What is the most important word for a Great Chicago Wedding?

February 27th, 2010

MOMENTUM

What does that have to do with a great Chicago wedding?
Think about a great date, hopefully with your fiancé. Remember the great energy of the conversation, the connection, the eye contact? You just couldn’t wait until the next date. Even when they called, your heart fluttered. Time just flew along.

Now remember one of your the bad dates, hopefully not with your fiancé.
The awkward silences, boring topics, lack of eye contact etc…The check couldn’t come soon enough, right?!

Your Chicago wedding works the same way. There’s nothing worse than being at a Chicago wedding and sitting there saying to yourself, “Shouldn’t there be something going on right now?” That’s a loss of momentum. These lulls will kill your Chicago wedding. Think back to that bad date which seemed to drag on forever…

All great Chicago Weddings, just like all great dates have a spark, a sense of energy, anticipation and enthusiasm.

10 simple ways to have great momentum for your Chicago wedding:

1. Be Organized – A well thought out and detailed schedule will give a good structure to each aspect of your wedding.

2. Strong Leadership – You need to have one person in charge of the evening, usually the Chicago Wedding bandleader or Chicago wedding planner. They will keep all your vendors on schedule and in the right place at the right time. This leadership will keep the energy of your Chicago Wedding moving along. The larger the crowd the more crucial this is.

3. School Days – How did our junior high school keep 2,000 hyper, over sugared 13-year olds under control for 6 hours a day? They didn’t leave us any kind of choices as to what we were going to do next. 9:00- Math, 10:00 Social Studies etc….

You need to do the same thing for your guests. Don’t give them a chance to make their own choices. If there’s nothing going on they may wander off to another room. Keep everything moving forward and on schedule just like Junior High School 7:00pm Cocktails, 8:00pm Ballroom doors open, which leads to bridal party introductions, which leads to then cake cutting, which leads to toasts etc… Everything leads to dancing.

4. Clear Announcements- Your Band Leader should first get everyone’s undivided attention. Once he has a quiet room, then he should clearly announce, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please direct your attention to the dance floor as it is now time for the First Dance”. “For our First Toast this evening, let’s have a warm welcome for the Father of the bride, James Hines” etc… Your guests will feel more energized and enthusiastic when they know what’s going on and they’re focused on the right thing.

5. Get your guests involved ASAP- One of the best ways to jump start your wedding is to have the full Chicago wedding band playing as your guests enter the ballroom. Read my blog about the advantages of the East Coast style weddings. They will become excited about dancing to a full live Chicago Wedding Band instead of having to endure 6 hours of a DJ. With this format you’ll go right into your formal dances and then invite everyone to dance one song. You’ve wet their appetite for an amazing evening of dancing!

6. Invite Fun Guests- We all have friends who are just naturally fun to be around. They light up a room. They love to dance with everybody and inspire those watching to join in on the fun.

7. Know your audience – Think about who’s coming to your Chicago wedding. What are their age groups? What is their nationality? Where are they from? If you can select songs based on these answers your guests will feel appreciated that you took the time to think of them. For example, If you’re family is Polish, play a polka or two. If you have guests that are from New York, wouldn’t they love to hear “New York”? Work with the bandleader to customize the music to your guests.

8. Positive attitude – You’ve done all your homework. Mailed all the invitations, hired all your vendors and selected the perfect venue. Now it’s time for your reward, an amazing night to celebrate with everyone you love. If everyone sees you’re having a great night they will feel it and want to celebrate with you. You will have plenty of time to socialize throughout the night, but be sure to get out and dance. Everybody wants to dance with the bride and see you both having the time of your life!

9. Keep the Focus – One of the biggest mistakes couples make is to have additional rooms, outdoor patios that your guests can drift off to. If your Chicago wedding is in June and you have a large patio next to your ballroom ½ of your guests will wonder off to smoke cigars and enjoy the beautiful weather. In the meantime you’re dance floor is sparce. You’ll be dancing with 10 of your friends wondering where all your guests went. Don’t have your sweets table in another room. It’s an instant Chicago wedding killer. Don’t do it! Keep the focus on your dance floor. There should be only 1 wedding going on, not 2 or 3 smaller ones throughout the venue.

10. Book Extra Time – If you are planning a large Chicago wedding, over 200 guests, you may want to book extra time in case things run behind. This way at the end of the night you won’t get stuck paying for overtime, which is a much higher rate for all your vendors.

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Reasons to Buy Prom Dresses Online

January 22nd, 2010

Buying prom dresses online is a completely different experience than buying at a store. One obvious example is that you might have to use quite a bit of gas to get to a physical store. Also, the amount of time you have to put into looking for a dress in a store could be prohibitive. For some, this might seem harrowing, but taking advantage of the internet simplifies the process immensely.

Going the internet route could even allow you to secure advantages unheard of at a physical store. Online retailers are a proven way to get great prices on affordable merchandise. They might also offer a pricing guarantee that others might not. They may agree to match or at least closely match the prices advertised by other internet retailers. Buying a prom dress on the internet is superior to going to a store.

Of course, stores do have the advantage of immediacy. The dresses are right in front of you and you can search throughout the racks, looking for that special dress. On the other hand, if you buy your prom dress online, you can relax at home while doing so. You don’t have to worry about getting dressed; you can just fire up the computer and be looking at prom dresses in minutes.

One reason to shop for prom dresses early is that popular styles are snapped up very quickly. The most popular ones are gone in the blink of an eye. Some people may be shocked to find that, even though they provided accurate measurements, the dress still fits poorly. Be sure to account for any alterations that might be necessary. That can tack on another few weeks, especially if seamstresses are swamped with alterations for other dresses.

There are lots of great brands you can find online, such as Alyce Designs, Jovani, and Mori Lee. PromGirl.net brings you the best prom dresses from America’s top designers. You are sure to make a statement by wearing the perfect prom gown on your perfect prom night. Finding your favorite 2010 prom dress or homecoming gown is easy. Just browse through their famous Prom and homecoming gown designers: Paris, Sherri Hill, Mori Lee, Clarisse, Riva, Jovani and Night Moves. Their prom dresses and prom gowns are hand-made and hand-beaded individually and are shipped after one-two days of processing time.

Make certain that you give the right measurements. Even if the dress ends up not fitting well, at least you won’t have to alter it too much. You can also ask for help from a member of the customer care team, who can give you some pointers about which prom dress might be right for you. Buying a prom dress online can be a great way to ensure that prom night is an experience to remember.

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Finding Affordable Prom Dresses

January 21st, 2010

Modern girls now have the opportunity to browse in the Internet and find a lot of affordable prom dresses in the online stores. Internet has changed the way nowadays’ girls look like and also the way they feel about themselves. Everyone can purchase an affordable prom dress now, and that is really making for the better outlook and self-assurance of nowadays’ girls. At proms we are now surrounded by beautiful princesses, who all wear quite inexpensive and lovely prom dresses.

Internet has oversimplified the tedious procedure of searching for the perfect prom dress. In the past graduating girls and their loving mothers were compelled to do a vigorous search in all the markets, where prom dresses are sold. And what’s more, many of them were not affordable to a high percent of families. That’s why girls were forced to either buy cheap and ugly dresses, or pay to a tailor to make their prom dress.

Internet has changed all this, making an affordable prom dress searching as easy as a children game. One of the best places to shopping online is ThePromSite.Com. At ThePromSite.Com, complete with prom dresses and prom advice, is in its eighth prom season and they’ve been working hard to bring you the very best in this season’s prom dresses! So…enjoy what’s already here…which is a heck of a lot! Because YES, they are the oldest, the largest, and the most comprehensive prom website IN THE WORLD– and that’s no joke!

So, as you may have noticed, finding affordable prom dresses is not such a chore. You just need to know exactly what you are looking for and it will eventually cross your way. You may be astounded to find the numerous options that you may avail of. Don’t let some minor difficulties let you down. You can really become a princess and enjoy the prom as much as you should.

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Finding a Really Good Wedding Photographer

January 7th, 2010

From the bride and her entourage getting dressed and having their hair done, to those enchanting minutes she walk down the aisle; from exchanging lifetime vows until the couples kiss; and that wonderful gathering of family and friends at the banquet, there’s always a scene worth remembering. That is why it is very important that each moment is captured in great pictures that will be treasured for years to come.

Although the pro is not as noticeable a figure during the event, it is their expertise, skill and creativity that bring magic to your wedding remembrances. Backed by studies and a solid career at taking pictures, these photographer moves around to capture all sorts of scenes, both highlights and sidelights and both left unnoticed or focused on. Most times, it is the snapshots that give the real picture of what really happened during the wedding as everyone else have their eyes on the couple. Finding a really good wedding photographer in Toronto could keep your hands full. There are many pros in the area, most of them with websites filled with catalogues of their works. The rates for their services may vary, as well as the packages and the extras that usually come with what they offer.

In choosing a pro or firm to cover a wedding, you need to consider your financial capability and make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth. Try finding the most budget-friendly rates that would already cover your preferences like number of pictures and styles. Haggle for the extras you wish to have as well, like a photo album, DVD copies of the pictures and “thank you” or “greeting” cards. There will surely be a wedding photographer in Toronto that could come to terms with your needs and budget.

Next, take time to study styles and methods of the pros or studios so you will know which ones would work best for your own wedding. As the equipments they use are too complex, focus on what pictures look like and the materials they have it printed on. Then choose what looks best, with variations for what kind of shots you want taken for the ceremony, the party and all other activities related to the wedding. Lastly, confer with your chosen wedding photographer in Toronto. Discuss the schedule, preferred shots and angles and other details you want done. This way, you’re sure to get a wonderful collection of still moments in that magical day.

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Make A Wedding Memorable

January 6th, 2010

There are many reasons people use chauffeur car hire from corporate reasons to party nights. However, when anybody mentions chauffeur car hire, the first thing we tend to think of is weddings. Particularly through the summer months, not a Saturday goes by without churches being surrounded by chauffeur car hire vehicles carrying huge puff balls of silk creations to the side of their groom.

A small scale wedding can still afford some sort of chauffeur car hire service. Every bride deserves to be the centre of attention on her big day and this means turning up in style to the event itself. There are so many sizes and styles of wedding car, from traditional to modern, that there will be one to suit every budget.

If you’re looking for a real bargain basement wedding, ask around because friends and family are bound to know someone with a reasonably classic car that could take you to your wedding. No, this does not mean running your mate to church in your old Ford Escort XR3i – or your granddads Reliant Robin – it’s going to take a little more imagination than this.

For those with a slightly more impressive budget, there is a whole host of wedding cars that you could hire for this purpose. Some of the more traditional old cars can be very fitting for a country church wedding but if you were using a different venue, you might want to find something a little more appropriate. A stylish, up market BMW can be just as luxurious and make just as good an entry at the right location.

For those with a higher budget, Bentleys and Rolls Royce’s are always hot favourites when choosing a chauffeur car hire service. Wedding hire cars normally come with a standard bouquet of flowers and a ribbon to signify the brides car but these can be altered and adapted if you have specific requirements or wish to change the colours.

There are also options that cover open top cars and these can be great in the summer months, although with traditional British weather being what it is, there is no guarantee that it won’t rain on the day and an open top car never looks quite as impressive when it contains a wet bride and groom or a couple of umbrellas so you might want to consider an option where you can have the top up or down.

Some soon-to-be-weds choose the option of something very different for the transport, such as a Hummer limousine or even a tank. These are extremes but it really depends on the outlook of the couple involved and in no way detracts from the seriousness of the occasion. Weddings are a serious event but it is also important that everybody has a good time and, most importantly, a day to remember.

For those who would rather their day was remembered for the amazing wedding car, or the brides dress or even the wedding cake or ceremony as opposed to the punch up at the reception, wedding planners are now incorporating a virtual ‘bouncer’ into the plans. The ‘appointed person’ is briefed on certain members that have had to be invited but could potentially cause problems, and are instructed on how to deal with them, ie: remove them before the trouble gets out of hand, swap their drinks for non-alcoholic versions or steer them away from granny once they are intoxicated! Sign of the times, I’m guessing!

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