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The problems you will encounter are the inevitable ones of bringing the right place, time and people together. The date you have in mind won't be available at the location you want. The people you want to come to the wedding will be somewhere else doing something else on the date you settle for. You will inevitably have to compromise either on the date, the location or on the guest's availability. So, you should decide before you even start, which variables mean most to you. Do this with your fiancé and then compare answers. Put a 1, 2 or 3 in front of the three major variables that will determine the day and location of your wedding as well as the importance of the guests you intend to invite.
Examples
Location: (1) I must be married at the Awahnee Lodge in Yosemite. It's been my lifelong dream to marry there.
Date: (3) I don't care much about the date, but winter is out because of travel complications. Fall would be nice.
Guests: (2) I really, really want my best friend from college, my dad and mom and my brother to attend. It wouldn't be a wedding without them.
Location: (3) I don't care where I get married. City Hall is fine. The backyard. Wherever.
Date: (2) I'm flexible as to the date.
Guests: (1) I want all my friends there and my family and my fiancé's family too. Family is really important to me.
Location: (2) At the little church down the road. But I can be flexible on that.
Date: (1) Easter Day. No matter what, non-negotiable.
Guests: (3) As long as the groom shows up, I'll be satisfied.
It's another lesson in imperfection. Sometimes it's just impossible to coordinate the wedding date, place and people. But start by knowing what means the most to you if you want to make arrangements that make you happy in the end. Compromise on the second and third variable if you must, but get what's most important to you
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The Rehearsal Dinner Date
Setting the wedding date may also mean making plans for
the rehearsal, which is usually set for the day before
the wedding. The rehearsal itself often takes longer
than the actual wedding, as people practice the pace of
their steps, minor confusions and conflicts arise, and
the general mood of the day is nervousness combined with
fatigue.
If the wedding date is secure but you are unable to
obtain access to the ceremony location for a rehearsal,
don't despair: your clergy person or wedding official
should be able to offer some ideas about another
location for the practice. The main parts of rehearsal
are making sure various people know where to stand,
engineering the transfer of the bride to the groom and
the bouquet to the Maid of Honor, and anticipating or
encountering any difficulties that may arise at the Real
Wedding.
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