Planning Your Wedding Reception Music

When considering the music for your wedding reception, it is helpful to think about your wedding reception as three distinct segments; cocktail hour, dinner service and dance party. This allows you to consider different genres that you may not have thought about. Let’s break down each musical part of the wedding reception timeline. (For more on wedding reception timelines, click here.)

Cocktail hour. The cocktail hour is a great time to play some of your favorite songs. While it may be “normal” to play light jazz or standards, there is no rule that you must follow. If you love acoustic artists, they make a great soundtrack to the mingling of your guests. If you’re hoping to have a fun wedding reception, you can start the evening off with favorites from the 80s. Anything goes for your cocktail hour.

Dinner Service. During dinner service, many couples opt for jazz without vocals so that guests can converse without distraction. As dinner service begins to wind down, consider adding some of your favorites. You can add electronic, oldies & motown, alternative ballads or whatever you like. It gets your guests ready to dance leading up to the party.

Dancing. Most receptions will open with traditional wedding dances for the couple, family and bridal party. (For more on these, click here.) At the completion of these dances, your guests will be invited to join you on the dance floor. Consult with your DJ to develop a list of must play, try to play and do not play songs. While it may be tempting to try to plan out every song for the night, it is highly advised to resist that temptation. A professional DJ is skilled at reading the crowd, selecting the best song to play next and keeping your party going. An experienced wedding DJ will understand that everyone is passionate about ‘”their style” of music and know how to tap into that passion and present it in a manner that everyone on the dance floor can get excited about together. They will know how to correctly weave in and out of many different styles of music and, ultimately, keep the party going all night long.

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Make Everyday Valentine's Day

Valentine’s day is a beautiful day to celebrate love. But don’t save it all for one day, here’s 15 ways to keep that lovin’ feeling all year long!

1. Love each other. Treat one another with respect, honor, and displays of affection.
2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence.
3. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest each other.
4. Save the day. Throughout your lives you’ll have chances to be each other’s hero. – in big and small ways. Fill the low fuel tank, drop off the forgotten work project and smile through boring business dinners. Practice on the small things so the big ones don’t seem so tough.
5. Savor every moment you have together. Today you’re planning a wedding, tomorrow you’re pushing strollers and before you know it, you’re ready to retire. Life happens pretty fast; cherish every moment.
6. Learn each other’s passions. It’s okay if you aren’t good at baseball or dancing; it’s the time together that matters.
7. Choose sides wisely. It is inevitable that families will argue. Remember that you two are also a family.
8. Plan a family budget. Together. It’s important that the spender and the saver are on the same page. Remember, to budget for fun too. Budgets aren’t romantic, but they do stop arguments.
9. Do the unexpected. Make pancakes for breakfast. Eat ice cream for dinner. Meet for a midday picnic. It’s important to mix things up every so often.
10. Dance. Don’t stop dancing after your wedding day.
11. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Some days she won’t feel pretty and she’ll need to hear it.
12. Let him open the door for you. And make a big deal of it. Guys like to be appreciated.
13. Unplug. From the iPod, the computer, Facebook and whatever other distractions you have at least once a day. If only for 15 minutes – dedicate time to each other.
14. Keep dating. That’s how you fell in love in the first place.
15. Remember “Hallmark” holidays. It’s not about the flowers and candy. It’s about being appreciated. And she wants to brag about how sweet you are.

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How To Cut the Wedding Cake

When it comes to cutting the wedding cake, many newlyweds don’t know where to begin. Follow these tips to cut your cake like a pro.

• Using her right hand, the bride will usually hold the handle of the knife and the groom will put his hand over hers. Begin cutting the bottom tier of the cake using the pointed part of the knife and make two cuts. Making a vertical slice at the junction of those points will allow you to cleanly remove the small slice and place on a plate. From there, the bride and groom will then feed each other as a sweet start to their new life.
• If you will be serving the cake as dessert, cake cutting is usually performed after the grand entrance, before toasts begin. This will allow your serving staff to clear and cut the cake during dinner service. If you will give the cake to guests as they leave, cake can be cut at any time of the evening. You will likely need to order cake boxes if this is your plan. (For more on reception timelines, click here.)
• Discuss in advance if you will feed the cake to each other at the same time or alternate. It is your choice to use fingers or forks!
• Let your serving staff know if you plan on keeping or giving away any tier of the cake, otherwise, they may serve it to your guests. Don’t assume everyone knows.
• Many couples have the serving set engraved with their names. They can be used later for birthdays, anniversaries or your children’s weddings. Your serving set can become a family heirloom passed down to every generation.
• Share your plans for cake cutting with your photographer and videographer so they can decide on the best camera angles for this special moment.
• Your DJ can suggest the perfect song to accompany your cake cutting.

Traditionally, most couples keep one cake to celebrate their first anniversary and this means storing it in the freezer for one whole year. More recently, bakeries have begun to offer a replica cake tier on your one year anniversary. If you will be storing the top tier, the following can help to preserve the flavor.

• Remove the decorations such as flowers and toppers from the cake and make sure the cake board is wrapped with a foil paper.
• Place the cake in the freezer for about 20 minutes so as to make the icing hard. Once hardened, wrap the cake with an airtight plastic wrap. Wrap it with two or more layers of foil to prevent the frozen taste and store in a freezer storage container.

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Wedding Receptions That Entertain Your Guests

The best wedding receptions are the ones that energize and entertain the guests you have invited. Involving your guests isn’t a hard task; it simply takes some planning on your part. Follow these suggestions and your reception will be talked about for years!

Be present. Your guests have gathered to celebrate your wedding day with you. Visit with your guests before dancing begins so they aren’t waiting for a moment to share their well wishes. When you are ready to party, so are they.

Make the reception room the place to be. If you are having a dessert bars, photo booth, slideshow or other entertainment, have it placed in the reception room. Anything that pulls their attention from the party room will be a party distraction rather than a party enhancement.

Dance, dance, dance. Your guests take their cue from you. If you want your guests to have a great time dancing, be sure that you do too! For more tips on packing your dance floor, click here.

Mind the volume. Hire a great wedding DJ who is experienced and focused on creating a great party atmosphere – not blasting your guests eardrums. It’s a good idea to move tables and chairs away from speakers and seat older guests further from the sound equipment.

Seating arrangements. Take time to carefully plan your seatinf arrangement, placing guests at tables with others they know. They don’t have to be fast friends, just acquaintances or people with some connection. Seat out of town guests with people that have similar interests. You can turn place cards into conversation starters by having them match another guests or even have trivia questions about the bride and groom printed on the cards.

Respect Their Time. While everyone loves to see the bride and groom share a special dance, your guests are also looking forward to dancing themselves. Start the dancing at your wedding reception with the traditional dances and then ask your guests to join you. If they spend too much time waiting for their turn to dance, guests become frustrated.

Play Favorite Reception Songs. Playing a group favorite that’s easy to sing along and dance to can be a fun way of involving guests. Some suggested songs are “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, “Friends In Low Places” by Garth Brooks “My Girl” by The Temptations and “Respect” by Aretha Franklin.

Allow Group Dances. Group dances allow shy guests to hide among the crowd and can instantly pack your dance floor. You may not personally be a big fan of “The Hustle”, but it’s likely that many of your guests are.

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