Yet again, I saw a different thing this weekend that I thought I should share with you all. You know those little cards you see at the front of the hall at the beginning of the ceremony? Yeah you do. The place cards with the guests name, directing them to their assigned table.
The wedding I did had little tea lights with professionally printed names on each one and the table number. It was really cool to see everyone surround the table and look for their candles! Then, on by one, each person carefully brought their little candle keepsake to their destination table.
Live Photo Magnet Shoots at your wedding can be great fun!
As a mobile DJ, you see some really neat ideas from time to time, but none have struck me as much so as what I have been seeing more and more of this summer.
With printing capabilities increasing with technology and color printing cartridge advancements, a new trend is definitely hitting the professional wedding industry. This new wedding trend is quickly becoming a magnetic attraction to the guests, because this new trend is magnets.
One new magnet prop is showing up before the wedding. I have seen “Save The Date” magnets sent out to guests to announce their wedding right from the start. These are usually business card size with just the date and the bride and groom’s names on them. They can however be bigger and more elaborate.
Magnets can also be used for the invitations themselves. If you look up on google save the date wedding magnets you will see that many specialty printers are now offering some really cool magnetic stock for invitations. Companies like Magnetstreet.com, MagnetQueen.com, Wedding-Magnets.com and SaveTheDateMagnet.com are all just the tip of the iceberg for companies that are beginning to specialize off of this growing new idea. They have some great stock images to pick from, as well as cool ideas for customization.
At the reception itself, many people are now opting to make the magnet-making process itself as part of the fun and towards the provision of wedding favors. Photo Magnet creation actually becomes an activity. An additional photographer can be hired with on site capability and the proper equipment to provide refrigerator magnets as party favors to the bride and groom and/or all your guests with their images on the magnets.
At a recent Albany, NY wedding I played music at, the magnet photographer set up a photo shoot area in a corner complete with lighting and a backdrop. Couples and friends alike could then go over for the shoot and immediately, within seconds, have a decorative portrait of the participants in hand. The magnets can either then be set aside for the bride and groom, or kept as a favor!
The LOST finale was well worth waiting for. I very much enjoyed the purgatory spin on the glimpses of the alternate timeline we looked at during the final season. The mythological backdrop direction answers all the questions that smart viewers should have still had, without coming right out and saying it.
This final Lost episode was perfect, if you were a watcher of the show on a regular basis, which most haters of the finale clearly were not. Therefore, in my opinion, those who didn’t like it are probably most likely ones who didn’t really watch the show and probably just jumped on for the finale. These are the mainstreamers who really should have no say, as they do not have the full story arch in mind when they attempt to critique it.
All the important stuff was covered. The original of the isle was the only thing left a mystery, and that is totally fine. Would it have been better if someone came out and said, “Oh the island was a space ship,” or, “Oh the island was cursed place and the gate to hell,” ??? The show was clearly science fiction. No explanation is necessary, and to do so would discredit the charm of the story.
The other timeline is season 6 where the plane had never crashed was clearly purgatory. Whether it was all in Jack’s head until the spirits met up in the church, or a collective spirit world awaiting the afterlife, it didn’t matter.
For the non-thinkers, Christian Shepard came right out and explained it. Everything on the island was real. You can;t get more clear than that.
My overall thought on LOST as a whole is it clearly had a start, a middle, and an end. It was a great show that continued to make you think, even in the last episode.
QUESTION: How many other shows today make you think? How many other shows on television command their viewers to create theories and try to answer mysteries within it like LOST did? ANSWER: Very few. Today’s television has evolved into mindless crap like reality shows and competitive crap like American idol that involve very little thinking to watch, so little they are mindless.
I thank LOST for six years of daring to provide a show for the thinkers, and not a show that spelled everything out in black and white, to the mindless viewers who wouldn’t like it anyhow.
Quite often I get the uncomfortable question from curious brides and grooms about tipping. I always say the same thing. “It is optional at weddings. A tip for any service is appreciated, but usually not at all expected. Just tip if you were really really happy with your outcome.”
I did a little looking around on the net to see what other people say about wedding gratuity. Before sharing my findings below, I have read that for the most part, I am right. Tips are a voluntary thing, and you should really use your discretion.
So, how do you make the decision?
DO YOUR HOMEWORK – First off, if you are thinking about tipping, you may want to find out from your vendors if, tipping is allowed at all. There are many services, caterers for one, that include the gratuity for their staff directly in their quoted price, so they sometimes actually discourage tipping. In this economy, be sure not to double tip!
Giving wedding professionals and vendors a tip is completely up to the couple, how happy they are and how much they can afford. There is no percentage, if any, as you see expected by restaurants.
All tips should be given in cash. If the person serving you is an employee of the company, their tip should be in a separate envelope, so that the business doesn’t try to absorb it.
Tips should be given just before the party ends. That way you can judge how much to give, according to the job they did for you.
DOLLAR GUIDELINE ACCORDING TO SERVICES PROVIDED:
Limousine Drivers – 10-15% of the limousine bill, given at the end of his/her service.
Valet Parking Attendants – 50 cents to $1.00 per car, is about right.
Disc Jockey – When your guests compliment the reception later, remember it was the DJ that had created a big part of the fun stuff. While it is not expected, if there is one DJ, $50-100.00, isn’t totally unheard of. If you have two DJs, some people give each person $50.00 in separate envelopes. It’s really up to you, as, again, there is no need to tip at all.
Albany Wedding DJ
Photographer / Videographers – The tip is optional. Usually if they own the photography business, no tip is necessary. If they are employees, $50.00 goes to the main photographer and who splits in with any assistant.
The Wait Staff – Usually the tip is worked into the quote. If the tip is not in the contract, a 15% of the total catering bill is tipped.
Bartenders – 10% of the total liquor bill is normal, if you are not allowing your guests to tip.
Ceremony Musicians – $5-10/hr per person.
Wedding Officiate – Usually you do not tip. You pay the set amount, and offer a donation to the church, if you wish to offer more for their help.
Hopefully, you have a rough idea of what to give now, if you feel the urge to tip.
Again, the amounts above are only examples and are not written in stone. They are, however, what I have found people have suggested to give when you are impressed and overly satisfied with your service provider.
Every bride pictures the day they are to be married as being the perfect-ending of a fairy tale, when they are very young. If you want your big wedding to be a fairy tale come true, why not consider putting just the right theme to it? If you want to set an atmosphere of fantasy, enchantment and fun, then maybe a Cinderella wedding could be just for you!
DARE TO PICK A THEME – If you really want the groom to buy into the helping of planning your wedding, add a theme. From experience, adding any type of theme can really get your Prince Charming to buy into the whole party planning process, as many grooms do not really buy into the planning side. Add a theme, however, and the creative juices start to flow!
DO SOME RESEARCH – So first, you have to do your homework. If you think that a Cinderella theme could work for your wedding, then make sure you re-watch the movie Cinderella, itself. You will see from watching the movie a number of things that can really add to the overall feel.
First off, Cinderella is from a kingdom and the messengers use scrolls. You can send your invitations out with that scroll feel, and also even create something like this for your guestbook. Since you want your guests to really know that they are attending a fairy tale wedding, a nice glass slipper or something from the film should be printed as a background of clip art on the invitations. If you can, also try sealing your envelopes with a royal wax seal.
COLORS – The official colors for the reception should include ivory, light pinks and white. These colors should be used for flowers, linen, and even the clothing. To get that ballroom feel, the bride should shoot for a bell-shaped gown, when possible, if it compliments her body well. She should try to match the style of Cinderella, of course, from Disney, as this is the image that is well-known. The groom should look at black tuxedos with tails.
PROPS – Props are everything and will really sell your theme, no matter what it may be. In this case, props should include, glass slippers, pumpkins and perhaps long red carpets. (At the ceremony, you may even want to have the ring bearer carry the ring inside a glass slipper or pumpkin!)
The venue will also play a good hand in getting the Cinderella feel across. A ballroom with chandeliers and fancy drapery and wall hangings would be the perfect setting for your Cinderella wedding reception theme and your fairy tale coming true. Locally Glen Sanders mansion, might be nice, or any place that has a cascading staircase for a grand entrance, too!
MAKE IT SPARKLE – For that added magical feel, you should use glitter everywhere you can. Table tops with tinsel pieces would be great and you have to make pumpkin couches your centerpieces. Also, small magic wands with stars on the tips provided as party favors would make for some fun pictures, as well. Also, if your budget allows, you may want to shoot for a giant ice statue of a slipper to add to the night.
This new system is all about projecting music further. This means that people hear a song at table four in the front of the room at the same volume that people at table 24 hear it! It is perfect for weddings! The black 2×4 looking thing in the center is a speaker! Compact & sleek, but packs a major punch, with better projection than peavey. Crazy right?!
