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Should I have a DJ at my wedding?

October 5th, 2009 by admin

dj bagBack in the seventies, most DJs were part timers. They worked in various professions, then fuelled their passion for music in the evenings and at weekends. There was no time for preparation or meetings. It was a case of throw on the jeans and T shirt and head out of the door armed with the usual selection of singles. Lights flashed in your eyes, choking smoke, and music so loud it was distorted……those were the days!!!

Times have changed considerably, thank goodness. There are more full time professional mobile disco companies than ever before. As well as presentation, more emphasis has been placed on individualising the entertainment to suit the occasion and the guests attending. The whole ‘Mobile Disco’ experience has moved up a gear too with reputable companies providing contracts of engagement giving you peace of mind, carrying certificates of insurance, reassuring you that they comply with guidelines and laws and generally going the extra mile to make your evening truly special and memorable.

‘Specialists’ have emerged too, such as the ‘Wedding DJ’…..an unusual breed that have worked hard to finely tune their skills, to raise the standard of wedding entertainment and to change the perception of the humble DJ of the seventies. These clever little critters have come together to form the Wedding DJ Association.

The Wedding DJ Association was formed two years ago as a National organisation, bringing together wedding DJ specialists of the highest standard. Membership is strict, with each individual having to prove they have reached the required criteria. To maintain this standard, each DJ has to comply with a code of ethics and agree to abide by the constitution of the Association.

For many brides and grooms, booking a DJ is a fairly new experience. Booking the right DJ is paramount to ensure that the end of their special day is how they want it to be and fits in with how they’d imagined. With the Wedding DJ Association, Brides can now find a wedding DJ specialist in their area and be confident in the knowledge that they have found a supplier of the highest standard.

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How to plan a UK wedding

September 23rd, 2009 by admin

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How to Start Planning Your Perfect Day… Planning a Wedding can be both stressful and time consuming, and it’s hard to know where to start…

 With so many options, it can feel a little overwhelming. Hiring an experienced Wedding planner is a great start, and doesn’t have to cost the earth either. Initially, you should expect a free consultation, where you can get to know the Wedding planner, and explain what you are looking for as a couple. The Wedding planner will be able to advise you on budget planning, give you ideas and tips, and guide you through the planning process making sure that you don’t miss anything.

For a full Wedding planning package you should expect to pay 10-15% of your Wedding budget, but in fact you should make enough savings by using their recommended suppliers to cover the majority of the cost. It is of course important to find a Wedding planner that you get on with, and most importantly that inspires you, but who doesn’t try to force you into anything, or try to take over completely- it is your day after all! If you decide to plan your Wedding yourself, start by setting a realistic budget, and sticking to it! Make use of the budget planners that you can find in most Wedding magazines, and do your research. Visit local Wedding Fayres for ideas and inspiration, but don’t feel pressured into booking all your services on the day, and bear in mind that the people exhibiting at Wedding Fayres are not necessarily the cheapest, or the best. Keep a scrapbook of ideas as you go along, as you are likely to change your mind about colour schemes and table decorations several times before the big day. It is also important to make use of the free service available to you from the Wedding or Event planner at the venue that you choose- they will be able to advise you on timings, and may even recommend good local suppliers to you. Above all, the planning process should be fun and enjoyable. As you get closer to the Wedding, many Wedding planners offer a “last minute” or “final touches” package, where they can check through everything for you, making sure nothing has been missed and all your paperwork is in order. This can be a great idea if you start to feel a bit panicky in the last couple of months.

Hannah Solomons

Hand Maid Weddings & Events www.hand-maidevents.co.uk 07725 252200

Ladywood Estate, www.ladywoodestate.co.uk

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Hire Wedding Magician UK Weddings

September 22nd, 2009 by admin
magician Weddings are magical occasions for all involved but to bring that extra spark of enchantment, you should look into hiring a magician to perform at your wedding reception.
 
When it comes to organising your wedding party, you have a wide range of options. You could have a simple event or a themed party, perhaps featuring 60s, beach, Bond, or medieval themes. Or you could have a casino or celebrity look-a-like. As for decor, you could feature an ice sculpture or chocolate fountain.
You’ll need music of course and you have the choice of a live band, jazz band or a DJ laying down disco beats. Or your might prefer a string quartet, harpist, singer, piper or pianist.
You could employ a toastmaster to be the master of ceremonies and keep the event moving along. And on the all-important entertainment front, you could hire a caricaturist or silhouette artist. But for a wedding party that really goes with a bang, you can’t beat a magician.
When we say magician, we’re not talking about a man on a stage pulling a white rabbit out of a hat. We’re talking about a modern interactive close-up magician. This magician moves among the tables or groups of people and entertains them with a sophisticated magic routine. Below are some great reasons why having a magician at your wedding reception will make it a rousing success.
Firstly, nothing gets a wedding party swinging quite like a magic routine. It provides an immediate spark to the atmosphere, creating a genuine buzz of excitement. Along with tucking into the food, swilling down the champagne and dancing to the band, your guests will be be delighted to find you’ve arranged something special. Imagine their cries of surprised joy when the magician begins to weave his way through the tables and groups of guests bringing that special touch to the occasion. By personalising his act for each group, the magician is perfect for building and maintaining the relaxed atmosphere that makes every wedding party a success.
This means that magic acts are great for breaking the ice and bringing people together. Many of the magician’s tricks require audience participation which further delights the guests. It often creates an ambiance of friendly competition and results in copious laughter and a flow of playful banter. Enjoying and participating in magic tricks forges a sense of community and shared experience that is possible in few other ways. And it also draws people out of themselves, so that even the shyer guests start participating and enjoying themselves more.
On a purely practical level, your magician can fill in if things get off schedule. Wedding parties are complex affairs and many things can go wrong. Perhaps the guest of honour is delayed in the traffic. Or if the best man is late for his speech for example, the magician can keep the guests enthralled while waiting. Or if the food’s delayed, what better way to keep your guests happy than with a magic routine? In this way he can take a lot of the stress off the host and hostess by keeping the guests entertained as needed.
 
But ultimately, the real magic of the magician is to create that unique ambiance and the feeling that anything is possible. And on your wedding day, that’s exactly the mood you need to make it perfect.
 
So make sure you get a magician for your wedding and you’ll be sure of the event of a lifetime. Everyone loves a magic act. Your magician will appeal to guests of all ages and both genders. Getting a magician for your wedding reception is surprisingly affordable and in addition to the benefits above, will make your wedding party the talk of the town.
 
By Wedding Magician

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Cost of a wedding UK. Free UK planner

August 24th, 2009 by admin

wedding_carPreparing for your big day should be memorable and fun. The period from engagement to wedding day, is the beginning of your life as a couple. Both of you, bride and groom have decisions to make and tasks to complete so that yours will be the wedding day you always dreamed about. Utilize the following checklist as a map to follow. A map, or guide, that will lead you on an enjoyable, memorable journey from engagement to marriage. Print it, fill it out and save it as a wedding planning keepsake to look upon fondly later in life as you stroll through memory lane.

In order to keep you and the friends and family members who help you focused and on task, this wedding preparation checklist is divided into categories and each category lists the appropriate items.

Next to each item you should place the following information:

who paid for it,
who is in charge of it,
the date it was completed.

In addition to the parents, the WEDDING PARTY includes your choice of:

Best Man
Maid/Matron of honour
Bridesmaids
Groomsmen
Ushers
Flower Girl(s)
Ring Bearer(s)
Other
ATTIRE

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Ceilidh Wedding Entertainment UK

August 24th, 2009 by admin

little_musicInclusive Wedding Entertainment

A Ceilidh (Barn Dance) – an ideal choice for your Wedding Celebration

Choosing suitable entertainment for a wedding celebration or evening get-together on the day can be one of the trickiest organisational tasks you will ever have to perform.

Just think of all the things you have to consider;

  • Firstly you’ll have to provide something that appeals to a wide range of age groups, from your elderly aunt to your 12 year old second cousin who has more energy than sense and is hyper-active from the excitement of staying up late.

  • Next, you have to consider that many of the guests will be complete strangers to each other, two different families as well as friends from work and your social circle. Ideally you want to give your guests a chance to mix, something that can ‘break the ice’ in the easiest possible way without putting them ‘on the spot’.

  • Finally, if you’re organising one of the biggest days in your – or a member of your family’s – life, then you want to have an event that won’t take up too much of your precious time on the big day – believe me you’ll have other things on your mind!

So what can you choose that will cover all the above bases?

Some kind of entertainment that has stood the test of time…

A popular choice for this part of your special day is to have a Ceilidh, Barn Dance or American Hoedown.

What is a Ceilidh or Barn Dance?

A ceilidh – pronounced ‘kay-lee’ – or barn dance /Hoedown (the terms are pretty much interchangeable), consists of a band who will play a selection of danceable tunes, a ‘caller’ who entices people onto the floor and then teaches them the simple ‘moves’ they need to do for the next dance, and of course your wedding guests – the dancers. It doesn’t matter if you or your guests have never been to a barn dance or ceilidh before, the movements are so natural and the dances so thoroughly explained that anyone can do it. The caller even keeps calling the moves after the music has started to help you along as you dance. No-one is excluded because dancing this way is the most natural thing in the world – as many countries and generations can affirm. The music is lively, even funky, so that everyone moves to the groove, gets into it, and does not feel embarrassed or awkward and no-one worries if you make mistakes – it’s all part of the fun!

The caller selects the dances, organises the dancing, encourages the guests to participate – and generally acts as a master of ceremonies during the musical part of the evening. The dancing gives the guests a chance to meet each other naturally during the course of the evening, especially during the progressive dances. The dancing is pitched at the level of the dancers, and can last for as long or as short a duration as you wish. It is quite common for the newly wed couple to lead the first dance – which is a nice start to their married life and some callers even have specific wedding dances that can help break the ice. If you specify exactly for whom your event is being held – an experienced, professional band or agent will select a caller who will be ideally suited to your audience.

Maybe you’re put off by the idea of the music? Well don’t be. The music produced by a barn dance or ceilidh band can come in a variety of flavours – from full electric line-ups with drums and electric guitars to more traditional ensembles or bands with a continental flavour. The music can be lively and energetic or sedate and refined, possibly both during the same set! It’s your choice. The choice of band will usually determine the flavour of the evening, so if you’re into English, Celtic (Irish, Scottish or Breton) or French music, or hot Louisiana Cajun and Zydeco or Scandinavian music, there are bands available who specialise in your preferred style of music.

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Wedding band and live entertainment guide UK

August 24th, 2009 by admin
jarrod and jim on bass comic relief webOne of the most memorable parts of the wedding celebration is the music and the entertainment. How many of us truly remember the cake, the decoration or even the venue at weddings we have been to before?

So how much does it cost? What should you look for?

You will find the answers to these questions (and many more) in the following article: http://www.themorrisagency.co.uk/blog/2009/03/a-free-guide-on-how-to-book-a-band/

www.themorrisagency.co.uk

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How to plan a Hen night UK on a budget

August 24th, 2009 by admin

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henGetting married, or the honour of being the chief bridesmaid, and got a hen party to organise? But, no-one’s got any money due to the credit crunch, or whatever else you want to call it. What to do? The idea of going to Barcelona, Prague, Dublin etc for the weekend is old news. Everybody’s done it, been there, and got the dodgy pictures to prove it. So why not save your money, and your friends too, by having a hen party at home. (It doesn’t necessarily have to be your home either).

Here are some ideas to host a fabulous hen party at home, without it costing the earth, and still letting everybody let their hair down and have a really good time and a night to remember. Don’t forget the video cameras, and photos.

You could make it a pyjama party and have a sleepover too. Sleeping bags essential to kip on the lounge floor.

  1. Murder Mystery Night – There are specialist murder mystery web-sites where you can choose the theme and order on-line. Each guest is given an invitation to the evening, and they play a role and dress up as their given character. They suggest a menu for the evening, who your character is and ideas for dressing up. After dinner, you then get together and solve the murder. Great fun – especially after a few drinks.
  2. Employ your own butlers with a twist – Butlers in the Buff – nice to look at and helps the drinks go down.
  3. Organise a beautician and have a bit of a pamper night. Very relaxing evening, with champagne and a couple of beauticians who can give facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, whatever you fancy. Tame evening but you’ll look fantastic the next day. Read the rest of this entry »

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Free Guide to booking entertainment UK

August 24th, 2009 by admin

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3imagesdGuide to booking entertainment

From The Morris Agency

If you’ve been put in charge of looking after the music and entertainment for your next event, here is a definitive guide from entertainment industry guru, Daniel Morris of The Morris Agency.

 “Initial fears that people have with planning the music and entertainment for their event are reasonable, as it is an integral part of the event and can even be part of the main focus. There are many factors to consider when planning your entertainment, not only whether the act you are booking for your event will suitably entertain your guests, or fit within your budget or them;, but you also need to consider whether they will be reliable and professional. In the worst case scenario we have heard of cases where artists have failed to turn up on time or cancelled without giving enough time to book another act in their place. Even if they do arrive, how do you know that they are going to be as good as their demo or showreel? And this is all on top of the rest of the event planning process of organizing catering, a venue or conference facility, florists, guest invitations, transportation, accommodation… need I go on? It can be a very daunting task.”

 With this in mind, here are the key elements to think about to help get you started:

 The Venue

When booking the venue it is important to check that they have the appropriate entertainment licence and the conditions of their licence including the type of entertainment they are allowed (some venues are not permitted to have amplified music), finishing/get out times, performance area size/space restrictions, if they have any noise restrictions (such as sound limiters), access times for the band/artist, power supply etc.

 If you are considering a speciality act that uses fire or pyrotechnics, you also need to make sure that this is permitted in the venue.

 These points are always good to know early on as this may dictate the kind of entertainment you can look for. For example, some venues have sound limiters that cut out sound automatically when it goes over a certain volume, so if you have booked a band, this can damage their equipment and, most importantly, disrupt the whole evening.

 However, all is not lost, as even with a limitation on sound, there are still many acts that can be employed such as acoustic artists, and knowing this in advance will help you narrrow your search or review your venue.

 Band Hunting

 Now that you have an idea of the kind of act your venue will accommodate, let’s go and look for your entertainment.

 Armed with the information acquired from the venue you can approach the artists, but where do you look? Well, there are a few options available to you:

 Option 1 – Search the internet. You can do a search for a certain type of artist/ band, listen to their website demos or watch their showreel and contact the artist directly. Although many artists have their own website, a great website does not necessarily mean a great artist. So not only can this method be quite simply mind numbing and time consuming, it is also a bit of a lottery if you are booking an artist you have never heard of.

 Option 2 – Go on recommendation. This can narrow down your search quite fast, but do remember that colleagues may not have the same tastes and what one person may think is great might not be ideal for the guests attending your event.

 Option 3 – Go to an agent. There are lots of agencies out there, (I should know, I am own one of them.) Obviously there is going to be a fee increase for this service, (normally between 15- 20 % ) but, if the agency is a reputable one they should be able to earn their commission by verifying the acts and their ability, negotiating their fee to meet your budget, contracting the artist (more on that later) and communicating to the artist exactly what you need.

A note on professionalism. Many people place an importance on the performance but it is important not to overlook the other elements involved with booking an act/band for example, the way they conduct themselves both on and off stage, their dress code and also making sure they turn up in plenty of time etc.

 Things to ask the band/act

Whether you are going through an agent or directly to the artist, the questions are still the same.

 Here is important information you need to know about the artist:

 Availability: Read the rest of this entry »

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Choosing your Ceremony Music

August 24th, 2009 by admin

Having sung at over 200 weddings with Mango, I know all too well that one of the most challenging things for a couple to do, is choose their ceremony music. Choosing the right music is very important as it accompanies all the major parts of the ceremony and sets the mood for the wedding. The songs you choose could be; songs you simply like, or songs that have some meaning to you both!
There are many websites out there to help choose your music and give you some ideas. Also, you can get inspiration from other brides in wedding forums such as; youandyourwedding.co.uk.

If you are having live music, perhaps talk to the band about your ideas. We have an extensive repertoire from different eras and genres that suit a lot of musical tastes. So many couples find the songs they love from that. However, we do offer to learn a special song for our couples as this personalises their music choice. For example, we have many couples that have asked us to learn songs that fit in with their theme. One Bride had a Grace Kelly themed wedding and asked us to learn ‘True Love’ from the film High Society. Not only did it fit in with the theme, but was the Brides’ late Grandmothers favourite song and extremely personal to the family. It was a fantastic song to play as we knew it meant so much to them. We get asked to learn all sorts of different songs from the Kingsmill Bread advert song (Lucky to me) to the Smashing Pumpkins song ‘Tonight Tonight’. If like us you love music, choosing which tunes to have can be great fun and will hopefully come together beautifully on the day.


If you don’t know where to start, then help is here!!
We suggest to our clients that they choose between 5-6 songs as your guests are arriving. This sets the mood for the ceremony, they needn’t necessarily be soppy love songs, but perhaps songs that mean something to you which you enjoy listening to. (Brides, remember that you won’t be there at this point!)

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Save money on your wedding day

August 24th, 2009 by admin

coinsWith the average wedding budget running between £17,000.00 and £25,000.00 (yes it looks more if you put the 0’s in) what can you do to save money on your wedding without compromising your day?

 Generally the most expensive parts of the day are:-

 The Church – usually costs around £500.00. Church decoration can cost anything up to £5,000.00 (believe me I produced the video for the wedding)

 The Reception – the sky is the limit but at least £35.00 a head for the meal, £20.00 a head for the drinks plus another £25.00 a head for the evening buffet. That could be at least £80.00 for every guest – £800.00 for ten, £8,000.00 for 100.

 The dress can cost £500.00 to £2,500.00 and more.

 Bridesmaids outfits – usually at least £100.00 each.

 The cake could be £500.00 to £1,500.00.

 Photography normally costs £1500.00 to £3,000.00.

 Wedding cars again can cost from £500.00 to £1,500.00

 Stationery and postage for invitations at least £150.00

 You are already well on the way to spending £17.250.00. Could that be the deposit on a fairly nice house?

 So how can you save money on what should be the greatest day of your lives?

Talk to people – many suppliers will offer you special prices for “Off Peak” weddings – usually weekdays, Sundays or from October to April.

Ask for help to save money, get help from friends and family, search out any musician friends and ask them to perform, find a well spoken, confident friend who can be your toast master or master of ceremonies. Most of us know someone who is good with make-up, hairstyling, design, crafts and so on. Ask for help, most people will be more than happy to be a real part of your special day. Have a “DIY” party for your friends to help you with invitation, flowers, table decorations, favours and so on but be sure to give them some delicious snacks and drinks as a thank you.

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