There are many ways to remember loved your ones on your special day.
It is a very thoughtful idea for the bride & groom to want to honor a relative, loved one, or family member who is no longer with us. The key to making this happen effectively is to keep it classy and in the spirit of celebration.
You do not want to depress the members attending your wedding reception by causing something that could invoke tears, but provide something that will at as a visual representation of the missing person that celebrates their life.
Remembering a loved one who is no longer with us everyday anymore is not hard to do, as you really can end up with plenty of fun or celebrational and tasteful options that can really mean something to everyone. I have seen annotated pictures and photo album displays, a small table setting with a plaque that held many names, a stand-up photo cut out, a poetry reading, a song dedication activity from the wedding DJ.
I have also been a part of some very touching special lit candle and/or lighting presentation, an insert on a slide show, and witnessed countless personable items and things on display to represent the deceased; belongings that really meant something to the person who no longer with us.
Whatever you choose, it is a great idea. Just keep in mind that it is very important to not dwell on the loss, but to smile, toast and celebrate the person for their contributions in life to the couple’s happy day. After all, they would have wanted it that way.
DJ Kenny Casanova – is a professional wedding reception mobile dj and professional wrestling ring announcer out of Albany, NY and Troy, NY.
Paper Lanterns are a nifty way of putting some light out there.
This past weekend, I did the DJ work for a great little wedding at The Bucksteed Manor in Washington, MA.
The Bucksteed was like a cross between a bed-n-breakfast and a mini-resort. It had a main eating hall, little cabins, a tent perfect for the reception, a barn gutted and turned into a full bar, and a nice gazebo for the ceremony.
The entire backdrop is wooded area surrounding a nice open field.
The massive tent had a line drawn up high in the center with large white circular paper lanterns, each with a soft glowing single watch battery-operated LED light. These lanterns provided a nice glow to light everything up with a ton of class.
Paper lanterns are now very popular for decorating all kinds of modern weddings. They do particularly well in providing the soft light needed for great wedding shots at indoor, outdoor, and event tent wedding receptions. There is a wide selection of our colors and styles of paper lanterns out there and the range from only $2.00 to $5.00 a piece.
TOP 10 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING – A Checklist for success
As a wedding DJ, I have seen many things go wrong. These were little tiny problems to start and could have been eliminated easily, just with a little planning ahead of time. Here is a top ten list of ten important things to think about in order to plan a fun and successful wedding for all.
1. Think of EVERYBODY
I cannot say this enough. Even though it is your special day, you have to think about your guests and be a humble host, as anyone who throws a party should. After all, a good host puts others needs first. Do guests know what to expect? Are you planning your wedding for on a holiday that friends and family may have other obligations to? Are you a vegan and forcing your guests to eat food they are not comfortable eating to make a statement? Do you love hardcore music and do not care what the others think? Try your best to make everyone happy. 2. Be Yourself
If the couple is not all about classic music and being overly elegant, planning much of the reception as such may not be the right thing to do. You may want to go for more up beat fun stuff right from the get-go, during the cocktail hour. Also, some couples are now making the grand entrance into the cocktail hour to enjoy the festivities and then heading out for some pictures before they eat.
3. Waste Money
The wedding industry is a money making industry, with lots of avenues to indulge in. There is a lot of good advice out there, but remember, people will also profit from it. Shop around and do your homework! Budget means budget. If you have a number, stick to it!
4. Know who is running the show!
There are two people running the show. One is the officiate, the minister or justice of peace. His/her personality will come out in the ceremony. The other is your DJ/band leader, who plays a very important organizational role in whether the guests will say your reception was fun, or not.
Seating at Universal Preservation Hall
5. Seat Guests Effectively Your wedding is no place to try and mend broken bridges between guest. Forcing enemies to come together by seating them together is probably not going to work and not a risk you should try taking. Also, try and keep older people away from the DJ or band, as they often do not like louder volume levels. For more ideas on seating, see my other blog.
6. Lose Perspective
Don’t get caught up in so many small details and traditions that you don’t spend enough time on what’s important. Keep the big picture in mind. If something doesn’t go exactly as planned, this is okay. Nothing ever does! Just remember, it is a celebration. Make it work.
7. Heavy Party the night before
It’s not always a good idea to plan crazy bachelor/bachelorette parties for the night before the wedding, if people with important roles tend to get carried away. The last thing you need is to wake up with a headache, or upset stomach. Too much drinking the night before is not always a good idea.
8. Bride & Groom planning
Wedding planning can and should fall on the bride and the groom together. If one becomes too overbearing or selfish, it can make for an awful night for the other. Ask yourself, did I listen?
9. Be prepared for ANYTHING Having a backup plan for everything is KEY! Most people don’t want to believe that something could go wrong at their wedding, so they do not plan for it. If it is an outdoor wedding, make sure that you have an alternate location in case of rain. Keep phone contacts on hand for vendors and people with important roles.
Fun at Hunter Mountain
10. Don’t be afraid to be different
Traditional weddings are all the same. Don’t let your wedding reception fall into the regular pattern. If you do, your wedding will blur into the rest. Never be afraid to be different! A good idea is a good idea, even if it bucks tradition.
FINALLY…
This list used to be eight points long, but I just recently added TWO MORE… the last two. I cannot stress enough the importance of the last two on this list. You really need to plan for disaster at your wedding, so that you can better handle something in case the worst happens. Also, always be yourself and in the end, your wedding will be a success.
Candy Carts are a New Sweet Idea for your Wedding Reception
With all the weddings that we do, I come across some pretty inventive ideas. I love to share what I see. Here are three fun and yummy new trends in modern weddings, that will help get your taste buds going.
COCKTAIL HOUR GRAND ENTRANCE OF BRIDE & GROOM
An interesting new trend for wedding receptions and cocktail hours is for the bride and groom to actually be announced fifteen minutes or so into the cocktail hour, so that they can enjoy the spirits, as well. As everyone knows, a tasty drink or two can really make the party fun. If the bride and groom get done with their pictures quickly enough, why not?
THE CANDY CART
A sweet new treat in weddings is the Candy Cart. A scrum-dilly-icious candy buffet adds fun and color to any wedding. This new trend has a table on wheels that looks like it was heisted straight out of Wonka’s Chocolate factory. The cart is covered with large glass bowls and vases over-flowing with goodness. Little baggies allow for all of your guests to pick what kind of candy they want and take it home. Kids and adults love taking home little bags of loot so that the sweetness of the reception continues long after the DJ has packed up.
HONEYMOON GIFT REGISTRY
Enough said. Just like any other type of gift registry at a store like Bed & Bath, Macy’s or even on Amazon, friends and family members purchase parts of the bride and groom’s honeymoon, to say, an all-inclusive resort with all the food and drink that one can handle! If it is not the obvious plane tickets or hotel room credits, it could be a show, an expensive dinner or a tour bus ride at the point of destination.
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!
When planning your wedding, you spend a lot of time looking for ideas. Often those magazines, websites, and uncatalogued have beautiful things, but they are WAY over budget.
While some people really like to check out Pinterest these days, I also suggest checking out flickr for wedding ideas. You can get ideas for decorating the venue, the cake, the favors, how to pose for photos, everything. Flickr lets ANYONE post their photos and you don’t have to have an account.
This web site really is great to see what people are actually doing (not just what the magazines want them to be doing).
Looking through Flickr is a great way to prepare for a theme wedding event!
Here are some great photos on flickr that can get your mind cranking about what IS possible:
