As I sat down to write this week’s blog, I wanted to write something that was fun, educational, and maybe share a few behind-the-scenes tips. A couple of weeks ago, I took my sister along with me for the teardown of a wedding, and she was fascinated. She was so surprised by the amount of detail that went into the wedding teardown process, she encouraged me to write this blog! So here are a few details that go into the wedding teardown process:

Bussing Tables

Bussing tables is typically something that is done throughout the night to avoid the appearance of clutter, as well as to save time later in the night. Tables are usually bussed by the caterers, or a team hired specifically for clean-up, but can also be done by the coordinator if necessary. If you see people walking around, cleaning up tables during a wedding, remember that this is actually a part of the early stages of the wedding teardown process. You can’t do anything until the tables are cleared!

Divide and Conquer

When preparing for breakdown, I personally like to get all of the inventory separated into corresponding piles on one or two tables. That way, it is easier to box up all of the inventory and load it into the car in an organized way. With our team, we usually divide and conquer by assigning tasks to each member to get the job done quicker. Each vendor typically takes care of their own belongings/area, but there are usually many family members who stay behind to help tear down the decor. When it comes to the wedding teardown process, the more people helping, the better!

Know Your “Go-To” People

Knowing your “go-to” person, or people, is a very important component to the teardown process. It is vital to know who is in charge of taking home the alcohol, gifts/cards, marriage license, and personal belongings. Before the day of your wedding, get with your planner and let them know who is going to be responsible for these things at the end of the night. This avoids any confusion and prevents anything from being left behind or misplaced.

Flowers?

A common question we are asked at the end of the night is, “What do we do with all of these flowers?” There is nothing that breaks my heart more than when a whole events-worth of flowers gets dumped in the trash after only a few hours. A few things we like to suggest are to first ask the bridesmaids if they want to take their bouquets/any extra flowers home. After that, it is a good idea to offer them out to any guests or vendors who may be interested in taking them home. If you still have a ton of flowers leftover, or if no one wanted to take any home, you can take the flowers to a nearby nursing home! Ask your planner for other options before throwing all of your beautiful flowers away.

We enjoyed sharing some fun facts about the wedding teardown process, and hopefully you enjoyed seeing what it is like behind-the-scenes! To read more about what goes on behind-the-scenes on wedding day, click here to read an additional blog. 🙂