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wedding centerpieces, uplighting, pinspotting, lighting design

Give your wedding centerpieces some POP!

Give your wedding centerpieces some POP!

In the WeddingWire Bridal forums, Kelly writes:

“I’ve been pretty set on my colors for a while now. Purple (like a royal purple, deep but bright) and blue. Lately, though, I really like the color blush and think it would help soften things up a bit. Our wedding is rustic themed and both the ceremony and reception spaces have lots of dark wood in them so I don’t want everything to be too dark.”

Great question Kelly!
Centerpieces and floral arrangements are a big part of the decor for your reception. But, what if your favorite color is at the darker end of the spectrum? There’s a solution!

One of the great ways to get extra POP out of deeper hues is to light them up. We use a method called ‘Pinspotting’ for this very situation. By incorporating a small focused beam on your dark centerpieces, they will stand out against the darker hues of the natural woods and stone of the wedding venue. Here’s an example of what pinspotting does.

seating chart, wedding seating chart, wedding seating arrangements, wedding arrangements, wedding decor

Wedding Seating Arrangements

Wedding Seating Arrangements

As if planning a wedding wasn’t tricky enough, one of the hardest parts of the planning is the wedding seating arrangements. You want those closest to you to be near your head table and then fill in with friends, co-workers, & acquaintances. Makes sense right?

Think about this for a moment. You love your grandparents and your parents. And they love you. They are ecstatic to be a part of your celebration. Do them a solid and put them as far away from the dance floor as possible.  Why?

The dance floor is a lively place to be. Full of music, and in some cases bright lights. If you remember from your childhood your parents or grandparents yelling up to you, “TURN THAT DOWN”, then being next to the DJ or his speakers is probably not the best place for grandparents. If you put them towards the rear of the room, they’ll be able to mingle with guests and chat with each other a lot easier if they are further away from the music.

“Can’t I just tell the DJ to turn it down?”

Sure you can. And they should oblige that request. But by the same token, a speaker is just that, a speaker. And it has to be loud enough to reach the far ends of the room. Not uncomfortable but, audible.

So when you’re starting to plan your seating arrangement, remember this little tip and keep guests young and old happy.

no dj at wedding, bad wedding dj, ipod dj, ipod wedding

Wedding Reception with no DJ?

Wedding Reception with no DJ?

Fatimah writes:

Reception with no DJ ?

“Me and the hubby to be are trying to cut costs as much as possible.we want background music but no DJ. I think it’s a waste b/c I really don’t think people will dance much. Anybody having or been to a reception without a DJ!”
A wedding reception without entertainment is just dinner. You can get that at Red Lobster.The picture above tells a lot about this topic. But one question comes to mind. Why do you think that your guests will not dance at your wedding? Are they ultra conservative and don’t like being the center of attention? Are they so immersed in playing Candy Crush on Facebook to enjoy the festivities?What is a dancing crowd exactly? When people refer to a ‘dancing crowd’ they are best described as self starters. When large groups congregate, the social butterflies of the crowd are usually the first ones to the floor. Once they are up there, others join in and the party begins. But how do you get to that point if no one is dancing?SLOW DANCES:

Anyone who has ever been to prom knows how to slow dance. For some, it’s all they know how to do. To stand with your partner and rock gently like a leaf on a tree giving a squeeze to that special someone. That’s a great way to get as many people on the floor to start the night. Once they’re out there, kick it into 5th gear and they’ll be begging for more.ICE BREAKERS:

Songs like YMCA, The Macarena, The Cha Cha Slide, and more are great ice breaker dances. they are easy enough for people to follow along and in some cases, very goofy. When you get that one person who has no fear to start it off, again, others will follow because they aren’t the center of attention. It’s a great way to get even the most conservative of guests moving. BRIDAL PARTY DANCE:

This is a great way to include your guests in the festivities and get the ball rolling. Lead by example. Invite your wedding party up to dance a slow dance with you. And then halfway through, invite the rest of your guests to join you. This will ensure the maximum amount of guests on the floor. From that point, your DJ can bounce around a few genres to see what works and keep the energy up.But what if I’m on a budget?
There is a DJ for everyone out there. In CT, DJs range from $300 to $3000 for weddings. More importantly than getting the cheapest one is finding one that is a good fit for your personality. If your DJ gets your non-dancing crowd up and running, you and he will look like a hero and you will have a wedding people will talk about and remember for ever. The choice is yours.
wedding traditions, bouquet toss, cake cutting, garter toss, something old, something new, something used, something blue, anniversary dance

What wedding traditions are you having at your wedding?

Wedding Traditions – What traditions are you having at your wedding?

From the WeddingWire Forums Almost Mrs. G Writes:

“Does anyone else’s FH want to do EVERYTHING that they’ve ever seen at a wedding? It’s driving me nuts. I *really* don’t want to do the garter toss. Or the bouquet toss. We really don’t have many guests who are single and every wedding I’ve been to it’s awkward. On top of it all…I *really* don’t want him to have his head up my dress in front of my entire family. We’re still at a stand still with that because he does and I don’t. He does because it’s “traditional”. I want to change a few things about our wedding and he just has no idea that there are no “set” rules for a wedding…we can do what we want. It’s driving me mad. How do you all deal with it?”

Well Mrs G, You’ve found yourself wound up in one of the most common wedding conundrums. Weddings have various traditions. Indian weddings have the Jaimala or ‘Exchange of the Garlands’ Moroccan weddings do hena. And in North America, it’s the bouquet toss.

Traditions are much like fads. They come and they go. They go more so now in recent years. One of the reasons is that the wedding receptions have been shaved down quite a bit from 8 hours down to 5. To do every single formality would take much more time than allotted. So what do you do? How do you choose?

Knowing your guests is half the battle. If the majority of your guests aren’t single, then maybe the bouquet and garter toss isn’t a good idea. But if you want something in it’s place to break up the time, consider things like an anniversary dance or newlywed game. If done properly, these formalities will break up the day a little bit and allow for your caterers to reset in between courses and leave your guests entertained.

Alcohol Free Dry Wedding

The Alcohol Free Dry Wedding

The Alcohol Free Dry Wedding

Drinking is one of America’s favorite pastimes. There are MILLIONS of watering holes across the nation with only one purpose in mind… Social networking. They are the original facebook.

Weddings typically are no exception. It’s a gathering of family, friends, and co-workers who are all looking for a good time and alcohol helps with that when it’s enjoyed responsibly. But what if you don’t want to serve alcohol at your wedding? We all have that Uncle Bob that has one too many or the friend from your husband’s fraternity that never grew up. It happens. But fear not, there is hope in your DJ.

A wedding entertainers job is to make sure that you and your guests are happy, comfortable, and enjoying themselves throughout your special day. There’s a DJ for everyone out there and they all bring something different to the table. If you hired a DJ who works hard at making sure that your guests are on the dancefloor, chances are, they will forget that there even is a bar in the room. They will have fun without becoming intoxicated.

What’s the one thing that guests will remember from a wedding? Is it the free drinks or is it the entertainment? 9 times out of 10, they always remember if they danced. Still not convinced? Check out a video from a 100% alcohol free, daytime wedding with only 60 guests by clicking the link below. Having the right entertainment for your special day trumps every other detail.

The Alcohol Free Dry Wedding

DJ Equipment

It’s all about the dj equipment.

DJs – It’s all about the dj equipment.

As an entertainment industry veteran who talks to DJs around the country, one thing is crystal clear to me. It’s all about the dj equipment.

If you’re a bride reading this, you’re probably thinking, “I don’t care about DJ equipment.” and you would be right. You shouldn’t. DJ equipment is big business and manufacturers are always pushing the envelope to create new and dazzling effects for DJs in regards to lighting, pyrotechnics, and other goodies.

So when should DJ gear be important to a bride? The answer is this.
If you’re meeting with a wedding DJ and he does all the talking about his gear and what it is capable of and the specs, he’s not listening to you and what you want. He’s trying to sell you every piece of equipment in his arsenal to make extra money.

Now in my case, when a bride sits down with me, the first words out of my mouth are, what would you like to see? From there, I can learn about my couple’s  likes,  dislikes, and everything I need to know to give them the wedding they want. At the end of the day, it’s all about our clients. They are the ones who put food on our table. They are our boss. We work for them.

LGBT Friendly DJ, gay wedding dj, lesbian wedding dj

Where are the LGBT Friendly wedding vendors?

Where are the LGBT Friendly wedding vendors?

After doing several LGBT weddings these past 3 years, I kept hearing the same thing from my LGBT clients. “Where do we find LGBT friendly vendors? It’s nearly impossible.”

That’s a great question. With the new legislation now making gay marriage legal, it opens the door for wedding professionals to gain a new clientele. That being said, you will more than likely see more and more wedding professionals ‘coming out’ and offering services to the LGBT clients more openly now.

Pryme Tyme Entertainment has always been a LGBT friendly company. For us, a client is a client. We wouldn’t treat an LGBT wedding any differently than a traditional wedding. After all, a wedding is a wedding right?

If you are an LGBT couple and you are looking for a great forum to chat with other LGBT couples and trade ideas, share stories, and experiences, check out Facebook’s newest LGBT wedding forum. CT LGBT WEDDINGS Forum. You can visit the forum by clicking the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CTLGBTWEDDINGFORUM
Also be sure to visit weddingwire’s LGBT offering www.gayweddings.com

Good luck with your search and happy planning!

 

Wedding Ceremony Music

While browsing the WeddingWire forums today, I came across a pretty common topic for DJs. Ceremony Music. Jen writes the following…

Ceremony music

I am having the most difficult time picking out wedding music. Our wedding is outside at an apple orchard and will be a non-religious ceremony. I really want some different from the traditional wedding march (it’s not my style). But everything I find just seems so cheesy. Suggestions?”

Jen, your wedding is whatever you want it to be. Years ago, traditions of church services, here comes the bride, and the grand entrance were all very common. Now the question is,  do you want to stay traditional or would you like something a little outside of the box?

Today, it’s very common to see live musicians taking care of the ceremony music as well as some secular or ‘non religious’ music at wedding ceremonies. The demand for all in one on site weddings is on the rise. So what should you pick for your ceremony music?

Usually I tell my brides who want something non-traditional is to choose something that is pretty sounding. Piano and or acoustic music is a good example. Artists like Jim Brickman are perfect for setting the tone. For recessionals lots of brides are going to country music these days. Country ballads are simple, honest, and heartfelt. AND PRETTY!

But regardless of what your musical tastes and style are, at the end of the day, choose something that best represents your love for one another. To get some ideas, visit the website below. Good luck and happy planning!

To get ideas for music for your wedding, check out http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-songs

Just another DJ

Just another DJ. What’s the big deal?

 

Just another DJ. What’s the big deal?

Yes. We went there.

What has been your experience with DJs in the past? Has it been so excrutiangly loud that your head pounded for days? Was it too quiet and announcements couldn’t be heard when the bride and groom were introduced? Or maybe it was the fog in the air that you were choking on. If all of these sound familiar, this is the article for you.

When we do an event, we are very organized and want to make sure that EVERY detail is gone through with a fine tooth comb before we proceed. That being said, everything from the sound coverage to the last light shining on the floor has a place and a purpose for your event.

For some DJs, the bare minimum is enough. And for others, bringing everything but the kitchen sink is perfectly acceptable. The important thing to remember is, every event is different and has different requirements. One set of speakers in a small or medium size room with 8ft ceilings may do the trick. If you’re in a 10,000 sq ft room at the Aqua Turf, 1 set of speakers is probably not enough. Not from a volume standpoint but from a coverage standpoint. Think of sound like a painter would paint.

You can paint a bathroom with a single gallon of paint. But if you are painting the exterior of a house, you need several gallons to get the job done or you will have missed spots and dead areas.

When you’re hiring your entertainment or event production company for your next event, make sure they have the tools for the job so that your attendees will go home happy.

LBGT Wedding of Rose & Faye

LBGT Wedding on the Fourth of July

lgbt wedding

July 4th 2013 was a glorious day! In addition to being the 237th anniversary of the Declaration of Independance, it was also a very special day for 2 brides. Rose & Faye were married in West Haven and Pryme Tyme Entertainment was a part of their LBGT wedding celebration!

After a brief ceremony on the shores of Long Island Sound, guests landed at  Westwoods Italian American social facility. Over 160 guests were treated to a radiant and colorful ambiance complete with lanters, hawaiian leis, and tasty barbecue by Johnny Z’s catering.

The music for Rose & Faye’s wedding spanned the ages. From classics like Elvis Presley to the brand new hit ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke. Guests young and old danced the afternoon away as they celebrated Rose & Fayes love.

 

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