After the ceremony, everyone of your wedding guests is in a great mood and want to start letting their hair down and enjoying the rest of the day. First thing after the wedding ceremony usually comes the wedding photographer’s main time to snap the happy couple. This means plenty of standing around for all the wedding guests, just waiting for their call to jump into one or two of the official photographs.
Why not hire a magician to wander round entertaining the wedding guests whilst they are standing around waiting for the photos to finish ? This is a great time for a close up magician to really show off his (or her) skills - gathering small groups of guests together and making the guests that don't know each other have something to discuss already. Assuming the wedding photographer spends an hour or so on the official photographs, the magician could also spend a further hour entertaining the wedding guests once they have taken their seats for the wedding breakfast.
If a magician is not your cup of tea, why not consider hiring a live musician to entertain the wedding guests during the meal. A solo guitarist or harpist can really set a beautiful scene and make perfect background ambience for your special day. Pianists are also a very popular idea for music to entertain your guests also. And once the drinks are flowing, the wedding guests will find themselves requesting their favourite songs from the pianist.
Without being obtrusive or in the face of any wedding guests, a live musician playing soft music during your meal will make a perfect accompaniment and allow the conversations to keep flowing during your wedding day. After the meal, come the inevitable speeches from the bride's father, the best man and the groom himself. Even the groom's father gets involved quite often these days. If you really want to make the speeches have that extra special touch, then consider hiring a professional toastmaster to introduce the speeches. A toastmaster's role at a wedding not only covers the speech introductions, but they will ask the wedding guests to be seated and guide them through the meal. Not only that, a toastmaster on your wedding day makes a fantastic photo opportunity as well as adding a touch of class to your big day.
During the speeches, you may want to think about your younger wedding guests - kids really don't have the patience to listen to schoolboy stories about the groom from his best man, or how the bride's father spent years worrying about his daughter. Hiring children’s entertainment such as bouncy castles or children's mobile crèche can keep all the kids entertained leaving the adults to enjoy themselves and not worry that the young children are bored and moaning at the wedding.
After the speeches, the evening guests will arrive and the wedding party really begins to start. The bride and groom need to decide whether they want a wedding DJ to keep the guests dancing the night away or maybe a live wedding band or duo to play great cover versions of popular music. Make no mistake, the Wedding DJ or Wedding band can really make or break your wedding reception. Which ever one you choose, they will be
entertaining your wedding guests for around 5 hours of the day - this is the longest part of your wedding day, so ensure you choose your wedding DJ or wedding band wisely. Don't just ask "how much do you charge" really try to get some background on these entertainers. Have your friends used the DJ for their wedding disco ? Try and see the wedding band play live music at a wedding or other function before you book them.
You want to be confident and relax knowing that your wedding reception will go with a bang and keep all the wedding guests entertained.
Alongside the buffet for the guests, a fantastic little touch is to hire a chocolate fountain. These can stand up to 50" tall and the cascading chocolate is enough to make any of your wedding guests want to try.
Pure indulgence, but they look fantastic and give your wedding guests something to try and certainly something to talk about. Hiring a chocolate fountain from a professional chocolate fountain company will ensure you receive smartly dressed staff to assist with the fountain as well as a range of premium dipping options from fresh strawberries and other fruitFree Reprint Articles, as well as chocolate fudge brownies and a variety of other tasty ideas! Give your wedding reception a little wow factor and hire a chocolate fountain to treat the wedding guests.
Hopefully these are a few ideas to help keep your wedding guests entertained throughout your special day. There really are dozens of great wedding services to help ensure your wedding planning runs smoothly and provides a lasting memory of your wedding day for all the guests.
The author runs Essex Wedding Services a website that can help you find a great Essex mobile DJ or locate wedding venues in Essex.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wedding Day Entertainment
How to Plan a Wedding Rehearsal
The wedding rehearsal is generally held the day before the wedding. In the case of small, intimate weddings, the rehearsal may consist of only a few minutes of instructions prior to the ceremony. For some insight on how to plan a wedding rehearsal read the article below.The wedding rehearsal allows the participants the opportunity to practice specific duties - ushering, lighting of the candles, entrances and exits, special cues, variations in the service, and so on.The people required to attend the wedding rehearsal are the officiant or his or her representative, the bride and groom, their parents, and all the bridal attendants. Musicians and soloists may or may not attend. You should confer with the officiant concerning any last-minute changes in the order of the wedding ceremony.
How to Plan a Wedding Rehearsal
Make certain the officiant can correctly pronounce the names of the bride and groom. It is best to have only one person to plan the wedding rehearsal. However, your officiant and wedding coordinator may work together, each being responsible for different portions of the wedding rehearsal.You and your bridal attendants may use ribbon bouquets from your showers to practice carrying bouquets. Also, when the musicians are presentArticle Search, they should perform enough of each selection so that everyone is acquainted with the music and aware of any necessary cues.Bring the following items to the wedding rehearsal- cellophane tape (two dispensers for taping cards to gift packages)- guest book and pens- ribbon bouquets- programs
Robert Reno works for Encore Entertainment. His team provides DJs and lighting for Michigan wedding receptions. Visit the following links for more info about the how to plan a wedding rehearsal or the Michigan DJ.
How You Choose The Best Favors For Your Wedding?
Do you have a wedding to plan? If you are getting married soon, you are going to be experiencing handling all kinds of details for your wedding. One detail you need to handle is finding my wedding favors that are perfect for your big day.
My wedding favors are especially important to the both of you, because it is an excellent way to let your guests know you appreciate them being there with you on your happy day. Favors are an important part of the wedding celebration so you want to make sure that you find the right ones.
Here are some things that you need to take into consideration when you are looking for the right wedding souvenirs.
When you are trying to find my wedding favors you will want to make sure that you get ones that fit your wedding budget. You can find all different kinds of favors that you can choose from and you can find them for an affordable price.
For just a few dollars you can add that special touch of finance and elegance to your wedding. You can always find quantity discounts when you are purchasing wedding souvenirs so you shouldn't have any problems staying within your budget.
This has been stated before but it needs to be said again. You have to choose the right favors for your wedding. They need to reflect the theme of your wedding and they also need to reflect the groom's and the bride's personality.
There are literally hundreds of different types of souvenirs that you can get so you definitely won't have a problem finding something.
One important thing that you want to remember is that you need to take your time and look at everything before you decide what to get.
It is always a good idea to choose useful and practical my wedding favors. Some of the practical and useful ones could be wine bottle stoppers, letter openers, bookmark favors, salt and pepper shaker sets or even coaster favors.
Your guests will be more likely to use them in the future, because they are useful and practical.
It is always a good idea for you to personalize the wedding souvenirs. This will help them stand out. Using a unique wedding favor tag is one way to personalize them.
It is inexpensive to do this and your guests will appreciate your personal touch to their gift. You can find tags that come in different shapes, designs and colorsFind Article, which means you can get tags to match any wedding theme you want to.
In order to find my wedding favors that will fit your wedding theme you have to be sure that you take your time and shop around. You can also order samples of your favorites so you can see how they match with everything at your wedding.
You want to make sure that you choose the wedding souvenir that will convey the best to your guests how much you appreciate them being there with you. The easiest way to do this is to let the favors reflect your personality and express your joy in sharing your special day to your family.
Joe Palladino invites you to visit his website for all of your wedding favors needs. They offer wedding favors,bridal shower wedding favors, cheap wedding favors, and daily favor specials. With over 3000 items to choose from be sure and check out their best price guarantee. You can do that by going here now: ===> http://www.herweddingfavors.com
How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
Follow these wedding photographer tips and go over them before your wedding day. But before the big day, you are probably wondering how to choose a wedding photographer? Are there certain things you should look for? This article will cover some of the important subject that you should touch on when interviewing with several wedding photographers. How to Choose a Wedding Photographer To ensure good-quality pictures, it is best to employ a professional photographer. When you are selecting a photographer, study their portfolio; ask if the same person who shot the pictures you are examining will be the one to shoot your wedding; and ask about any package plans he or she offers.
The cost of the different packages is controlled by adjusting the quality and sizes of prints, the size of the album, and any extra services. These vary from one photographer to another, so be sure you understand exactly what is being offered. When you have decided on a photographer, discuss any restrictions to be observed during the ceremony, concerning such details as flashbulbs and the photographers being at the altar or otherwise visible to guests.
When planning your formal bridal portrait one to two months in advance, have your hair styled and makeup applied the same as it will be on your wedding day. More and more couples are having their formal pictures taken - including the bridal portrait - at the ceremony site before the service. It is a tradition, but one based on superstition, that prevents the bride and groom from seeing each other on their wedding day before the ceremony. By having your portrait taken on your wedding day - you avoid having to transport your gown to a studio and back, running the rish of soiling it. - you will have your own wedding bouquet in the picture. - you will be photographed at your best - a glowing bride.
To take pictures before the wedding, you, your groom, your attendants, and families will need to be at the ceremony site approximately three hours before the wedding, allowing thirty to forty-five minutes to dress, up to two hours for photographs, and thirty to forty-five minutes to prepare for the arrival of the wedding guests. By taking all the formal pictures before the wedding, the groom will not have that special moment of first seeing you as you come down the aisle. Therefore, arrange a time for the two of you to be alone immediately before having your pictures taken. This could also be a special time spent with both sets of parents or with your maid of honor and best man. Be creative with this time - the sharing of special music, poetry, scripture, or prayer.If you want to wait until the ceremony for the groom to see you, then schedule only the taking of the separate formals and individual family pictures just prior to the ceremony time.
Out of consideration for your guestsComputer Technology Articles, set a time limit for finishing the formal pictures after the ceremony. You may want to designate a close friend of family member to assist the photographer at the reception by identifying other special people to be photographed. Be aware that viewing your proofs can be an emotion - packed time. Undoubtedly you will need to eliminate some great pictures to maintain your budget.
Robert Reno works for Encore Entertainment. His team provides DJs and lighting for Michigan wedding receptions. Visit the following links for more info about How to Choose a Wedding Photographer or the wedding DJ in Michigan.
How to Have a Great Wedding Without Breaking the Bank
Just because the economy is in trouble, does not mean that you can not have a nice wedding. Here are some great cheap wedding ideas that will help you to create a lovely and memorable wedding, without breaking the bank. These will help you save money on the location, catering, decoration and other wedding-related expenses:
Reception Locations:
1. If you belong to a church you can often use the fellowship hall for free or for just a small fee.
2. Use the yard or house of a family member for the wedding and reception.
3. Have the reception at a local city or state park. Often they have pavilions that have electricity and are perfect for a casual outdoor affair. These are perfect for family-oriented affairs as there are usually playgrounds for the children.
Catering:
1. We cut our costs by having our relatives take care of different parts of the wedding as our wedding gift. This involved having each family member prepare a dish for the reception.
2. My mother-in-law made a fantastic wedding cake for us that I decorated.
3. You can save big money if you buy sheet cakes to serve your guests, though they never have to know. Have a single real cake layer made to cut during the reception, then have a few more fake layers made with Styrofoam but completely decorated on the outside. Once you cut the real layer, have the “cake” taken back into the kitchen, where the staff can cut the sheet cakes to serve.
Decoration:
1. Dollar stores carry a number of items that can be used to decorate the reception area. They also carry plastic champagne flutes, flowers, ribbon and decorative items in all the colors of the rainbow.
2. I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up lots of silk flowers and created all the flower arrangement for the wedding.
3. The bridesmaids carried antique lace fans, which I picked up on clearance at the local Wal-Mart and decorated with silk flowers and ribbon. They were beautiful and look great in the pictures, plus it was something unusual that the guests had not seen before.
Gowns and Makeup:
1. I bought a bridesmaid gown in ivory to wear as my wedding gown. It was beautiful, inexpensive and perfect for the hot August weather.
2. Consider shopping for your gown at a local thrift store or resale shop. I’ve seen some absolutely gorgeous wedding gowns and bridal party gowns at thrift stores. Often there’s not a thing wrong with them that a visit to a dry cleaners won’t take care of.
3. If you want to save money for the bridal party on hair, make-up and manicures/pedicures; look for a local beauty college.
4. Years ago when I was a beauty consultant for a cosmetics company, I agreed to do a friend's makeup as my wedding gift to her. She wasn't into makeup and was thrilled.
5. The night before the weddingArticle Search, my maid of honor invited all of the ladies of the wedding party over to her house for an evening of giving each other manicures and facials. It was great fun and our nails looked perfect for the wedding
With these cheap wedding ideas and a little imagination and creativity you can have a beautiful and memorable wedding and still not break the bank.
C.L. Hendricks has been a Jill-of-all-trades and become an expert in some. She writes about life's special occasions and car insurance and financing.
Planning: Sample Wedding Budget Worksheet
When forming your wedding budget, decide first how much to spend for the wedding, then how the expenses will be divided. If you search around, you will be able to find other sample wedding budgets and wedding budget worksheets. Paying for wedding expenses can be handled in a variety of ways. The responsibility can be:
(a) assumed primarily by the brides parents
(b) assumes primarily by the grooms parents
(c) shared equally by both sets of parents
(d) shared by both families together with the bride and groom
(e) assumed entirely by the bride and groom themselves
Wedding Budget
Final responsibility for wedding costs has been stated by tradition, but there is really no right or wrong way to handle the costs. It is a matter of choice. It is appropriate to discuss the budget with both sets of parents, especially when they bear some or all of the financial responsibility. Be sure everyone involved agrees on the budget.
Wedding Budget Worksheet
A spirit of compromise should lessen the possibility of hurt feelings as your families agree together on the wedding budget. When setting your budget priorities, compromise on quantity, not quality. The amount of your budget will not necessarily determine the style of your wedding; you can have a formal wedding and reception on a limited budget with careful planning and a smaller guest list. You do not need a wedding budget worksheet to get an idea on how much to spend. The following percentage estimates may be useful in breaking down your total wedding budget into categories:
reception 48%
bridal attire 13%
flowers 10%
photography 9%
dj entertainment 8%
rentals 3%
miscellaneous fees 3%
bridesmaids gifts 2%
transportation 2%
stationary 2%
These percentages are a starting point for developing your budget and can be used as a tool when selecting various wedding vendors. To determine a guideline figure for each category in your budget, use this equation:
Your total budget x each items estimated percentage
Sample Wedding Budget
Okay, here is a sample wedding budget. Assume that your total budget is $10,000 (below the national average for how much a wedding costs, and you want to know a guideline for determining how much to spend for DJ entertainment. Using the formula above, you multiply $10,000 times .08 = $800. Therefore, as a guideline for a $10,000 wedding budget, $800 would be an appropriate amount to spend on DJ entertainment.
You can change the percentages given above, depending on what you want to emphasize in your wedding. Be sure to prioritize the following aspects of a wedding according to what is most important to you:
- number of guests to be invited
- wedding site (church, synagogue, hotel, club, at home)
- reception location (church hall, hotel, club, at home)
- bridal attire (what you will wear)
- food and beverages (what kind, and how will they be served)
- flowers (what kind and how many)
- photographs (which professional photographer company to choose)
- music (soloists, live music, DJ entertainment, dancing)
- transportation (a limousine, a luxury rental car, friends new car, or family car)
After having computed the amounts for each category, you may want to reevaluate your priorities. Make whatever adjustments are necessary to more closely meet your expectations. Once you have determined the amounts for each category, keep track of them with wedding planning forms. For some expenses that are traditionally the groom’s responsibility - such as certain flowers and his wedding attire - the cost will be determined by the overall wedding style. Other items in his budget will reflect his own preferences.
Your budget should be flexible enough so that unexpected costs will not ruin it. You can usually expect to pay from 10 to 50 percent as a deposit for services. This deposit is often required in cash. You may want to consider opening a new checking account allotted for your wedding and reception expenses.
Wedding Budget Planning
Together you and your fiancé can use the ideas and formulas mentioned in this article for healthy wedding budget planning. You should keep a close tab on the budgeted amounts, total costs, deposits made
, and the balance due in each category.
Avoiding Wedding Day Disasters
Wedding planning helps to avoid disasters on your most special day. But despite all efforts to achieve a perfect wedding there will always be small hiccups along the road that could turn your day into a major disaster! With proper planning and a simple change in your priorities you will be able to relax and actually enjoy marrying the person you love.
There seems to be no such thing as a disaster proof wedding. It is not uncommon for couples to find their wedding day to be plagued with one or two significant disaster. This article isn't really so much about how to avoid your wedding disaster, or even how to minimize the wedding disaster potential, but how to handle one so that the disaster does not have to ruin, or even heavily impact, your wedding day.
Planning a wedding is one half optimistic jubilation and dream realization and one half delegation. Division of labor or proper delegation on your wedding day plans may result to a fabulous wedding. If, however, you become too demanding, delegate too heavily and heap piles of responsibilities onto just one or two people, or try to master every chore yourself, you are definitely asking for wedding day disasters to show up and make themselves well known on the big day.
Small Disasters, Large Disasters, and Opportunities
Disasters are going to range from small to large. Anything can happen on a wedding day. The flower girl might wet her pants or the groom might faint, forget his vows, or forget where the church is and what time he is supposed to be there. Using your potential disasters as an opportunity requires a very special mind set, but one that anyone is able to achieve. Weddings become so important, especially to women, because they earmark an event that is "supposed to happen" in a very "specific manner."
When we can start to let go of the "supposed to" and "should" theories, then we can focus in a more determined fashion on what is most vital to us, why we are going through with this highly expensive and taxing endeavor, and how we can make sure we enjoy our own wedding day. For all the money, time, energy, and thought that we put into a wedding, so many men and women alike find that they either barely even remember the day or didn't have time to enjoy the day. We usually spend more money, time, and energy on wedding planning than we do for vacations and yet we don't completely enjoy them or at least remember them? How logical is that?
Turning a problem into an opportunity is not easy, but it is very simple. The primary step is learning to recognize any chance or room for improvement or change from the traditional wedding ceremony. The second is learning to allow yourself an ideal emotional day and let the details fall as close to as you hoped as possible. If your emotional experience is beautiful and life affirming, the physical experience around you will be better.
A Change in Priorities Breathes New Life into Weddings
A simple change in your priorities may be just what you need in order to achieve your perfect wedding. Simple changes in your priorities or minor shift in your perspective might as well change your entire wedding day experience. The ability to be flexible no matter what happens is just the beginning. Nothing will change and it will not make you less joyful while you exchange wedding vows if you allow your flower girl to change into different clothes after she wets her pants. Watching your abouttobehusband go on the fly when it is his turn to recite his wedding vows allows you to witness honest beauty rather than watching him blow it. These small but vital changes in perspective are a strong piece of bringing together the perfect wedding day. Ditching the ideas of "could be" and "should be" and "want it to be" and transforming your day into an honest celebration of love, family, friends, and the future creates a while new vibe for the entire wedding.
With enough perspective alterations your wedding day can go from that story book fantasy that ends with a notated disaster that stands to ruin the whole day to a beautiful day without pretense, without judgmentArticle Search, and without emotional distress.
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