Author: Kenny Casanova

10 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AT YOUR WEDDING

There are many ways to cut corners at your wedding so that you don’t have to break the budget to meet your vision of your very special day. However, sometimes people cut in the wrong places and, in the end, the guests can tell.

Here is a list I created using tips from clients who were married around the area and found ways to make some real good savings without sacrificing from the desired vision of the special day. This is a totally doable top 10 list of ways to save money on your wedding; a list that actually works:

With it spelled out on paper, you both know what is important. This allows for everyone to be on the same page.

2. LIMIT THE GUEST LIST, BOTTOM LINE – Forget about corner-cutting on the DJ, the decorations, or the dinner, those are only savings that amount to pennies on the dollar…  The best way to really save is to be ruthless with your head count. Keeping the guest list down as best as possible will drastically reduce your wedding cost, overall.

The Sefik’s, a fun couple from Clifton Park, NY got married at Mallozzi’s Wedding Hall in Schenectady. They pointed out that, “most caterers, venues, restaurants and banquet halls charge per-person.”  They noted that if you have a 150 guests and can cut it down to 125, there alone you will save about $1,300.

So how do you do this?  One tip if you see your guest list is getting out of hand, omit children and coworkers.  Making category cuts across the board is the best way to make people not feel that they were being singled out.

3. FOOD & DRINK – Research all of your options and do not be afraid to ask questions.  The Bovairs of West Sand Lake, NY who got married at Lakeview on Crystal Lake in Averill park, NY, recommended that you, “consider a buffet instead of a sit-down meal, or break tradition all the way. Why not go with a dessert reception, or a brunch or luncheon instead of a multicourse meal?”

Some people actually go with an all appetizer / finger food reception now.

Alcohol – Eliminating or limiting a traditional full bar to one or two hours will really cut costs.  The Bevans got married at Herbert’s at Birch Hill in Kinderhook. Alternatives include serving beer and wine only, but not serving alcoholic mixed drinks.  at all or only pouring a champagne toast.

Depending on the local laws and the rules at your reception hall, if you are able to buy the liquor yourself and then hire someone to pour it — the savings potential is enormous. If you can, in fact, bring your own booze, you can even return any full bottles that your guests don’t drink in the end.

4. Location, location, location.   There are boat-loads of options for low-cost or no-cost locations, including local and national parks, forest preserves, your own back yard or that of a friend or relative.

Paul Diamond who got married at a nice little restaurant called, Cella Bistro in Schenectady, NY  said, “Unthought-of restaurants are usually a under-rated option.  Many establishments would love to have your business and, at the same time have gorgeous tables and chairs, and décor. You could save a bundle, all around.”

Also, by choosing a location that allows outside catering or you to bring your own booze, you are also opening up the potential for great savings! Saratoga’s Museum of Dance and Pryne Hall of Latham both allow for these potential savings, for example.

5. Wedding Attire – Here’s where you have many options for stretching your bridal dollars. You don’t have to buy at a traditional bridal salon. You could purchase a gown at an outlet or from a department store in the special occasion’s off-the-rack area.

Sarah Ward who got married at The Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY by Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) said, “You can score a pre-owned gown at sites like preownedweddingdresses.com and oncewed.com.

6. FLOWERS –   If you choose to wed in a location that is already naturally decorated,  you will see big savings. To set a stylish mood without much work, plan the wedding to take place in a garden, art museum or even at a beautifully-gardened home.

Saving on flowers – Choosing flowers that have bigger buds means you’ll need fewer stems, thereby helping your bottom line.

Self-proclaimed “hippies,” The Losaws of Hudson Falls, NY got married at The Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, New York. They planted 200 bulbs months before their wedding, and then married right in the middle of the fully-blooming cheerful yellow tulips.

7. INVITATIONS  – You don’t need to print invitations up on thick paper and chalk up another $500 bill. Invitations are definitely an area where do-it-yourselfers can show off their skills and can create great savings by pocketing the difference in costs.

Orvin Bennitt and his wife-to-be will be getting married at The Edison Club in Rexford, NY this summer. They showed me their announcements. They printed their wedding invitations on their computer, and I would have never have guessed!

8. GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS  – Think of it as cost-free outsourcing. Posse up your friends and play to their strengths.  Some people may have a creative inner-circle of peers who will want to donate services to you! This could be in the area of music for the ceremony, or even for photography!

Also, befriend teachers! Try calling a few schools if you want a decent student ensemble to play your wedding ceremony music! Or call your votec (like Capital Region Career & Technical School of Albany, NY) and get the floral class behind your wedding as a school project!

Initiate an Officiant  –  Are you looking for an intimate ceremony that has meaning AND affordability at the same time? Consider having your vows administered by a relative or friend, like the Carbones did at The Inn in Saratoga. Web sites like Universal Life Church (ulchq.com) and Esoteric Interfaith Church are two organizations that “ordain” laypeople so they can officiate weddings, legally.

9. Embrace The Off-Season  –  Wedding receptions that don’t fall during peak months will help you save big bucks.  The Bucklands got married at a popular location called Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs, NY early in April. By doing so, they estimate that they were able to negotiate a savings of nearly $3,000!

10. Lose The Limo –  “Transportation can be a huge cost,” says Mike Brooks, who got married at Crystal Cove in Averill Park, NY. “Since my bride wasn’t obsessed with having a vintage car drive us one mile to the reception, we just borrowed my friends’ SUVs to shuttle the bridal party and family. Nobody noticed the difference.”

I have also seen this work at a wedding reception taking place at The Lighthouse in Schenectady, NY. Ask around and save!

“The wedding ceremony was beautiful. The food was great,” the bride says, about to roll her eyes below a beautiful veil. “People were having a good time. The cake was delicious. Everything seemed just right, but then all of the sudden… UGH! It’s The Dreaded Chicken Dance!!!”

The groom drops his head in shame. “I forgot to tell him no.”

The bride looks at the groom and says, “This is the one song I hate more than anything in the world.”

While it may sound simple, not everyone thinks to make… THE DO NOT PLAY LIST!

If you want to be really prepared, make a list of songs that you actually loath. Give your DJ the list. This way when the party part of your big day comes about, it’s only what you really want.

While your must-hear song list may seem very important, a do not play list in many situations, may be even more important!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING FEEL FRESH AND NEW

Lately, the traditions involved in Wedding Receptions are changing to meet the demands of a new generation. They are no longer the boring slow-dance packed night with cake-cutting and garter toss as the main attractions. They are morphing into more elaborate customized events with lots of energy and surprises to mirror the bride and groom’s character.

If you want to host a wedding reception that screams you, consider this top 10 list:

1. Show up in style
If the wedding ceremony and reception take place at different venues, providing guests with transportation that meets the feel you want for the party. A limo, or crazy hummer ride can set the tone. Recently, I did a wedding reception in Fonda, NY, a big parachuting town, in an old airplane hanger that was decked out in a German/Swiss theme. I played polkas and yodel music to start, while they served beer a brauts for the cocktail hour. When it came time for the introductions of the bridal party, I hit the Mission Impossible theme and had everyone look up in the air. People marveled at the party parachuting down to join the festivities.

2. Wedding Cup Cakes:
While you may absolutely love the idea of a classy cream cheese carrot cake, Uncle Charlie may absolutely HATE IT. That doesn’t mean you have to be unselfish and not have carrot cake, it only means you have to think outside of the box. In this case, why not try WEDDING CUPCAKES. You tier up a wedding cake display with many different types of cup cakes, in displayed in the shape of a traditional wedding cake. Everyone, including you and Uncle Charlie is now happy.

3. The First Dance:
Many bride and grooms have dropped the 100% serious tone to the first dance, opting for 50% slow and 50% ridiculous. Rascal Flatts “My Wish” plays just past the first chorus, when Sir Mix A Lot belts out his love for big butts. This is quickly becoming more regular than not, with the added touch of elaborate choreographed moves.

4. Video Game Time
Believe it or not, interactive video game competitions are a new trend. Having a later hour set aside for popular competitions like Guitar Hero or Rock Band is a smart and hip way to add another memorable element of fun to your wedding reception. I have seen digital projectors come into play at night-time tent weddings on the ceiling where a massive screen is created for the game play to unfold.

5. SAY CHEESE! Wedding Photo booths:
Guests will love to jump in and snap silly photos, for great additions to your wedding photo album. Have you seen this yet? Wedding photo booths are quickly becoming a new tradition at modern wedding receptions. It also helps to pass the time when the photographer runs late and the people are waiting t=for the grand entrance of the wedding party.

6. Funky Snack Attack:
Candy tables, ice cream bars, your favorite trail mix… There are no rules to what you can serve anymore. If you think the snack is cheap, but something everyone will appreciate, you can use a variety of containers (think martini glasses) to add that special decorative touch. On the Fourth of July, 2009, I did a great Pakistani-American Wedding, where all kinds of great Pakistani curry-laden dishes where set in tandem next to the groom’s favorite American chow, you guess it, PIZZA. The pizza was served on elegant silver platters under a heat light, like a prime rib carving roast!

7. Karaoke Hour
Want fun! Add karaoke! This can be really awesome in the right party, but be careful. Place this activity late, if not last, in the event and limit people’s participation, or else it could be come a karaoke concert!)

8. Digital Slide Show Projection
Collect up as many pictures that you can of the bride and groom growing up, then add shots of them together now. (You can go right to Walmart with the old shots and scan them to disc for a couple of bucks!) Next, with the wonders of modern technology, a power point slide show can then be created with ease. The power point can run continuously while the guests eat, or can play once as a scheduled activity set to music. Maybe you even know someone who can work photoshop, to make you a funny one like this slideshow for Ben and Joanna, who by the way got married at an aquarium!

9. Reception Themes
A themed wedding reception is a great way to let your personalities shine. I have done weddings with many different themes including Heavy Metal, Hawaiian luau, Ethnic-specific, and even Vegas.

10. Hey, Mister DJ!
Great bands rock, but are sometimes limited to only a few sounds that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. A good DJ, however, can be like the weather in New England and change on an instant. At most wedding receptions, your DJ is the life of the party and can shuffle requests and the wishes of the bride & groom to keep EVERYONE happy. I happen to know a real good one, if you are looking! (http://www.kennycasanova.com)

(Photo By: Carlos Mendoza)

Here is an idea for your wedding. Have your guests “hastag the hell” out of it!

CREATE YOUR OFFICIAL WEDDING HASHTAG

For those of you not familiar with the term, “Hashtagging” is creating an easy way of searching social-networking Web sites for pictures, videos or status updates relating to a specific topic. Simply enough, when you hashtag (#) a word or phrase, you are indexing a very specific topic to make it easy for someone to find on social sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine.

If you have been living under a rock and are not a user of any of the above forementioned social media sites already, the benefits of hashtagging your wedding are a great reason to start!

The hashtag originated for use first on Twitter.com, of course, but is now becoming the goto measuring stick indexing on all social networks. So, what does this mean for weddings? It means more pictures, more videos and more different perspectives of your wedding will be available at your fingertips, for free.

3 STEPS HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING HASHTAG WORK FOR YOU:

1) CREATE YOUR OWN OFFICIAL HASHTAG – If you create an original and uniform hashtag for everyone to use, their will be no guessing or confusion on what word combo should be searched. Try and chose as few letters as possible for less spelling issues, but something that won’t bleed into a hashtag that someone else has already used. A hashtag like #smithwedding has likely already been used by many people, so your best bet would be “#smithwed2013” or “#fredwedsjaney.”  Try and pick something original. You can do this by first searching the proposed hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine, so that you are not mixing your event with someone else’s event int he world.

2) SHARE YOUR WEDDING HASHTAG – All you really have to do is announce your custom offical hashtag to all your mobile device using wedding guests, and let the magic begin. Ways to do this can include but are not limited to: adding your hashtag to your reservations and the wedding ceremony program, putting your official hashtag on your place cards or table, and having the disc jockey announce your official hashtag throughout the evening periodically. (If you do not have a DJ set yet, drop me a line! (I know a great one!)

3) SEARCH THE HASHTAG – After the event or even during, the hashtag will bring up a well-organized and beautiful log of your special day as it does any topic or event. The hashtag will capture behind the scenes action, as well as a different perspective on the special moments like the kiss at the ceremony, or your introduction and first dace at the reception.

This idea is great for weddings! The benefits are countless. No more messy disposable cameras on the tables. Multiple mediums will be shared. Pictures are available immediately for sharing. Friends and families who were not able to make it can follow the event from afar. Guests can even request songs to a participating DJ!

In the end, you will get extra pictures/videos at the end of the night, as well as annotations from your hashtagging guests all throughout the night.

SARATOGA WINERY DJ WEDDING TOUR

We have done a few weddings at the Saratoga Winery in Saratoga Springs, NY and it is great! Check out our video below to see for yourself.

If you have never been there, it totally can work for an-all-in-one wedding venue location, meaning you can have your outside ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception with many different location options.

INSIDE – It’s a cozy little place with great ambiance. In side has a very woodsy feel to it. It has a great little bar, an eating area, and also a back reception room loaded with decorative wine barrels.

OUTSIDE – Out back, you have a great multi-tiered deck with room for all, plus a band or DJ under cover. There is also nice stone work and a great grassy area for a wedding ceremony.

Here is a video we shot to better help you understand, from a recent wedding I had the pleasure of DJ’ing for:

WEDDING DJ REVIEW OF A GREAT VENUE IN AVERILL PARK NY

If you are looking for a beautiful location only 15 minutes away from Albany, NY, the Old Daley Inn’s Crooked Lake House Wedding in Averill Park NY may be right for you. Having provided disc jockey services here on a number of occasions, we would love to DJ your special day at this venue.

This all-inclusive venue provides outside locations for ceremony, as well as inside. It has two pianos, a full bar like you would see at your favorite tavern, and a rustic feel that is very popular in the wedding industry today.

CEREMONY – With the crystal clear Crooked Lake acting as a beautiful backdrop, you can have your ceremony outside overlooking the water, or inside in a rustic ballroom with a stone fireplace and gorgeous piano.

COCKTAIL HOUR – With a complete old-fashioned bar, you can belly up to the bartender for your favorite drink requests, or sit on comfy couches, by another fireplace, overlooking the water.

MULTIPLE ROOMS – The Old Daley Inn has a number of different ready rooms for all your needs, with great hardwood flooring.

RECEPTION HALL – Tiered reception hall with an elevated platform for the head table. Perfect for fine dining and dancing.

OVERALL RATING – We love this hall. I totally recommend it. The staff offers great support which additionally helps make this a great potential place for your special day.