Category Archives: Party

Make it the best day of your life

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The word wedding derives from Anglo-Saxon times when the bride’s father led a public ceremony, called a “be wedding”, at which the groom offered guarantees to the bride’s guardians that she would be looked after. These offerings were called “weds”. The occasion is one of life’s primeval and surprisingly unchanged rites of passage. It celebrates the union of two people in love with the sharing of vows and is traditionally witnessed by friends and family.

Whether your special day is a small registry celebration, or a large church gathering or a more personal non-religious ceremony, start as you mean to go on, by making the first day of the rest of your lives the best day of your lives.

Starting with the wedding ceremony, hire wedding entertainment for the guests – a string quartet or harpist are common choices to provide a beautiful musical backdrop during the wedding ceremony and immediately afterwards whilst photos are taken.

A jazz or swing band is an ideal choice to provide light background music during the afternoon reception, helping to settle guests and create an exciting atmosphere. It is also quite common for the string quartet rom your ceremony to continue playing during the afternoon reception.

What evening reception would be complete without a wedding party function band or DJ? Rock and Pop bands are by far the most popular choices, with soul, disco, and salsa offering something a little different.

Pull out all the stops and make your day truly wonderful!

Whatever your budget make it a day to remember

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Whether your special day is a small registry celebration, a large church gathering or a more personal, non-religious ceremony, start as you mean to go on by making the first day of the rest of your lives the best day of your lives.  

For a truly unforgettable day Wedding Branch will fulfil all your musical requirements with the pick of the country’s coolest party bands for a swinging evening reception, or perhaps a jazz band or swing band or classical music artists to provide background entertainment during the meal or the signing of the register. 

Starting with the wedding ceremony, a piper is traditional to play the bride in and out of the church. A string quartet or harpist are common choices to provide a beautiful musical backdrop during the wedding ceremony and immediately afterwards whilst photos are taken.

A jazz or swing band is an ideal choice to provide light background music during the afternoon reception, helping to settle guests and create an exciting atmosphere. It is also quite common for the string quartet from your ceremony to continue playing during the afternoon reception.

And what evening reception would be complete without a party function band or DJ? Pop bands are by far the most popular choices, with soul, disco and salsa offering something a little different.

DJ’s are a cost effective solution if a band is out of your budget but are also often booked as well as a band to fill in the gaps between the bands performances. Also, ask if the band themselves can DJ in between sets as this is very often possible.  

Don’t just stop at wedding music though as all manner of wedding entertainment can be arranged. From top caricaturist and illusionists to entertain your guests while they mingle, to traditional ballet dancers and stage hypnotists, there’s no end to the fun that can we can arrange for you.

Mr & Mr or Mrs & Mrs?

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With same sex Weddings now legalised, this is a cause for a double celebration, make it loud and be proud. Here are a few ideas on how to celebrate such a wonderful Wedding such as this!!

When it comes to crafting a beautiful wedding, it’s all about representing the couple’s style and personality — and same-sex weddings are no different. With the law changing in favour of marriage and equality, we’re feeling especially inspired to share some gorgeous wedding-planning ideas for gay and lesbian couples.

We’ve rounded up a few décor ideas that provide a unique twist on traditional wedding details:

Kick off the festivities with a personalized billboard sign, a fun way to welcome your guests — and get them excited for the nuptials ahead!
Add a twist to traditional ceremony seating with a tongue-in-cheek sign pointing guests to choose a seat and not a side (either way it’s for a bride!).
Want to show off your newlywed status in style? Opt for matching ‘Groom and Groom chair designs adorned with greenery or display whimsical “Bride” and “Bride” laser-cut letters in front of your handcrafted sweets.
You can also add a humorous — and elegant! — upgrade to the grooms’ cake with tiered chocolate cupcakes adorned with mini bowties and top hats.
For brides, go for simple “Hers” and “Hers” calligraphed signs in front of delicious, non-traditional wedding cakes. And as the night’s celebration comes to a close, send off your guests with personalized canvas totes that read “Love is Love” — a perfect closing to an unforgettable night!

Whether you’re sticking to tradition or going all-out with personalized details celebrate love with these creative ideas that make for a truly unique same-sex wedding!!

Welcome your guests with a sign with big personality — like a billboard with your wedding-day phrase!

Wedding Movie Themes

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Can’t decide on a wedding theme? Check out these amazing movie-themed proposals, and let them inspire your big day…

The Disney Dog Proposal

If you love cute dogs and Disney, this is the perfect proposal for you! A parade of cute puppies dressed up as Disney characters from the bride’s favourite films deliver little love notes from the groom-to-be. What could be better?

The Love Actually Proposal

If Love Actually is one of your favourite films, why not let its romantic moments inspire your day, like they inspired this unbelievable proposal. The amazing surprises just keep coming for this lucky bride-to-be. No expense was spared and this proposal included speedboats, helicopters and, of course, the 20-piece Love Actually style choir at the end – enjoy! See if you can spot our friends The Secret Singers, too!

The Bollywood Proposal

If you love all things bright and beautiful – and OTT dance routines – why not work a Bollywood theme into your big day? This brave groom spent hours learning a Bollywood dance routine to impress his bride-to-be. Enter the Flash Mob with some very cool moves! Would your man do something like this?

Is your spouse to be in teaching?

Obviously for this one you’d need to get permission for the Headmaster before carrying out this proposal. Or if you have a great Headmaster he/she may help you plan your perfect proposal. Let your spouse to be class to hold up some letters which form ‘Will You Marry Me?’ – it may take a bit of practice as some of the letters will be upside down (no doubt) but it would be a great surprise and which would get all the kids involved and make it a truly unforgettable moment.

Booking classical entertainment

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Create an elegant and calm atmosphere by having some live classical music performed at your wedding. Vaughn Jones from Manor House Music talks about how to make the most of hiring professional musicians for your wedding celebration.

Setting the scene

Try to imagine when and how you’d like music to be part of your day. Many couples opt for music to be performed during the ceremony and to entertain guests during the wedding breakfast. 

When you’re thinking about booking wedding musicians, consider the volume of their instruments – for example, a brass quintet could be a little overpowering for an intimate occasion, but a harpist or string duo would be ideal. Similarly, if you have 150 guests chatting and enjoying themselves, it might be hard to hear a solo musician, but a string quartet will be easily heard above the sound of conversation.

Professional costs

Music students, amateur groups and recent graduates may charge less, but as the saying goes ‘you get what you pay for’.

It’s often worth budgeting a bit more to hire a professional group. This will give you peace of mind that they will turn up as agreed (as professional groups usually have back-up musicians available in case of emergencies) and you’ll know that your wedding music will be ‘just right’.

How long should they play?

Although it might seem economical to only book a group for an hour, surprisingly this can be the most expensive way of doing things.

Once musicians have taken on a wedding, it usually means they will be unavailable for any other work during that day, so many groups have a minimum booking time of three hours, especially on peak days over the summer. Try to think of other times in the day that might require music and make the most of what you’ve got.

Agency bookings

This can be a tricky one. On one hand, booking through an agency means that they’ll handle the contractual agreement between you and the musicians, and they’ll be responsible for sourcing a replacement if there is any problem on the day. However, it does means that you’ll pay a higher fee because the agent takes a cut of the overall amount.

By booking directly, you will almost certainly save money and you’ll be dealing directly with the musicians themselves. Any professional group will exchange a simple contract that protects both parties, outlining timings, costs, insurance and so on, plus pro players will know plenty of colleagues who they can call on to replace themselves in case of illness.

Versatility

These days, many classical groups specialise in a wide range contemporary pieces, so it’s often possible to request your favourite song to be played at the wedding.

In many cases, popular musicians will have a wide repertoire to choose from, so you don’t need to just have classical music on your big day. Having a string quartet perform surprise rock and pop numbers during a drinks reception can delight and entertain guests of all ages!

Reasons to have a photo booth at your wedding

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Your guests will love it. The wedding photo booth will be the highlight of the night and everybody will be really pleased with the photographs.

Suitable for all ages

It will be great to have something the children and grandparents could join in with. 

Nostalgia

Back in the good old days we never had cameras on our phones! To grab an instant picture of you and all your friends you had to walk into town and squeeze into a wedding photo booth. Now the booths may look more stylish but the concept is the same. And, of course, there are some fun props to make it even more memorable.

Talking point

Want your wedding to have something a little bit different? Well a photo booth will have your guests raving for weeks afterwards. 

Fabulous favours

Why give a traditional box of almonds when you could have a fun photo from the day that guests can look back on for years to come? One nice idea is to give them an empty key ring with a note to go to the photo booth later! 

Theme it!

Are you having a theme on your big day? Whether you want a winter wonderland, day at the beach or even just a colour we can bring the props to match your theme. They can even customise your prints to match and – if the budget stretches – they can even customise the booth itself!

Share the love

Not only will your guests receive a copy of the fun wedding photographs on the night, they will also upload all your ‘clean’ pictures to your very own Facebook album! This helps carry on the fun for weeks after the big day as friends and family tag, comment and copy their pictures.

Make sure your dancefloor is never empty

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Book a live band

A great wedding band will be experienced and know exactly which music to play to get your guests on the dancefloor, and how to keep them there! There are lots of different styles and sizes of bands to suit all tastes and budgets, making this decision especially difficult. Booking through a reputable wedding directory will help to guarantee great quality, and with our easy booking process, pretty much all eventualities are covered.

Dim the lights

This is extremely important, because you want your guests to feel comfortable and relaxed on the dancefloor. Having bright lights will make them too self-aware so bring the lighting right down. Ideally roving or flashing lighting will create an illusion of a busy dancefloor, which will encourage more guests to join in.

Get your timings right

The biggest mistake many brides and grooms make is for their evening reception is to start the entertainment too early. Your day guests will have just eaten dinner and your evening guests won’t be relaxed (or drunk) enough yet. Don’t be afraid to let everyone ease into the evening rather than rushing through and trying to force a good time – 9pm is usually the ideal time to start your band or disco.

Check your space

You need a dedicated dancefloor space but it can’t be too big or too small for the number of guests you have. A huge dancefloor will intimidate your guests while a tiny dancefloor will give the impression you are not expecting anyone to dance. Another point to remember here is that having the bar in a separate room will take your guests away from the dancefloor, leaving it looking a bit empty and sad.

Be present

As the bride and groom you are the stars of the show and your guests will generally want to be where you are – on the dancefloor having the time of your lives! You can also prepare or recruit some close friends who you know are more confident to be the first ones up and dancing, to help get the party started!

Ice-breaking acts to entertain your guests

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When it comes to wedding reception entertainment ideas, there’s a number of ways which you can go. Many choose to simply ditch entertainment completely in favour of quiet talking or complete silence as guests struggle to work out just who they should speak to over their glass of Champagne. In order to break the ice, we think that a little wedding entertainment goes a long way and here are just a few ideas to get you started.

Bagpiper

There’s nothing quite like completing the wedding vows and heading to the wedding reception to be met by dulcet tone of the Bagpipes. Many of the guests may be in kilts anyway so it’s a perfect excuse to celebrate your heritage! Admittedly if neither the groom nor bride are Scottish or Irish, bagpipes may be a truly unusual wedding entertainment idea, but there are many other options. 

Living Topiary (or a puppeteer!)

Don’t go thinking that these two are just wedding entertainment ideas for kids, because they really aren’t. When you think about it, a wedding is a celebration and all about having fun, so it makes sense that the wedding reception entertainment is fun as well. With that in mind, Living statues are the perfect solution for ensuring a good time is had by all. These living statues always go down well, whilst a puppet show is an endearing way to tell the story of the couple. It’s bespoke, imaginative and unusual wedding entertainment most guests won’t have seen before.

Fortune Teller (or Tarot Card/Palm Reader)

Some strolling entertainment at your reception is often a fab way to get people chatting. Moving away from the music acts, there are some wonderfully romantic wedding entertainment ideas that at first might not seem obvious but then make sense when you’re there. One of these is looking into hiring a fortune teller, tarot card or palm reader. A great bit of fun, you never know, they may just see another wedding on the horizon between a couple of your guests!

Magician (or Graphologist)

If you aren’t too sure about predicting the future of those in your wedding party, ideas don’t come much better than hiring a magician for your big day. As the wedding reception entertainment, magic is sure to bring people together and provides a little relaxation for the Best Man and others ahead of the speeches later on! A graphologist is also an unusual entertainment idea for a wedding but no less compelling. Who doesn’t want to know what their handwriting tells an expert about them!? You never know, the writing might be on the wall for another marriage before too long.

Mr & Mrs

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mr-mrs

 

Welcome to the all-new Mr & Mrs Quiz for 2016! Back in the 1970s there was a TV game show called Mr and Mrs, where the contestants were asked to answer questions about their partner. If the answers matched, they won! And this got us thinking – how well do you know your own husband or wife-to-be?

So just for fun, we’ve made a Mr & Mrs Quiz especially for you! Do the quiz with your husband to be on a cosy night in or get the answers from the groom-to-be and then take it to your Hen night!

Here are a few suggestions:

What’s the one thing, apart from you that he’d save in a fire?
His job, his friends, his hobbies and you – put them in order of priority!
What would he say is most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?
What’s the name of his favourite celebrity crush?
What’s the most unusual place you’ve had sex?
What would he say is your most annoying habit?
What would you say is his most annoying habit?
What’s his favourite sexual position?
Who’s got a higher libido, you or him?
Who would play him in a movie of his life?
What’s his favourite part of your body?
What’s your favourite part of his body?
Where does your h2b want to go on honeymoon?
How many children does he want?
What year did you get together?
After how many dates did you sleep together?
How do you like to fall asleep? Cuddling or apart?
Would you trust him to choose your wedding dress?
How many times did he take his driving test?
What’s his favourite meal?
What’s his special name for you? And yours for him?
Would you rather spend an evening out with his parents or your parents?
What’s his favourite song? And what would he say your favourite song is?
What’s the first movie you ever saw together?
What’s his favourite time of year?
What were his exact words when he proposed?

Common regrets

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Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, but that doesn’t mean that things always go smoothly and as planned…

Enjoy the wedding morning

Getting ready on the morning of the wedding is bound to be stressful, but make sure you take time to relax and enjoy it with a glass of champers! It’s the one time you’ll be pampered within an inch of your life so sit back and look forward to what is to come…

Don’t go hungry

Couples actually forget to eat during their wedding day! You’ll be super busy greeting and thanking guests, that you might not have time to eat the delicious wedding breakfast you spent all that money on. Make sure you allow you and your hubby time to sit down and enjoy the meal.

Book a DJ

A lot of couples try to save money on wedding entertainment, and rather than booking a decent DJ they create a playlist on their iPod. Yes, this does save a ton of money but a good DJ will make sure all of your guests get up on the dance floor for a groove!

Comfort over style

Even though those glitzy stilettos may look gorgeous, will you last in them all day? If you’re opting for high heels for the ceremony, make sure you bring flats along too! Many brides end up in pain towards the end of the day due to their heels. We all know the feeling, so if you want to enjoy every second of your special day, sometimes being comfy is best!

Beauty trials

Always make sure you have a hair and make-up trial before your wedding morning. There would be nothing more stressful than hating your hair and make-up whilst knowing it’s too late to change it. We recommend having at least 2 trials before your big day to make sure it’s perfect!

Photographs and memories

Mobiles are perfect for snaps, but you should also bring a camera, charger and some spare memory cards to catch shots of your memorable first holiday as husband and wife together.

Finally, a basic first aid kit is always a good idea. Make sure you pack some pain killers, insect repellent, insect bit ointment, plasters and tablets for upset tummies. You know the rule, if you pack it you won’t need it, so make sure you pack a first aid kit!