Category: Weddings

A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING

If you are ahead of the game, you already started planning in the fall. If not because you hiberating during the coldness of this winter, here are just a few things to think about upon the arrival of the wedding planning season crunch…

VENUES – When booking a hall/caterer, the most expensive part of your wedding can be scary. There are ways to save. Some halls like The Museum of Dance in Saratoga and Pruyn House of Latham allow you to select your own caterer. If you can book anyone, you can find deals, think outside the box, and even DIY bartender and save a ton!

INCLUDE YOUR DJ IN TIMING OF EVENTS – A good DJ who has done a bunch of weddings knows when things should happen. Another thing to think about when planning with venues/caterers is they really know food, but they don’t always include what is best for entertainment reasons into their agenda.

Case in point… THE CAKE. Sometimes the event organizer provided by the hall may push for the wedding cake to be cut and served immediately after dinner, this way they can “get it out of the way.”  However,  I have seen this be a disaster with some groups. The moment after the cake is cut, people bail and the hall is then empty for two more hours. The cake is a point of exit for many. Golden tips like this are often easily tapped when your DJ is consulted. Just ask!

PLAN EARLY – Make sure and give yourself at least 6 months ahead of time to book your entertainment and up to a year ahead for your venue.

HOT THIS YEAR – Last year was the photo booth. This year, wedding pops are predicted to be the new THING for this wedding season.

HAVE GUESTS SIGN DIFFERENT BOTTLES TO BE OPENED ON CERTAIN YEAR ANNIVERSARIES

At The Altamont Manor in Altamont, NY this past Saturday (a nice little place that I was the DJ for about 15 minutes out of Albany,) I saw a great new idea to try at your wedding. Instead of signing a book that will barely never get read, how about having your wedding guests sign wine bottles?

Here is an interesting and a more creative do-it-yourself idea that throws a twist on the traditional wedding guest book.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR ONE WINE BOTTLE GUEST BOOK –

1) First, purchase four different colored wine bottles.
2) Next, remove the manufacturer’s labels by soaking the bottles in hot water.
3) Clean and scrape off any remaining label remnants with lighter fluid, or a good adhesive remover like Goof Off. (You can also use WD-40  as a cleaning agent.)
4) Create custom wine labels made up with the bride & groom’s names printed on them, and the numbers 1,5,10 and 20.
5) Make a nice display on a small table . Place the table with the bottles and metallic ink pens at the entrance door to the wedding reception. 
6) Add an instructional photo frame, explaining that the bottles will be used in place of the traditional wedding guestbook and consumed on certain year anniversaries.
7) Encourage guests to sign the bottles with silver metallic ink pens, throughout the evening.

WHEN TO DRINK – The idea is that the newlyweds should drink the wine on their first, fifth, tenth and twentieth anniversaries. It should also be explained that the reason for consumption years down the line from these bottles is to remember their friends’ best wishes once again, as immortalized on the bottle in silver ink.

What a great idea! It is like morphing together the traditions of the wedding guest book and freezing a piece of wedding cake to eat a year later.

HAVE WEDDING GUESTS PAINT THEIR WAY INTO YOUR RECEPTION

Wedding guest books are something that can be saved and cherished, again and again, for many years to come. Brides & grooms around the world save these keepsakes and break them out, typically on important anniversaries to reminisce and reflect on their special day. After a recent post on “wine bottle guest book idea,” we thought it might be great to do another post like it. Are you looking for different spin on your wedding guest book?

How about a creative wedding idea that really expresses who your friends and family are? As a twist to different collaborative efforts for a wedding guest book, why not bring out the artists in your friends and family members?

Here is a wedding guest book with no words; a wedding guest book group painting! I was the DJ at a recent wedding at Revolution Hall in Troy, NY (which by the way is a great place to have your wedding.)

At this particular wedding reception, the bride and groom decided to go alternative with their guest book, with a paint brush instead of a pen. With a few simple instructions, they had their guests paint whatever they wanted to represent themselves in a penciled in square on a blank canvas -using no words! You too can do this.

It is very simple and an easy side activity that you can add to your wedding with very little prep.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WEDDING GROUP PAINTING GUESTBOOK

1) Provide a canvas with small penciled off boxes for each guest to make their painting.

2) Add some brushes, glasses of water and paint.

3) Write out some short instructions on a tiny chalkboard. (Decide if you want guests to use NO letters or writing of any kind.)

In the end, the newlyweds now have a great keepsake that they will hang in their new home to remind them of their special day!  You can almost make a game of it, too, in looking at the boxes and trying to figure out who painted what and what box equals which person. Be creative and try this at your wedding! If you you are afraid to forgo the traditional guest book for this idea… DO BOTH!

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING LAYOUT

DJ Kenny Casanova gives you some things to think about with your wedding floor plan in this video blog. Touching upon the elderly, DJ placement, and how to get the best music quality from your DJ, if you are creating your wedding reception floor plan right now this is certainly worth under 3 minutes of your time.

You will not only hear some nifty ideas that will save you from having problems, but also get some ideas on what to think about when on offering the most you can from your entertainment through correct placement.

For more on this topic, check out our article at: WHERE TO PUT YOUR WEDDING DJ ON FLOOR PLAN

Thanks and enjoy!

Hockey Theme Wedding DJ 

I’ve actually done a few Hockey Theme Weddings recently and have pictures to share with you below, in case you are thinking about the same type of thing for your special day.

Michelle & Tim got married in Latham on March 29, 2014 and we had the pleasure of providing our services for this happy day. The couple had their ceremony and reception at The Holiday Inn Banquet Hall in Latham, NY.

Since the happy couple met at a Rangers game, it only made sense to make the wedding theme match their passion: HOCKEY !!!

They followed the original theme great! They had ice statues, hockey puck place cards, red and blue uplights to match their team’s color, and more! There was a hockey jersey used as a guest book, for all guests to sign when they came in. They used the Rangers Goal Theme song for their entrance song. The had hockey sticks all over the walls, as well as banners and uniform pieces as decorations. They had a hockey theme slideshow and video presentation. And the centerpieces were hockey, too!

Great time had by all!

Hockey Theme Wedding DJ Pictures (Latham, NY) Below

Pictures from another hockey theme wedding (Altamont, NY) below

I also did another pretty cool Hockey Theme Wedding in the summer of 2015. This bride and groom also loved Hockey and went with a hocky theme for their special day. They had a Hockey Jersey Guest book, a hockey place cards seating chart, and a really cool hockey theme centerpiece. Here are some pictures:

As I always say to my clients, if you have the guts to go with a wedding theme, then it really makes the night better. As you can see, both weddings above did just that. I hope the pictures help you with your planning!

Orchard Creek Golf Club Wedding Hall

Here is a quick look at a recent beach theme party we provided DJ services to at Orchard Creek Golf Club, Altamont, NY. Maybe this video upload can help you get an idea of the feel of the place…

It is also a great place to have a wedding!  Here is the contact info for booking from our Top 50 Wedding Venue List in The Capital District:

Orchard Creek Golf
6700 Dunnsville Road – Altamont, NY
(518) 861-5000
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