From the Coordinator’s Corner: Wedding Day Advice from Whitney McGee
Planning a wedding is full of decisions, but some of the most helpful advice comes from the people who are actually there when the day unfolds.
At Hidden Springs Venue, our coordinators spend wedding after wedding watching timelines come together, helping families get where they need to be, keeping vendors moving, and seeing which small details make a noticeable difference once the day is underway.
That experience gives our team a perspective you can't always get from a wedding checklist.
So, we’re continuing our series: From the Coordinator’s Corner, where members of the Hidden Springs coordination team share the practical things they’ve learned from working with real couples and seeing real wedding days unfold.
For this edition, we’re featuring Whitney McGee, one of our in-house coordinators at Hidden Springs Venue. After coordinating weddings and seeing firsthand what helps a wedding day flow smoothly, and what little details can easily get overlooked, Whitney shared a few helpful tips she thinks couples should keep in mind as their wedding day approaches!
1. Add Something Fun to Your Dance Floor
If you want to get more people involved once the dance floor opens, Whitney recommends adding something interactive.
Glow sticks, light-up glasses, and light-up cowboy hats are all things she has seen work well during receptions. They give guests something fun to grab and bring a little extra energy into the room.
“Something fun always gets more people on the dance floor,” Whitney says.
It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, either. Sometimes a small interactive detail is enough to get guests out of their seats and into the celebration. These kinds of additions can also make for some fun photos later in the night!
2. Consider Drink Tickets!
Every wedding crowd is different, and Whitney has a simple tip for couples who know their guests might get a little carried away. Consider using drink tickets!
The bartender can hand out a set number of tickets to each guest, which gives everyone a little more structure while still keeping the celebration going. It may not be something every wedding needs, but if you know your crowd, it can be worth considering and talking through with your bartender ahead of time.
3. Never Assume Someone Is Bringing Something
This is one of Whitney's biggest pieces of advice.
“Never assume anyone or any vendor will do or bring anything without asking,” she says.
When there are multiple vendors, family members, and people helping with different parts of the wedding, it can be easy to assume someone else is handling something. But those assumptions can sometimes lead to last-minute surprises.
If there is something important to your wedding day, make sure everyone is clear on who is responsible for it. A quick conversation or confirmation beforehand can save you from realizing a few days before the wedding that something still needs to be purchased, picked up, or arranged.
As a wedding venue, we've seen that some of the easiest wedding-day problems to avoid are simply communication issues! You don't have to overthink every detail, just make sure the important ones have a clear plan.
4. For a Larger Wedding, Consider a Larger Vendor Team
Your guest count can affect more than just how many tables and chairs you need.
Whitney recommends thinking about the size of your vendor team, too. If you are hosting a larger wedding, having two bartenders instead of one can make a noticeable difference during cocktail hour and throughout the reception.
More hands can mean shorter lines, smoother service, and a better overall experience for your guests.
This is something worth talking through with your vendors when you're discussing your guest count. They can help you determine what level of staffing makes sense for the size and flow of your wedding.
5. Read Vendor Reviews: Especially When Bringing in Someone New
If you are not choosing from a preferred vendor list and are bringing in a vendor you or your venue haven't worked with before, Whitney has one very simple recommendation: read the reviews!
Reviews can give you insight into much more than the finished product. They can help you understand what communication is like, whether a vendor is reliable, and what other couples' overall experiences have been.
A few minutes spent reading through recent reviews can give you a much better idea of who you are trusting with an important part of your day.
6. Give Your Feet a Break During the Reception
Wedding shoes can be beautiful but after hours of standing, walking, taking photos, and dancing, they can start to not feel as good.
Whitney recommends having a second pair of shoes ready for the reception.
You can wear the shoes you love for your ceremony and photos, then change into something more comfortable once the dance floor opens. Whether that means sneakers, flats, sandals, or another pair of heels is completely up to you.
The best part is that you don't have to decide in advance exactly when you'll change. Just having another option nearby can be nice when your feet are ready for a break.
7. Don't Forget About Guest Comfort for Outdoor Weddings
For summer weddings with any part of the day taking place outdoors, Whitney has noticed that guests always appreciate hand-held fans.
East Tennessee summers can be warm, especially during an outdoor ceremony, so a small fan can be a thoughtful detail for guests while they wait for the celebration to begin.
And for winter weddings, Whitney suggests thinking in the opposite direction: hand warmers.
Neither is a requirement, of course, but small comfort details like these can be especially appreciated when you know your guests will be spending time outside.
8. Have a Plan for Glassware Once the Dance Floor Opens
This is one of those behind-the-scenes details that guests may never notice, but your bartender and coordinator definitely will.
If you are using glassware during cocktail hour or dinner, Whitney recommends having a plan in place for collecting it once dance time begins and exchanging drinks for plastic cups.
As the reception gets more active, this can help keep the dance floor clear of breakable glass and make the transition into the party portion of the evening a little smoother.
It is worth discussing with your bartender ahead of time so everyone knows what the plan is before the music starts.
9. Make Sure People Actually Know What They're Taking Home
This one comes directly from wedding-day experience. If someone is responsible for taking home leftover décor, flowers, food, or other items at the end of the night, make sure they actually know what they are taking.
Whitney has seen situations where a coordinator is told, “…this person will take this stuff home afterwards,” only for the end of the night to arrive and that person has no idea they were assigned the job, or doesn't even have room in their car.
Before the wedding, communicate with anyone who has an end-of-night responsibility. Let them know what they are taking, approximately how much there will be, and make sure they have space to transport it.
10. DIY Flowers? Prep Them Before the Wedding Day
DIY florals can be beautiful and are a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding. But Whitney has learned that preparation makes a huge difference.
Having flowers already trimmed and ready to arrange saves valuable time on the wedding day and allows your coordinator to focus on everything else happening around them.
Whitney says the brides she has asked have been incredibly understanding and happy to do it. It is a small step before the wedding that can make a big difference once the day arrives.
11. Have Someone Available to Help With Translation
For bilingual weddings, Whitney says having a translator available on-site is incredibly important.
She also recommends having someone who can emcee in both languages.
This helps make sure important moments, announcements, and instructions are accessible to everyone attending. It also allows more guests to feel included throughout the ceremony and reception.
If you are planning a bilingual wedding, this is something worth discussing with your coordinator and vendor team early so there is a clear plan for communication throughout the day.
12. Give Guests Something to Do Between the Ceremony and Reception
Cocktail hour is often when guests catch up, grab a drink, and explore the reception space. But Whitney also loves the idea of giving guests something interactive to enjoy while they wait.
Fun guest books, photo props, and other interactive details can give guests something to do and create a little more excitement during the transition into the reception.
It does not have to take over cocktail hour. Sometimes one simple activity is enough to give guests something memorable to interact with while the wedding party finishes photos.
13. Trust Your Coordinator
This may be one of the simplest pieces of advice Whitney shared: trust your coordinator.
Your coordinator is there to keep track of the moving pieces, communicate with vendors, help the timeline stay on track, and handle the little questions that naturally come up throughout the day.
That doesn't mean you have to give up every decision or stop caring about the details. It simply means that once you have communicated what matters to you and created a plan together, you can let your coordinator handle what happens next.
14. Practice the Bride Handoff at Your Rehearsal
This is another small ceremony detail that can be easy to forget until the moment actually arrives. Whitney recommends practicing the transition and handoff with the bride during the rehearsal.
Whether the bride is being walked down the aisle by her dad, another family member, or someone else important to her, walking through the moment ahead of time helps everyone understand where to stand and what happens next.
It takes very little time during rehearsal but can make the actual ceremony feel much more natural.
15. Make a Clear List of Who Has Flowers
Flowers can sometimes cause unexpected confusion on a wedding day, especially among family members.
Not every person walking in the ceremony will necessarily have a corsage or boutonniere, but some family members may assume they do simply because they are involved.
Whitney recommends having a clear list of exactly who receives flowers and who does not.
That way, when everyone is getting ready, your coordinator or florist has a clear reference and there is less confusion about where each arrangement is supposed to go.
16. Keep Water and Snacks Available Before the Ceremony
Between getting ready, photos, and all of the excitement leading up to the ceremony, it can be easy to forget to eat or drink water.
Whitney recommends having water and dry snacks available before the ceremony for the bride, groom, wedding party, and family members participating in the ceremony. Nothing complicated is needed. A few bottles of water and easy snacks can go a long way during a busy day.
17. Sheet Cakes Can Help Serve Everyone
If you're worried about making sure there is enough cake for all of your guests, Whitney recommends considering sheet cakes.
You can still have a beautiful wedding cake for the display and cake-cutting moment while using sheet cakes to make sure there is plenty for everyone.
It is a practical option that allows you to focus your display cake on the design you love while making serving easier for a larger guest count.
18. Let Your Florals Go Home With Family
Your wedding flowers do not necessarily have to be packed up and thrown away at the end of the night. Whitney loves the idea of allowing immediate family members to take floral arrangements home with them. It can be a sweet little favor for the people closest to you and allows those arrangements to be enjoyed after the wedding is over.
If you know you would like to do this, just let your coordinator know beforehand so they can help communicate which arrangements are available and who they are going home with.
19. Keep a Bridal Emergency Kit Nearby
A bridal emergency kit is one of those things you hope you won't need, but it is always nice to have nearby.
Whitney recommends including items like a steamer, scissors, white chalk to help hide a small spill or mark on a wedding dress, thread and a needle, Band-Aids, bobby pins, lip gloss, and any other small items that might come in handy.
“Anything extra is just nice to have on hand just in case!”
You may never open it, but if you do, you will probably be glad you packed it.
The Best Wedding-Day Tips Usually Come From Experience
There are plenty of wedding planning checklists available online. But after coordinating wedding after wedding, we've found that some of the most useful advice is often much more specific.
These are the kinds of details Whitney sees firsthand while coordinating weddings at Hidden Springs Venue. The goal isn't to add more things to your planning list. It is simply to share a few ideas that could make your day a little easier, help your guests feel more comfortable, or prevent one of those small wedding-day surprises that nobody thought about beforehand.
If you're planning your wedding at Hidden Springs, our coordination services are designed to help couples bring all of those moving pieces together. You can also explore our FAQ page for more information about planning a wedding here, or schedule a tour to come see Hidden Springs Venue in person.
Follow along with us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more wedding inspiration and behind-the-scenes advice from our team.s we know and love working with, or schedule a tour of Hidden Springs Venue to see the property and start picturing your own wedding day here.
Oxbow Acres About , Sparks Museum & Event Center Contact ,Lizton Lodge, Homestead 32, The Postmark