Archive for the ‘Wedding Reception’ Category

A Tip For A Successful Wedding Reception

With Michiana wedding season is just over a month away, here is a tip to guarantee that your wedding reception is a wonderful success!  The bride and groom set  the energy level and determine by their actions the success of the wedding reception. We have seen it again and again over two decades of experience. Most guests take their cue on participation level from what the bride and groom are doing. If the bride and groom are just standing around talking to people, then the majority of guests are going to stand around and talk.. One sure fire way to kill your wedding reception is to not be in the banquet hall. We have seen many receptions come to a quick end because brides and grooms ended up outside smoking or in the entry way talking to guests for most of the night. We aren’t saying you can’t do this, just keep it short because when guests see that the two guests of honor aren’t around they start walking for the door. So at least spend as much time as possible inside your wedding reception hall, tent.

But as we said, the bride and groom set the energy level of the wedding reception! If you want people walking out the door exhausted from having fun, and you have a DJ or Band then both of you need to get out on the dance floor! Good DJs and bands will get people on the dance floor, but as we said many guests take their cue from the bride and groom and if the two of you are out on the floor shaking your bon bon for long stretches at a time then your guests will be out there with you. And yes we mean both of you, sorry grooms who don’t like to dance. A good band or DJ will always have people dancing and the one half of the bride and groom getting on the dance floor is good, but it is the energy of both of you partying out on the floor will get the more reticent guests to join in on the celebration!

A bride and groom participating can also overcome a bad DJ and take an empty dance floor and bring out at least a few people to dance.

The same applies to other activities like a photo booth. Your guests really do take the cue from you, as the bride and groom, and if they see you having fun in the photo booth, they are more likely to enjoy it themselves. We have seen people who absolutely refused to step into a booth and have their picture taken, change their minds once they see the happy couple enjoying it themselves.

You have spent thousands to enjoy your wedding day in and if you join in the activities your Michiana wedding will be one to remember for years to come by all of your guests!

Brian Peterson
Brian is the owner of Fun Zone Photo Booths, serving the Michiana region. Prior to Fun Zone he owned River City Music for 20 years, a successful wedding entertainment company.

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Notre Dame Wedding Club Naimoli

Cynthia Basker of Celebrated Events, the best wedding planner in the area in our opinion, has details including pictures of the new Club Naimoli on the Notre Dame Campus. Brides and grooms who get married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart have a new upscale venue at which they can host their receptions and rehearsal dinners in the Jaycc overlooking the basketball court below! You can find details of her personal tour of the new Club Naimoli on her blog here! Celebrated Events

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The Key To A Successful Wedding Reception

The Key To A Really Successful Wedding Reception

With the summer passing into memory, in South Bend / Michiana, I thought I would share with you one of the things I have noticed attending weddings this year. If the reception is a full blown party with dancing, the success of the dancing portion is up to the bride and the groom. As with any function, the guests of honor and the hosts set the tone for any function, but most especially the dancing at a reception. Do not get me wrong, the quality of the entertainment is as important and by some degree more important because if you hire the wrong DJ, band or orchestra for your reception, then there will be nothing you can do to salvage the evening.

But if you have chosen the right entertainment that plays the music that clicks with your guests and you, then how much of a success the reception is, is up to you. By this I mean that if you as the host/guests of honor/bride and groom do not get up and dance every so often, then the reception will be far less than it could be. The most successful wedding receptions I witnessed this past summer were the ones where the bride and groom nearly lived on the dance floor for three or four hours. The host/guests of honor/bride and groom set the tone that their guests will follow. If the entertainment is good there will be dancing, but not nearly as much or as fun as when the bride and groom are participating on a regular basis. If you are outside smoking or do nothing but talking to people around the room then that is what your guests will do. If you are up on the dance floor on a regular basis then your guests will follow you onto the dance floor.

So even if you think you have two left feet, if you are having a band/orchestra/DJ for your wedding reception, then get up on the dance floor and have fun! Your guests will do the same and you party will be all the success that you dreamed it would be!

-Amy

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Choosing Your Wedding Reception Location

Things to consider when looking for your wedding reception location.

1 Where do you want to host your reception? Traditional banquet facility, restaurant, hotel, club or outdoors?

2 Are there stairs and if there are stairs is there an elevator? Some halls were grandfathered in and weren’t required to have an elevator. If you have family or friends who have a hard time walking up stairs, is there alternative to getting them up to the reception.

3 How many people are you inviting, put together a rough guest list for the count?

4 How many hours are can you reserve the facility for? What is their overtime policy?

5 What are the policies and restrictions that the facility has for music, food, flowers, décor, etc…?

6 Are you able to bring in outside vendors, or are you limited to their services? (i.e. wedding cake, Hors d’oeuvres , entertainment, etc.)

7 Is there room for a disc jockey or band? On thing to note about entertainment, don’t put tables between the dance floor and the entertainment! The entertainment will end up blasting your guests who are seated in the tables to get the sound to the dance floor.

8 Do you want your dinner served plated, buffet, or family style and what is the cost for those options. Plated will usually be more expensive than buffet.

9 Is there reasonable distance from the place of the wedding ceremony to the reception?

10 Are you able to have your wedding ceremony on site if you wish?

11 Do you want an open bar or a cash bar?

12 Are there time limits as to when your decorations, flowers, the DJ or band are able to arrive and set up?

13 If children are invited, is there an area for them to go if needed?

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