Choosing Your Wedding Reception Venue

Each couple looks for the perfect wedding reception venue.  But what makes it perfect is different for each couple.  So what should go into the decision?

Start by talking before making any visits.  It’s important that you talk with you fiancé about the vibe you want for your wedding reception.  If he likes the idea of a laid back barn wedding and you crave a posh party downtown, you’ll need to get on the same page before visiting venues.

Church or civil wedding? If you are considering a civil ceremony, you may be able to save money by selecting a wedding reception venue that has a location for your ceremony.  If you will have a church wedding, you might want to consider a venue that is nearby for the convenience of your guests and to best use your time.

Decide on a budget.  Wedding catering and alcohol will be a large portion of your wedding budget.  You should have a good idea about your budget and guest list before visiting reception venues.  Their sales director can present options for you to consider when she understands your budget.

What’s best for your guests?  If a large number of your guests will be traveling for your wedding, you might want to consider venues with lodging or near to hotels.

Your wedding date.  Prime dates book quickly – sometimes years in advance.  When considering a venue you’ll have more options if you are flexible about your wedding date.

For questions to ask potential wedding venues, click here.

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Wedding Reception Music For A Great Party

Music sets the tempo for your wedding reception.  It lets guests know what to expect, communicates the tone of events and can accentuate the theme of the day.  So how do you use music to weave your ideas together, check out these tips.

Consider your guests.  When thinking about the songs for your wedding reception, consider the age and personality of your guests.  While much of your play list will include Top 40 and dance hits, remember that guests have some favorite songs that they like to dance to at weddings as well.  If you’re getting married near a particular holiday or season, consider adding music for that time of year as well.

Create playlists, but don’t go overboard.  When thinking about the songs for your wedding reception, it is helpful to think of them in three groups; “Must Play”, “Try To Play” and “Do Not Play”. These lists are very helpful in letting your wedding DJ know the types of music you do and don’t want to hear at your wedding reception.

Trust your DJ.  While you will likely attend a few weddings this year, your  wedding DJ will be performing at numerous events.  Allow him to use his professional skills to guide you towards songs that he knows will pack your dance floor.  After all, you do want guests to dance.

Let your DJ take requests.  Talk with your wedding DJ about the type of party you are hoping for.  Do you want music as the background for visiting or do you want a dance party?  Allow the DJ to take requests and suggest alternatives that will keep the party flowing.  A professional DJ can read the crowd and play the best song next.

Every guest request isn’t a good request.  While it’s become trendy to ask guests to submit songs in advance, it is highly suggested that you don’t ask guests for requests in advance.  If you do collect requests, make sure that you discuss with your DJ to make sure he is screening requests to make sure they match your vision.  You don’t want to create a party for one person.  If you receive 100 requests of songs averaging 3 minutes, that is 5 hours of music programming.

Music Set The Tone.  The music for your wedding reception gives your guests a cue on what kind of event you will have.  This starts with your Grand Entrance to the wedding reception.  Choosing a fun song for bridal party introductions can help get the crowd ready for your big moment and give your guests a preview of what is to follow.

Cocktail hours can rock!  The formality of the ceremony is over and guests are ready to have a good time.  The music for your cocktail hour is a great way to share your personal tastes so anything goes.  Consider acoustic artists, crooners, reggae, love songs through the ages or any other genres that fit with your wedding theme.

Keep Dinner Upbeat.  There is no rule that says you must play soft jazz during dinner service.  Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Dave Matthews Band, Radiohead, Mat Kearney and artists of similar nature translate well to the dinner hour.  Your wedding DJ can also play songs that pickup the tempo as you get closer to the dancing portion of the evening.

Keep It Flowing.  Nothing kills the flow of a dance floor more than constant interruptions.  Work with your wedding DJ to establish a timeline that takes care of the traditional wedding events early in the reception and allows you to open the dance floor.

End It On The Right Note.  Ending your reception on a high note gives your guests a final, lasting impression.  Whether a special slow song for the romantics, or a sing-a-long for friends, give some consideration to  your last song of the evening.

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Wedding Flower Colors and Their Meanings

With the change in seasons, we are thinking of all the beautiful flower options.  The color of wedding bouquets and reception centerpieces has a history of traditional meanings.  What do the colors of your wedding day colors represent?

Blue.  Whether pale and delicate or bold and deep, blue wedding flowers traditionally represent peace, serenity and new beginnings.  Popular choices for blue bouquets often include delphiniums, hydrangea, roses, orchids, and statice.

Pink.  Pink wedding blooms are thought to represent happiness and grace.  Pale blooms can be used to convey youth and innocence while bolder tones invoke fun and energy.  Think pink and you think of grace, gentility, and happiness.  If you think pink, consider garden roses, carnations, tulips, lilies, gerber daisies, peony and orchids.

Purple.  Long associated with royalty, purple weddings represents dignity, creativity and success.  It has also been the most popular choice for wedding colors for several years.  Some popular purple blooms include hydrangeas, roses, carnations, tulips, orchids, lisianthus, and iris.

Red.  Is there any color more associated with love?  Red weddings represents passion, desire and long lasting love.  While red roses are traditional you can also use mums, orchids, peruvian lilies, daisies and calla lilies.

White.  White wedding flowers offer the simple beauty associated with innocence and reverence for the occasion.  Some popular blooms include lily of the valley, roses, lilies, phlox, amaryllis, carnations, dahlias and hydrangeas.  

Yellow.  Yellow wedding flowers are the color of happiness and sunshine.  Often used to create a feeling of joy, popular choices for wedding bouquets include daffodils, roses, tulips, orchids, lilies, dahlia and sunflowers.

Orange.  Orange wedding flowers symbolize confidence, enthusiasm and optimism in life.  Roses, alstroemeria, daisies, craspedia, peruvian, asiatic and calla lilies, and tulips are popular choices for the bouquet or centerpieces.

Green.  Symbolizing good fortune, harmony and health, green wedding bouquets are growing in popularity.  Consider blooms of carnations, roses, dahlia, hydrangea, lisianthus or pom flowers.

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15 Date Night Ideas

Date nights can be tough when you’re on a budget, especially when you are saving for your wedding budget.  But that doesn’t mean you have to stop dating!  Check out these ideas for free and low cost dates.

Game Night.  Invite a few couples over for a low cost game night.  Working together as a team is a great bonding experience.  Guys against gals is great for a little competition to make things interesting, just be sure not to be too competitive.

A Different Kind of Game Night.  Is your fiance a sports fan?  Take a break from the details of wedding planning and spend time on an activity he enjoys.  Whether it’s taking in a game from the cheap seats, or hitting the links yourselves, getting involved in one of his passions, at least for a day, shows you appreciate who he is.

Go To A Show.  Whether it’s a concert, performance or a day at the movies, matinees are great for a day out, but still budget friendly.

Explore The City.  Most large cities are great for festivals, free concerts or great scenic walks.  Spend an afternoon exploring the city.  You can even use the day to scope out locations for your wedding day Romantic images.

Visit Your Favorite Restaurant.  While dinner out might seem like a big splurge, using coupon sites like restaurant.com, can save you a few bucks.  And who doesn’t love a day without cooking?!

A Day At The Beach.  Surf, sun and sand make for a perfect day without a large expense.  Most MetroParks offer an annual pass, making it affordable year round.

Visit The Zoo.  When wedding planning is turning you into a bear, drop what you’re doing and go visit the real thing!  A day at the zoo is great for a leisurely stroll, watching the animals play and some downtime with each other.

A Day At The Orchard.  Whether picking summer strawberries or fall apples, orchards are a great place to spend the afternoon.  As a bonus, you’re spending the day picking fruits which are perfect for your pre-wedding diet.

A Night Under The Stars.  Grab a blanket, a bottle of wine and drive away from the city nights.  Spend the evening watching the stars and talking about your plans for the future.  Check out http://www.space.com/skywatching for stargazing highlights.

Go Back To School.  Did you attend school together?  Spending a day on campus, reminiscing about your time there, or cheering on your alma mater for a game can provide some relief from the wedding planning process.  If you didn’t attend school together, this is a chance to show your fiance where you have been.

Get Involved.  Look for opportunities to serve your community together.  Clean up a park, serve at your church, or work with a charity close to your heart.  Working together to make the world better will bring you closer as a couple.  To see how Mike Staff Productions gives back, click here.

Visit Museums.  If you haven’t been to a museum since your fifth grade field trip, it’s time to go back!  Visiting the museum as an adult allows you to truly appreciate all they have to offer.  And as a bonus, on a hot day they are great for an air conditioned activity.

Go Ice Skating.  Cold temps don’t have to force you inside.  Visit a local ice rink for some winter fun and finish the day with cocoa!

Have A Picnic.  Pack a basket lunch and head to the park.  Swing on the swings to bring back the happy times as a kid.

Sip, Sip, Enjoy… Go wine tasting. Check with any specialty wine stores in your area; some offer free (or really cheap) wine-tastings.  Grab your favorite bottle and head home to relax the night away.

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5 Time Management Tips Every Bride Needs

Planning a wedding is a big undertaking.  So what’s the secret to getting it all done?  Time management and prioritization!

First Things First: List Your Priorities.  It sounds simple really, but can be a challenge.  Rather than focus on each task that needs to be done, decide the priority items for your wedding day.  When you think about your wedding, what comes first?  Is it a gathering for friends and family, a celebration of you as a couple, a lavish affair?  Decide on the story you want for the day and the priority elements required to make that vision a reality.  Once you decide what’s important to you, the challenges of budget, guest lists, small details and big decisions will be dictated by the priority they are.

Manage The Details To The Goal.  Now that you have your priorities lined out, set the goals for your wedding day.  List the major items needed for each of your priorities.  These could include the wedding budget for the item, ideas that you have, who will be helping with each.  Be as specific as possible with each goal and its details, but don’t get hung up on each.  As you move through the planning process, you’ll probably get more ideas.  Once you have your goals set, decide when each should be accomplished and make a note.  (For a typical planning timeline, click here.)

Tackle That List.  Making a list is a great first step, but it’s a first step.  Once you know what you need to do, break apart the plan in manageable and achievable chunks.  Consider highly sought after things, such as your venues, DJ, photography, videography and dress as items you should tackle early.  As you plan your task calendar, be sure not to leave too many things to the end.  You don’t want to work on seating plans at midnight the day before your wedding!

Leave Margin.  Real life continues when you are planning your wedding.  Schedule time for some wedding free relaxation.  Designate a wedding free weekend once a month so you can still take part in the things you enjoy.

Let Go Of The Small Stuff.  The great thing about your priority list is that it helps you focus on what really matters.  Sure personalized notes to each of your guests on their place cards is a great touch, but it’s pretty time consuming too.  If it isn’t a big priority for your wedding day, consider cutting three things from your list immediately.  You’ll feel less stressed over the non-essential elimination, and can get back to what really matters.

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