Photo by Becca Kate Photography

We have all experienced the effects of COVID-19 this year in different ways. There is no doubt that the impact on engaged couples has been significant! We, here at Revolution Mill Events, have been on the roller coaster alongside our clients as many of them made the tough decision to postpone their wedding to 2021.

This year has certainly kept us on our toes — we've learned a lot! We've been working hard to understand the evolving state and local orders and what it means for Greensboro, NC weddings. We continue to update our event procedures to create a safer environment for our clients, guests and employees.

As we look with optimism towards 2021, we are excited to work with all our couples who postponed as well as those who initially planned their date for 2021! While it's hard to prepare for the unknown, we know there are a few things you can do to help your wedding vision come to life. Please consider the below steps to put into action for planning your 2021 wedding during COVID.

TAKE ACTION

Is it us, or does it seem like getting things complete on the to-do list is a little harder than it used to be? We're hearing from our couples that with everything going on they haven't felt much like planning. We encourage you to take action! Ruth Soukup says, "Action is the antidote to fear. Taking focused action is the only way to get where you want to go!" Start with getting a to-do list prioritized and tackle the most critical tasks one step at a time. With each task checked off your to-do list, you’ll feel better that you’re getting things done. Don’t forget to enlist the help of your fiance, family and wedding party to prevent overwhelm.

FINISH BOOKING YOUR VENDORS

Photo by Elizabeth Larson Photography

Due to so many postponed weddings plus all the couples already planning for 2021, vendors are now being booked up quicker than ever. We recommend reaching out to desired vendors to check their availability as soon as possible. We're happy to provide our couples with recommendations of high-quality local vendors.

We have always recommended hiring a wedding planner/coordinator as one of the most valuable investments you can make in your big day. Since COVID, we have seen this role become more vital than ever as a resource to listen to your concerns, manage changes, understand restrictions, communicate with vendors, review contracts and create contingency plans.

CREATE A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE WITH SPECIAL DETAILS

Think about ways to create a meaningful experience on your wedding day - these are the moments you and your guests will remember. We have experienced some wonderful moments amidst some smaller, more intimate weddings this year! One that stands out is an intimate wedding in our courtyard with close family members who then gathered around our fountain to watch the newlywed's sweet first dance.

The special details you assemble are what tells your unique love story! Gorgeous florals, specialty rentals, custom menus, accent lighting, and personalized favors create the ambiance for a memorable event.

Photo by Kayli LaFon Photography

Photo by Vesic Photography

NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR WEDDING AT THE COLONNADE

Plan to meet with us approximately 3 months out from your wedding date to start the planning process. Together, we’ll take into account the latest safety recommendations to design your custom layout, menu and service plans. There are so many ways to get creative with food and beverage service! COVID has pushed us to provide more creative ways to serve you and your guests. We have had an opportunity to provide more plated meals, attended buffets/stations, individually plated appetizers, and attended beverage stations this year. We can't wait to help you create the elements of your special day!

Photo by Ellie McKinney Photography

Photo by Ellie McKinney Photography

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Help keep things in perspective by taking time to appreciate all the goodness around you. While the adjustments you've had to make may be frustrating right now and evoke all kinds of emotions, remember what matters most -- at the end of the day you get to marry your best friend!

Looking for more? Take a moment to view Here Comes the Guide’s gratitude list:
https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-ideas/a-wedding-planning-gratitude-list

Photo by Behind the Lens Photography

Are you looking to book a 2021 Greensboro, NC wedding? We can't wait to chat with you about the sweet celebration! Contact us to start the conversation.

When asking our wedding couples what their top three wedding priorities are, food and drink is almost always near the top of the list. The reception fare is often what guests remember most about the wedding – whether it was tasty, plentiful, served at the right temperature and at the right time. Catering typically accounts for the largest portion of most couples' budgets, so it only makes sense they want to serve something that shines!

Together with Pepper Moon Catering, we’re ready to take on the challenge to impress your guests. Pepper Moon Catering has been offering premier, full service catering for all occasions in Greensboro, NC for over 20 years. They have been providing exclusive catering and management for Revolution Mill Events since 2015.

When planning your reception, you’ll get to work closely with Jaime, our Venue & Catering Manager. She draws upon over 15 years of event experience and has a keen eye for detail, love of logistics and providing personalized customer service. You will enjoy the seamless wedding planning experience that Revolution Mill Events provides!

Photo by Jodi Gray Photography

While a dinner buffet continues to be a popular selection, read on for some fun food trends to consider incorporating into your wedding day. Whether you’re planning to have a casual gathering, fancy affair, or something in-between, don’t be afraid to mix things up with the latest trends, as long as the elements stay true to you ~ the happy couple. We love getting to know you, finding out your favorite foods, and working with you to create a custom menu that is charming, memorable, and deliciously satisfying!

Get started by viewing our new wedding menus which have been specially curated for weddings. —> Revolution Mill Events Menus

Welcome Your Guests with a Cocktail

What better way to say, “Welcome! It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy your evening!” than to offer a drink as your guests walk in? We are obsessed with this idea recently used by one of our couples at their reception. Guests were wowed with this beautiful (and functional!) welcome display. We worked with the couple to create a signature blueberry, lavender pink lemonade, which was uniquely displayed with their escort cards. This display also makes a stunning champagne wall.

Photos by Aura Marzouk Photography

Late Night Snacks

Grilled Cheese at a wedding? Yes! We love putting a playful twist on southern comfort foods. Imagine ending a night of tearing up the dance floor with a gourmet grilled cheese made with blue cheese and bacon or goat cheese and peppadew peppers. Other ideas to satisfy your guest’s late night munchies: a soft pretzel bar, freshly popped popcorn, mac & cheese bites or burger sliders.

Interactive Food Stations

Provide a memorable opportunity for your guests to interact with their food by building their own plate or watching a Pepper Moon chef create their personal dish.

Hors d’oeuvres are spread out into multiple stations which is ideal for reducing lines and offering variety. Your guests will remember the fun interactive displays (think Mashed Potato Bar, Polenta Bar, Taco Station) and chefs preparing their dishes (think Jar-B-Q, Fired Ahi Tuna, Gyros, Fajitas with fresh Guacamole, Jap Che)!

Interactive food stations allow your guests to customize their meal to fit their preferences, which will have your guests raving about the food at your wedding.

Cocktail Hour Hors D'oeuvres

Cocktail hour is the perfect time to let your personality shine through the food!

Passed hors d'oeuvres — This is an elegant way to provide bite sized hors d'oeuvres to your guests during cocktail hour. Servers will tray pass the goodies as your guests mix and mingle throughout the space. Pepper Moon Catering offers many options including the popular Pumpkin Curry Empanada, Sundried Tomato Biscuits with housemade Pimento Cheese, Caprese Skewers, Marinara Meatball in a Spaghetti Nest and Bacon wrapped Sweet Potato.

Displayed hors d'oeuvres — Wow your guests with displays of mouth watering hors d'oeuvres such as Imported and Domestic Cheeses, a trio of Dips, Fresh Fruit with brandied custard dipping sauce or Grilled Vegetables with sundried tomato vinaigrette. Combine several items for a plentiful grazing table!

Formal Plated Meals

We’re seeing a return to the traditional plated dinner service. This is a great option if you are going for a more formal and elegant guest experience. Typically guests are seated at an assigned table and the meal is served directly to the table by the wait staff. It is often a three course meal that includes a salad, entree, and dessert.

Everyone at the table will get their food at the same time; and you can spread out toasts and/or incorporate dances during the courses to keep your guests engaged while they enjoy their dinner.

Include a Local Favorite

We are lucky to have some amazing food businesses central to North Carolina like Krispy Kreme, Mt Olive Pickles, Cheerwine, Texas Pete, Snyder’s-Lance and Dewey’s Bakery. Try adding a bit of of flair to your day and include something local in your wedding menu. We could incorporate Krispy Kreme donuts as a late night snack or offering them as favors to your guests! We also have a fun Krispy Kreme slider bar where guests can choose their toppings for a decadent dessert.

Photos by Elizabeth Larson Photography

Revolution Mill Events will work closely with you to present your guests an exceptional culinary experience that will reflect your vision for your wedding. We have put together sample menus to get you started, though we really love to custom-design each menu to fit exactly what you desire! From the simple to the elaborate, Pepper Moon Catering is one of the Triad’s most trusted catering partners. We can’t wait to get your personalized menu started!

View our new wedding menus —> Revolution Mill Events Menus

It’s time to talk wedding budgets. To reduce wedding planning stress, it’s important to plan your budget in advance. You’ll want to make sure you and your fiancé are on the same page about what your top spending priorities are – and what you’ll be able to compromise on. 

In 2017, the average couple spent $33,391 on their wedding (excluding the honeymoon). Let’s start by seeing how the average budget breaks down: 

Source: The Knot

Allocating Funds

Typically, your reception will eat up the bulk of your budget. To avoid any surprises, you’ll want to plan accordingly and be sure to leave a rainy day fund for unexpected costs. 

• Stationery: 2–3%

• Wedding rings: 2–3%

• Parking and transportation: 2–3%

• Gifts: 2–3%

• Misc. costs: 8%

• Reception: 48–50%

• Ceremony: 2–3%

• Attire: 8–10%

• Flowers: 8–10%

• Entertainment/music: 8–10%

• Photography/videography: 10–12%

Photo Courtesy of Jodi Gray Photography.

Venue Cost:

One of the first things you’ll have to decide on is your wedding venue. There’s a myriad of options out there and you might consider everything from a barn to a ballroom – but no matter what you choose, this will most likely be the biggest line item on your budget. 

The average venue costs $5,400 (source) and most couples spend between $2,700 to $10,500. 

Things to keep in mind: 

There are a number of factors that can impact your venue cost.  

• Date: One of the biggest things that can impact your venue cost is your wedding date. A Friday or Saturday wedding will typically cost more than an event that takes place during the week or on Sunday. If you’re looking to save, consider a Sunday brunch wedding! 

• Tone: The more formal, the more expensive. A formal wedding means creating an overall upscale vibe – and things like a seated meal, fancy band, and all out decor can quickly add up. 

• Guest count: At Revolution Mill Events we offer flat rate pricing for our venue for up to 200 guests. But keep in mind that you’ll be paying per person for catering so the more people you have the more you’ll be spending.

• Outside vendor fee: Many venues have approved vendor lists or will charge a fee if you hire a vendor outside of their approved list. At The Colonnade, Pepper Moon Catering is proud to offer seamless event management and exclusive catering. We require that all food (with the exception of cakes and specialty desserts), beverage, and equipment rentals must be secured through our team. However, contracted vendors are welcome to provide other goods and services without an additional fee. 

• Parking: Keep in mind that if you select a downtown venue or a venue with valet parking your guests (or you) may end up paying parking fees. Both of our venues offer ample free parking, including a large amount of handicap spots. 
  
  
  

Photo courtesy of Danielle Defayette Photography.

What equipment is included? 

When comparing venue costs, you’ll want to keep in mind what the venue rental fee includes. Does it include basic furniture, flatware or linens?  

77 percent of venues include tables and chairs, but this is something you’ll want to verify. 

At The Colonnade, our rental fees include standard tables, chairs and accessories. Every package includes: 

• (25) 60” Round Tables

• (3) 48” Round Tables

• (6) 6’ x 30” Tables

• (20) 8’ x 30” Tables

• (8) 30” Tall Cocktail Tables

• Podium

• Decorative Easel

• Banquet Chairs

• Base linen package

• Audio/visual equipment

Calculate your costs

Starting to panic about how much this is all going to cost? The Knot offers a free Wedding Budget Calculator to help make sure you’re allocating your funds to the right places. Check it out here. 

If you’re looking for more details on what The Colonnade includes with our rental, check out our Wedding Guide here.  

Once you have your guest list, it’s time to figure out how and where to seat everyone. First, you’ll want to figure out what types of tables you’ll be using. 

Traditionally, round tables are a popular option. We also love the trend of mixing table shapes like rounds, squares and rectangles.  Between your ideas and our experience in designing within our event spaces, we’ll come up with the perfect layout to fit your vision. 

Here’s how many people we can fit at each table:

TO ASSIGN SEATS OR TABLES? 

We recommend for you to assign a place for guests to sit – either a table or specific chair. When guests first arrive, they are looking for direction. Minimizing confusion on where to sit creates a smoother event and welcoming environment for your guests. 

Guests can be assigned a specific table, where they will choose a seat, or they can be assigned a specific chair. Either approach will work well, you can decide what’s right for you.

SEATING CHART

Once your guest list and layout is finalized, it’s time to work on your seating  chart.  Unfortunately, this task must wait until close to the wedding after all the RSVPs have come in. 

We suggest working through this task with your partner and other decision makers, so you can talk through the potential issues of where to place each guest.

It's helpful to start by grouping people that already know each other - think tables of families, coworkers, and college friends. However, mixing in a few people that don’t know each other yet will keep things fun and get everyone making new friends. 

A few quick tips: 

• Group people who don’t know each other with those who are similar ages or have shared interests
• Try to balance male and female guests at each table
• Make sure not to put ex-partners together or people who you know don’t like each other
• Instead of having a leftover or “single” table, mix in guests who fit this category at the other tables
• Try to place elderly guests where they’ll have easy access to the restroom and away from the music speakers
   

SEATING CHARTS, PLACE CARDS, AND MORE

Once you’ve got your seating chart set up, you’ll want to make sure your guests know where they’ll be seated. If you have assigned guests to specific seats, you will need to create a seating chart, table numbers, and place cards. If you’ve assigned tables you can skip the place cards. 

We suggest a poster sized chart you can display near the entrance to the seating area. You can organize your seating chart by either alphabetical guest name or table. Depending on the size of your party, listing alphabetically makes it easier for people to find their names. 

You’ll want to make sure table numbers are easy to read and are prominently displayed on the table, but not so large they keep guests from being able to see each other across the table. 

LOOKING FOR SOME INSPIRATION? 

Check out this gallery of table set ups for ideas!

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