Tag Archives: party

Wedding Music Ideas

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Now that you have got some different wedding entertainment Ideas, you may need some wedding music ideas. You will probably be planning to hire the traditional wedding band for the evening reception, but there are many other options that will enhance your big day.

Maybe you would like some sophisticated music in the background of your Drinks Reception or a Bag Piper to add a traditional touch to your wedding. Let’s take a look at some of the Wedding Music options you may not have considered:

String Quartet- how about hiring a string quartet? A string quartet could be an excellent accompaniment to the religious service, where music can play an essential role. The quartet could also be used for the evening reception, playing background music for the drinks reception, the meal and at any other times where you feel a gap may need to be filled

Jazz / Swing music – a jazz music act could be used during your wedding to maintain a relaxed environment at any stage of the reception. Jazz acts range is sizes but a jazz trio could be perfect for your wedding day.

Wedding DJ – many weddings now include a DJ after the band. As a result, many of the better bands are now offering a Band and DJ package. This will ensure the DJ will already have a feel for the audience as well as being able to use the same sound equipment to avoid any delays or gaps

Bag Piper – looking to add a traditional feel to your big day? How about hiring a traditional Scottish bag piper? The bag piper could be used before, during and after the ceremony as well as for entertaining your guests while the photographs are being taken. They can also welcome guests to the wedding reception and to introduce the bride and groom to the reception.

Solo musician- a solo musician could be a great idea, particularly if you are having an intimate wedding. A harpist or a pianist, for example, could be used to create an ambient atmosphere on your big day.

Professional gospel choir – a gospel choir could be perfect for your big day, particularly if you are having a church wedding. Your choir will provide a beautiful sound for your wedding and could perform at any stage of the service.

So make sure you do everything to make sure your guests are happy and provide them with entertainment they will love.

Wedding Entertainment Planning

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Choosing wedding entertainment is a very important part of your wedding planning process. Your guests may not remember the theme of your wedding centrepieces, the type of cars or even the design of the cake. The last memory of your wedding for you and your guests is having the most important people in your life having fun and dancing with all the new friends that they have made. If you don’t plan your wedding entertainment properly, your guest’s last memory will be how the wedding ended at 9pm!

Band or DJ?

There are advantages and disadvantages of having both. The pure sound of Live music with a wedding band can really bring a great buzz to your reception but will be more expensive than a DJ, and most bands stick to a set list.

A Wedding DJ can only play pre-recorded tracks which means that their sound isn’t as good as a live acoustic band, but the DJ can play any type of music, take requests and works out less expensive than a band.

Band & DJ package

You can have the best of both worlds with live music from the band and disco music with requests for your wedding. The live band can play the first half of the evening (from after dinner until the evening buffet), and the DJ can play the final half of the evening (from the evening buffet to the close of the bar).

Once you have decided this, there are so many questions: A swing band? A cover band? What type of DJ?

Vision & Theme

To avoid becoming overwhelmed consider your vision and theme for your wedding reception.

Close your eyes & imagine it. Talk it out. Different visions and themes call for different music: a swing band would be perfect for a Vintage themed reception, while a great cover band has something for everyone and Ceilidh band would be great for a Traditional Irish / Scottish themed reception.

Make sure that your wedding DJ has had experience, can take requests and has a good quality sound and light show. As with every industry there are good ones and bad ones… The bad ones are cheap and you certainly get what you pay for. So make sure the last thing that your family and friends remember is that great DJ that finished off your day with a bang!

How to keep the youngsters entertained

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Interactive entertainment

It’s always a great idea to have a separate room for entertaining children at weddings. Bring in the professionals who will keep them engaged with activities like crafts, storytelling and fun games.

Movie room

When the evening party is starting but it’s still too early for the little ones to go to bed, set up a movie room with a ‘midnight feast’ (just not at midnight!). Get the kids into their pyjamas and create a cosy area with lots of cushions and you’ll be sure not to hear a peep from them until bedtime. 

Funny faces

A face painter is a great way to keep the children entertained. They can be set up in the corner discreetly and you can give the children a number to avoid them waiting in line. This is a fun activity which is suitable for every wedding venue from country houses to marquees.

Mini disco

Children love to dance, so how about a mini disco set up with an entertainer playing fun dancing games? You can get props and prizes involved and even judge a dance competition. Maybe the winner could have a dance with the bride? 

Activity packs

Colouring or sticker books and puzzles will go down a treat. You could even include a drawing competition, such as a ‘bride and groom portrait competition’ with prizes!

Little helpers

Your youngest guests will look super sweet acting as mini ushers, welcoming the other guests and giving out orders of service. Or maybe you can give them the responsibility of scattering the confetti?

Craft table

Choose crafts that will take them a while, such as T-shirt decorating or treasure box making. Make sure you have responsible adults to oversee the activities, especially if there are scissors involved!

There are loads of great ways to keep kids entertained on your big day, these are just a few of our favourites, and are so easily organised at any venue!

Summertime entertainment

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Make the most of the sunshine and delight your guests with the best in British summertime wedding entertainment for your wedding day and evening party. Let the fun begin!

Forget high priced tickets for muddy fields and distant views of so-so bands bring the festival to your wedding instead. Set up a stage or two, pop up a beer tent and start booking your acts. The famous festival mixes its music, so you can hear an up and coming bad one set, then opera the next! Do the same; mix rock and jazz, acoustic and electro, DJs, opera singers and solo sax. Remember, that gospel choir who performed at the ceremony and the function band you’ve booked for the evening would probably love to be part of your wedding too!

Turn your wedding into a traditional fete on the lawn, with lots of activities for all ages, and a slap-up tea on vintage china in the marquee instead of a formal sit-down meal.

Give your wedding a contemporary twist with a roving street magician ready to thrill anyone with card tricks and logic-defying illusions anytime, any-place, no table required.

Keep the little ones amused for hours with the help of professional children’s entertainers. Kids can twist and turn with balloon modellers, fall about laughing with a clown, get artistic with face painters. Warning; adults always want to join in too!

Bring a sense of theatre to your festival with unusual acts, such as stilt walkers, living statues, mime artists, themed walkabout and more.

Hire some paparazzi desperate to take your guests’ photos, and get the latest scoop. Give your guests a taste of celebrity fame when the pics get posted online to a private micro-site, to view and buy if they wish.

OK, we know the weather is even more unpredictable than the best man’s speech, so choose wedding entertainment that works just as well in your venue as outside on the lawns, such as micro-illusion magicians, caricaturists or a small jazz band.

An unforgettable day

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What evening reception would be complete without a 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.

DJ’s are a good 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 illusionists that will entertain your guests while they mingle, to traditional dancers and stage hypnotists, there’s no end to the fun that are there for the taking.

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.

What to do for your engagement

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Your engagement is a promise to marriage as well as the period of time between the proposal and your marriage. During your engagement you are said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. Future brides and bridegrooms are often referred to as fiancées or fiancés respectively (from the French word fiancé).

Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange such many years before the engaged couple were old enough to marry. 

Engagement parties.

Some engagements are announced at an engagement party, traditionally hosted by the bride’s parents. These parties are given in the family’s usual style of entertainment. Traditionally, engagement parties were normal parties at which a surprise announcement of the engagement was made by the father of the bride to his guests. Therefore, it is not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival. 

In modern times, engagement parties often celebrate a previously publicized engagement.

Because it’s often the case that many guests don’t know each other very well, it’s important to ensure you have plenty of ‘ice breakers’. When two families are coming together for the first time it can be a nerve racking experience and so the more you can put guests at ease the better. 

Think about a magician or a caricaturist or maybe even a pianist to play light background music whilst guests arrive & chat. 

If you have space, then try a jazz band who could play up tempo lively music to keep spirits high and feet tapping whilst you great guests and show off your engagement ring! 

Ensure the drinks are flowing throughout the party and in no time the two families will be getting to know each other and soaking up the party atmosphere. 

Party themes…  

If you got engaged in an interesting location, you might like to theme your engagement party to suit. Hawaiian or beach themes are relatively easy to put together, as are New York, Las Vegas, Mexican, Australian themes etc.  

No party is complete without live music so if your budget can stretch to a party function band it will be a sound investment towards ensuring the success of your big night.  

It’s important to consider the age range of the guests who will be attending your party as grandparents, although actually some of the ‘most-likely-to-dance’ members of the party might not be quite so keen on hard rock or gangster rap.

Don’t deny it

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Has he just proposed? Have you just said yes? Well then, these thoughts and feelings might sound familiar to you guys and all other newly engaged couples – don’t deny it!

Facebook status

Once you’re officially engaged, then comes the time to update the Facebook status. But wait – before you go from ‘In a relationship’ to ‘Engaged’, you need to ring the important people first! We doubt your mum will be very impressed to discover that she’s found out after your second cousin twice removed that you’re getting married. Big no! But updating it is always a good, and easy way to help make sure you’ve not forgotten to tell anyone.

YES, we’ve got so many likes

Here’s where all the likes come in, and both of you have got to admit – you’re feeling pretty popular right now. Your relationship status got tons of likes, and don’t even get us started on your Relfie (relationship/ring selfie) on Instagram…

Perfecting the proposal story

Especially when you’re newly engaged, you’re going to have to tell your proposal story again and again and again and again, and again. Like, so many times. You’ll start to get a bit of a pro at story telling in fact – you’ll learn how to impress the crowd, and maybe even embellish it here and there. Who will ever know that it wasn’t the real Elvis that serenaded you after your new h2b proposed? And no one will blink an eyelid at the mention of that unicorn…

Do we get presents?

Any excuse to compile a huge list of presents you want, and then to be, only slightly, disappointed when your post-box is filling up with vouchers for house and homeware shops and you suddenly become the owners of four toasters. But then you realise that his request of a new Xbox and yours of a pair of Jimmy Choo’s may not be that practical for a soon-to-be married couple.

Third wheeling

All this lovey-dovey stuff might mean that you’re too loved up to realise that your friends might be missing you a little bit. And the way you deal with that? Invite them over… to third wheel! Don’t deny it, you know you’re guilty! Whilst it’s not okay to make your besties third wheel all the time, it’s fair enough to say that when you’re newly engaged, it’s a prime time in your romantic relationship so it’s allowed. But beware!

Hen/stag party excitement!

Is it bad that one of the first things you want to do is to plan the hen and stag nights, and not the actual wedding? Don’t worry, it’s quite common. Especially when the first thing that every single one of the groom-to-be’s friends say is “what are we doing for the stag weekend?”. They fuel the excitement! It’s all part of the process after all. Other engagements?

Planning an outdoor wedding

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Outdoor weddings give you so many more options when it comes to location and usually provides beautiful scenery. On the other hand, there are so many more potential problems and obstacles that can arise by having an outdoor wedding. This is mainly due to the fact that you never know for sure what on earth the weather is going to do. So here are some tips for planning an outdoor wedding. 

Location

First you need to decide which location you want to have the wedding at. Have you had your heart set on a beach front wedding at sunset ever since you were a little girl dreaming about your wedding? Or maybe you prefer a more rustic, woodsy setting. The options are endless: at the park where you shared your first kiss, in your back garden, or at the cinema, the list goes on and on!

Once you choose your location, go through the proper procedures. Be sure no one has booked the area for another wedding or event. If the site is public property, get a permit to hold your wedding. Most parks and public beaches require a permit. Also, check with the council on what the rules and regulations are on rubbish removal, and if you can have candles, etc. 

Prepare for the Weather

Once you have chosen a location, you will need to set a date. While setting the date, keep in mind of what the weather is like there during that time of year. The UK is a little unpredictable we know, but although it may be raining in the summer its usually a nice temperature. 

Prepare accordingly for the potential weather and have a backup location in case the rain tries to spoil your day. One item that can really save the day is a marquee. A marquee can save you from light rain and can help shade your guests on a hot, sunny day. A marquee isn’t the cure all for all rain though; if it is a downpour, the ground under the marquee will get soggy and muddy. You’ll still want to have a backup, indoor location just in case. Another weather factor you need to take into consideration is the wind. When choosing hair and makeup styles, relate to your hairdresser that you’re going to have an outdoor wedding. The stylist will be sure to give you a fantastic look that won’t be blowing away in the wind.

Accommodating Your Guests

Be sure to take care of your guests. If it’s going to be a hot day, have fans and bottled water available to your guests. Be mindful of your guests when you’re setting up the seating, etc. Make sure they’re not blinded by the sun the entire ceremony. It’s also nice to give them some notice in the invitation what to expect. For example, suggest they wear comfortable shoes for sand or soft ground or to bring sunscreen or a sun hat for a bright day.

Keep your guests in mind on a few other notes as well. With an outdoor ceremony, you’ll discover a lot of extra noise all around, whether it be the waves coming ashore or the wind blowing through the trees. Work with your band or DJ to get a wireless microphone or some sort of sound system set up for you. 

Don’t Forget!

Here are some things you may or may not think about while you’re planning, but are important to help your day go as smoothly as possible. Have ample seating for your guests both at the ceremony and reception. There are a lot of wedding table and chair rental companies out there, and most of them also offer linens, chair covers and marquees. Linens and chair decor are great ways to boost the overall look. If you’re holding the reception outdoors as well, you’ll more than likely need to rent a dance floor. 

An outdoor wedding is a beautiful way to have your special day. Keep in mind these suggestions when planning. Also, take tips and advice from any of your vendors (photographer, musicians, etc.) who have worked outdoor events. They have the experience and know about situations that can arise.

Clever ideas for foodies

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Everyone knows that the wedding breakfast and reception will eat up the biggest chunk of your wedding allowance. So how can you squeeze the most out of your budget, while still being bang on foodie trend?

Informal dining options such as buffets, bowl food and rustic platters are shaping up to be hot this year. These all give guests the freedom to move around and enjoy proceedings, making for a more relaxed atmosphere. Remember, the key is to include a good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian options to accommodate all guests.

Offering wedding canapés as a starter or dessert adds a fresh twist and provides a good talking point for guests. Think miniature steak and chips with a warm horseradish cream – lovely!

Another huge trend this year will be reinventing classic dishes. Pay homage to your childhood favourites, with a twist. Think pie and mash, mini sirloin hamburgers, bangers and mash, or fish and chips all made from local produce. We particularly love the fish and chip option. If it’s not formal enough for the day time, it would definitely work for your evening guests, and it may work out cheaper than a buffet.

When it comes to desserts, the key is to think small! Opt for dessert tables or platters with an array of miniatures. smatterings of your favourites such as cupcakes, mini cheesecakes, dainty trifles, chocolate brownies or crumble will allow guests to tuck in. And with light portions they won’t be left feeling lethargic, meaning they can dance the night away!

One particularly lovely trend ‘bring a cake’ dessert table. Brides are asking friends and family to bring their favourite homemade desserts – cakes, flans and more. It’s a cost-effective way to add a personal touch, guaranteed to get everyone talking.

For a novel menu idea, why not serve an actual ‘wedding breakfast’ a la Carrie and Big in Sex and the City? A beautifully served full English with locally sourced produce, fresh orange juice or fruit to start and pancakes or waffles for dessert.