Author: Kenny Casanova

ALBANY NY DJ TELLS HOW TO CREATE PHOTO FUN FOR YOUR WEDDING!

Want to have that photo booth feel at your wedding, but don’t want to take up a ton of space or pay the big bucks? Here is a pretty cool idea I saw recently.

We were DJing a wedding at Birchhill Catering in Kinderhook, NY (only 10 minutes from Albany, NY) when we saw our first “Selfie Station.”

Trying to keep your wedding affordable? You too can save a lot of money and make this happen at your wedding for virtually dimes on the dollar. It’s really a simple idea. All you do is put out a selection of gimmicks and props and leave the photo fun up to your guests.

HERE ARE THE TOP 5 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN INCLUDING A “SELFIE STATION” TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

PROPS – Everything is about gimmicks. Fun hats, mustaches, picture frames, sunglasses, feather boas, wigs, foam fingers, canes, bandannas – you get the idea. Just go crazy at the dollar store and you really should be good to go.

INSTRUCTION SIGN – Don’t forget the instructions! Even though most guys don’t read them, it is important to not forget this next rule. So it doesn’t just look like a pile of junk from the thrift store, it is very important to put out a sign so people know the intended use of all the colorful goodies.

BACKDROPS – Much like a photo booth shoot, you set aside a little area where pictures would look good. While a backdrop is not entirely needed, it is a nice touch. If you are creative or really ambitious about this idea, you could set up a backdrop curtain to really help the station take off. Usually you can find these backdrops available online for $100-$200 or so on say eBay, or you could even put something together even cheaper using PVC pipe form Home Depot.

OFFICIAL HASHTAG – Finally, what good are pictures that you never see? Post your wedding’s official hashtag and tell people which social media platforms you endorse (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc…)  If you create a good official hashtag for your wedding (make it something original,) all your guests’ pictures will be easy for you and other guests to find on social media.

SMARTPHONE WEDDING APP – Don’t really want to go the hashtag route? There are now some really cool wedding picture aps that allow your guests to snap shots and send them all to one place in the cloud. If you think you have a number of photo-bugs with iPhones on your guest list, tell them ahead of time, maybe in your invitation, to download an app like The WedPics Smartphone App. This app doesn’t only collect unlimited photos taken by the guests, but it also gives important information like accommodations &  your registry information.

Wedding Guestbook Ideas from Schenectady DJ

No idea what to do for a guestbook at your wedding? Why not go for the sampler platter?!

Here are some pictures from a wedding I did at The Stockade Inn in Schenectady NY.

They did a great job decorating. I particularly liked their guestbook area, where they took three ideas off my site and blended them together. The did a wishing tree, a record signing and also a traditional guest book.

INDIAN LADDER BARN

CLICK TO THE LEFT AND TAKE OUR VIRTUAL TOUR FROM DJ KENNY CASANOVA OF A GREAT WEDDING BARN OPTION PERFECT FOR A RUSTIC WEDDING

Only about 15 minutes from Albany, NY this could be the perfect wedding barn option for you.

They have fields and fields of beautiful green for your ceremony, a great rustic barn for the reception, and even livestock down the path for endless photo options! Kenny got to play music, and also play with the goats. Now what more could you ask! But seriously it is elegant and rustic at the same time and really worth looking into. Watch the video above to see the layout in our virtual tour form.

This wedding site option is highly recommended for the rustic wedding seeker. Also, check out our pictures from on location below:

One fun addition to your wedding celebration in recent years is including a Slideshow for all your guests. These can really be a great success when done properly and can add a great bit of mood to the atmosphere you may want to set. However, if done incorrectly, they can fall short.

TOP 10 IDEA LIST ON – HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL WEDDING SLIDESHOW FOR YOUR RECEPTION

The Wedding Slideshow is one of our popular DJ packages. It has become something many couples want to add, but don’t really know how. Having been the disc jockey in countless weddings in the Albany & Saratoga Springs NY region, I have seen quite a bit of good ones and also, some really bad ones. Here is a list I have put together to help clients understand what they should think about when considering a wedding slideshow.

TOP 10 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN CREATING YOUR WEDDING SLIDESHOW

1) PRESENTATION – Do we want the slideshow to be a featured activity as an event with a start and finish, or rather a backdrop decoration on a continuous loop?

2) PICTURE COUNT –  Usually around 75-100 pictures is great for an event slideshow where your guests are instructed to watch a music video-like powerpoint presentation of pictures.

If you have a lot of pictures, it is best to make your wedding slideshow a continuous loop as a decoration in the background. Having your guests watch a 10-15 minute presentation as an event is too long and they will lose interest before the end of the slideshow.

3) MUSIC SELECTION OR NOT – Featured activity should be announced as an event and works best when set to music packaging it like a music video, with maybe one or two songs. (More than three songs begins to feel too long and your audience may lose interest.)

4) WHEN TO PLAY SLIDESHOW – “What time of the night should we show it?” Wedding Slideshows played as an event tend to work better during dinner while people are still eating, as to not take away from dancing time. If you are running a continuous looping slideshow as a decorative backdrop, usually cocktail hour is a good time to run it – and maybe into dinner – shutting it off during the dancing segment of the celebration.

5) ADDING SOUNDS – It is best to “keep it simple.” Adding crazy sounds or many little pieces of tracks to your slideshow is distracting to your audience and takes away from the visual on the screen.

6) EFFECTS – Avoid distractions. Powerpoint is loaded with them and it is easy to fall into using different ones everywhere. However, multiple effects like odd slide transitions become annoying to your audience quickly.

7) PICTURE SELECTION – It is best to try and have roughly the same number of slides for both the bride and groom. Using a sequential order is also a good idea, using the oldest pictures first, building up to the most recent. Then finally, having a number of pictures of the bride and groom together at the end, is best.

A slideshow can also be effective for couples who have had a destination wedding, or an elopement and want to now share the pictures of the actually ceremony to those at the reception that were unable to attend the vow exchange.

8) PICTURE TIMING – Usually around 4 seconds (give or take) is the best period of time to use between slide transitions. If you have a really large amount of pictures, you can cut off a half a second or so to help make it move a little faster.

9) SPEAKERS – Many people I have seen have opted to go with using their little computer speakers for the event-type slideshow. This is usually, as far as I can gather, usually because they want to exactly sync up pictures with the a particular line or something in music. However, I still believe it is best to keep it simple and just select a song or two and have your DJ play the song selections – and let the pictures do their thing.

10) PREPARATION – Many people try and get by with Microsoft running a slideshow automatically, however this is not a good idea. Using a program like Powerpoint PPT or even Google presentation is better. Using software that is designed to create a slideshow better lets you select the order in which you want the pictures to appear, as well as the time the picture remains on the screen.

South Glens Falls Wedding DJ – Eagles Club. Black & Red Skull Wedding theme

I was in South Glens Falls as a Wedding DJ recently for a young couple at The Eagles Club. This was a nice little alternative place for a small wedding where the bride and groom could save money by bringing in their own food.

A great night had by all! They used a read and black theme with skulls!

Here are a few shots and a video of the new MR. & Mrs. Mead… including a sweet congo-line cameo by my friend Shane Alden.

CHECK OUT SOUTH GLENS FALLS WEDDING VIDEO BELOW

If interested in using the hall for your own function, contact: Fraternal Order of Eagles in South Glens Falls – 80 Main St, S Glens Falls, NY 12803, (518) 793-4511

According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the US is $31,213. While I’d say that may be a little high for the Capital District’s average, I do weddings all the time that top $20,000 right here in Albany, Saratoga, and Troy.

I don’t know about you, but everything I own worth $20,000, I have insured!

WHY YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER WEDDING INSURANCE

Insurance from a reputable insurance plan like the Travelers Wedding Protector Plan covers things like postponement or cancellation of the event, lost deposits, additional expenses to prevent postponement or cancellation, retaking photos if they are lost or damaged, the gifts, the jewelry, and the special attire.

Therefore if the venue is flooded or the couple (or their parents or children) get suddenly ill, they will pay to reschedule the wedding.  They pay for lost deposits and even cost of reconvening your wedding party to take new photos if your photographer drops his camera in the pond!

Also, you can add on liability and liquor liability coverage to your policy.  A lot of venues now require liability coverage for the event, and this is one way to do it, especially if you don’t have a homeowners policy that might extend it.  If you are planning a wedding at your house or a friends house BUY THE LIABILITY.

I understand that with so many expenses stacking up while planning a wedding, often people disregard the thought of wedding insurance as just an expense they can skip, but it is precisely because of those stacking up expenses that a couple needs wedding insurance.

Wedding insurance is not expensive, and if you are spending a good chunk of money on your wedding, get some peace of mind, and insure it.  If you want to talk to someone about what you need, I recommend calling Kerri at 518-785-3700.  She can help you determine if you should buy wedding insurance and what coverage is right for you.