Wedding Ideas

The most common question I receive is "how much do you charge". That is a good question however, it should not be the first or most important question when hiring your wedding officiant. To often Brides and Grooms plan their very detailed wedding ceremony and reception right down to the detail and want their wedding to be perfect! BUT  They think of the Officant as the person who just marry's them. Yes the officiant does marry you, but they also create and perform your entire ceremony!

Your guests are sitting there watching and listening to your entire ceremony. If your officiant is not professional, does not speak clearly and with expression, does not have the ability to put together a well organized, well flowing ceremony for you, it can be a disaster.

So you have been planning for months and the big day is finally here! You are getting married and you have various items that you must be sure you have for the day to go smoothly.

Below we provide a wedding day checklist that should cover all of those important yet tedious items that you will need for the wedding ceremony and the reception, and so that you are prepared to leave for your honeymoon.

Professional wedding videographers can range in price from $500 to over $5,000. What gives? As long as they’re professionally trained, properly equipped and experienced, why the drastic difference in price?

First of all, it’s important to understand that videographers (this goes for photographers and other artists too), assign a value to their work based on their time, effort, equipment, expertise, and a whole lot of factors that can vary from artist to artist, depending on their approach and demand for their product.

Many brides ask us why we insist on an engagement shoot for all our wedding couples.  Think of the engagement shoot as an audition for the photographer and a dress rehearsal for you.  This time allows us to get to know each other.  As the photographer I get to see what makes you comfortable in front of the camera, what makes you laugh, what relaxes you.  As the subject you get to know the photographers work style and personality.  On your wedding day you will spend more time with your photographer then any other vendor.  My goal is always to make you so comfortable with me that by your wedding day I am a trusted friend.   This makes a HUGE difference in the final photos.   If you are relaxed and comfortable your photos will be more natural.

Going through your engagement photos with your photographer is another really important step in getting the best possible photos on your wedding day.  Viewing and discussing your engagement pictures allows you to tell the photographer what you like and don't like about your photos.  Perhaps you don't like profile shots because it highlights the shape of your nose, or you prefer close up head & shoulder shots over full length shots.  Whatever your personal preference, your photographer will have a better understanding when you can go through a photo session together.

Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking:

Why would I need someone else on the wedding day?

This question come up frequently when speaking with Brides and Grooms who are starting their planning process. Having an on site coordinator at your venue is a huge asset. They have a ton of knowledge of the facility and what works best there. They have seen tons of weddings done many different ways in the same space, some probably more successful then others. They may know tricks and have ideas of how to make the space work, that someone new coming in may not have. There is some overlap to what a wedding coordinator and on site coordinator do. This is wonderful, and how it should be! You want as many professionals working with you on your wedding day as possible.

So you've decided to get married. Congratulations! Every bride and groom's taste is different, especially when it comes to their flowers.

Nowadays choosing your wedding flowers can sometimes be a difficult task considering there is so many options out there, especially if you can't decide what you would really love to hold while you walk down the aisle and see on your guest's tables, etc. The key is not to stress, and talk to a professional who can guide you through what is available, in season and what colour combinations would compliment or co-ordinate with you and your wedding parties chosen attire. There really is no right or wrong, and you can go towards contemporary or traditional style of a bouquet, it just depends on what type of a feeling you would like to envoke.

When you ask the groomsmen to be in your wedding it's assumed they will be renting tuxedos, usually at their own expense. While rental offers range from $50 to $150, I have personally found most rentals end up averaging $120, and can be as much as $200. Each tux is a different price and most brides & grooms gravitate to the nicer fabrics because they feel and look better, but also cost more. Some stores charge extra for shoes & accessories such as vests. That entry level deal is rarely the out the door price. 

Another option is to buy a tux. The problem is most people won't have enough occasions over the next 5 to 10 years to justify the cost. After all you may want to wear a 3 button coat to your wedding while the next one is a 2 button. Then you're back to square one. The point at which it makes sense financially to own a tux is if you will wear it 3 to 4 times a year. Less than that and you are buying one because you want to wear YOUR tux and not one a hundred other guys have worn.

Are you thinking of a Beach Wedding?

There are lots of things to consider when planning a ceremony on the beach.  Here are a few of the important things you'll need to consider:

When booking a DJ, watch out for the prideful, “full of himself” DJ, that has a name like “Jammin Joe”, or the quiet DJ who thinks his job is just to just play music. Your Typical Wedding DJ tends to fall in one of two extremes. Many high end DJs, are very "flashy", or "showy" and love to be the center of attention, hear themselves talk, and have this attitude “how glorious am I”. On the other extreme you have many of your low end DJs, who camp out behind their messy equipment and don’t give any direction or leadership. A DJ has to be a leader, one who is comfortable, making announcements, and guiding your guests, as well as all the vendors you have working for you, communicating with them, so that they know what is happening. Our DJs are in the middle of those two extremes. The first two hours before dinner and during dinner we are formal and elegant, When you make your grand entrance, you will hear an introduction that will get your guests excited when you walk in. We say what we need to say, but also know when to shut up. The last half of the reception (the dancing part), we are interactive and are very good at getting people on the dance floor.

A big ego is the last thing a DJ needs, but unfortunately a common trait. Many of them will have some hyped up name that they go by. All of our four DJs are here to serve you, so they don’t need an alter ego stage name, because it’s not about them, it’s about you, the Bride and Groom, and your guests. You are the boss and we will do what you want, but we will also advise you from our years of experience; however the final decision is always yours. As a wedding DJ you are trying to please a wide range of ages and ethnic groups, and someone may not like something you are playing, but you have to put your pride aside and be polite and courteous at all times.