Did you know . . . .toasts

Did you know

That the toast can be one of the key moments to a wedding. Sincere toasts can pull your guests in and can almost make them"feel the love" which will inspire them and help transition into a great celebration. 

Here are some Toasting Tips for your Best Man, Maid/Matron of Honor and anyone else that will be holding the live mic:

DO'S

1. Hold the microphone close to your chin
2. Open with who you are - but avoid the cliché “for those of you who don’t know me” (how about “Hi, my name is Susie and I’m happy to be Betsy’s Maid of Honor today”) - and how you know the bride or groom.
3. A short, funny story is good
4. Talk about what you've observed about their happiness since meeting
5.  Share a great story about when you knew they were The One for each other
6. Wish them a lifetime of happiness together and conclude with “Now let’s all raise our glass  . . .”

www.alexxus.com

DONT'S

1. Don’t try to punk the bride or groom and tell embarrassing stories (this is a celebration, not a roast)
2. Don’t tell inside jokes (makes the guests feel if they are not needed there)
3. Don’t mention ex’s (tacky)
4. Don’t get hammered before dinner (you’ll regret this the following days for more reasons than one).
5. Don’t forget to conclude with “Let’s all raise our glass . . .”
6. Don’t forget to hold the microphone close to your chin

~ QUESTIONS / CONSULTATION ~

  

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

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Music, Money or Memories?

Did you know?

www.alexxus.com

That this is why we do what we do. It's more about making memories than making money. Thanks for having us Laura and Danny.

QUESTIONS / CONSULTATION

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

You Can’t Handle The Truth

by Chris Feldman
“You can’t handle the truth!” Aside from “Here’s Johnny!” from The Shining, Jack Nicholson’s line from A Few Good Men might be the most popular words he’s ever uttered on film. And over the years the phrase has come up time and again when people refuse to accept something as facts. But in some cases, I don’t think it’s so much that we can’t handle the truth as it is that the lie is so much more comforting.

Over the past few months I’ve noticed a number of Facebook memes making the rounds. One of them showed a house painted red, white, and blue, and the text with it pointed out that the homeowner wanted to raise an American flag in his front yard but his housing commission wouldn’t approve it, so he painted his house to resemble a flag in protest since they couldn’t regulate that. There was a lot of sharing and likes and “Go America!” comments associated with that meme, as people showed their patriotic side. That was all great . . . except the story wasn’t entirely true. The man did paint his house those colors, but it had nothing to do with not being allowed to raise a flag—instead, it dealt with a dispute over his Victorian windows (the full story is at Snopes.com, the definitive site for debunking Internet hoaxes). I’m sure people could “handle” knowing a man painted his house in a unique fashion, but “the truth” didn’t give them the chance to feel patriotic.

Another meme showed a picture of Pope Francis with a quote in which he talked about how it is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person, and that some nonbelievers did great things while many of the world’s worst sins were done in the church’s name. Again, it got a lot of likes and shares, because people wanted to appreciate how welcoming and open the current pope is and that goodness doesn’t have to be tied to a religion, but again, the story isn’t true. There’s no record showing that Pope Francis ever said that quote, and the head of the Catholic Church saying people didn’t need to believe in God would be a major PR blunder. But, it makes people feel good to think the pope holds that view. There are others—the story that Pepsi is putting the pledge of allegiance on their cans but leaving off “Under God,” the story that Tyson Foods is sending their chicken to China to process, the story that President Obama mocked the national anthem on Meet the Press and said he preferred a nursery rhyme—that are equally shared and equally untrue.

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

Why do we automatically believe them? Maybe it just ties in to what we personally want to believe. Speaking personally, as someone who grew up listening to Casey Kasem and the American Top 40, I thought I knew how songs became hits—they’d come out and spend a few weeks in obscurity while gaining an audience (unless you had a new song by a superstar like Michael Jackson or an event record like “We Are The World,” which might debut within the Top 40). Then it reached the Top 40 and started climbing (usually bigger jumps at first, smaller as time went on). After a while, it would hit a peak position, stay there a couple weeks, then start slowly falling off the charts. For many years, that seemed to be the “true” way songs became popular—but that truth changed when Billboard magazine stopped relying on record store and radio estimated surveys for their data and actually tracked what was being sold and played. When that changeover happened in late 1991, songs that had fallen out of the Top 40 were suddenly back in the Top 10, songs that had spent weeks climbing the charts disappeared or were on the verge of making their “first” Top 40 appearance based on the new methodology. And then other things started happening—songs would regularly jump from the 30s into the Top 10; songs would enter the chart, drop down, move up, drop down, and move up instead of rising in a consistent upward pattern; songs would debut at #1; songs would spend months on top of the chart, and something in me said, “This just doesn’t seem right.” But in reality, those rankings were far more accurate than the “truth” I knew from my AT40 listening, when the Hot 100 was based on “surveys” rather than actual sales and airplay. But from checking in from time to time on some chart-watcher’s chat rooms, there are others who prefer “the way it used to be” rather than how it is now—even though the current way is a more truthful representation.

Are there lies we hold as DJs, not because we can’t handle the truth but because there’s comfort in denial? Maybe things like: “I’ve always advertised in the Yellow Pages and newspapers, and it’s kept me busy, so why change things up?” The truth is, more and more people are turning to online sources in tracking down their entertainment, so while those print ads may bring in enough business now, that may not be the case tomorrow. “Why spend so much time following music trends? The classics will be the classics forever.” I mentioned something to a DJ friend a while ago about DJ Tools, the CD set that used to be the foundation of a DJ collection. He admitted he rarely played anything off them anymore. What used to be the “go to” floor fillers are changing—“I Gotta Feeling” will probably get a better response than “Old Time Rock N Roll,” and “oldies” have changed from Elvis and the Everly Brothers to Rick Springfield and the B-52s. “I invested so much in CDs and players, there’s not much sense in updating to digital. These will work fine.” I know of a DJ company that used to be the biggest thing in a certain city, but when the 1990s came around they didn’t feel the investment to update all their systems to CD instead of vinyl turntables was worth the expense. Today they aren’t quite the powerhouse they used to be as other companies that did embrace CD technology sooner have evened the playing field. “I can do it myself.” That might be the biggest one. Sometimes we feel doing something ourselves is the most cost effective way to do it, whether maintaining a website or processing invoices. But, if it takes you all day to design a new logo and it takes a design company an hour, what else could you have done in those seven or eight hours that may have been more efficient uses of your time? If you could earn more in those hours than the design company would charge, it’s smarter to outsource.

Until we get a handle on those lies of comfort—whether it’s the necessity of having a way to download songs at an event, or adopting an online presence, or even giving up CDs and embracing the digital age—our truth may not be THE truth.

Chris Feldman is a freelance editor and music enthusiast who dabbles in DJing when time allows. His book The Billboard Book of #2 Singles was released in 2000. 

Wedding Tips, continued

Wedding Tips

Unique Cake Cutting Idea





Wedding Stress Relief




"Are you receiving help & expertise or blame & excuses? A true professional is ALWAYS there for you no matter the time of day. Somebody NOT committed to serve you provides excuses, stress, and worry. What is having a value-based, honest, and friendly relationship
worth to you on the biggest day of your life?"
from Brian Kelm's Wedding Truths

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

Wedding advice: Be open to ideas and expertise

He asked. She said yes.

Now what?

Once you announce your plans to get married, there's a good chance that people close to you will be ready and willing to dispense their share of advice. Some words of wisdom will be priceless, while others you can store away for another day.

When polling married couples, you will likely find they would change "this" or "that" about their weddings if given the chance to do it all over again. Here is some advice that you can choose to follow for your wedding day.

Tip #1: Trust your vendors

Couples often have unique ideas for their wedding day. It may seem tempting to spell out what you want in minute detail and insist on wedding vendors carrying out your wishes to a T. But the smarter idea may be to give vendors a little more free reign -- after all, they are the professionals.

"I had a vision in my head of what I wanted my centerpieces to look like," offers Jean M., Connecticut. "I gave the florist my suggestions and the 'feel' of what I was trying to create, but ultimately Ileft the finished product up to her. When I walked into the reception hall and saw my centerpiece baskets overflowing with fall-hued flowers, berries and twinkling candles, I was so excited I had left it up to the expert."

When deciding on particular aspects of the wedding, you can give your general ideas, but leave the finished product to the professionals. Don't list every song you want the deejay to play or micromanage all of the poses the photographer should take. After all, experienced pros have likely done this dozens of times in the past and could produce results you never dreamed possible.

Tip #2: Scale down

Unless you are planning on auditioning for the show "Over-the-Top Weddings," it might pay to make your wedding more about being personal and less about wowing the crowd with special effects and expensive treats. It's easy to be lured into extra dinner courses or be persuaded to release doves at the ceremony, but will these extras impact your relationship or the life you will be building together?

"If Ihad to do it all again, I would skip the dessert bar I had at my wedding," says Alice C., Ohio. "The spread of pies, pastries, cookies, and chocolates certainly looked impressive, but it cost me a small fortune. Also, people filled up on the dessert bar so much, they no longer had room to taste my special-ordered wedding cake."

~Request A Consultation ~

Tip #3: Don't overextend

Your wedding will hopefully be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Therefore, couples often plan to spend a good deal of money to ensure their special day is perfect. Weddings are still viewed as a high-priority expense and most couples save for a long period of time despite sluggish consumer spending reports. According to the market research and analysis firm IBISWorld, nearly 60 percent of couples go over their budgets when getting married. Some do so at the risk of being in debt afterward.

"It can be easy to get carried away in wedding spending," shares Deirdre H., Michigan. "I went way over budget when getting my wedding gown and a few other components of my wedding. My husband and I struggled the first year of our marriage trying to fix our finances and battling a bad case of money-related stress."

Try to stick to a budget as much as possible so that you can enjoy yourself not only on the wedding day, but also long after the honeymoon has ended.

Tip #4: Keep it in the family

Selecting members of your wedding party can be challenging because there may be so many special people in your lives right now that you want to honor. Choosing a best man and a maid/matron of honor is a large responsibility because these people stand out in the wedding. Although couples struggle with their choices and want to please everyone, your safest bet is to choose a family member.

"I ended up choosing my best friend over my sister as maid of honor," says Clara T., Arizona. "Although we were very close at the time, we've since grown apart due to work relocation. My sister and I, however, talk and hang out frequently. I regret not having asked my sister to be my maid of honor, considering hers is a friendship I know will last a long time."

Unless you don't have close family members or your relationship with your siblings or cousins is strained, choose a family member to serve as best man or maid of honor.

It is easy to be overwhelmed when planning a wedding, and couples can expect to be bombarded with advice. However, it could pay to heed the advice of couples who have already lived and learned from their wedding choices. SB127285

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

photo credit: ^@^ina (Irina Patrascu) via photopin cc

March Madness

March Madness. That time of year when high school and college basketball tournaments take center stage of the sporting world. We’ll hear terms like going dancing, a Cinderella team and stunning upset. Some teams, like the Dayton Flyers, The Mercer Bears and the Tennessee Volunteers have already exceeded expectations in the NCAA tournament, while others – think Syracuse, Ohio State and Iowa – have seen a once promising season come to a bitter, earlier than once expected, end.

How will the fans remember this season? I’m just speculating but I’m guessing the answer to that will come in October and those fans in Dayton, Macon and Knoxville will be a lot more eager to purchase tickets for the 2014/15 basketball season than they will be in Syracuse, Columbus or Iowa City. It’s the ending of those teams’ season that will have left the biggest impression.

And how does this all fit in to a wedding blog?

~REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

Think of the end of your day. How will it be remembered? Will your guests be on the dance floor sharing a grand finale moment or will most of them have been long gone by then? As an Emcee/Entertainer/DJ we realize that we are some times the last vendor that couples hire to complete the puzzle of their wedding day – but we are also the last impression that your guests will have.

How do you want the final moments of your wedding day to be remembered?

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

Did You Know: Winter Wonderland Not a Christmas Carol

Seasonal Song

The song "Winter Wonderland" has become a staple of holiday radio. Much like "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland" was not intentionally written to become a Christmas carol, but evolved into one over time

The song was published in 1934 by composer Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith. Smith resided in the town of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and was inspired to write the lyrics of the song after seeing Honesdale Central Park and his own childhood home blanketed in snow. Smith actually wrote the lyrics while being treated in the West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for tuberculosis.

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

Many singers have performed the song throughout the years, so much so that it is often a standard song on artists' holiday compilations. Some of the better-known and earlier versions were made by The Andrews Sisters and Perry Como.

"Winter Wonderland" has evolved into one of those songs that inspires visions of snowy splendor. Original lyrics feature a portion of the song mentioning young lovers being married spontaneously by a traveling "parson," a Protestant minister. Some thought those lyrics sent the wrong message to children, and another version was written with a circus clown, instead. The song has been sung with either bridge in place and even both in lengthier versions of the tune.

          

Disc Jockeys  |  Emcees  |  Entertainers

www.alexxus.com  |  563-590-5815

Dubuque / Galena

UNIQUE WEDDING IDEAS - 2

Here are some more fun & unique ideas to help make your wedding one-of-a-kind:

Down, Set, Hut: Tired of seeing the trite up-the-dress garter removal and toss? Why not attach it to a football and have the groom toss it - or better yet - hike it to the wannabe gridiron superstars. I personally recommend a nerf football and, although the  lucky winner can keep the garter, make sure to get the football back. The last thing you need is a football flying thru the air during the rest of your reception.

For the bouquet, rather than singling out those unlucky-at-love ladies, it may be unique to present it to that one person that has been such a help throughout your wedding planning process.

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

Paint the room in your color - with light! Decorative lighting has been gaining enormous popularity the past few years. Your dresses, flowers and decorations all follow a color scheme. Top it off with extraordinary lighting. We carry some of the architectural lighting but check your local area for Event Lighting companies for more extensive set-ups.

Photo courtesy of Synergetic Sound & Lighting

How do YOU know the Bride - Chalkboard art is another popular fad! This one asks the bridesmaids how they met the bride but there are hundreds of concepts for these little blackboards. in fact one of the best places to shop for ideas is Pinterest. Just type Wedding Ideas in the search box and enjoy the results.

"Don't be better, be different"

Bill Herman, billcreates.com 

Sing it to Me - Do you have a family member, good friend or wedding party participant who can lay down a good tune? Why not ask them to sing your song for that first dance. Adds a super-personal touch to your wedding day. And the memories? Priceless!

Check out our original Unique Wedding Ideas by clicking HERE

GROOMS SURPRISE DANCE - This is one of the best I've seen. Nothing makes a party explode like a choreographed dance (I've seen the bridesmaids do this as well!). Not quite sure how to pull this off? Check your local area  for dance studios and someone there will more than likely be willing to help you.

Have an exclusive idea you would like to share? Just leave it in the comment box below.

Until next time,
~ Mike ~

photo credit: Renée S. Suen via photopin cc

Guest Blog: Party Light

With the right lighting you add many emotions to your party and make

it an unforgettable experience for everyone present.

Take your time with party preparations and start experimenting a few days ahead of time, especially with the lighting. Color is a must for every party. If you do not have colorful walls or

accessories, at least a few of the lamps should emit colorful light. A party that is lit by white light only does not promise a great result. The exciting thing about hosting a party is that you

can stage your usual environment playfully and differently. It does not need to be perfect, since improvisation is exciting and there are many there to enjoy the results. If you are planning a themed party, be aware that the lighting should go along with the theme. If you enjoy setting up lighting, why not integrate it into your everyday life? In the winter, colorful party lighting can make your space feel nice and cozy with only a few minor adjustments.

Party Lighting for Mild Summer Nights

The setup of your backyard outdoor lighting makes your outdoor space accessible and usable at night and turns it into a stage for mild summer nights that are ever so different from what you see during the day. With a party it is not so much about practical light sources, but more  about the play between light and shadows. Create many islands of light, and avoid making large illuminated areas. Form magical magnets in your yard by adding seating arrangements and plants that are illuminated from the inside. Trees and bushes are excellent things to illuminate 

from behind. When having a barbecue, a few lantern-type lights, in addition to some lit up plants are more than enough. The buffet of course should be well lit, as you eat with your eyes first! For a warm environment full of atmosphere you can use candles and torches.

 LEDs have a Party

Especially well-suited for your outdoor party ambience are LED lamps. They can provide light in all colors, are programmable and due to their small size are barely noticeable. They are  very energy efficient, easy to maintain and take up a minimum amount of space. A bar can be decorated extremely well by providing back lighting to all the different colored bottles. LED lit accessories are also essential to any party. Bottle coolers, coasters and LED candles are only a few of the things that are available with built in LEDs. If it gets too cold as the night progresses and your guests are ready to take the party inside, you have to be prepared. Turning on the bright main light upon the accidental flipping of a switch has to be avoided so the good mood is maintained. The best way of doing this is to implement a programmable lighting control unit which can be set to a "party mode".

You can find more useful tips on lighting at the website of the American Lighting Association.


TIP: Not too bright

Ensure that your inside living space does not shed too much light on your yard during an outdoor party, as this will certainly kill the mood

About The Author: Ingo Schaer is the President and CEO of Interior-Deluxe.com He has been in the lighting

business for more than 20 years and is holding a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering. He regularly blogs on

a variety of Modern lighting and Interior Design topics, often focusing on practical solutions. You can find him on Google+

THE SECRET INGREDIENT

I can still see him, peering over his glasses as he looked through my brochures and business synopsis. After a

prolonged, uncomfortable silence he finally spoke.

“So you want to be a hot shot DJ,” he asked?
“Well, I’m not sure I want to be a hot shot,” I countered and then explained to him that, after 15 years of being a part-time DJ, I was ready to try to make it as a full time entertainer.
“Why would you want to leave [your current employment] after 15 years to pursue THIS,” he inquired?
“Because this is my passion,” I confessed to him. “This is what I love to do.”
“WRONG ANSWER,” he stated.
So I took a second attempt. “Well, I have maxed out as far as I will go in my current employment,” I explained of my job at a family run weekly newspaper.  ”I just think I have much more potential here.”
“WRONG ANSWER,” he stated emphatically again.
“Then I guess I don’t know what the right answer is,” I confessed.
And he put it to me simply: “To make money! That is the only reason to be in business.”

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

The man’s name was Terry and he was a representative of the Small Business Development Center, a government agency designed to provide a vast array of technical assistance to small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. And over our next three or four sessions he taught me a lot on what is necessary to sustain a successful business. There are great mechanics, wonderful cooks and fantastic photographers, he noted, but that does not make them great business owners. Now in my fifth year as the owner and operator of this mom and pop shop I call Alexxus Entertainment I understand what he was telling me. And I’ve learned a lot along the way.

“There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something,”

But of all of the things I’ve learned I have to say now that I disagree with him somewhat. It’s not all about the money, it’s still about passion, about finding something that you love to do and be able to make a living at it. Yes you have to work enough and charge enough to sustain a business and support your family, but if I ever am just going through the motions and continuing on as a wedding emcee/entertainer just because I want the money, then it’s time to take my microphone away from me. Now that I have had the opportunity to be around so many other entrepreneurs over the past five years I find that it is passion that is the common denominator among those that have been truly successful. “There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something,” Henry Ford once said. And true enough, the way I see it, those that have been most giving of themselves look to be the ones that go the furthest. I’ve always believed that talent will only take you so far, and intelligence will only take you so far, but drive and perseverance is what takes you over the top.

In my twenty plus years as a part-time-turned-full-time-DJ I have seen many come and go in the wedding profession. Some blame economics, others reason it’s because of the attitudes of the customers they’ve had to deal with. Or some simply because they set their price point too low and did not have enough capital to reinvest in their business when new technology came along or when doing a pair of bridal shows and placing an ad in the Yellow Pages was no longer the answer for marketing. But what I really have seen in those that call it quits was the loss of their passion.

"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs."
Farrah Gray 

It was not long ago that that was me. I began to feel our weddings were reruns. I was struggling to motivate myself to get out of my office chair and network. But in a span of six months I attended a pair of DJ related conventions and participated in a business core strengthening program through our local chamber. Nothing reinvigorates you like being around successful individuals and sharing ideas.

So I am recharged and ready to go again. I have new unique ideas that I want to offer to couples, I want to tell their story to their family and closest friends, I want to be a part of their one-and-only-wedding day.

If your passion has begun to wane, if you’ve ever asked yourself what do you need to do to get more out of life, or everyday seems like a repeat of the ones before, I suggest a good motivational book, seek out a DVD of a great speaker or enroll in a class or two related to something that you enjoy.

Rediscover your passion and prepare for the fulfillment that it will bring.

Michael J. Lenstra is a twenty plus year veteran of the Mobile Disc Jockey Industry, a full time entertainer, and owner of Alexxus Entertainment in Dubuque, IA.

Did You Know?

There are many different reasons couples opt to get married in a particular month. Warm weather and the best chance for good photo opportunities spurs many couples to tie the knot during the summer months. Although June has long been the most popular month for getting hitched, times are changing. Numbers from the American National Center for Health Statistics indicate that July and August have had more marriages than June for the last several years.

In Australia, the insurance organization Million Dollar Woman indicates that October is the most popular month for tying the knot. In North America, the most popular month to walk down the aisle is July, followed by August, June, May, September, October, December, November, April, February, and March. January has the least number of weddings.

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

Couples who are looking to save money or avoid competition for vendors with other couples can use this information when choosing a date for their weddings.

Filename	SB137317.TXT
Issue Date	July 2013
Edition	Summer Weddings
Category	Bridal/Wedding Did You Know

The Missing Ingredient

Have you ever been at a party and when it came to an end there was still a lot of people wanting to continue - so they coerced the bartender into turning on the stereo or they went outside and cranked up their car radio. Funny thing is twenty to thirty minutes later the party dies anyhow.

Why?

"People don't dance to the music, they dance to the moment," says Randy Bartlett, who is a Sacramento DJ and producer of a series of disc jockey training videos [The 1% Solution].

The same can be said about an i-pod wedding. If you have ever been to one of those you may have noticed that a song will come on, people will dance, but by the following song they are walking off the dance floor.

Again . . . why?

~ REQUEST A CONSULTATION ~

And the answer for both scenarios is that there is an ingredient missing, which is someone that is an expert in music programming and someone who can react to the moment. Songs need to be matched, either by beats per minute or by genre, but more importantly - to the moment.

Did the wedding party come in with all of the guys waving a beer in their hand and wearing cowboy hats or seed corn caps (Drink In My Hand/Eric Church or She Thinks My Tractors Sexy/Kenny Chesney)?  Did the Maid of Honor reminisce about growing up with the Bride, playing with Barbie Dolls before graduating to their Justin Bieber days, during her toast (Barbie Girl/Aqua & Baby/Justin Bieber)?

So as you began to put your music list together for your big day remember . . . . it's not about the music, it's about the moments. Find ways to create moments on your wedding day and we can match the music to enhance them!

Until next time,
~ Mike ~

photo credit: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point via photopin cc

How long should a party be?

Determining how long your party should be depends on a lot of different factors. Will there be  a dinner served? How many guests will there be? What are the demographics? A four hour prom with 100-400 attendees is considered just about right, but a four hour birthday party for five or six year olds may be pushing it.

"A party should end when it shouldn't end, not when it should," advises entrepreneurial coach and Michigan wedding DJ Dan Nichols. "Ending a party before it dies down leaves everyone with the impression the floor was packed all night. It just feels better when people are left wanting more versus being completely burned out. "


A good guide for a wedding would be:

• Under 50 guests:    four hours
• 50-250 guests:       four - five hours
• 250+ guests:          five - six hours

Keep in mind that the more guests you have the longer it will take to get everyone there and the longer it will take your staff  to serve them. In each case it is ideal tho allow at least two but no more than three hours after dinner for preliminary traditions and entertainment.

Too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Until next time,

~ Mike ~

Message in a Bottle

We've purchased ten sets of our MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE and we're giving them away FREE to the next ten couples that book us for their wedding, starting today April 12, 2013.

How It Works

Set the bottles on your gift table or registry table and invite your guests to write you a special message and then deposit it into the bottle corresponding to the anniversary to be read when that date arrives. How cool will it be to break open the bottles and read well wishes from your guests five, ten and even twenty years after your wedding day!

You will receive:

• Paper
• Seals
• Pens
• Five bottles
• Poster

The first set will go to our Grand Prize winner at the A Bridal Affaire Sunday, April 14th, 2013 from 12 pm - 3:30 pm at the Grand River Center

Stop by and see us then.

Photo courtesy of Photographs & Memories

Design by Imagine That

Did You Know?

 

For decades the month of June held firm as the most popular month for weddings. But statistics now indicate that there may be shifting preferences in the time of the year for marriages. According to The National Center for Health Statistics, July and August are now the most popular months for tying the knot in the United States. September and October have also gained momentum as premier months. Explanations for this shift vary, but it may have something to do with changing weather patterns and warmer weather now arriving later in the season than in the past. Also, getting married later in the year may make it easier for couples to secure their first choice of wedding venues.  BR131775