There is a new contemporary wedding advice decorating idea out there to “liven up” your wedding centerpiece, of late and the formula simply works like this… ADD FISH!
That is right. FISH!
Recently at a wedding in Mechanicville, NY, the bride and groom had fighter-fish in the same vase that the flowers were in for their centerpieces on the dinner tables.
Purchasing bowls rather than vases allows for the same decoration ability with a floral side to it, but also gives room for a fine-finned friend to enjoy the festivities.
The new man and wife had flowers that actually matched the fish in each bowl. It was incredible and a great conversation piece.
People also use goldfish too for their wedding centerpieces. With the countless different types of goldfish out there and the multiple different colors they come in, a trip to the petshop could really be worth it!
Stones, flowers, artificial gems and candles are all great accessories for the bowls. Check it out!
Want everyone to have a chance at ALL of the entrees? Thinking about having a buffet at your wedding? If you are, there is one thing you absolutely have to remember. Make sure you make your line is double-sided.
I have seen many many weddings get really tied up with time when the kitchen puts the buffet tables up against the wall. Not having access to both sides of the table from a guest’s stand point, means you will have double the wait.
This may not mean much in a small wedding, but if you have a guest list of 100 plus people, you will likely end up with half of the people done eating before the other half has even started.
A great way to set p the tables when possible is to put a double setting of each dish on the table back to back, so people on either side see the same dishes on the opposite side.
Believe me, if you set up your buffet line like this, there will barely be any wait and allow extra time for any even more fun evening.
While Colbie Caillat retains her signature sound that fans have come to love on like “Bubbly” and “Falling For You,” there is one refreshing difference on this great new wedding “first dance” option.
“I Do” has that tinny acoustic guitar/ukelele sound which, in a resurgence, is becoming popular of late in many tracks. For “I Do” this trendy instrument-choice coffee house-like sound works perfectly and adds an additional layer of fun to a great track. This simple light sound has brought about recent success for songs like Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” and their duet “Lucky“, as well as the Bruno Mars hit “Lazy Song,” “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, and Travie McCoy’s collaboration with Bruno Mars on the hit track “Billionaire.”
Wow! What a crazy weekend, June 24-26th, 2011 turned out to be. We had a union party, three graduation parties, two bar gigs, three weddings and a school’s end party. Nuts!
Anyhow, out of all of them, I took what could be one of my new favorite wedding pictures of all times at Crystal Cove in Averill Park. The couple booked me to DJ and do pictures, so DJ Maria came to back me up during the shoots. (We make an awesome team!)
Many brides wish for a wedding outside in bright a bright ray of sunshine for their backdrop. Though many say that they don’t want it to rain on their wedding day, some people and cultures believe it is good luck.
Many people don’t know that as a wedding DJ, I also do photography.
DJ Kenny Casanova is also a Wedding Photographer in Albany, NY
From a photography point of view, rain at your wedding isn’t be ideal, but sunshine isn’t either. I actually very much like a bit of overcast clouding with a hint of rain approaching. Here are a few shots I have taken to help illustrate what I mean.
The first one is with the dock is from a wedding at Crystal Cove, just this past weekend.
This other shot is one of my personal favorites from my portfolio, a twelve our wedding celebration in Fonda from 2009. It was a blast, but this photo wasn’t taken later at night. It was between the ceremony and the reception. It actually rained a little during dinner, but nobody cared. It stopped soon after.
A chance of Rain ain’t bad.
The cute kid below, Logan, was the bride’s son from the Crystal Cove wedding. He caught me trying to get a candid of him taking candy from a bowl. His response turned out to be better than the original shot I had hoped for….
As you may or may not have noticed, much of what I blog about here at www.TheDJservice.com/blog ends up being a lot of cool ideas for those who are in the midst of planning weddings. The reason wedding advice ends up, quite often, being a large portion of the content is that I end up DJ’ing one or two weddings a week, and the events become easy content for my DJ blog. It is a no brainer. If you have been following my blog, you know that I like thematic weddings the best.
A stock pile of pirate goodies
Anyhow, I just wanted to let the readers know that I practice what I preach; Theme Weddings are one of the best ways to really make your wedding memorable. Therefore, my wedding will be loaded with PIRATES.
About a year ago, I wrote a blog about how I would plan a “pirate wedding.” The way I write my wedding theme blogs are I either go to a wedding that has an awesome theme and absolutely have to share what I saw, or I do a bunch of research up on an idea and write.
Pirate Theme Wedding Centerpiece
In the case of my researched pirate blog, I had gone to my nephew’s birthday party which had a pirate theme, due to his love of The Pirates of The Carribean movie franchise. Then I got to thinking how it would be interesting to take some of the fun birthday party ideas and transform them into a bigger wedding that afforded a bigger budget to the theme.
Before posting the finished draft of the blog, my fiancee read it and told me I shouldn’t put it out there for everyone to read.
“Why?” I asked. “Is it not realistic? Do you think nobody will want to do it?”
“No. No. Not at all,” she replied. “I don’t want anyone stealing it, because I want it for our wedding.”
A woman into the idea of a pirate theme?! This is why I am marrying her!
Anyhow, we have had an absolute blast planning for our own special day.
Here are some shots of the best man, or first mate, Marty Carbone and myself, sporting the costumes that didn’t quite make the cut:
First Mate Marty Carbone – Best ManThe DJ Kenny Casanova Pirate Wedding Extravaganza – one costume that didn’t quite make the cut.
Save a Little Everywhere and End Up Saving A bunch!
There are many ways to save for your wedding in Albany, NY, or other corners of the Earth. You can have a beautiful and yet affordable wedding, if you keep a few simple things in mind, during your planning process. That’s right, in order to save, you have to plan.
Here is a top 10 list of ways to save money on your wedding:
1. Your Wedding Invitations – Online is totally acceptable now, so you can save a bundle on postage right there. If you do not want to go the e-invite route, at least shop your invitations online. Competition is fierce and you are bound to find a deal if you look enough.
2. Cut Down The Guest List – Don’t invite anyone you haven’t seen or even talked to in five years. Don’t encourage singles to bring a date. Avoid inviting work colleagues. And let your friends bring their children. Watch
3. Play on eBay – Anything you buy, always check eBay and Amazon first!
4. Affordable Wedding Dresses – Online and believe it or not, thrift stores, can be a great resource to save literally hundreds of dollars on the wedding dress. Having your mother’s dress altered is often far cheaper than buying a new one, as well.
5. Be frugal with Decorations – There are countless ways to save on decorations. Sometimes, candlelight can be the most romantic and beautiful alternative to fancy centerpieces and decorations. You do not need expensive flower arrangements everywhere.
6. Save on your Flowers – Check with the hall to see who else is having a wedding there that weekend. You may be able to save on flowers by sharing. Also, some vocational schools have Floral Classes. Sometimes you can work with your local votec to turn your wedding decoration into a classroom assignment and only pay cost of the flowers.
7. Throw a “Wedding Prep” Party – Get all of your bridal party and friends together. Turn on the tunes and have them put together favors, flower arrangements and anything else that you have to pay more for when it comes completely assembled.
8. Think Food and Drink – Always provide your own caterer when you can. If your hall does not allow this, ask where money can be saved. See if they’ll let you provide your own liquor, or if serving only wine and beer will be cheaper than a full bar. Also consider only having open bar open during your cocktail hour, then serving an inexpensive wine with dinner.
9. Consider Your Day of the Week – Prime time is Fridays & Saturdays (sometimes Sundays) April thru October. Booking outside your hall’s primetime definitions will really help you save.
10. Ask for Help – Who do you know? Why spend a bundle on the officiant, musicians, photographers and even DJs, if one of your guests can make this happen for nothing.
If you follow these guidelines, you will certainly have some money left over. That means a better home together and/or honeymoon you could have.
