If you are having your wedding around the middle of March, you are likely aware of that special day for the Irish that occurs on the 17th, St Patrick’s Day. Actually, if you are reading this, you may have chosen your wedding date around St Patrick’s Day because you have a little Irish in ya’. Regardless of why your wedding is near the holiday, you may want to consider incorporating a little irish music to make those guests that are Irish, feel a little more at home. I’ll break this into three parts… the bride that is herself irish and really wants the Irish theme to be obvious, the bride who thinks it would be cool to take her guests on a little irish journey once or twice throughout the day, and the reluctant bride who is only having Irish music because her long lost aunt insists.
As Valentine’s day approaches, I thought it might be nice to share an old idea that would be very complimentary to a reception being held on the weekend in which Valentine’s Day falls. This ‘activity’ could be incorporated in any reception, but it seems very appropriate for this time of year.
You might be familiar with the old tradition of tapping your glass with a utensil at your place setting in order to persuade the bride and groom to publicly proclaim their affection with a kiss. Usually, the clinking is instigated by a couple of guests and is infectiously contributed to by the majority of the guests at the celebration. Often, a bride and groom will hold off on the kiss until nearly everyone picks up on the action and the clinking becomes loud enough to take over the party for the moment. In lue of using silverware and china, often a tiny bell in placed on the table for guests to use to make the couple smooch. (I’ve seen many variations of the bell, which can be a fun way to add a special touch to the table settings). The following idea is a replacement for the glass clinking or noise making.
Sometimes, life imitates art or vice versa…..Case and point, Carl & Anna’s wedding over the summer.
Carl met Anna while they were both members of the USC marching band. Hence, the movie, America Pie trilogy with Jason Bigg’s character and Alyson Hannigan’s character and the whole sub plot revolving around the marching band.
It was an absolute treat for me and many of the guests to be entertained by the band. There were about 10 members and they performed for about 15 minutes. Funny thing, there was a large number of UCLA grads in the house too. A few jabs and corky comments by the UCLA guests, such as, “Hey look, the USC JV and community college band is here”……lol
Lighting for outdoor weddings can create some slight logistic concern. Many outdoor locations lack sufficient power for a “good volume” of decor lights. Furthermore, with your DJ, band and so on….You will absolutely need “generator/s”.
Today we introduce our newest WeddingAce, Jack Hou. Jack is a DJ/Lighting Designer from LA. After attending the weddings of many friends, Jack decided that there was room in the wedding industry for him. Taking a unique approach by incorporating lighting design, Jack is more than just a DJ.
Keep reading to learn more about Jack and check back later this week for Jack’s first WeddingAces post!
Now, I am going to share something very exciting with you. But I just wished that this could have been documented by a professional videographer with clean audio, which could have been captured from the DJ’s mixer. This is the mistake that you do not want to make!!! Your wedding day is very unique so I hope that you will have a professional to document the day, specially if you are organizing entertainment like this. I hope you enjoy this video and I wish you success with planning a special first dance for your guests.
Technology has come a long way since the days when DJ’s commonly had what we call the helicopter beacon lights that rested on the floor in front of their turntables. Not only has the price tag of high end lighting come down, but newer and more efficient lighting effects are becoming available as LED’s illuminate the future. There are three basic type of lighting fixtures… a spot, wash, and an effect fixture. The type of fixture used to create a colored splash of light over a large area is a wash light, most commonly using RGBW (Red/Green/Blue/White) LED’s.
This fixture, Color Splash Jr, depicts a standard LED wash light. 123dj.com
Imagine this frightening scenario: You choose the music you love for your wedding reception, and your guests don’t dance! Many couples are anxious about incorporating their own music tastes into their wedding playlist, because they don’t listen to “pop” music. This has become a fairly common concern, but you need not fear – there are plenty of ways to accommodate any type of music at a wedding.
Many brides have asked for suggestions on first dance songs that are extremely short — often because they, or their groom, simply don’t feel comfortable dancing in front of an audience. Choosing the right song, especially for a formal dance like the mother-son dance, is very important – see Chris’ WeddingAces post for some great advice on picking the perfect parents’ dance.
Here’s a list of 10 songs that definitely fit the bill for your short first dance, in no particular order. Some of them are also appropriate for a father/daughter or mother/son dance as well!
I often get asked from our brides, if I have any books that I would recommend for them in the planning stages of their wedding? And, the answer is Yes, of course. There are some very useful books out there that I often refer to and others that I have purchased for my fiancé, since we are planning our own wedding. I recommend these 5 titles, but feel free to browse through the other titles:
The Best Wedding Reception…Ever! | by Peter Merry
Jo Gartin’s Weddings : An Inspiring Guide for the Stylish Bride | by Jo Gartin
Emotionally Engaged – A Bride’s Guide to Surviving the “Happiest” Time of Her Life | by Allison Moir-Smith
1,000 Best Secrets for Your Perfect Wedding | by Sharon Naylor
Your Stress Free Wedding Planner – Expert’s Best Secrets to Creating the Wedding of Your Dreams | by Alison Davis
BONUS for all my eco-friendly couples (like us) — Organic Weddings | by Michelle Kozin
Manzanita branches, found naturally in the chaparral regions of western North America, are commonly used decoratively because of their beauty, unique shape, and strength when dried. As wedding décor, manzanita branches are hot! I have had many brides come in asking for manzanita branches for their centerpieces. These branches go well in
Our exploration of orchids available as cut flowers continues with the more luxurious and extravagant orchids.
Phalaenopsis
phalaenopsis orchid
Phalaneopsis orchids are everywhere in bridal magazines! They are the typical “moth orchid” plant you might see at Trader Joe’s or any other shop selling plants. As cut flowers, they are no longer that Home Depot plant,
There’s that word again. Chignon. Do they choose fancy french words just to embarrass us??
Relax. No, its really not all about you… (hahaha…bet cha haven’t heard that one since you started planning your wedding!). The word chignon, pronounced “sheen-yon,” is actually derived from the French phrase “chignon du cou,” which translates to “nape of the
Approaching 10,000 feet, seated on the starboard side of a 737 Southwest flight, I leave the Mile High City behind. As we continue to skip across the white cirrus clouds just beneath us, I am inspired and imagine the ultimate wedding venue: a Colorado mountaintop wedding with nuptial vows taken against a majestic sunset mix [...]
Finding the absolute perfect hair style for your wedding day can be quite a challenge, not to mention choosing an appropriate hairstyle for your bridesmaids, flower girl, and mother of the bride as well. Up do? Half up, half down? All down? Curls? Straight? Twists? Braids? Tiara? No tiara? Flowers? The possibilities really are endless.
So [...]
During hot summer months, couples planning outdoor weddings are looking to stay cool. The traditional suit or tux on a 90 degree day may not sound like the best idea, so many grooms are opting to just sport a cool vest. I personally think it’s the perfect option for so many grooms. Vest can be [...]
