FH and I went to a wedding last night and were taking notes in preparation for our own wedding in a couple months. Background: 100-120 guests, Indian groom, Cuban/Japanese bride, 5:00pm ceremony followed by cocktail hour and buffet dinner reception.Ceremony was on the rooftop of a downtown waterfront conference center. The view was spectacular, 360 degrees of the bay and skyline. Weather was on the warm side for our city, probably mid-80's, with no shade over the seating. The invitation said the ceremony would start at 5:00pm sharp, so when nothing was happening by 5:10pm we started wondering if something was amiss. The officiant made an announcement that the guitarist had broken his guitar and had run home to get a spare instrument. While we were waiting a few people left to use the bathroom, which was two floors below, and almost missed the ceremony start when the guitarist came back.The ceremony itself was Indian (not sure how to be more specific than that, this was the first Indian wedding we've been to). The bride and groom wore gorgeous red and gold; both looked amazing. It lasted about an hour and while the officiant attempted to explain what was happening, there were still some gaps and times when we had no idea what was going on up there. They also did a brief Cuban mantilla ceremony which was nice, the mantilla had been passed down through the bride's family and it was fun to see both traditions incorporated.Then it was cocktail time. Beer and wine was hosted, with a cash bar for liquor. FH and I stuck with champagne all night and were happy with that. Lots and lots of cheese, which we also liked, and a few hand-passed appetizers. After maybe 45 minutes the bride and groom came back out, this time in traditional Japanese outfits, and again they both looked great. The bride's sisters did a sake ceremony with them, which I really enjoyed watching. After that, the cocktail hour went on for another 45 minutes or so. There were a few large umbrellas set up, but nowhere near enough shade for everyone. There was a slight breeze at least, but it was pretty toasty and everybody was getting antsy to head downstairs for dinner.They finally called us downstairs to one of the conference rooms, which also had an amazing view over the water. Decorations were simple, with cream linens, red and white roses, and eucalyptus greenery. They had hired a Cuban band, and people were already dancing. The kids were all loving it! The bride and groom made their entrance, they had both changed into their third outfits of the evening - a traditional western wedding gown and suit. We waited maybe 20 minutes to be called up to the buffet. It was a really great mix of fresh salads, king salmon in cream sauce, and a few different Indian curries with rice and naan. I loved it, my favorite was the salmon but the curry was great too, especially considering it was not an Indian catering company.Then came speeches, which were entertaining enough. FH and I are not close with either the bride or groom (childhood family friends) so we didn't really know anybody giving toasts. Then came the first dance, followed shortly by cake cutting. After that, it was an open dance floor (still the Cuban band) and they also had a photo booth.We were getting a ride with a family member so we had to leave shortly after that. I'm not sure if they were going to switch over to a DJ or if there was anything else on the agenda. Anyway, that's the summary, here's the good and bad:The Good - I loved how they combined all thee cultures; Indian, Japanese, and Cuban. They had elements of each sprinkled throughout the whole event, and it worked together really well. - The bride and groom both looked amazing in all three of their outfits.- The food! High-quality, tasty, and plenty of it. - The viewThe Meh - The cake looked beautiful but tasted like nothing special - Decor was pretty standard, maybe even a little dated - The band was fun to listen to, but not all the guests knew how to dance to that type of music (FH and I took salsa and merengue lessons last year, but could not remember anything!) But the Cuban side of the family was having a blast, and we still enjoyed watching them dance.The Bad - Cocktail hour went on for too long given the heat and exposure on the rooftop - Communication with guests could have been improved, both for the overall event and during the ceremony. - Flow of the ceremony was a little choppy. There were lots of elements to bring together, and it was a little awkward when the officiant had to go searching through his bin for a garland or scarf. We could also hear the ceremony but couldn't see what was going on from the back, I would have liked to be able to watch while they did their steps around the fire, exchanged garlands, etc. - OMG, kids everywhere. Running around on the dance floor during the first dance, yelling during the toasts, hanging off their parents who were trying to give speeches...I'm just not personally a huge fan of kids in general, I think for most guests it wasn't a big deal. Just irritating to me, didn't ruin anything though!Overall, a pretty standard wedding. I think my biggest issue was that there were zero elements that conveyed the personality of the couple. Like I said we're not super close with them, and I felt like I left not knowing any more about them than I did when we arrived.If this was Four Weddings, I would give it a 6.5/10! via /r/weddingplanning http://ift.tt/2v1tz8c
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