Dad, Paddler, DJ, MC, Picture Taker, Traveller. Telling stories one adventure at a time
Cabel Sasser got married. His wife, Nicole, gave him a little room to run on invitations and theme.
Words will not do it justice. Check out his blog post.
http://www.cabel.name/2008/10/on-wedding-design.html
He doesn’t spend anytime raving about how great his DJ was, but they did some really cool things.
Letterpress printed their own invitations.
A photobooth. (old school style).
Cabel – Congrats! and thanks for sharing your experience. Now I have to go buy a Mac.
We have reached the tipping point. I was at a wedding last weekend with more cameras; disposable, digital, regular 35mm than people.
Skip the disposable cameras
Do the math and show your work!
(cost of the disposable camera) X (Number of Cameras)
plus
(Number of Cameras) X (developing cost per Camera)
It follows…
20 Cameras X $5 = $100.00
20 Cameras X $5 for Developing = $100
__________________
Total $200
What if you took that $200 dollars and bought a cute fun digital camera that was easy to use?
You could spend a $150 on a camera. Get a card reader to get copies of everybody else’s pictures who comes to your wedding and brings a camera.
It’ll be the next hottest thing. The Card Reader Attendant!
I have actually helped a bride or two with this when it comes up. It’s very simple and the payoff is HUGE.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate cameras. I LOVE pictures. I adore great photographers. But the odds are you’re guests are bringing better quality cameras than the disposables and taking better pictures than you can get from a disposable.
And you could be taking better quality pictures with a camera that will survive the Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties, the showers, the rehearsal, the wedding, the honeymoon, the new house, the first born. (In which ever order you choose)
And don’t forget the extra memory card!
I have a tiny Sony Cybershot which I have used for all the pictures on my web pages. It is really simple to use. Simple to carry and convenient. If I ever see Bigfoot, odds on I will have a camera handy. The best part is that is has a fixed lens. So there is very little lag time between sliding open the cover and taking a picture.
The bride and groom from the Best First Dance Ever have been found!
They were on Ellen today. http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2007/12/newlyweds_got_back.php
There names? Michelle and John Brubaker!
How much easier would this have been if the MC had said. “John and Michelle’s first Dance” or “Mr. and Mrs. Brubaker’s first dance”?
Not that hard… Much easier to remember in a once in a lifetime moment.
I can’t believe how much traction this video is getting. If you don’t know what I am talking about click here.
The first dance mis-direction magic.
With the right tools, putting together the music is pretty simple, but doing it poorly will ruin it for everyone who comes after you. Get a good DJ who can mix the music.
Even Better –
Get a great DJ who knows your name when he introduces you. I swear this is the first thing I heard. “Ladies and Gentleman, our bride and groom and their very special first dance as husband and wife.”
This is the Master of Ceremonies equivalent of “And um, yeah well, um, you see, uhhhhhhh”.
I am guessing the DJ came from his day job. “Your order comes to $5.30, please pull to the first window.” It’s all words you say when you don’t know what to really say.
Maybe that is a little harsh, but seriously this bride and groom (whose are unknown at present, the search continues) have real names. Think about how much easier it would be if the DJ had bothered to learn their names and used them.
A friend of mine, Peter Merry, wrote a great new book on creating amazing wedding receptions. The book is called The Best Wedding Reception Ever!
It’s a great book. The first half is all about why you should pick a great entertainer. The second is chocked full of killer ideas that you might include in your own wedding.
“Talent” is a dirty word in the DJ business. The difference between magic and tragic is all in the hands of the person playing the music and talking on the microphone.
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with another entertainer.
Charles Rex of Chicago. He plays accordion and has for longer than I have been alive… Probably longer than my parents have been alive.
It was amazing to watch him work. He was an absolute pro. One minute he was getting ready to get setup. The next he was in his chair ready to work. It was like a magic act.
The real magic was the music. He covered the bases, playing to the room, Anniversary Dance, the Anniversary waltz, a polka. I was amazed.
We were playing at the Rathskellar. The party was a 50th anniversary. The wedding 50 years ago was at the Rathskellar.
I wonder aloud at how many locations will be here in 50 years. Will the place you select be in existence in 50 years? I heard a great interview from a bride and groom who had selected Tavern On The Green in NYC for that very reason.
I always recommend that grooms buy a copy of the first dance for similar reasons. How many times will music formats change in 20 or 50 years?
Apparently, I am still on the “do unto others” soap box. You may not be planning a “crashed” wedding, but you have probably selected a best man and maid of honor. The same should apply for best man and maid of honor during toasts.
So here is the pledge and promise. Yes, I will coach the best man and maid of honor. I have stacks of material on toasts (and roasts). Fun, Personal, Appropriate. (don’t forget World Class)
If we can save one wedding from the “last time the groom gets the upper hand” bit, it will be a cause worth fighting.
There was a movie back in 2005 called. The Wedding Crashers.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396269/
President George W. hosted his first white tie event in honor of Queen Elizabeth.
I am a big fan of etiquette. This event amounts to pretty much the high water mark of formal events in the US of A.
For those of you playing at home.. White Tie is a step up from Black Tie. White Tie is when its appropriate to break out the Tuxedo jacket with tails, floor length evening gowns. This is the very first White Tie event held in the current Bush white house. Etiquette and protocol staffers were working over time for months on this single event.
Here is a great link on the topic for gentlemen. http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-2701,subcat-FAMILY.html
I believe Morning Suit tops White Tie for a day time event. “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is lousy with Morning Suits.
Now for your homework…
Q: When is it appropriate to button the bottom button on a suit jacket?
A: Generally, whenever the women you are accompanying tells you to, otherwise never.
discuss
I have been thinking about this for a while. Hopefully, I have the content to support it.
The regular web page is http://www.indyprodj.com
Jon The Bruce 