How many bridesmaids/groomsmen do I need?

"How many bridesmaids/groomsmen do I need?"

For very informal wedding, obviously you don't need any bridesmaids or groomsmen. I have been to and coordinated weddings with just the maid of honor and the bestman.

Personally I always encourage couples to choose only those who are really close to them to be in their bridal party. The reason is simple: the more bridal party one choose to have, the more expensive it is (5 bridesmaids = 5 bouquets that one has to buy) and the more complicated it is to coordinate the outfits (dress 1 looks good on bridemaids 1 and 2 but looks horrible on bridesmaids 3-5 while dress 2 does the exact opposite) as well as their respective travel schedules.

One time a church coordinator told me she had a couple who wants to fit 24 people in the bridal party on the tiny church stage. I was thinking that perhaps they could just use the choir loft instead.

Remember bridesmaids and groomsmen spend a great deal of money (dress/tuxedo/bachelor party/bachelorette party) when they agree to be in your wedding party. They will also be in your wedding photos forever (unless you choose to cut them out which is almost impossible!!). Choose wisely is definitely the key!

If you have lots of close friends and families, instead of having to choose, it may not be a bad idea to ask people if they would rather do something else at your wedding to help out. Some people may even want to be doing something else for you but if you don't ask, you will not know.

Kingwood Resort Clayton Georgia - A Hidden Gem in Rabun County

This is the main dining room with huge chandeliers and windows.

The tables and chairs will be removed in this room to make room for dancing.

View of the wedding garden with an outdoor altar.

A closer look at the outdoor wedding altar.

This is the entrance for the bridal party to the ceremony. White wooden ceremony chairs will be provided by Kingwood Resort.

Overview of the outside of the dining room building. The outdoor deck is right underneath the big windows in this picture.

View of the Lake House with its own private pavillion.

My husband and I decided to take a spontaneous, last minute trip to view the fall foliage last weekend. Since the trip was unplanned, we did not have a hotel room booked in advance. Since it was a peak October weekend, almost every hotel we called while driving had been fully booked for the night. We thought we would have to make it a day trip until we found Kingwood Resort in Clayton, GA.

By the time we reached Kingwood Resort at 8pm, it was dark outside but I immediately noticed the dining room was well lit with its huge chandeliers hanging from the high wooden ceilings. There was actually a wedding reception going on inside. The atmosphere was so romantic I decided that I have to tour this venue the next morning.

The next day, we enjoyed breakfast (included in the $99 room rate) at the main dining room which had huge windows overlooking the golf course before taking a short venue tour with the banquet manager, Mr. Jefferson Giles. Mr. Giles showed us the wedding garden where they had built an outdoor altar. The resort provides white wooden chairs for the ceremony. They also have a rain location which is their meeting room with a fire place (very important for couples planning outdoor ceremony!).

The greatest feature of the main dining room is its original wood ceilings with huge chandeliers. Ajoining the main dining room is a room for dancing, as well as another room for setting up buffet (I did not take a picture of this room but it was quite a huge room that can provide additional seating if needed). There is also a separate bar area as well as an outside deck. The main room can accommodate 100-110 for a seated banquet. Mr. Giles said they also provide outside seating for cocktail hours or for larger events that require more seating than the main dining room. I asked him regarding the largest event size at the resort and was told they had handled a party as large as 300 guests with the use of the outdoor deck and the outdoor ceremony area.

Mr.Giles shared the wedding packages information with me and their pricing was very reasonable. The grounds at Kingwood Resort is absolutely gorgeous with many scenic spots that will make great wedding photos and Mr.Giles said they will provide golf carts to take the wedding party around for photography session.

I also see a great value in having an onsite full service spa for the wedding party although I did not have time to check out their spa service this trip. Of course, the guys maybe more interested in golf outings which can be easily arranged as well!

After checking out, we drove to the other section of the resort that consists of two- and three- bedroom condos. Although we were not able to go inside, they looked pretty nice outside. It seems to be a good accommodation choice for families and friends if you need more than a standard hotel room. There is also a lake house with its own private pavillion that is available for rent as well which can be a good choice for the bridal party to get ready. I think it has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Overall, I think Kingwood Resort is a good spot for destination wedding as Clayton, GA is only a 2 hour drive from Atlanta, GA. What a great find from an unplanned trip! Maybe I need to take more spontaneous road trips this Autumn!

Morrow Center Open House

Yesterday I had a chance to attend a special open house at Morrow Center with catering by Contemporary Catering, Inc.

This was my first time visiting this venue and it took me a while to find the place before figuring out that it was actually right next door to the Macy’s at Southlake Mall.

Morrow Center has a very large and nice ballroom with a maximum capacity of 320 people for banquet seating. It was totally different from what I expected when I was driving around the mall’s parking lot. While Morrow Center does have a few preferred caterers including Contemporary Catering, they also allow outside caterers with an extra fee and background investigations.

The food by Contemporary Catering was pretty good. They brought their favorites to share with us and I really enjoyed my dinner. The décor they supplied for the buffet tables was also very beautiful. I had a good chat with their manager about their catering services and I like the fact that they use their own employees instead of temporary agency for their service staff.

It is always nice to check out new venues and meet with new vendors! I would never have known about such a venue right next to Southlake Mall if I had not gone to the open house last night!