Choosing A Wedding Reception Site

Choosing your reception site can be a real pain, but the decision is such an important one. Your chosen venue will set the tone for your party...a reception held on the grounds of your local arboretum will be very different from one help in the ballroom of a five-star hotel! As familiar as you probably are with all things wedding, it's likely that you have never personally rented a commercial facility. Before you jump into the process feet first, ask yourself if you know what you want and what to look for.

With those points in mind, here are some of the questions we here at A Music Plus recommend you ask when planning and ultimately choosing a wedding reception site:

• How much will it cost to use the site? Is that per hour, per head, or flat?
  
• What are the deposit requirements?
  
• What are the conditions of cancellation? What if the site cancels?
  
• Is there a payment schedule or plan?
• Is there a reception package? Can we order services a la carte?
  
• If there is a package, how much does it cost?
• What is included and what is not included?
• What are the "extras" and how much do they cost?
• How long can I have the site? Do we have to clean up ourselves?
  
• Is there a minimum hour usage or head count?
  
• Is there an overtime fee?
• What is the overtime fee?
• Is your party the only party? Or is there one before or after?
• If there is, will there be sufficient time to clean, prepare and redecorate the site?
• Does the site provide liability insurance and what does it cover?
• Is there an in-house caterer or a list of approved or preferred caterers?
• Can you choose your own caterer? Baker?
• Will they show you a sample contract before you make your decision?
  

You will probably think of other questions to ask, depending on what your needs are. These are just the basic questions you should toss out there when you're seriously considering working with a particular venue. Good luck!


A Music Plus
Denver's Wedding Entertainment Specialists
Disc Jockeys, Live Wedding Bands, Event Entertainment Specialists
http://www.amusicplus.com/

Bridesmaids Gifts

Saying a proper "thank you" is always important, no matter what the occasion. In the case of a wedding, showing your wedding party how grateful you are for their help is even more important because of the time and expense involved in their participation. If you have the time and the energy to find super personalized gifts for your gals, great. But if you're like most brides, you're going to want to go the traditional route when shopping for bridesmaids gifts.

What's traditional? When it comes to gifts for bridesmaids (and any other female attendants you may have) girly is usually the way to go. After all, when it comes right down to it, few things are more feminine than a wedding with all the gowns and the cake and the little presents. Here are a few ideas to help you thank your bridesmaids for being there for you.

• Bag it up -- Personalized tote bags do double duty, serving first as wedding day emergency kits for the bridal party and then as beach or overnight bags for the bridesmaids. Totes come in all shapes, colors, styles, and sizes. For fun, try switching it up and giving each of your gals a different bag.

• Drink it up -- Pink monogrammed flasks may seem a little frivolous, but they are a fun alternative to the usual makeup bags and keychains. You never know...the flasks might come in handy on a long wedding day!

• Bling it up -- If you know your ladies' tastes, consider gifting them with bridesmaid jewelry that they can wear to the wedding and after the wedding. Remember this simple rule: Fewer rhinestones mean more chances to wear the jewelry again.

• Tear it up -- And by it, we mean "the town." Give each of your 'maids a personalized bridesmaid shirt so everyone in the bar knows that it's your bachelorette party and they are your best friends.

A Music Plus
Denver's Wedding Entertainment Specialists
Disc Jockeys, Live Wedding Bands, Event Entertainment Specialists
http://www.amusicplus.com/

Personalize Your Wedding Cake

Wedding cake can be pretty boring, though it doesn't have to be! Even though you may look through dozens of baker's catalogs full of tiered white cakes with plain white icing, there's no reason your cake has to be blah. A good baker or cake designer can whip up icing in any color in the rainbow, create statuary from spun sugar, and create wedding cakes that look like the finest architecture. Being a DJ means I see plenty of wedding cakes, so trust me when I say that your wedding cake can be nothing short of gorgeous!

Here are four ways to personalize and beautify your wedding cake:

• If everything else in your wedding will adhere to a particular color scheme, get your cake in on the action. Decorate or embellish your cake according to your wedding colors or theme. If your color scheme will be rose pink, you ccan cover your cake with romantic pink rosebuds, either real or made of icing.

• For a special touch, talk to your baker about incorporating some of the detailing on your wedding gown into the decorations on your wedding cake. If you take a picture of your dress to your cake designer, he or she should be able to copy some of the lace, beading or other decorations from your dress onto your wedding cake.

• Get sentimental! Copy the wedding cake topper your grandparents or parents used at their wedding, or find a cake topper that is as similar as possible. FYI: If you want to make your parents feel extra special, serve them the first slices of cake you cut yourself, before it is taken to the kitchen to be cut by the caterers and served to your guests.

• Get really personal by having your and the spouse-to-be's initials intertwined in icing on your cake. This type of decoration is even more striking when your wedding cake is otherwise fairly plain.

Then again, if you've been dreaming of a pretty white wedding cake since you were a little girl, don't think you need to spring for some multi-colored monstrosity. Trust me when I say that a well-made plain wedding cake will taste just as delicious as an embellished wedding cake!


A Music Plus
Denver's Wedding Entertainment Specialists
Disc Jockeys, Live Wedding Bands, Event Entertainment Specialists
http://www.amusicplus.com/

The Rose Ceremony

Clients often ask us whether we know of any special rituals they can perform to make their ceremonies and receptions a little more unique. It's not easy, after all, to distinguish one wedding from another when so many traditions are deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness! Luckily, we DJs get to see it all, so we always have a recommendation ready for those couples who need some help.

Not surprisingly, many rituals revolve around wedding flowers. When the couple in question is planning a romantic wedding, we usually suggest they think about performing the rose ceremony.

The rose ceremony is a simple wedding ceremony, yet profoundly moving for those participating and those observing. During the ceremony, the bride and groom exchange beautiful red roses, symbolizing the giving and receiving of their love for each other throughout their entire married life.

The rose ceremony is also a nod to the fact that the rose is often a symbol of forgiveness...and forgiveness must be a part of any successful marriage. In the past, the rose was considered an emblem of love, and a single deep red rose always meant only one thing: the words "I love you." So it is only appropriate that for your first gift given as husband and wife is a red rose.

If red just isn't your color, you can choose a alternate shade, but bear in mind that different flowers convey different meanings. White symbolizes innocence, pink symbolizes perfect happiness, yellow symbolizes joy, coral symbolizes desire, and orange symbolizes enthusiasm. The only rose whose meaning is negative is the black rose...a rare species indeed!


A Music Plus
Denver's Wedding Entertainment Specialists
Disc Jockeys, Live Wedding Bands, Event Entertainment Specialists
http://www.amusicplus.com/