It is no surprise the most popular time of the year to get married is the summer. The weather is nice and you can take advantage of the sunshine and beauty of the South Shore of Massachusetts. With wedding season right around the corner, don’t sweat planning your summer bash, here are a few tips to help your summer wedding beat the heat!

Order a Backup Boutonniere: Boutonnieres are often overlooked and are very fragile, especially during the summer when they need to withstand the heat and humidity. Ask your florist to leave you some extra backup flowers or a second boutonniere for the big day, you’ll be glad you did if your groom's flowers start to droop.

Provide parasols or fans for outdoor ceremonies: During summer, outdoor ceremonies are a must, but the beating sun can often take a toll on your guests. Provide your guest with some shade by offering parasols or small hand fans to keep them cool throughout your ceremony. Your guest will appreciate the extra mile especially if your wedding day falls on a hot summer day.

Cool down with a refreshing drink: Nothing is better on a hot summer day than a nice refreshing drink. Welcome guests with a complimentary refreshing lemonade and water station!

Always have a plan B: No matter what kind of wedding you are planning it is always important to have a plan b. Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and can make you change plans no matter what season.  Make sure to have a backup plan to keep you worry free on your wedding day. Luckily, our plan B for a ceremony in doors here at the CCB is just as beautiful! 

Summer is the perfect time to plan your wedding, but make sure you keep in mind these tips so your big day goes off without a hitch.

If you are planning a summer wedding contact Canoe Club Ballroom we provide the perfect outdoor ceremony venue for any summer wedding! 

Wedding Date: April 30, 2016

Wedding Color: Eggplant

Laura and Billy’s wedding day was picture perfect in every way. The weather could not have been any nicer for their outdoor ceremony, and we were so excited for them to be our very first couple married at the new gazebo!!

From the moment we first met Laura and Billy, we knew that their big day would be a special one. Laura’s parents had their very own wedding here at the CCB—and on the day of Laura and Billy’s rehearsal, her mother brought their wedding album to show us!

Aside from the beautiful décor, one of our favorite wedding details was their “guestbook” that included wooden hearts of their guests’ messages & happy thoughts to be dropped into a shadow box frame for them! (We may have written a special one to them from all of us here as well!!)

Thank you Laura and Billy for allowing us here at the CCB to be a part of your special day! It was such a pleasure working with you both, and your families!!

Perhaps another family member could be in the future?!  We sure hope so!!

Personalizing your wedding is a great way make the big day all that special. Adding unique touches that the bride and groom choose themselves is a great way to let guests feel part of the wedding. These small details also transform the ceremony and reception from to a true reflection of the couple and their relationship. 

One specific detail couples can have a lot of personalizing fun with, is creating their own signature wedding cocktail to serve to guests. But how do you decide on the perfect cocktail as the list is endless? Here are a few tips on how to plan the perfect signature cocktail.

Pick Your Favorites: One of the easiest ways to choose a signature cocktail is by simply picking your favorites. Do you or your future spouse have a go to drink you always order at the bar? Picking your favorite drink is a fun way to make your guest learn a little more about you. You can even do a ‘his and her’ signature cocktail naming them “Bride’s Favorite” & “Groom’s Favorite”. 

Go With The Theme: Does your wedding have a theme? This is a perfect chance for you to tie your theme together by narrowing down a drink that fits the theme. Whether it be a black tie even calling for a more classic drink or a tropical theme calling for a fun fruity drink. Have fun with your theme, there is no harm in adding you own twist to a traditional cocktail recipe to spice things up!

Get Sentimental: Take your guests on a walk down memory lane with a sip of your signature cocktail. When dreaming up your signature wedding cocktail think about all the memories you have shared as a couple. Maybe it was a drink you had on your first date, or maybe you are channeling a vacation you took together, make it something meaningful to both of you. Having a sweet story behind your signature cocktail is a great way to personalize your wedding day. 

Add a Beverage Fountain: Don't forget that you can always add a multi-tiered flowing beverage fountain to your wedding package for your special day! Add a touch of elegance to your cocktail hour and choose from sparkling champagne, margaritas, sangria, mimosas, or planter's punch! 

If you are tasked with throwing the bride her shower for the big day it can quickly become overwhelming. With so much to do leading up to the wedding, it’s important to understand the Do’s and Don’ts that come along with planning a bridal shower.

The Do’s

Do take initiative – Get started planning sooner rather than later and it’s never a bad idea to get the bridal shower conversation starter early. There is a lot that goes into planning a bridal shower never mind the actual wedding so giving yourself plenty of time to plan is always a good idea.

Do pick a date & send out invites early- Don’t wait until the last minute to send out invites or no one will be able to attend. Pick a date early on and send out invites so you can hear back from your RSVPs with plenty of time to adjust anything if necessary. Depending on where guests live, some will need to plan travel time so it’s best for everyone to pick a date early.

Do give guidelines for gifts: Give guests coming to the shower some guidelines on gifts. Share the couple's wedding registry on the invites so that people know where to go to get gifts, but also let guests know that they don’t have to stick to the registry if they have something else in mind.

The Don’ts

Don’t take on all the responsibility on your own. You will soon become overwhelmed by all the task necessary to carry out a bridal shower so don’t think you need to do everything on your own. Enlist the help of the other bridesmaids as well as the bride & grooms family to help you cover the cost as well as carry out the tasks of the shower.

Don’t invite anyone who isn’t invited to the wedding: It is not a good idea to invite anyone to the wedding shower who is not invited to the wedding. One rule of thumb is to ask the bride for her guest's list so you can double check your invite list with hers before sending them out to avoid any hurt feelings.

Don’t forget to send thank you notes: This is one of the most important things to remember. Purchase, address and stamp your thank you notes before the big day then print out a list of all attendees and write down their gifts as they are opened so you don’t have to worry about remembering what each gift each person gave.

Don’t forget to book the Canoe Club Ballroom for your Bridal shower we offer a variety of packages to fit your specific needs!