Finding the right DJ or Live Music for your Wedding Entertainment

Many Guests keep in mind whether or not they had an enjoyable time at a wedding by the evening’s entertainment, whether it is via a DJ or Live music.  Even if you choose Live music for the evenings dancing there is normally a break when recorded music is played while the group is having a rest.

Do you have a DJ or group in mind?

Below are listed some questions that should be asked and some advice to check out when deciding on who you would consider entertaining your guest to ensure that everyone has a wonderful time and great memories of your important day.

How many years of practice does your DJ have with your type of gathering? Anyone can act as if he or she is a DJ.  If you are having an official occasion, does your DJ know how to arrange a wedding reception or a grand entrance? The DJ should execute the type of show that you desire.

What styles of music does he  play?

How many music collections will the DJ have with them?  Be certain your DJ takes requests ahead of and for the duration of your event.  Furthermore, give them  instructions of what you would like played.  Saying that, this is what the DJ is hired to do.  Do not restrict the DJ by saying you want all of one kind of music or a list of 100 songs they must play. The best situation is to play any sort of music that gets people dancing and having an enjoyable time.  By the way, it ought to be known the DJ does not play any distasteful music.

At all times, and I mean at all times, ask if the DJ has back-up gear with them for your event. In addition, be sure the DJ gets the right quantity of sound for the number of guests estimated and request that the music is not blarring out as you will have guest of different ages and very loud music can result in people leaving before the evening has finished.

Does the DJ get everyone drawn in dancing or do they just play music? You have to ask yourself if you want a DJ that will get everyone dancing? For example, will he engage your guests by conducting and playing motivational dances.

What is the DJ’s charge?  How much is overtime?  Is a tip incorporated in the fee?  Will there be an additional price for lighting?  What does the lighting consist of?  How much is the journey to your site?  Are you merely paying for the time the DJ plays?

Be certain to have in writing  who your DJ will be at your occasion. I would advise meeting your DJ before appointing the company at a neutral place, like a restaurant 

Does the DJ provide a written contract? Be certain to have all particulars of your event  written down. The DJ ought to know the date, place, and time. You must be familiar with each other’s names and phone numbers as well as the day of the function.

Is the DJ company specialized? This may seem ridiculous, but does the DJ have insurance? Mishaps do happen.  It is better to be prepared or anything.  Also find out if the DJ is enrolled with a national DJ association such as NAME or ADJA. If he is, then he is concerned about how he conducts himself and there is a greater possibility of his being an expert.

Will your DJ dress according to the occasion?  Formal stands for dress or tuxedo.  Semi-formal stands for slacks and blouse, shirt & tie or dress pants.  Casual stands for company shirt or polo shirt.  Make certain the DJ is wearing aptly dressed during set up and takedown of equipment. Some guests do turn up early and hang about late.

This information is aimed at assisting you in finding the right DJ for your wedding I hope it has been helpful, if you can think of anything else you think should be considered, please include in the comment area of the blog.

Gwen Gould

Wedding Flowers

When thinking about your Wedding Flowers check out what flowers will be provided at the place of your chosen Wedding Ceremony. 

• Are  flowers included in the price of the Wedding Service. 
• Who will ensure that there are flowers at the Wedding Ceremony. 
• What time of year will it be at the time of your Wedding.
• What flowers will  be available. 
• Who will be seeing to the flower arranging.

As for button holes and sprays, it is usual for the immediate family, mother and father of the bride and groom,  best man and ushers to have more elaborate buttonhole/spray than that that of your other guests, who would normally be given a single flower.   This is quite often a carnation or rose.

Get a list of the flowers for that season in which your wedding is taking place. The flowers that bloom during the season are easier to get hold of and are seldom very expensive.

Do your homework with florests in your area, there are usually several within a radius of a town.  Ask to see samples of bouquets they have provided at other weddings around the same time of year that you yourself are getting married.   A reputable Florest will probably have photographed bouquets that they have made in the past to show to prospective clients to help them chose types of flowers and styles of bouquets.

The colour of the flowers chosen may pick up the colour or complement the colour of the bridesmaids outfits or the colour of the Wedding theme.

You may choose to use silk flowers rather that real flowers, either due to an allergy or to the fact that you want to keep your bouquet as a momento of your Wedding Day.  If this is the case, check friends or members of the family for flower arranging skills.  These bouquet’s, button holes/sprays and flower arrangements can be made in advance and from researched markets saving you time and money in your budget for other areas of your wedding.

A recommended source for your Wedding flowers, giving you some ideas is below.

http://www.ad-tracker.biz/t/c/r.php?id=22265

Hoping this information has been helpful, please leave any comments or questions on the blog.

Gwen Gould

Wedding Cars

One of the most important features of your wedding day is your mode of transport.  If you can’t get to the church then you can’t get married!

Which wedding car do you hire? Do you go for stylish modern car hire or classic wedding car hire?

How much should you spend on car hire for a wedding?

Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW and Bentley are available for hire for your special wedding day.

Does the most important day of your life deserve anything less than a classic car? As well as  Rolls Royce Silver Clouds there are Bentleys, Daimlers, Jaguar, Mercedes, Austin and Morris. 

Then there is the beautiful Stretched Limousine that is becoming popular complete with a uniformed chauffeur and a complimentary bubbly.   Just imagine your guests’ faces as you step out of one of these amazing wedding cars.

Arrive at your wedding in the style and elegance you deserve.

Just as important is the service you receive with the Wedding Car hire.

• Immaculately presented vehicles
• Courteous chauffeur in uniform
• Arrive in plenty of time to get you to the Church
• Cars and chauffeur stay on to be in your photographs if you choose
• Option for the quickest route or most scenic
• Vehicles completed with wedding ribbons.

What Wedding Cars are available, what the service will cost and what is included in the price of the hire of your wedding car will vary depending where you are in the country.

Once you have an idea whether to go classic or modern,  shop around for the style and service offered.  If you know of anyone who has married recently and used the hire company you are considering ask them how they were treated and how punctual the company were.
 

Gwendoline Gould.

Finding the Right Wedding Photographer

Each and every wedding should be captivated for eternity in print. Your photographs are not just any pictures. They are momentos, an inheritance for your family to look at and cherish over. So it makes sound judgment to get a photographer who will in reality draw out the best pictures of your exceptional occasion.

 Here are some things you should make sure of when searching for the photographer for your wedding:

- His earlier efforts have to charm you.  Place yourself in the position of the people in the pictures in his sample photo albums. Is this how you would like your photographs to look like?

Have you  seen the Wedding Photographs of any of your friends wedding.  Was there anything there that you really liked and would like something similar.

How were they treated.

- Verify whether he himself is going to be the photographer for the wedding or if  he is going to designate somebody else. A number of shops have a lot of photographers in their store. You have to judge the work of the person who will in reality be managing your occasion.

- Timing is a very important characteristic in wedding photographers. Your wedding is a once in a life time happening.  It is important to realise that there will be lots of photographs being taken and this will take time.  How does he manage the different groups.  His approach and look will also be essential.

• You are searching for somebody who can make the changeover shots very easily.
• Has fine power over large groups and who looks smart and fit to be seen and up to the task in hand.
• The last things you want is annoyed relatives and friends on your wedding day.  His being behind schedule will cause a problem to  your whole wedding day. 

You require somebody who can captivate the essence of your wedding, not somebody who will make you all look like you are posing for a high school class picture.

 Once you have found the photographer you like, it would be wise to make sure that he is available for the date of your wedding, well known photographers will always have plenty of  work.  Also you should ensure your financial arrangements can provide for his fee.

 You may decide to have your wedding videoed, either by a family member, friend or a professional.  If you choose a professional most of the above information will also be relevant.  If you chose a family member or friend be prepared for some surprises.

 Again, I hope this information is helpful, if you have any comments please post them here, if you have any questions you can either post them here or email me at contact@internet-business-platform.com

Gwen Gould.

Wedding Stationery

Hi, Welcome back to Planning Your Dream Wedding.

The area I wanted to cover today is your Wedding Stationery.

Your wedding invitation is the first formal note about your wedding and your guests will need to have their invite in plenty of time.

Arrange for your invitations the moment your date, time and place have been fixed. Three to six months before the service is what most professional planners advise.

After working out the number of invites add around 25 invitations to your order – 10 to 12 extra for mementos, plus extras for the last minute guests. Also, based on how big your order is, add 25 to 50 extra envelopes in case of errors in addressing.

A lot of well known wedding planners have the same opinion that you should prepare to post your invitations six weeks ahead of the wedding. This gives the guest  enough time to act in response.

Take care that you have one fully assembled invitation weighed up at the post office to find out the exact postage.

Every bride wants her wedding to be  exceptional.  A good place to make a start is with custom wedding stationery.  A big benefit with custom stationery is that:

•  You can write your own wording
•  Select the font, text size and color
•  Choose either a simple design or something more elaborate.
   

Wedding invites and co-ordinating stationery items can be bought in a choice of styles such as contemporary, classic, floral, layered, embossed and religious.

You may decide to match the subject matter of your stationery  to the tone of your weddding.   For instance, if you are having a garden wedding then you may prefer to have a flower pattern print on your stationery items.

While your wedding invite is the centre piece of your required stationery, You would be suprised at how many wedding stationery items there are.   You can find the following complimentary wedding stationery  items to go with your wedding invites: -

• Wedding Day Invitations
• Wedding Evening Invitations
• Order of Service
• Announcements
• Save-the-Date Cards
• Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
• Bridal Shower Invitations
• Wedding Accompaniments such as menu cards, thank you notes, wedding favours etc.

There are many add -ons to assist you connect your stationery in with the theme of your wedding.  For instance, rings, hearts, ribbons, white doves etc. The same stands for the color of your invites.   You may decide on white or cream, traditionally the colour of your wedding dress or you may decide by the colour of your bridesmaids’ dresses.

Discuss your thoughts and ideas with your Wedding Stationery Printer.  Also shop around.   Some of the smaller printing businesses are more likely to work with you and adapt designs from your ideas and creations.  They are also more likely to correspond either by email or phone more regularly to ensure that you get exactly what you set your heart on and at least advise you on what is possible.

 One such Wedding Stationery Printer who has received rave reviews from his clients is
Geoff at http://www.preciseprinting.co.uk

The service he gives to his customers is invaluable and works closely with them via email and phone.  He has been able to produce some beautiful artwork from ideas that his customers have had and made them reality.  These were ideas that were turned down by other printers or priced excessively high.

I hope that the above information proves helpful and if you have any comments or questions do not hesitate to contact me either via this blog or email.

Back shortly.

Gwen Gould.

Planning the Perfect Romantic Honeymoon

I am writing this now, as the wedding date has been set, the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception venue have also been booked.  The next area to arrange to fit in with the date organised is the Honeymoon. 

With all the work that goes into arranging a wedding of your dreams, the honeymoon should be more relaxed. The date is already agreed.  Time off from work should be organised.  You now both have to agree where it is you wish to spend your honeymoon.

Making plans for the ideal romantic honeymoon should take an account of things that are pleasing to both.

In general, a pleasant and romantic honeymoon can take place in any location where the honeymooners can get some valuable time together alone.

The holiday, whether it is for a weekend or a complete month, is intended to help you ease in to married life and make long lasting memories. It is supposed to be enjoyable, comforting and romantic.  Be sure to select a place jointly – one that is really pleasing to both.

Here are some guidelines on places to go:

* Beach destinations. For many, there are few things more romantic than gazing at a sunset on a perfect beach while sipping on drinks and looking at palm trees sway in a warm breeze. If this is pleasing, then places such as the islands of the Caribbean and some European destinations are all good choices. They all present their own unique appeal and other potentials for romance and exciting activity.

* Europe. If staying in a historic city maybe surrounded by the walls of a romantic, medieval fortress seems like a dream come true, then countries such as Germany, England, Cumbria, Scotland and Ireland might be thought about.  Lodging can really be as expensive or as standard as a couple’s budget asks for.

* Mountains. There are few places more romantic than isolated mountain chalets. Getting back to nature presents some hard to believe sights, which turns out to be very romantic and the seclusion cannot be beat. Places to think about for this type of trip comprise of Europe and even further a field such as anyplace in the Rockies, the Smokey Mountains, New York, Pennsylvania, Canada. Again lodging can comprise of expensive chalets or more rural log cabins and maybe even tent camping. No matter what, anything both the groom and the bride consider goes.

* Ocean cruises. When it comes to gorgeous sights and chic dealings, cruises are inevitable. With lots to do and see, there is ample to please you outside of that stateroom.

It is immaterial what you do or where you go on your honeymoon, just keep in mind that the tour is for both the bride and groom. It is a time to kick back, loosen up and have the time to learn about living together in a relaxed state before the day-to-day routine of married life sets in. Just make sure that the trip is pleasing to you both – make it enjoyable and unwind. It is the bits and pieces that lifetime recollections are made of.

A romantic honeymoon can be economical, reasonably priced or exaggerated. As long as the two most important people are having an enjoyable time, that is all that matters. Forget about the constant worry of planning the wedding and just take pleasure in the honeymoon.

 Back Soon

Gwen.
 

Organising the Wedding Reception and Wedding Breakfast

Welcome back to the Wedding Blog and on with Planning Your Dream Wedding.

Having organised the place of the Wedding Ceremony, your next thoughts will probably be in organising the Wedding Reception.  Within this area you will be considering several details all bought under the umbrella of the reception but the first thing to decide is where you want to hold the reception. 

It may be wise to arrange a meeting with not only the bride and bridegroom but also the person/persons paying for the reception, so that numbers of guests and a  budget can be agreed before meeting with the proprietor of the venue chosen.  This will save time and possible embarrassment later.

If you are having a Civil Ceremony in a hotel, the wedding reception will probably have already been booked.  If you chose a Church or Registry office then the place of the Wedding Reception will have to be decided upon.  Taking into consideration the choice of venue, availability and size required considering the number of guests.

The proprietor of the venue will have a great deal of experience in the holding of a Wedding Reception in his establishment and will offer a good deal of advice and should take into account your requests.

You will need an idea of the time of arrival and how you want to greet the guests.  Will you be at the entrance to welcome your guests and will they be offered a glass of champayne or something similar.

Planning the seating arrangement of guests can become a real headache.  Knowing of any family rifts beforehand can save embarrassent.  It may be a good idea to get together a small party of immediate family before the wedding to allow both sides to introduce themselves, preventing the segregation of brides family and bridegrooms family.

The bride and groom, parents/partners of both bride and groom, bestman and bridesmaids/pageboys would normally sit at the high table, with guests arranged within groups around the room, depending on size and shape of the room.

You should have an idea, following discussions with the proprietor of the venue whether to have a set, sit down menu or a buffet/banquet and whether this is to be a hot meal or cold.  Any special dietry requirements if known should be given as soon as possible.

I will cover areas including:

• Booking Honeymoon
• Buying of Rings
• Wedding Invitations
• Photographs
• Cars
• Bridal Wear
• Grooms Outfit
• Flowers
• Speeches
• The Wedding Cake
• Disco/entertainment

In the following blogs, not necessarily in the order above.

Gwendoline Gould

p.s. Don’t forget to leave your comments on the blog.  If you have any questions on anything I haven’t covered or you need information now rather than wait for it to be covered in future blogs please leave your name and email address in the comments section and I will get back to you a.s.a.p.

Church or Civil Ceremony

Welcome back to my Wedding Planning blog and

Congratulations, on your forth coming wedding.   Your boyfriend/girlfriend has proposed marriage and you have accepted.

Parents/family/friends have been given the great news.

Is it to be a long engagement or a whirlwind romance?

Have the parents of the bride been saving for years for their daughters wedding or have you caught them by surprise?

Are you and your partner paying for some or all of the wedding?

What is your budget?

Is it going to be a formal church wedding or a civil ceremony?

The answers to these questions will have to be taken into consideration before any wedding plans can be considered.

Of course you must have dreamt of this day a hundred times over and it’s natural for you to be super excited. You probably know exactly what your ceremony must look like and you surely must have all the details ready in your head. But you see, the wedding also involves another person namely your husband/wife-to-be and he/she must also have similar dreams and aspirations so make sure you discuss what you want you’re wedding to be like with him/her in detail. Let this dream be a mutual one and not just the fulfilment of just one of your wishes.

One of the first things you will have to consider is the time of year you wish to marry.  Have you a date in mind? 

Either way, whether it is to be a church wedding or civil ceremony, you will have to find out if your local church, registry office or any of the hotel’s that now advertise civil ceremonies are available for the date you have in mind.

This may be the first compromises in the planning of your wedding you will have to make.

Choosing your wedding ceremony Officiant.  This will be the person conducting the wedding ceremony.

It is a fact that the wedding reception gains the most number of discussions before the wedding. However, it is the actual ceremony where you must focus your attention. You will have to meet the Officiant or the prospective officiates before the wedding ceremony to discuss any such requirements that you have before the wedding. Find out if the officiate is an open-minded person who tries to incorporate your ideas into the ceremony, which would help you to decide whether you want him or them to officiate. There are certain questions you must ask, and they are the following:

  • Will the Officiant  deliver a speech or a sermon?

• Will the Officiant  show you the sermon so you can review it before the ceremony, and if necessary, then provide some inputs?

• At what time should the Officiant  come for the rehearsal?

• Does the Officiant  think that counselling is required before the wedding?

• Will the Officiant  accept personal non-secular inputs for the wedding ceremony, like vows, songs and readings?

• What will be the costume of the Officiant ?

• Is it necessary to bring the license of marriage to the ceremony, or is signing it required before the ceremony?

• Does the Officiant  know of any wedding site, in case you have not already zeroed in on one?

• If the Officiant  also acts as the officiate of the site, are there restrictions there that you need to know before hand like, tossing items, dress code, décor, music, photography and taking of video?

• What are the items that the Officiant  can provide and what are the things that you must make arrangements for? Such things to consider are microphone, isle runners, pews etc.

• What is the fee for the ceremony? Or is to be considered as a donation?

Important Things to Consider

Some Officiant  may posses a serious and formal demeanour, while others may be casual and friendly types who add their own special humour to the officiating process. 

In case the Officiant  bears no relation to you, you must think out about your comfort level with him or her and if you would be happy to see this person as your Officiant , because he carries out the most crucial part of the wedding. A wedding takes place between two people to make them man and wife, and the Officiant  is the first person to declare this to the world. You should have a rapport with the Officiant  before you make him an everlasting part of this happiest and closest moment of your entire life.

Do not shy away from discussing personal affairs with the Officiant  before the big day. He or she can be there for you to resolve problems that can be spiritual and mundane including the conflicts within your family members, if any such need arises.

You must not forget to invite your Officiant  to the dinner rehearsal also. It’s a friendly move from your side. This is also a terrific way you can introduce your family members and friends to the Officiant .

p.s. I said I would tell you about one event at my wedding.  Just a quick note.  Make sure the bride and bridesmaid have some light refreshment before leaving for the church.

We had organised for the photographer to come to the house before leaving for the church for some photo’s, unfortunately due to timing we all missed having something to eat and the wedding breakfast was not until 5.00pm. Half way through the ceremony, there was an almighty crash as one of the bridesmaids, one of my three sisters, fainted and had to be carried from the church.  She wasn’t injured, but the priest just informed us of what had happened and carried on with the ceremony.  My sister was mortified, apologising afterward, thinking that she had ruined my day. It was to be just one of many unforeseeable incidents.

A New Wedding Planning Blog!

First of all, welcome to my ‘Wedding Planning’ blog.

The reason for this blog is to try to build a relationship with the people of Cumbria, United Kingdom. 

My husband and I moved to Cumbria just over 3 years ago and during this time introduced our Business under the umbrella of Wedding Services.

We are having some success on the internet throughout the United Kingdom and America but have yet to create an interest locally. 

I read somewhere that a blog allows you to be more relaxed, friendly and able to build a community based atmosphere, so here we go.

As an introduction I would like to offer the engaged couples looking to get married in the near future a guide to planning a wedding.  The goal will be to give information that will allow you and your family to plan your wedding in order to:

1. Reduce the stress that planning a wedding can cause within a family

 2. Manage within a budget, whether it be tight or planned and saved for.

3.  Ensure that all area’s of your wedding requirements are  planned and nothing is left to chance.

4.  Be aware who is responsible for each area of the wedding plans and when a particular job has been completed.

 It should be the best day of your life and with a little organisation at the start you will ensure that everyone has the time of their life.

I will be back tomorrow with the initial plans and a few funny stories that happened at my wedding 30 years ago.  This is what can happen!!  Mind you we are still together and laugh about those antics now.

Until tomorrow,

bye.

Gwen.