Archive for the ‘Tips & Advice’ Category

Wedding Planning for Men – Father of the Bride Tips

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

It’s been a few weeks since we heard from our favourite wedding blog for men. Andrew never disappoints and this week its advice for the Bride’s father. Enjoy!

5 Essential Tips for The Father of The Bride

There seems to be a general feeling that the Father of the Bride is often the forgotten man of the wedding planning process. The feeling is that you’re probably experienced enough to cope with the nerves and tough enough to cope with the emotions. But that’s why we often end up feeling sorry for the FOTB (you’ve even got the worst wedding acronym for crying out loud) and decided to round-up some essential advice for all the dads out there prior to the big day.

Deal With The Nerves Before They Ruin It

It’s perfectly natural and acceptable for you to feel nervous. Nerves about the ceremony and speeches are in the top three subjects that fill the Staggered inbox. Fortunately, both can be cured with some simple preparation. Write and practice your speech at least a month in advance of the big day and do everything you can to make it to the church rehearsal as this will give you an idea of where to stand when.

Speeches Are Easy When You Prepare

You can find way more information on Staggered about wedding speeches but this is it in a nutshell. Between 5 and 8 minutes, less is more, stand straight, don’t mumble and speak from the heart. Always write your speech in full (never “wing it”), because even if you don’t use it you’ve always got it in case you need it. Give a copy to your daughter for the wedding memory box. The Father of the Bride welcomes the guests, sets the tempo, welcomes his new family members and talks about his daughter without embarrassing her!

It Will Be Emotional – Get Ready

Blokes and emotions are never a good mix, for the simple reason that we’re often a bit slower at dealing with them and how they affect us. Take some time before the wedding to talk to your daughter about the wedding and what she means to you. Too many men think they’ll come out with the perfect speech in the car on the way to the church and end up feeling that they never quite explained how they feel – or worse: end up at the church a sobbing mess!

How To Deal With The Money

The good news is that this generation are getting married later, the bad news being that they’re living with their parents longer. As a result more of them are paying for their own wedding. If you’re still footing the bill and you find that the wedding is placing too much of a burden on your finances then make it clear that costs need to be cut. Everyone wants a perfect wedding, but no one wants that to come at the expense of a stressed dad. Also there are thousands of resources out there on how to get a champagne wedding on beer prices, use them!

Plan Your Advice

As with the emotions, this is another topic that should be tackled in advance of the big day. It’s tradition that you pass on some advice – whether that’s in your speech or just in passing. This is a big thing both for the bride and the groom and many people remember for their whole lives what was said to them at this point. So make it wise, make it original and make it something personal. Think about your marriage: what have you learned? What can you say that will improve these young people’s chance of happiness? But remember, no pressure…

www.iamstaggered.com is the UK’s leading men’s wedding website.

Until next time, happy planning


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Wedding Genie Supplier Advice

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Choosing suppliers is one thing but what to ask them once you have booked them is another. How are you sure what their service really is if you don’t ask the right questions? Lately I have heard some very disturbing stories about suppliers. One’s who have not delivered what they said they would on the day and one who did not even turn up for the wedding! Yes the most dreaded scenario on your wedding day. Imagine no wedding cake to cut, photograph or display, even more disastrous if you planned on it being served as desert!

I have to say most suppliers are excellent but sometimes assume that the couple who have booked them understand what they are offering. You must ask questions so that you are clear what you are paying for and to help coordinate the rest of the suppliers that will be turning up on the day.

For instance, if you book a band, have you any idea when they will arrive and how long it will take them to set up? If your venue has to to turn your room around following the wedding breakfast for your evening celebration and you allowed half an hour because that’s how long the venue need, but your band arrives and takes over an hour and a half to set up and do sound checks. What impact does this have on your guests and the rest of the timing for the evening? Also did you find out if the venue has an entrance that the band can use so your guests don’t see them trailing their equipment past them. Many venues do not have the space beforehand so that the set up can be done earlier.

If they do various sessions throughout the night how long do they perform for and how much break do they require? What is the latest they will stay before they charge you for an overnight stay? Your day can very easily run over, making them start later. This means they may not have enough time left to play before they have to leave or charge you extra.

It’s very common to use an IPOD playlist in between sessions. Check that the band will be able to keep an eye on this because if you have downloaded lots of songs but not sorted them in any order what is it going to sound like?  Who is going to make sure the right songs are playing if the band is taking a well earned break. I don’t mean to pick on bands or entertainers, it’s just various things that have come up over the last few weeks whilst I have been coordinating our upcoming weddings.

You must be very clear what each supplier is contracted to do, when they are turning up and leaving. What do they need when they do arrive in terms of space, power, equipment, tables etc. For example if your cake arrives but there is no cake table set to leave the cake on and your supplier has to go and deliver to another wedding, will the venue team take responsibility for setting up your cake?

If you have five bridesmaids all having hair and makeup done what time will the makeup artist arrive, so that the hairdresser can work out the timings to get everyone’s hair done in time for the photographer who is coming early to take your pre- shots.

Sometimes you won’t even know what to ask because you think that the supplier will sort it all out for you, they may very well do but don’t assume anything.

I really wanted to illustrate in this blog that you must clarify all the little details with each supplier, so that when it comes to the month before your wedding you are not going back and forth trying to work out who is going to do what and when. You also won’t be taken by surprise when you thought that something was included but isn’t. The last month should be spent pampering yourself and spending time with your fiance before the big day. If you thoroughly prepare by asking as many questions and clarifying everything in the beginning you will save much frustration when it comes near to the wedding day. You will also save money because at this point you don’t want to be paying for hidden extra’s.

The Wedding Genie Bridal Workshops are all about helping brides understand how to plan and manage their perfect day. Why not check out our new service and see if it’s something you think you can benefit from? You can also enter our competition to win a free pair of ticket’s to our course in October. If you feel that you need help on your special day so you can relax, we specialise in On the Day Coordination to make sure your wedding goes exactly as you planned. Please call us if you would like to know more.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Poems and Quotes – Words To Inspire

Friday, August 13th, 2010

My words to inspire this month have been kindly sent to me by Claire from English Wedding Blog. Claire is also a calligrapher and when she was asked to write out this poem she thought of The Wedding Genie and sent it to me. You can read the lovely words and click on the links to look at tips on calligraphy too.

Us Two – Taken from Winnie The Pooh

Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,

There’s always Pooh and Me.

Whatever I do, he wants to do,

“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.

“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.

“Let’s look for dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“Yes, let’s,” said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
“Yes, those are dragons all right,” said Pooh.

“As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That’s what they are,” said Pooh, said he.

“That’s what they are,” said Pooh.

“Let’s frighten the dragons,” I said to Pooh.
“That’s right,” said Pooh to Me.

“I’m not afraid,” I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted “Shoo!
Silly old dragons!”- and off they flew.

“I wasn’t afraid,” said Pooh, said he,

“I’m never afraid with you.”

So wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
“What would I do?” I said to Pooh,
“If it wasn’t for you,” and Pooh said:”True,

It isn’t much fun for One, but Two,

Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. “That’s how it is,” says Pooh

 

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Planning for Men – Picking Your Best Man

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

A few pearls of wisdom from a mans perspective, I would have loved to have seen Andrew’s Alsation best men!!! and his brides reaction to his choice of best man.

Picking Your Best Man

One of the few wedding jobs going that is emphatically the groom’s responsibility is choosing the best man. Now that doesn’t mean that certain people *cough* the bride-to-be *cough* might not offer an opinion or two on who it should be, but they ultimately know that the best man is as serious as male friendships get and therefore they should back the heck off. We’re not going to join the roster of people queuing up to tell you who to pick, but we do have some advice.

Pick with your heart, not your head.

What the bride wants is for you to pick someone who won’t take you to a strip club on your stag do. She wants you to pick someone who will say disarmingly charming things during his speech. She wants someone who looks good in a suit and won’t spend the reception at the bar chanting: “CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!” with their pants on their head. In essence, the bride wants you to pick your grandmother. The guy you’re thinking of choosing might fit the above description, or they may be a rogue of the first water. Just remember that you’re picking your best man on the qualities of deep friendship, of shared experiences and, damn it all – on love. Go with your heart.

Don’t pick a woman

You’re angry aren’t you? You’re thinking – “How dare they, women can be just as much a best friend to a man as a man can.” Well, that’s a debate for another time (as is the old When Harry Met Sally men can’t be friends with women because sex gets in the way discussion – However, the reason you can’t pick a woman is simple: the bride. No matter how ugly your female friend is and how Platonic the friendship, there will always be a part of the bride burning with jealousy that another woman is a closer friend to you than she can be. And you’re going to make her feel like that on her wedding day. Bite the bullet and ditch the gal pal.

Don’t pick two best men

The two best men scenario is just wrong. The speeches go on forever, the stag dos are a planning nightmare and the photos look weird. All of this just because you can’t admit to your best friends that you like one more than the other. You are not six-years-old. If you cannot tell your adult male friends that you want one to be a best man and one to be the usher without the dissolution of your holy friendship trinity then there’s something wrong. Grow a backbone and choose.

Don’t pick a dog

That’s even worse than picking two best men. If your best friend is a dog then you need therapy.

You can’t say no

It’s weird but we get *a lot* of best men emailing us who are struggling with their speech because they know practically nothing about the groom. We should probably be explaining that you can sensitively say no to a bloke if he asks you to be his best man, but you can’t really, can you? If someone asks you to be a best man, you pretty much have to take the role. You’d just have to do it and be the best man you possibly could be.

So who are you going to pick?

Staggered is the UK’s leading men’s wedding website. At his wedding the editor had four female Alsatian dogs as his best men. None of them wanted to take the role but they all felt it was better to do it and not say anything.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Flowers Inspiration Part 2

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Artificial bouquets are becoming very popular. The last two weddings that Wedding Genie worked on, both had the most beautifully made ones I have seen. They do not wilt, you can save them and they look fantastic as you can see from this picture.

This beauty was made by Red Floral Architecture. It looked stunning and they were provided for all the bridesmaids and the bride. Fresh flowers still made up the table and venue decor as well as button holes but these bouquets will serve as fabulous memento’s of the day.


How about this one too?

Photo by Simplicity Photography

Flowers like Lily of The Valley are so gorgeous but very costly to import out of season so why not have artificial ones made then use room fragrance to substitute the smell. A tip from the top from January Flower Magazine.

Another top supplier for unusual bouquets of this type is Button Moon based in Birmingham.

If you want to investigate further why not try buying a lovely book called Forever Flowers by Margaret Ashbourne.  Gone are the days of awful plastic imitations, it would seem your imagination is the limit. You can even personalise them with vintage brooches, even more meaningful if you have one from a relative or special friend who could not been with you on your special day.

Until next, time happy planning





You may also be interested in Part 1 of this Flower Blog

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Wedding Flowers Inspiration

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Summer is here and all the flowers in my garden are in bloom, the colours are so gorgeous and inviting I was inspired to write this blog about the many ways you can use flowers to make your wedding day that bit more special.

First of all try and choose flowers that are in season, they will be more cost effective. Here are a few ways that you can use flowers throughout your wedding day.

Red Rabbit Photography Cake By M&S Photography by Mark Scott

Tip!! - Choose flowers with large heads such as hydrangeas. It will cost less as you need fewer stems but still look amazing.

How about bringing flowers into your day using your invitations. Check out Lilylou and You

Lilylou and You

Choose a floral wedding perfume, go to Jo Malone and choose from their  gorgeous fragrances such as Orange Blossom, Honeysuckle and Jasmine.

Use your flowers as thank you gifts for you guests. Potted plants last longer than bouquets. Try Marks and Spencers


Marks and Spencers

How about wearing flowers on your shoes, Emmy Scarterfield makes bespoke beautiful shoes and is about to launch her new Secret Garden Range. Until then here is an image from her current range.

Real Wedding Picture Courtesy of Flower Magazine

I hope this has given you a little flower inspiration for your wedding day. Next time we will take a look at the trend of using artificial flowers for bridal bouquets. Having seen them first hand at our last two weddings I have to say I am becoming a fan.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Entertainment Tips and Advice

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

I promised to add a little more to advice to last weeks blog on entertainment. Today we have our tips for entertaining your guests with just a little imagination and style.

How about having a props box full of fun things to dress up in. This is still very popular and inexpensive. Your guests can have great fun with wigs, fun sunglasses, glow stix, false moustaches, feather boas, and home made wedding signs. You can either use disposable cameras that you can leave on the tables or put them in a lovely decorated basket near to the props. Hang a lovely backdrop, perhaps a gorgeous piece of fabric which matches your theme for the photographs to be taken against. Alternatively use a large antique mirror frame as a backdrop. You can always spray it to match your theme.

If you were to provide a digital polaroid camera then your guests can pop the photographs into your guest book along with their wishes and comments. You can also leave CD’s on the tables for each guest so that they can take their own pictures and send you them after the wedding. Alternatively your photographer can take these pictures as part of his package.

If you have a friend who is a really good singer why not ask them to sing at your wedding. We had a fabulous time singing at our wedding with my husbands cousin who is a fantastic vocalist.

For free entertainment check out university notice boards, there are often budding entertainers who need the practice and are very good. You can go and listen to them and they will even bring their equipment.

Another inexpensive way for guests to be entertained is to provide garden games for everyone to play, giant genga, or connect 4, boules, and croquet. They are very cheap to hire and if you are having a quintessentially english traditional wedding will fit in with the whole ambiance.

Write questions about you and your partner on luggage labels and put them on your tables so that your guests can see how well they know you. Its fun to ask the questions of each other and a great ice breaker. Give out a present to the table with the most answers. Table trivia is another idea but you can make up the questions yourselves, perhaps about weddings? films? whatever suits your style and personality.

At our wedding we bought a whole load of small rubix cubes for the men. The first one to match the colours won a bottle of champagne.

If you can’t afford a DJ then ask your guests in their invites to give you their most favourite dance song and a favourite smooch song. That way you can make up a play list on an IPOD composed of everyones favourites which is sure to keep everyone dancing all night long.

I thought I would make a list of entertainment just to help you think a little out of the box

If money is no object lets have some fun. How about a magical dare defying colourful act from fire performers. Try www.spinoffevents.com they really have the wow factor, or Pyromania, a fantastic fire spinning juggling show choreographed to the beat of african drums. Singing waiters and waitresses. These are a delight during your wedding breakfast. You guests have no idea who they are until they start to perform. How about Poles apart, stilt performing magicians? Yes these things are a little OTT but just for a minute my imagination got the better of me.

On a serious note don’t over the do the entertainment, your guests don’t want to be completely overwhelmed with activity. Choose carefully and enhance the parts of the day when your guests are left to their own devices. A wedding that is full on constantly can be a tiny bit wearing and then the entertainment is not fully appreciated.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Entertainment Tips and Advice

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

In the second series of this blog I thought it would be good to give you some examples of what kind of wedding entertainment is available depending on your budget, and the areas of the day to consider when you allocate your budget.

Lets look at a budget: Up to £10,000

Bored guests are never happy ones so the parts of the day that you should cater for are the drinks reception whilst you are having your photographs taken, the wedding breakfast if you have a lot of time before the evening event and of course the main evening party. In my opinion the evening entertainment is where you should concentrate your effort for this type of budget. If I had to suggest three choices of entertainment that couples might be able to afford on this budget  the following come to mind.

A DJ

There are some brilliant DJ’s out there who can really make your party swing. Look around, don’t just go for the one that your venue suggests, ask your friends, look on the internet. Check out what they bring with them in terms of lights and decor. Often the DJ can put on a really good show and really create a great party atmosphere. Lots of the DJ websites now show you what their style is and give you a choice of music to play. Don’t forget that if you want to involve your guests and ask them their favourite songs, be careful they are not all love songs. You could suggest they give you their favourite love song and their favourite dance track.

Ceilidh Band

If you want to dance but don’t like the idea of a DJ then why not try a Ceilidh band. The music is lively and the caller, who is the chap that talks the guests through the dance, creates a great atmosphere, which makes everyone take to the dance floor. It’s a fun thing to do and really involves your guests. The bride and groom can then take to the floor and be totally involved in the evening’s celebrations. A great idea for a county wedding.

Live Singer/Jazz

The Rat Pack sound is great for vintage weddings. In between sets you can always fill up your IPOD so that your guests can dance and still stay in the party swing. That way you may be able to get live music for part of the evening. I have seen many weddings where this has been the case. Its a great way of getting your party started and this type of music brings a little sophistication to your evening and the older relatives in your party will love it. Your first dance can be sung live whilst you glide round the dance floor.

How about a budget: £10,000 – £20,000

Mix and Mingle Artists/Live Bands/Photo Booths

The evening reception is still the biggest area of entertainment but when you have more in your budget it would be great to entertain your guests during the wedding reception as well as during the photo’s and drinks reception. Using entertainers that mix and mingle such as caricaturists or a silhouettist is a great idea because your guests each get something to take home with them.Close up magicians can be extremely funny and entertaining too if you get a good one. I would highly recommend www.magicatyourfingertips.co.uk

String quartets and harpists are fantastic for a classy drinks reception and then can play at your ceremony if you are getting married at your venue. They create a lovely atmosphere if the weather is gorgeous and your setting dictates it. A lovely country mansion with beautiful gardens and guests spilling into the gardens being wafted by lovely classical music in the sunshine starts your wedding reception off with style.

For the evening if you budget stretches then you can’t beat a live band for atmosphere and the wow factor. Often the bands will play music to dance to in between their sets. You can work out the times they appear to suit the flow of your reception. Good bands give out a great vibe and if they are really good the dance floor should be full all night.

One other idea that is very popular at the moment, is a photo booth where your guests can take pictures and dress up in props, then write comments into your guest book. The photos are generated there and then just like a passport photo booth. They can even be projected into a slide show for the evening.

Photo booth by www.sayfromage.co.uk

The choice for entertainment is quite vast but I would urge you to choose what suits your style and personality. Choose what makes you happy and what you are comfortable with. I have decided to run one more blog next week to finish on entertainment as once I got started it was hard to stop. Next week I will cover budgets of over 20k and also how to create free entertainment for your guests. If you want me to help source you some great entertainment give me a call I will be happy to help.

Until next time, happy planning.


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Wedding Planning for Men – What Terrifies Them!

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Ha Ha this is the inside track advice on what terrifies your man when he thinks of the wedding. Take heed to this advice so that you can stay one step ahead and help him out!

What Terrifies Men About Weddings

On first inspection you’d probably think a wedding would rank somewhere between, “Small Girl With Ice-Cream” and “Parcel Delivery” on your average bloke’s internal list of terrifying situations to be confronted with. But when you start to break it down the Big Day contains a number of situations that rank wayyyyy higher on the Terrifying-O-Meter; perhaps even somewhere between “Rooney Broken Bone” and “Getting Things Caught In Zips.” So what is it that’s giving your groom, best man or father of the bride a nasty case of wedding nerves?

Walking Down The Aisle

Sounds stupid doesn’t it? The bride’s the one who has to do the aisle-walking dressed in the big frock and pokey shoes and yet the father of the bride is the one who’s sweating over it. Why? Well mostly because it’s his big moment. All those eyes turn towards him, he has to stick to that weird slow-walk rhythm and he knows that at the end of the aisle he has to hand his daughter over to some spotty oik he’s only met twelve times.

How to combat: Practice makes perfect on the walk and try and have the big, “You know I’ll always love you Dad” talk a month or so before, not in the car on the way to the church.

Saying His Vows Right

I do, just two little words that give men more problems than nearly any other. In this case though it’s not the weight of the ceremony or the pressures of commitment that petrify him, it’s the sheer bloody simplicity. Someone says the words and you just have to repeat them, that’s easy! Exactly, so you’d be really stupid if you messed them up wouldn’t you?

How to combat: Get hold of the text of the wedding ceremony you’ll be using and go through it a few weeks before. You can even practice if you like. Then it’s up to the registrar or vicar to put you at your ease. Fortunately, they’re nearly all very good at their job and if you schedule in a meeting a few weeks before then they’ll help put you at your ease.

Wedding Speeches

This one is perhaps the most understandable. After all, writing a wedding speech is difficult enough when you consider the formalities and the etiquette you need to observe and that’s before you factor in that it’s supposed to be eloquently emotional (the groom/father of the bride) or effortlessly entertaining (best man). Twin that with most people’s natural hatred of public speaking and you’ve got the perfect storm of fear.

How to combat: If they’re struggling to write it send them to a professional speechwriter like Burn The Toast for help with their speeches for weddings . Alternatively, move the speeches to before the dinner, restrict everyone to toasts only or cancel them altogether.

Commitment

Ahhh, where would the romantic comedy genre be without this old trope, that secretly men fear the idea of living with a woman more than they fear sharks, or fire, or sharks on fire? It’s almost unheard of for men to actually act anything like the male characters from Friends. The closest most men will ever get to the commitment question is when one of their more laddish mates says, “You know that means you can only sleep with one woman for the rest of your life?” A question that’s easy to contend with because the friend in question last had sex in 2001.

How To Combat: Ignore it. He’s bought the ring and gone down on one knee, he’s not about to flit now.

Confetti

It’s evil stuff.

How to combat: Fire.

I loved this blog today, thanks Andrew, you are a star.!

Staggered is the UK’s leading men’s wedding website and the perfect place to find proposal ideas, stag do pranks and  stag do ideas, mens wedding suits and wedding speeches. We can even tell you about lolcat proposals.

Until next time, happy planning.

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Wedding Entertainment Tips and Advice

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

The last few weddings I have coordinated the day and evening entertainment has been superb. It can be quite tricky deciding on what is right for you and of course you have, or should have your budget to consider. The next two blogs are dedicated to helping you choose the right entertainment for your wedding. I will give some examples of entertainers you can afford within certain budgets too so that you can see what is possible.

Lets start with how much to spend out of your budget.

The average percentage is between 5 – 8% of your wedding budget. If you are a follower of the Wedding Genie then you know we believe in working out your priorities right at the beginning of your wedding planning. That way you will know right away if entertainment features highly. If so you can always spend more and cut back in other areas, but as a guide this is the average percentage.

Top Tips for Sourcing Entertainment Companies

There are many agencies on the internet where you can find excellent entertainment, many of them specialise in wedding entertainers. Their websites should be informative, have pricing guides, question and answer areas and a good selection of entertainers to choose from, along with clips of sound tracks and choices of music. It a good idea to ask for references of past clients. Talk to your friends, family or your venue coordinator to see if they know of anyone or have recommendations. Word of mouth is always a safe bet. You may have been to a wedding recently where the band or DJ was fabulous. I chose our magician from a friends wedding. I swore I was not going to have one, its not one of my things, but hey this guy made me laugh so much I booked him on the spot.

Go and see local bands in your area and if you get chance to see the band that you think you may want to book then you will have first hand evidence they are right for you. The other answer is to use a wedding planner, we work with reputable companies and can vouch for their standard of service. They will also understand exactly what type of entertainment is suitable for you and within your budget.

How do You Decide What Kind of Entertainment You want?

I guess to a certain extent its down to your personal style, and what kind of atmosphere you want to create at your wedding. Do you want high energy grooving or a sophisticated jazzy feel? Are you a country music fan or a rat pack lover? Perhaps you want dancing but without the disco, such as a Ceilidh band. Maybe your wedding has a particular theme that certain music and entertainment lend itself to. Think about what your friends and family like and how you want them to remember the evening. The more of an idea that you have will help you choose what type of entertainment is right for you.

Another factor that will help decide is the size of your venue; fitting an eight piece band into a small intimate room is not practical, also you have to check out if yur venue has a licence for entertainment. Lastly your budget will help you decide but if you choose wisely you can still have really good entertainment, just shop around and think about it carefully. Obviously the main part of the day to provide entertainment for is the evening reception, but if you have more in your budget then it’s great to have something going on to keep your guests entertained whilst you are having your photographs taken and through the drinks reception if you are having one.

Make sure you strike up a relationship with your entertainment provider

Its very important, the supplier should be able to understand what you want from your wedding day so that they can recommend the right kind of entertainment for your celebrations. If they don’t take any time to talk to you and determine what would be the best recommendation go elsewhere. The entertainment is a big part of your wedding and you want to be sure that the money are are spending is directed at the best type of entertainer for you whether its a DJ, band or magician etc. You should be crystal clear about what is included within the contract, how long the entertainment lasts for, what they need in terms of set up, and riders that are included of what you have to provide in terms of food, drink and rest areas.

I hope thats a good start, on Friday I will give you examples of entertainers you can afford with different types of budgets. If you have had great entertainment for your wedding, please let me know, I can pass them on to other brides. Also if you have any ideas you would like me to blog about just shout! And yes that is Dominic from the X factor in that picture. He was a real sweetie and brilliant. Let me know if you would like his details.

Until next time, happy planning.

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