Palm Springs wedding planner

Fairy Tale Wedding Hero: Beauty And The Beast’s Lumiere

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Lumiere is my hero.  Yep- the singing candlestick. Lumiere’s big number is “Be Our Guest,” an ode to making guests comfortable.

English: Belle, Cogsworth, Chip, and Lumiere
English: Belle, Cogsworth, Chip, and Lumiere (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A wedding is, at heart, for the guests– a fact lost on some brides who want to fulfill their own desires, and assume everyone will go with the flow. The truth is, if the only two people having fun are the bride and groom, that’s a sad state of affairs. You want people to be happy for you, and have a great time! Step number one is keeping them happy, so keep your guests in mind when you are planning. Two easy things to consider:

Where

The number one way to irritate your wedding guests is by getting married at an inconvenient location. Now, a destination wedding is one thing. But if you’re staying local, and asking 250 people to join you at the Chapel of Saint Wilhemina of Small Parking Lots  in the Middle of Nowhere National Park, you’re going to have a few cranky customers. A good litmus test: if it’s going to take most guests longer to drive to your ceremony site than to experience the ceremony itself, you might want to look for a different location.

When

Of course your wedding date has to work for you and your family.  But perhaps your Maid of Honor is Jewish – if the date you’re considering falls on Passover, you may want to call and check if that’s a problem.  Also look out for other big family events – if your Aunt and Uncle’s 50th Wedding Anniversary falls close to your date, it’s polite to check if they have something planned.  Last, look out for other weddings, friends or family.  There are enough dates to go around, no need to step on cousin MacKenzie’s special day.

If you consider these things at the outset, you’ll have a happier crowd in the end.  That Lumiere, he really sheds light on how to treat guests! If your tea-pot starts talking, listen up.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

Wedding Playlist Planning: Happy Guests from Groomsmen to Grandma.

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Unless you are the crown princess of Moldavia, a 16 piece orchestra playing waltzes etc. just won’t get a wedding reception going these days. Brides puzzle over wedding playlists whether they choose the DIY Ipod option for wedding reception music or decide on an experienced wedding emcee/DJ. (We recommend the latter – more expensive, but worth not having to worry all night about everything crashing to a halt when you’re in full swing). Whoever is behind the mic, turntables,or iPod, they need some direction and a song list is helpful, or at least instructions that the Chicken Dance is 100% nixed!

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when working on your Playlist:

Go with the J. Lo School of Music Management – motto: ‘everybody on the dance floor.’ You’ve got a range of guests, usually 3 generations so think about a corresponding range of music designed to appeal to everyone. Pick a band who can swing, rock, and groove their way across music history, and make sure your DJ knows there’s more to life than Usher remixes. (We’re fond of Craig at A Musical Affair that handles all of the above)!

Serious DJ
A hard core DJ – vinyl! awesome! (Photo credit: ideowl)

Playlists play well with others. There are different phases to your reception, so have multiple playlists. Maybe you want things quiet for dinner, and raucous for dancing, but then middle of the road for after cake cutting. Think about setting the mood you’re after and pick music accordingly.

Back up, back up, back up. Make sure you’ve covered your bases should something go wrong. always have hard CD copies of iPod playlists just in case, and/or a back up of the files on a flash drive. If the DJs equipment goes haywire, you’ve got options. Also make sure you have a paper copy (or two) of the song list you’ve given the band in case they show up without it.

So there you have it, a playlist play book. Go forth! In the wise words of Sly & The Family Stone, “Dance To The Music!”

Live well and love well.

-Dinah

 

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Don’t Blame It On The Rain! Have A Plan For Bad Weather On Your Wedding Day.

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As Hurricane Isaac heads towards Tampa, site of the Republican National Convention, I feel a little empathy for the event planners in charge of the countless parties in the works for next week. There’s no way of knowing what the conditions will be – a little sprinkling? Gale force winds? Regardless, they have to have a plan. Rental companies from all over the South must be sending tents that direction.

Although your wedding may be a bit smaller in scale than a national political party convention, you’ve got to think ahead. A rain plan is a must. No matter what time of year it is, you just can’t tell when the skies are going to open up.  The weather has gotten bizarre all over the country (the Republicans won’t admit it, but people who believe in things like evolution have done studies and it has to do with global warming).

English: Hurricane Isaac
English: Hurricane Isaac (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even here in Palm Springs with our  notoriously perfect weather, I was relieved to have options on our wedding day when – guess what? It started to rain.  The universe smiled on us, and we had a perfect evening by the time the ceremony rolled around, but if we had to move indoors, the Hotel Zoso was prepared.

So when deciding on a venue, ask about a rain option.  If they shrug their shoulders, shrug yours and move along.  Risking it is just that – a risk.  If you take that chance and everyone gets soaked, you can’t blame it on the rain.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

FL readers, stay safe, and dry!  Good luck to any planners involved with the convention!