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The Backyard Wedding – Is it really less work?

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Backyard weddings. Once thought of as cheap and tacky, these weddings have been the butt of many jokes. But as of late, more and more couples are embracing the ‘Country’ atmosphere. While many wedding venues offer 5 star service, breathtaking architecture, prime rib, chicken picatta, and filet of sole, backyard weddings serve up something different from the norm. A relaxed atmosphere.

So what kind of couple does a backyard wedding? Every couple! From the wealthiest couples to the bluest of blue collar, backyard weddings have one thing in common. Family. If you love the atmosphere of a close encounter with your closest family and friends, this is a great option for you. But it’s more than just slapping up a $50 canopy from Wal-Mart, plugging in an iPod, and your drunk Uncle John burning meat on a grill.

There are a TON of things to think about before your backyard wedding.

1. The Weather. Mother nature does what mother nature wants. If you’re planning your wedding in July, expect a few surprises. High humidity and thunderstorms are very common during the mid-summer months. This is where solid shelter can make all the difference. If you’re going to rent a tent, spare no expense. A proper events rental company will have everything you need to make sure that your guests stay dry and comfortable.

2. Dinner on the rocks. Backyard weddings are typically a little more casual than weddings held at a wedding venue. But don’t forget tables & chairs! These rentals could get costly depending on how many guests you invite.

3. You’ve got the POWER. Hiring a DJ, or wedding band? They need LOTS of power. Be sure to have plenty of dedicated and easily accessible power readily available for your entertainment. If you’re having your wedding catered on site, they will need power as well because they are bringing a mobile version of their commercial kitchen with them.

4. Not so fine china. Disposable flatware has come a long way. You can purchase strong disposable flatware from your event rental or party vendor that will give you just the right amount of class while making clean up a snap!

5. Get TRASHED. Make sure you have enough trash receptacles for the amount of guests you are inviting. Put them in obvious places such as the bar and around the tent to make sure that your property stays looking clean and tidy.

6. Find your inner green thumb. With all of the effort you’re putting in to shelter, seating, food, drink, and entertainment, don’t forget about your wedding photographer. Having some nice flowers and landscaping to use for your photos is a must.

7. Restrooms. Homes are typically built for families of 5 and under. Make sure your home can take the extra people. If you’re not sure, renting portable toilets might be your best option.

8. Bugs really bite during a wedding. If you live in a highly rural area, you might consider treating your property with a bug repellant. Head to your local home improvement store and ask what will work best for your needs.

All in all, you get what you put into it. A backyard wedding is a lot of work but, if you do it right, it can be AMAZING!


The backyard wedding of Ali & Aaron

 

 

Here comes the bride, wedding ceremony music

Here comes the bride. 38 Wedding Ceremony Songs You’ll Love.

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If you’re looking to have a non-traditional or secular wedding ceremony, you may have the option to have some personalized music for your ceremony. Here are 38 wedding ceremony songs you’ll love.

1. I do – Colbie Calliat

2. Joy – Apollo 100

3. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

4. Mint Car – The Cure

5. All I want is you. – Barry Lousi Polisar

6. Modern Nature – Sondre Lerche

7. Tenderness – General Public

8. City of Blinding Lights – U2

9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Michael Buble

10. You make my Dreams – Hall and Oates

11. Accidentally In Love – Counting Crowes

12. Love you Madly – Cake

13. M79 – Vampire Weekend

14. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap

15. You are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne

16. Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit

17. Signed, Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder

18. I do. – The Marvelows

19. All you need is love – Beatles

20. Wouldn’t it be nice – 1999 (Remaster) – Beach Boys

21. Happy Together – The Turtles

22. Gimmie Some Lovin’ – Spencer Davis

23. Ain’t that a kick in the head – 1997 (Remastered) – Dean Martin

24. Dog Days are Over – Florence + The Machine

25. The Adventure – Angels & Airwaves

26. Ho Hey – Lumineers

27. Everlasting Love – Love Affair

28. Arms – Christina Perri

29. I’ve just seen a face – Live on MTV UnPlugged – Paul McCartney

30. Silver Lining – Rilo Kiley

31. Dance Tonight – Live @ Citi Field – Paul McCartney

32. Lovers in Japan – Coldplay

33. Feel Again – OneRepublic

34. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

35. Home – Phillip Phillips

36. You always Make me Smile – Kylie Andrews

37. You got it – Roy Orbison

38. Best Day of My Life – American Authors

 

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Turn your wedding to do list into a ‘done’ list.

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Turn your wedding to do list into a ‘done’ list.

So you’ve got your wedding band. Lets get to wedding planning and turn your wedding to do list into a done list! There’s so much to think about and so many pieces to the puzzle. Where does one begin?

WeddingWire has made it SUPER easy to help you stay organized with the wedding planning process.By using their wedding checklist, you can plan your wedding with ease so that when the big day comes, you’re relaxed, stress free, and able to enjoy your celebration with your friends and family.

Check out WeddingWire’s wedding planner by visiting  http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-checklists.html?pcode=ar-fbx-feed&utm_source=adroll&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=fbx_feed and start to get the most out of your wedding planning and even more importantly… Get the most out of your once in a life time special day with your friends and family.

Good luck and happy planning!

Wedding planning – The Wedding Timeline

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The Wedding timeline are essential to keep everything running smoothly. There are so many working parts that have to come together in order to make sure that everything that you want for your special day happen where and when they are supposed to. So, how do you begin to plan the events of the day?

Your Master of Ceremonies/DJ will have the responsibility of a ‘wedding director’ of sorts making sure that every event during your reception will happen seamlessly. From your introductions to dinner service, parents dances and so on all the way to the last dance. It is important to be very detail oriented when planning out the timeline.

For instance, the order of events pertaining to parent dances, toasts, etc all happen in conjunction with dinner service. Your introductions will come first followed by a first dance. While that’s happening, your catering staff are getting salads ready to be brought out to your guests. Once your first dance is over, a toast is done. This will get your guests seated and allow the waitstaff to serve salads. After the toast, dinner begins. After your first course, your father/daughter dance will happen. With everyone seated, the tables will be cleared and prepared for the next course. Then the mother/son dance will happen and the 2nd course will be served. You return to the table and enjoy your meal. Soon after that, a bouquet toss will happen and again, the waitstaff will clear the tables once again and get them ready for wedding cake.You’ll be instructed to head to the cake table for a cake cutting and many guests may get up to take pictures of this fun moment. Soon after, the cake will be served and open dance begins. With everyone on the floor, the desert is cleared and the room is in party mode.

While all of these events are going on, your DJ will be communicating with your catering staff, photographer, videographer, and any other people in your wedding team to make sure that they get set up for important moments in your reception and in the end, giving you not only the best reception in regards to food and entertainment but photos and video to remember for years to come.

There may be differences from venue to venue but, a good Master of Ceremonies will be able to adapt seamlessly to any changes they need to make to make your reception the one you’ve always wanted.

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What exactly does a wedding DJ do?

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What exactly does a wedding dj do?

From the WeddingWire Forums:
Dani writes:
I know that the DJ is there to play music, but when do they usually start and what else do they do other then play music after dinner?

My dad used to work with a guy that does DJing and it would be cheaper… but he would come in to set up then leave and be back after dinner to start working… isn’t there usually music during cocktails and dinner?  I have the opportunity to go to an open house of my venues preferred DJ tonight but wanted an idea before I go of what services I should be looking for.
Wedding planning is something that most brides have never done before and many questions can come up during the planning process. This short list should give you an idea of what the responsibilities of your wedding djhttps://prymetymeentertainment.net/weddings/ are.
We meet with you to learn about what we can do to take care of your needs.
We will create a time line for your wedding to ensure everything runs smoothly
We will coordinate with your wedding vendor team to ensure that you are getting everything that you require on your wedding day.

We might stage photos for your photographer so that they capture every precious moment.
We might assist you/instruct you cutting your cake

By coordinating with your catering staff, and event manager, we ensure that your guests are served a hot meal and do not wait longer than necessary,
We provide music and entertainment for you and your guests to enjoy
If you choose to utilize lighting effects, we design the lighting that best suits the enhancement of the venue you’ve chosen.

Depending on your needs, we may set up 2 or 3 sound systems for your ceremony, reception, and cocktail space.

We calibrate the audio so that the music is at a comfortable level throughout your reception and important moments like toasts and speeches can be heard by everyone in attendance. In addition, We provide wireless microphones for toasts, etc.

We interact with your guests to create a fun and festive experience.

We take requests and blend them seamlessly throughout the evening

We read your guests and adapt the music so that there are no low points during dancing

We spend anywhere from 1-2 hours after you leave breaking down, packing, and loading the equipment necessary to make your wedding day a success.

 

Will your song requests make the final cut?

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Dancefloor science – Will your song requests make the final cut?

Everyone has their favorite tune or band that they listen to. But how well do they translate to the dancefloor? Think about your ipod playlist or the radio station you listen to. What do you listen to while you’re at work, in the car driving home, or in the bar on a Thursday night?

Every song has a purpose. If you’re hanging out at your dad’s bar, he might be listening to the Bob Dylan or George Thoroughgood. If you’re in the car, maybe some uptempo rock or top 40 is in order. If you’re at work, more than likely your employer tunes into the ‘safe at work’ station that has the word ‘lite’ attatched to it.

But what about the dancefloor at a wedding, school, or corporate event. Chances are, you know what to expect from each. At a wedding, there are some standards that almost always get played. Things like Love Shack, Build me up Buttercup, and the YMCA are all time tested and proven floor fillers. Why? They just work. But what if you’re not into the standards and you want to hear some Manheim Steamroller? Chances are, it’s probably not going to happen. For no other reason other than, a DJ’s purpose is to play for the masses and their job is to pack the floor and keep it full.

Now, what if you’re the bride or groom? Does being the client give you any clout? Absolutely it does. You trust your DJ to make the right decision. After all, this is what you hired them for. Your favorite song may not lend itself to dancing. So where does it fit in? During cocktail hour or dinner service. Dinner is a great opportunity to ‘LISTEN’ to some great music. By playing some of your requests that aren’t danceable during dinner, this allows your guests to share in the joy of a personalized music selection by you. There’s no law that says, ‘KENNY G must be played during dinner.” It can be just about anything you want, within reason of course. Sepultura is probably a little difficult for some folks to digest. But, you get the idea.

So don’t worry about spending days on end thumbing through all of your MP3’s and creating a 5 hour long mix for your DJ to play. Trust your DJ and help them help you take the pressure off your shoulders. Give them a few suggestions that will tell them enough about your taste in music and like a tenured sommelier, they’ll be able to pair the perfect music for every occasion throughout the evening.

It’s our job to entertain. It’s your job to enjoy your special day. It’s all about you.

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5 Things that Every Bride Books but noone remembers.

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5 Things that Every Bride Books but noone remembers.

So, you’ve just got engaged and immediately start planning out in your head of what your perfect wedding would be like. You drive quickly to the supermarket to grab several bridal magazines and begin calling friends to ask them to be a part of your bridal party. In the magazines, you see pictures of beautiful dresses, regal looking venues, and an ambiance fit for royalty. This is your wedding. It’s all about you. There are so many choices that you really would love to have them all but, your budget quickly dwindles to pennies and you haven’t even chosen your DJ, Photographer, or Videographer yet.

You’ve never planned a wedding before. So how do you know what services and options to book for your wedding? Here are the 5 things that EVERY bride books but noone remembers.

1. The Chocolate Fountain.

Who doesn’t like chocolate? People in formal attire. This sticky sweet treat is a great addition to sweet 16’s and house parties but for weddings, it’s a costly addition and very messy.

2. The overdone tables, centerpieces, & upholstered chairs with matching bows.

Choosing the right decor is a difficult task. There are so many choices. Pick one. After the 4 ft centerpieces, pleated luxurious fabric table and chair covers with matching bows, and enough candles to stay warm on a cold winters night. Where will you eat your dinner? This is one of the most common conundrums of wedding planning. Remember, sometimes less is more.

3. The abomidable cheese display.

It’s not secret. Cheese is just about everyone’s favorite food. Most people like what they like and are less likely to try an artisan cheese that only Andrew Zimmer from Bizarre Foods would try. If you’re going to have this option, keep it simple. You’ll get what you pay for and your guests will enjoy their favorite cheeses.

4. Parting gifts.

How tasty was that trendy baggie of cookies you got at the last wedding you attended? I bet they’re still in your car’s backseat cup holder waiting to be eaten for when you’re stranded in traffic.
It’s normal to send your guests home with something as a thank you for being a part of your special day. They’ve already enjoyed a meal fit for a king, the open bar, and a night out. Now I’m not saying to be cheap but, think about it. Cookies, candles, fridge magnets, and nippers typically end up in the kitchen junk drawer. Be practical.

5. Last but not least is the disposable camera.

In the interest of being budget friendly, we’ve left the duty of getting quality wedding photography to your wedding guests. We’ve all seen them. The picture with the finger half over the lense, the over exposed group shot that turns even the most tanned guests into albinos. You get the idea.

By being smart with your wedding budget, you can all that you want and none of what you don’t.