The World According to Weddlady

Blogger's Day of Silence - For Japan, With Love

I Left My Heart in Sendai

 

In 2003, I helped chaperone a group of high school students from Newhall Presbyterian Church on a mission trip to Japan. We stayed with host families, immersed ourselves for a too-short week in Japanese culture, played with Japanese schoolchildren at a beautiful elementary school, ate traditional foods, attended the cherry blossom festival, hosted a BBQ to thank our host families and prayed with a beautiful people (in our tradition and in theirs) who have stayed in my heart ever since.

Our host families lived in Sendai. If you’re not familiar with the geography of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, “Sendai” is the region most directly and horribly impacted.

I have been following a personal account of the events on Eric and Sue Takamoto’s blog. Eric and Sue are the American missionaries who hosted us in 2003. They have been in contact with one of our hosts (whose home is completely gone) in Sendai, and Eric leaves today to join a group of missionaries who are trying to get a 2-ton truck full of supplies to the disaster area. Their efforts are being coordinated by the CRASH Network which is overseeing all Christian relief efforts in Japan. Sue is blogging about their experience and it’s a really compelling story.

To say that my heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan is a monumental understatement. I want to be there – I want to hold the crying people, feed the hungry families and rebuild the homes. If I could plug the nuclear reactors myself I would. I feel completely helpless sitting on the other side of the world from a nation of good, decent, hardworking and loving people.

Blogger’s Day of Silence – For Japan With Love

I was so delighted to see my fellow wedding industry bloggers promoting a wonderful movement that will culminate tomorrow in a Blogger’s Day of Silence, called “For Japan With Love”. All three of my wedding blogs (www.weddlady.com, www.lifeinweddings.com, www.thewilliamsburgweddingblog.com), as well as my social media blog (www.thesocialbit.com) will participate in the day of silence, and I encourage you to send a message to the world that your blog and your business support Japan as well. Thank you to Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours for spurring this on.

If you do participate, please go to the Utterly Engaged blog and share your decision – and leave me a comment here too. I would really like to thank you myself.

If you are looking for a way to contribute financially, the For Japan With Love team recommends donating shelter via Shelterbox.org. I also recommend donating via Asian Access. This is the info on donations from Sue’s blog: Donations can be sent to Asian Access for the Japan Tsunami Relief Fund. Checks are easiest and can be sent to: Asian Access, PO Box 200, San Dimas. CA 91773. The money will go directly to disaster relief here.

Alternatively, I (of course) recommend the American Red Cross. All three are great options.

No matter what it is, please do something. This isn’t a “Japanese crisis” – this is a human crisis and we’re all involved.

Shayna Walker, Williamsburg Wedding Design and The Social Bit

Eat on Your Wedding Day

 
Photo courtesy of Brad Howe Photography

It irks me when I hear friends and family of engaged couples give the “sage” advice that they should not expect to eat on their own wedding day. While it’s true that there have been plenty of couples who have missed their wedding meals, with planning and a good event director, newlyweds can more than just hope for – they can downright expect – an opportunity to eat on their big day.

The Right to Eat

As the guests of honor, newlyweds are entitled to some special attention. Appetizers can be presented while they wait in seclusion for introductions and can even be available during photo time (provided attention is given to the photography schedule). At more casual events, couples even choose to join their guests during the cocktail period.

Whether a meal is seated or stationed, the newlyweds should be served first and in fact have a responsibility to commence eating before their guests can begin. Most caterers will offer to fix a plate to order from stations or buffet setups, and the couple should sit for a few minutes and enjoy their food before getting up and visiting with other tables. During a seated meal, care should be taken NOT to get up between every course and visit a new table because often the servers are waiting to present your next course before they serve the rest of the room.  Your courtesy in visiting with your guests could very well slow down your entire dinner period!

So eat darn it! If for no other reason than to make your guests feel like they are allowed to eat!

Make the Schedule Comfortable for YOU

There are even options for those couples who are “too nervous” to eat, perhaps due to their anticipated first dance or other formalities. In most cases the dances can actually be scheduled before dinner, and in the event that it will dramatically reduce anxiety, it’s highly advisable.

Of course, wedding dresses are uncomfortable, and the lack of desire to consume a huge meal while wearing one is understandable. At the very least, your caterer may be willing (if permitted by local health laws) to provide you with a takeaway basket of each item served during the reception. It’s definitely worth looking into.

The thought that you have to miss your own wedding meal is a complete myth. You can and should plan wisely, and give yourself the gift of a meal period during which you can unwind and enjoy the fruits of your planning.