimes 6ft rectangle sometimes round) • Kids Craft table (sometime just the library, or sometimes set up outside somewhere) • Sweetheart table (usually 4ft rectangle) • DJ TableDownstairs Layout

Layouts for 110 – 120 peopleBig rounds are 6ft, small are 5fts. No counts include sweetheart tables. All counts include the max number of people at alltables.



Below 110 people





CEREMONY SET UPPlease have a think about how many people you want on the front row on each side, usually some combination of parents,siblings, grandparent etc.Think about where the flower girl/ring kids are going to sit or standDown in the front garden we usually do 7 or 8 seats on each side of the aisle. So, for 120 people it’s 8 rows.On the roof, we can do 5 or 6 (depending on if your photographer wants to be able to walk down each side), so 10 or 12 rowsin total for 120 people.

BEDOOMSWe have four bedrooms in the main house.The mountain room has a queen-sized bed, bathtub in the room. The quietest room in the Manor.The master bedroom has a king-sized bed, and a working fireplace. The biggest floor space for cribs, and air mattresses.The back bedroom has a queen-sized bed, its own staircase and the new shower.The bridal suite.You can find pictures of all the bedrooms on the website to jog your memory.The Cottage has a queen bed upstairs, two twin beds in an adjoining bedroom, and a large bathroom. Downstairs it has a sofabed that’s almost kind sized, a half bath, and a full working kitchen.

ALCOHOLThe typical wedding alcohol calculations is 1 drink, per person per hour, so on average 8 drinks per person, so 800, for a 100-person wedding. Don’t take out the people you know don’t drink etc, they balance out the people than drink 2 drinks an hour.Below are the figures for a 100-person wedding at the Manor. It would last you Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They tend tobe generous as you can return them.We usually recommend no more than 4 or 5 types of wine. (2 red, 2 white/rose, 1 sparkling for mimosa’s toasts etc.)We recommend 3 different types of alcoholic bars: - • Beer and Wine8 cases of wine (1 case of sparkling, 4 white/rose in summer, 3 in winter, 4 red in winter, 3 in summer)2 1/6th Kegs of Beer (Add another 1/6th if you are looking at over 100 people and supplying rehearsal dinner)1 ½ Keg of Beer • Beer, Wine and Specialty Cocktails8 cases of wine (1 case of sparkling, 4 white/rose in summer, 3 in winter, 4 red in winter, 3 in summer)2 1/6th Kegs of Beer1 ½ Keg of BeerTwo specialty cocktails – enough to make up a mix of at least 2 gallons (some sample recipes below) • Modified Full Bar6 cases of wine (1 case of sparkling, 4 white/rose in summer, 3 in winter, 4 red in winter, 3 in summer)2 1/6th Kegs of Beer1 ½ Keg of Beer1 or 2 handles of each of the following – rum, gin, vodka, fireball (why is this such a thing at weddings)2 or 3 handles of Jack Daniel’sTo any of these you can add in a specialty bar (run, bourbon) where you just stock lots of varieties of each. Sometimes behindthe bar, sometimes at a satellite bar.Please try and limit the number of shot only liquors (Tequila).Other things you need to bring to stock the bar: -

Ice (60 to 80lbs) – we have lots of room to store itWater (at least 6 cases of water, the smaller bottles are better)Soda – Coke (4 cases of 12 packs), Sprite, Ginger Ale, Diet Coke, Tonic Water, Soda Water (2 cases of 12 packs).Juices – Orange Juice (lots of it for mimosas, breakfasts etc.), cranberry, pineapple, Sour MixCondiments – Olives, Cherry’s, Oranges, Lemons, Limes

THINGS TO BORROWBelow is a list of the things that we see borrowed most often. It’s not a list of everything but it’s the usual suspects. Justhighlight or circle what you want to use. • Wooden table numbers with white calligraphed writing • Gold, slightly bronze numbers on a stand • Sliver frames that you can insert your own printed number 4X6 • Cake Stand, round silver (two different sizes, large and extra-large) • Cake Stand, square silver (two different sizes, large and extra-large) • Cake Stand, wood, pedestal (small) • Cake Stand, gold, pedestal (small) • Cake Stand, rustic white, pedestal (extra-large) • Cake Stand, glass, pedestal (medium) • Cake Stand, wood, flat round, (medium) • Cake Stand, 5 tiers, silver (for cupcakes) • Cake Stand, 3 tiers, silver (for cupcakes or cookies etc.) • Cake Stands, black, pedestals, small, 3 totals • Platters, various in silver, glass and gold for cookie bars • Cake Cutting Set, Gold • Cake Cutting Set, Clear and sliver • 2 Gold Sparkle table cloths (often used for sweetheart and cake table) • Muted Gold table cloth (often used for DJ table) • Wooden centerpiece rounds (12 in total) • Votive Holders • Chalkboard Sign, large free standing • Iron Sign stand • Lots of small chalkboard signs

THINGS YOU DON’T NEED TO BRING • Snacks (we keep a full stocked snack box or two on hand at all time) • Steamers • Irons • Votive Candle Holders • Condiments • Bed Linens • Towels • Extra VasesTHING PEOPLE FORGETAnd if you do forget we usually still have it on hand • Ice • Water • Perfume • Deodorant • Extra Blank Place Cards • Extra Ribbons • Envelopes (for tipping) • Fancy paper for speech writing • Cards and envelopes for quick thank you cards • Ring box • Getting ring clean • Extra Shoes • Extra Underwear • Razor • Lots of copies of timelines

PACKING, DROPPING OFF AND CLEANING UPPackingPlease pack specifically. These things may be sat in boxes for months. You will forget what is where. Label very clearly onthe outside what is in each box.Give each set up or area its own box – for instance ‘ceremony’.You will have two or three random boxes – ‘extra paperwork’, place cards etc., ‘random décor’, ribbon etc., ‘extra bits’,usually these are bits that you bought and don’t really know what to do with them.Write a list and check it off.Don’t forget rings and wedding license – everything else we can make happen in a pinch.Drop OffPlease schedule any week before drop offs as early as possible so we can make sure to build our week around them. Werecommend buying all the alcohol, sodas etc. and dropping them off in the same trip – it saves you a lot of loading andunloading.We usually ask all alcohol gets stacked in the bar. Ben will do the unpacking and set up of anything to do with the bar so hecan see anything that may be missing.Most other early drop off items just get put in the ballroom until your official setup begins on Friday.On the day, you ‘move in’ we recommend unpacking the boxes into the rooms they are going to be set up in, we always leaveceremony set up till the day of the wedding, just in case Virginia weather hits us unexpectedly.Clean UpThis is a not fun process as everyone is usually tired and a little hungover. We recommend starting with the personal stuff inthe bedrooms, and then finishing downstairs. We can help with the wedding stuff but not so much with personal stuff.Plan before as to who is going where, and who is staying to allow you to pack up their cars. Almost never do all the alcohol,wedding gifts ect fit in the couples

TIPPINGI don’t like this question because I sometimes wonder if I’m taking money out of pockets either way.We like our bartenders to have $150 each minimum at the end of the night. It’s usually handled one of three ways: - the coupletip them out at the beginning, and no tip jar goes out, or tip jar goes out, and the couple adds $150 at the end, or tip jar goesout and I tell the couple of they make enough, and if not, how much the difference is.You don’t have to tip the owner of the company. Although usually if people to choose to tip a company owner, it’s the hairand makeup girls. $20 per style is probably fine.Each server usually gets tipped about $20 – 50. It’s great if you can do it in smaller amounts to they can break it up evenly.Sometimes people choose to tip the head of service a little more.$20 – 50 per person for assistants dropping off (cake, florist etc.)Second shooter, usually $50 – 100 for the day.We are more than happy to hand out tips (it’s usually impossible for you guys to see everyone on the day). Just put the amountin envelope with the name (or job title) of the person you want it handed to.TABLECLOTHS/ARBORS/SPARKLERSTable cloths are usually about $14 – 16 to rent, and about $12 to get ours dry cleaned and pressed.If you can see if they can pick the linens up on Monday so we can reuse them for brunch.Some caterers order their linens from an outside company. They get dropped off Thursday, or Friday and picked up Monday.This is one of the best ways to do it.We have two gold glittery table cloths.‘Drop’ is how far down the legs of the table the cloth falls – half way is more informal, full length is more formal. If in doubtgo with dark table cloth and light napkins. Less likely to look messy as the night progresses.Our arbors are fine, but they are all 2D most of the ones in pictures on the website are from florists.We have lots of arbor silks to dress them.Please buy the wedding safe sparklers, we have the whole process down, so you don’t need buckets, lighters etc.The longer the sparkler the more time you have to get the right pictures.REHERSAL DINNERMost couples have as much fun (if not more fun) at their rehearsal dinner.

If you do it on site don’t try and over shadow the wedding day. Disposables work great (both table linens and plates etc.).However, the super lightweight disposable cloths blow off the tables outside very easily.There are three major options for the rehearsal dinner: -Rooftop, great for a larger party and if the weather holds off.Front porch, seats up to about 30 and is pretty sheltered from the weather.The house, the outside patio and front porch as a combo. Works well with food trucks and is weather flexible.If you have a larger crowd and it rains your best bet is to have it in the ballroom.BREAKFAST/SMORES/OTHER FOODWe make breakfast for essentially anyone staying in the house (plus a little extra).A typical Saturday menu is usually fruit and yoghurt, an egg/biscuit bake of some sort, OJ, and mimosas.A typical Sunday menu is Belgium waffles with loads of different toppings.We can make is healthier, or diet compliant if you let us know a week before hand – please tell us if anyone eating is vegetarian,and if anyone doesn’t eat pork.S’mores are super popular, but weather dependent. They also make a large amount of mess so we do require that they be doneoutside and on a dark tablecloth.You need to bring marshmallows, chocolate (and caramel, peanut butter cups etc.), crackers, and extra-long toasting sticks. Ifyou have anyone with nut allergies let me know so we can put out a little sign.Hot Chocolate. Out hot chocolate machine is awesome for colder wedding. We will stock it enough for at least the pre-ceremony (3 gallons), but it you want it to run all night please bring it at least 3 gallons of chocolate milk. We also have whipcream, and some syrups etc. for it, but it’s best when spiked with something. Either bring just a bottle of something with youor get a bunch of mini’s in various flavors.Please don’t forget lunches. The only place that delivers to us in Grill 309, they do a wrap selection.If someone has a very strict diet, or is breast feeding, let them know they can use the fridge and microwave.Please don’t bring in tons of extra food, I promise you most of it will go to waste, and it fills up the kitchen making the caterersjob harder.BRUNCHIf you are planning on feeding more than about 12 or 14 people on Sunday please consider a brunch. You can ask the caterersthe night before to leave pastries, or a couple of bakes that I can heat up – hirer a caterer – or go out to Culpeper and meetyour guests there.

GUEST INFORMATIONNearest airports are Dulles (1h approx.) and Charlottesville (45mins)Culpeper has a train station on a track that runs from Boston to New Orleans.Nearest chain hotels are Holiday Inn Express, and Best Western in Culpeper.Please don’t rely on Taxi’s or Uber from the Manor.SHUTTLESRemember your time begins at first pick up and ends when they last drop off happens at the hotel (not when they last leavethe Manor).Please schedule one shuttle about 10 minutes after the DJ ends, and then one more run after that (if you are running twoshuttles that would be 40mins after the DJ finishes, two shuttles would be an hour). Or if you want the ‘end’ to be the endschedule two shuttles to run at the same time about 15 minutes after the music. It takes people a while to collect their thingsand say goodbye. We usually find people get charged a whole extra hour of shuttle time when they don’t take that into account.Make sure to write out a schedule, post it on your website, put it in the welcome bags, but most importantly email it to theshuttle company, and double check it looks good on their end.


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