Category Archives: Party

A bit of a romance

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A little romance goes a long way. The very best weddings manage to incorporate small elements of romance and elegance without going overboard and still remaining cool!

Your wedding entertainment is crucial in setting the mood for your day so what acts in particular should you be looking at this year to create that warm, fuzzy feeling at your wedding?

Rat Pack Singers

You can celebrate in effortless style with a Rat Pack Singers and Bands. There is something suave and special about this era of music that brings a touch of class to your wedding. The tempo of the tracks are perfect for dancing to and often have a really romantic and personal touch – without going overboard on cheese.

Fire Performers

Make a change to the traditional end of night fireworks and heat things up during the evenings with live fire performers. The flickering flames and amber glow of the fire is inviting to say the least and is something completely unexpected for your guests. Create special moments and surprises for a memorable night.

Gospel Choir

If you’ve seen romantic comedy ‘Love Actually’ then you will know the impact a choir can make on your wedding. The sound of a choir is magnificent during weddings, especially during the ceremony where their grand voices can carry beautifully throughout your wedding venue. If you are in a large venue or a church then the acoustics will be absolutely perfect for this!

Wedding Harpist

If you are unsure about the acoustics of your venue then you can still create a romantic atmosphere with a live musician such as a Harpist. A solo musician like this is beautiful, personal and elegant. Not only that but the harp is an amazing looking instrument within itself. It stands tall and is hard to miss as the talented performer serenades both you and your guests.

Ballerinas

Enthralling snowflake ballerinas gliding across your dance floor with flawless choreography bring wonder and fascination from your guests. Live dancers are always unexpected at weddings and make for amazing photo opportunities. Top tip: Have them perform with you during your first dance to make the that moment even more romantic and memorable.

 

The best wedding entertainment

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When it comes to choosing wedding entertainment, many have absolutely no idea where to begin. That’s no surprise either; why would you know where to begin when for most this is something completely new to experience! Very few newlyweds have ever been married before so to expect the bride and groom to know how to choose wedding entertainment is ludicrous. Thankfully, we are here to help!

Restrictions

It’s best to start by looking at the wedding venue you have chosen and working backwards from there. Are there any restrictions in place that might immediately cut down your list into  a more manageable size? Many wedding venues are very old or are situated close to public areas. In this case, they may have a sound limiter which means you probably won’t be able to book that Metallica tribute band you had your eye on. Others might prevent wedding parties from having jugglers or acrobats indoors due to the highly expensive art on the walls. Ask your wedding venue whether they have any restrictions in place before booking wedding entertainment.

Taste

The important thing to remember about your wedding day entertainment is that it is all about you! The bride and groom! There’s no point booking a harpist if you can’t stand the harp (though in all honesty, we not sure any harp haters actually exist) and if you absolutely love card tricks, feel free to book a magician if it’s what you want. Your wedding day is exactly that: your wedding day. Make sure it’s everything you first envisaged after getting engaged!

What’s most important to you?

The bride and groom are often exceptionally busy on the wedding day itself so tend to ‘miss out’ on a lot of what’s going on by virtue of having other things to do. While your guests are sipping at champagne, the happy couple will often venture off to have their wedding photos taken. As everybody is enjoying their wedding breakfast, the couple often have to walk between tables as each guest wishes to congratulate them on their day. So what matters most to you? If you’d prefer to have attendees chatting to one another, a magician can help break the ice. If you’d like a fun photo album of your day, booking a photo booth is a must. Have a think and we are certain you’ll be able to prioritise accordingly!

Inside/Outside

Booking wedding entertainment definitely varies depending on whether your wedding is inside or outside. In the summer, you might want to book a strolling acoustic act, but always have a backup idea in place if it starts to rain! If your event is taking place mainly indoors, there will naturally be a few types of wedding entertainment that won’t necessarily work.

Consider your budget

The final consideration to make when it comes choosing wedding entertainment is your budget. Newlyweds don’t want to start married life with a mountain of debt but it does happen so please only book what you can afford. At the end of the day, a wedding is a marvellous celebration of a couple’s love for one another and nothing should get in the way of that. If you can’t afford a function band, then perhaps look at booking a DJ. There are a multitude of options available for any budget so there really is something for everyone.

 

Book great entertainment

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After your guests leave your wedding and have returned to their daily routine, they’ll remember two things about your special day: the interaction between you and your spouse-to-be, and the rockin’ band or DJ. Details like centrepieces, name cards, and dinner selections will trail far, far behind in the memory banks of your friends and family. That’s why you should look at all your options and carefully choose the most amazing wedding entertainment out there.

Tips for Booking the Best

When you’re searching for that perfect wedding entertainment, it’s important to do your homework. If you’ve never heard or seen their performance, you can do a little research to see what they offer. Reviews are always a great option as you can hear from some of their happy past clients. However, in some cases, reviews may not be available. If you’re interested in hiring a performer but you want to dig a little deeper to make sure they’re the perfect fit, then you should do the following:

 

  • View their website.
  • Look at their social profiles to see how they interact with fans and followers.
  • Have a contract with clear and precise terms.
  • If at all possible, go see a live performance.
  • Reach out to the entertainer to discuss their prior performance experience. They may be able to connect you with clients they’ve worked with for a referral.
  • Most importantly, you must trust and like who you are dealing with while negotiating the booking.

 

This is a very special day in your life, and like any milestone event, planning can get hectic. It’s wise to be prepared for last-minute hiccups and do everything you can to make sure the wedding entertainment is what you’ve always dreamed it would be.

 

How to choose your wedding party

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Try to keep it balanced. While it’s perfectly fine to have more women than men (or vice versa) in your wedding party, do your best to keep it close to balanced so it doesn’t look odd in photos. If you find yourself with a large difference, consider narrowing down your wedding party to just one or two on each side to keep it under control.

When planning a wedding, think about your overall event size. If you’re having a 25-person or less wedding, having a large wedding party would just be awkward. Scale down your party in accordance with your event size.

Are you having a formal or casual wedding? For the most part, casual weddings are more suited to smaller wedding parties, where formal weddings can support a larger one.

Start with siblings. Especially if you’re having a small wedding party, invite siblings before you invite friends. Your family has always and will always be a part of your lives, so they should come first.

Consider their circumstances. Being in a wedding party requires a significant investment of time and money. Make sure that your invitation to serve as a wedding attendant won’t be a hardship on anyone.

Remember there are other ways to honour people. If you have a lot of people you want to stand up for you at your wedding but there isn’t room in the wedding party, consider inviting people to serve as ushers, guest book attendants, gift collectors, speakers, singers, or other important roles on your special day instead.

Pick people you can rely on. Your wedding party is meant to include people who do more than just stand beside you and smile for pictures. You’ll need to rely on them for any number of things before and during the wedding. Choose your party accordingly.

Consider how long you’ve known them. Once you’ve asked your family, it’s time to consider which friends you’d like to ask to stand up for you. I recommend beginning with the friends you’ve known the longest, the ones who have been there with you through thick or thin. Those are the friends who are most likely to help you out when you need it, and who will remain a part of your life after the wedding.

These are some quick tips on choosing your wedding party, but the fact is, there aren’t any hard and fast rules. Do what works best for you and your wedding.

 

Think about your guests enjoyment

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You’ve found the love of your life, you’re getting married, you want your night to be a party to remember, so you hired a band for the wedding entertainment… what next?

Your aim is to make sure you and your wedding party have an absolute whale of a time – to end the night having that much fun you haven’t noticed you’re only wearing one shoe and your Nan has found herself a table to dance on. If you’ve booked the right band, there’s a high chance that these things could happen… here’s a few party tricks that will help make this mission a success.

Timing is Key – Start the band as late as you can. Ideally the first set would start at around 8.30pm/9pm to make sure everyone is limbered up and ready to start throwing some incredible looking shapes. This kind of timing also gives the evening guests time to arrive, catch up with the newly weds and get a few drinks down them… There’s nothing wrong with a bit of dutch courage to prepare you for the dance floor.Dancing in the Dark – Think about your Auntie Sue… She loves a good boogie but like a lot of us, she’s a little shy and may need a nudge to make sure she’s feeling confident enough to get up and dance. Now imagine if you put a spotlight on her, poor Sue would be back to her chair and tapping her feet under the table. The point to the ‘Sue story’ is that bright lights can be a bit scary, so to create the perfect party atmosphere, dim down the lights and hey presto! Your dance floor will be full of shape throwers.Trust Your Band – Your band is playing ‘Mr Brightside’, everyone is singing their socks off and the dance floor is chocca… next up is your favourite Ed Sheeran song, the band plays it and everyone leaves. Now we all love a bit of Ed but it might just not be the right time. Being particular about what the band plays means they won’t want to upset you by going against your wishes but they also want you to have the best possible time.

Your band have played at tonnes of weddings, to hundreds of cousins, friends, auntie’s, uncle’s and grandma’s… To everyone you can possibly think of. Putting together a set list that keeps such an eclectic bunch of people is an art form and this will be one of the main reasons why you will have such an awesome party. You will always be able to choose the odd song or two but being as flexible as possible with what they play will mean they can read that Grandad Joe has been praying for ‘Baby One More Time’ and that wish of his just might come true.Less is More – You’re wondering how you can get the most of your band but you’re not sure how? Most bands will offer 2 x 60 or 3 x 40 minute sets during the evening, so what do you go with? Sometimes this can be completely down to what you have planned for the night but we would usually recommend 2 sets works much better.

Having 3 sets of music can mean a lot of stopping and starting, the last thing you want to do is stop the music when your wedding party has just formed a dancing conga. If you’re still stuck, let the band worry about it, they will do what’s right Look After Your Band – We’ve all heard the horror stories of bands requesting 3 course meals and bottles of champagne for all 12 of them… now in most cases, these stories aren’t true, so don’t worry. Luckily there isn’t too many divas out there but it’s always good to have a hot meal/buffet food and drink set out for the band. They all understand how much weddings can add up but something to keep them going will mean they keep their juices flowing and energy levels up. The best thing about booking a band… Being able to leave your night in their capable hands whilst you have the time of your life. So go on, give it a go.

 

Wedding fair tips

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Wedding Entertainment Shouldn’t Make you Nervous!

Do not fear the word ‘entertainment’. There are always a few couples who see the word and aren’t entirely sure what it means; they have the music planned but… What else should there be? In short, nothing! You don’t have to have anything at your wedding. The most important part of your wedding is the vows; anything else is secondary. Wedding Entertainment refers to anything that will entertain on your big day from the band to the DJ to harp and so on and so forth.

Take your time..

This is thee number 1 rule! Take your time visiting each and every stall. Don’t just rush in and think that chatting to a wedding supplier means you have an obligation to buy! Every supplier in attendance knows that weddings are expensive and is simply on hand to make the process easier for you. We might hear from you later and we might not, that’s absolutely fine! The reasons suppliers attend these events is not just to meet potential clients, but also to help educate prospective brides and grooms and help them understand their small part of the wedding planning process. So take your time and enjoy the occasion.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these few tips for those attending their first wedding fair. We also highly recommend taking a business card and brochure from every supplier you meet so that you can refresh your mind after the fair from the comforts of your own home. There’s a lot to take in and remember, there’s nothing preventing you from attending another down the line.

 

Entertain kids on your Wedding day

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When planning a wedding, you don’t want to leave the kids out. You also want all your guests to come along to your wedding and not to refuse if they can’t get a babysitter. Here’s what to do if you want to keep the kids amused at your wedding…

Clowns

There’s nothing better than having a clown at your wedding! Able to put a smile on everybody’s face, clowns can entertain children at your wedding with a fun show that focuses on a variety of skills including magic and comedy. Perfect for the young and young at heart.

Face Painting

A simple and traditional idea and one that always goes down brilliantly, face painting is a hugely popular affair at every event and wedding. Whether children would like to go for a tiger look or a butterfly, there are numerous options available to ensure that every single child is happy on your special day.

Balloon Modellers

There are a number of fun balloon modellers to hire that can entertain children in a variety of ways. Not just for children’s parties, these superb artists can make pretty much anything out of their very special balloons. Whether a child would like a dog or perhaps even a hat ‘made’ from Pineapple and other delights, our balloon modellers are more than up to the task. Unlike other children’s entertainment, you might just find your adult guests wanting to get involved as well!

Petting Zoo

The best thing about hiring a petting zoo is that everybody can get involved and enjoy having animals at your wedding. Just like balloon modellers, this idea is perfect for guests both young and old, with a particular highlight being  a Pony. Children will be in their element as they pet the animals inside the enclosure and they may just be allowed to feed them as well!

 

Keep the kids entertained

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When planning a wedding here are a number of ideas to ensure that if yours isn’t a child-friendly day, that the kids are entertained throughout the speeches and beyond.

Balloon Modellers

There are a number of fun balloon modellers to hire that can entertain children in a variety of ways. Not just for children’s parties, these superb artists can make pretty much anything out of their very special balloons. Whether a child would like a dog or perhaps even a hat ‘made’ from Pineapple and other delights, our balloon modellers are more than up to the task. Unlike other children’s entertainment, you might just find your adult guests wanting to get involved as well!

Petting Zoo

The best thing about hiring a petting zoo is that everybody can get involved and enjoy having animals at your wedding. Just like balloon modellers, this idea is perfect for guests both young and old, with a particular highlight being Tony the Pony (above, dressed as a unicorn). Children will be in their element as they pet the animals inside the enclosure and they may just be allowed to feed them as well! Lovely.

Comedian

Perfect for deploying during the wedding speeches, hiring a children’s comedian can entertain the kids in another room whilst their parents are listening to the best man’s various anecdotes about the groom. A Comedian is hugely popular for a children’s entertainer with family friendly jokes and routines that are sure to have the kids in fits of laughter.

Face Painting

A simple and traditional idea and one that always goes down brilliantly, face painting is a hugely popular affair at every event and wedding. Whether children would like to go for a tiger look or a butterfly, there are numerous options available to ensure that every single child is happy on your special day.

Engagement Party Ideas

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If you’re recently engaged then you might look to hold an engagement party to celebrate this massive moment and get all your friends and family together ahead of the wedding in a year or two. We all know that weddings are expensive so we’ve come up with ideas that put under ‘fun but affordable’.

Food and Drink

This is certainly the thing that people get most excited about when called to attend a party at the last minute and where an engagement is concerned, it makes sense to spend the majority of your limited budget on a variety of food and drink options. Naturally, many people will be more than happy to pay for their own beers. If you’re wanting to get  a little bit more fun, why not hire a food trike to delight attendees both old and young? Foods include hot dogs, sweets, ice cream and many, many more.

Balloons

Everybody loves balloons and the best bit is that they come in all kinds of different colours. With this idea, you need simply find some time in your schedule to blow up a lot of balloons! We highly recommend buying a pump if you’d like to do it yourself as very few people have the huff and puff to make blowing up fifty to one hundred balloons a doable task.

DJ

What’s a party without hiring a DJ?  How to make it more of a party? A DJ of course! Easily fitting in the corner of the pub, the tunes went on for a number of hours and everybody had a fab time; even if there was no dancefloor, the music was great for creating the right atmosphere in the room.

Photobooth

Easily one of the most popular forms of entertainment at weddings, there’s no reason why you can’t hire a photobooth for an engagement party as well! With most coming with a variety of fun props and a photo album where your snaps can be placed, they go down a storm no matter the occasion and anyone who’s anyone will have at least one photo taken if given the opportunity. A no brainer when it comes to organising your engagement party.

Of course these ideas for your engagement party can also be hired for when planning a wedding too.  This is just good practice for the big day!!

 

Let your guests enjoy

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When planning a Wedding, you’ll want the very best for your guests to enjoy. You’ll want the best food, the best decorations – and the best music to get them up out of their chairs and strutting their stuff on the dance floor all night long!

If so, your big music decision is – disco or live band? Wedding discos have been popular for generations of newly-weds, and with good reason. Professional DJ’s do much more than play tracks these days; they assess the age range of your guests, their energy levels, take requests, and create a flow of music that ensures all ages and all musical tastes have a great evening of non-stop dancing.

If you’ve ever headed for your chair and a drink at a wedding disco, only to turn on your heels as another of your favourite tracks calls you back on the floor, that’s due to the skill of your DJ! A top wedding DJ will have an impressive collection of tracks at his fingertips, and thanks to the wonders of technology, they’ll probably be stored on an easy to carry hard drive or a laptop. So, whatever your guests request on the night, chances are, your  DJ has it on file, or can even download it on the fly!

Most wedding DJs also bring their own sound system and lighting, to turn a marquee or hotel function room into an instant nightclub atmosphere. They can usually integrate their kits with the venue’s own sound system if required, important if the wedding venue has sound-limiting equipment installed.

So, today’s wedding DJs can set themselves up in almost any space or room, perfect entertainment for smaller weddings and large venues alike.

A live wedding band brings the energy and excitement of a live gig to your special day.  Wedding and function bands are actually cover bands, who play all the hits you know and love. The best wedding bands play a wide selection of hits from the 1950s to the present day, so every guest can enjoy something they know, played live right in front of them. Every professional band wants their audience (your guests) to have the best time possible, so they will tailor their performance just like a DJ, to ensure the best range of music to suit all tastes.