Wedding and Event Tips & Ideas

Wedding Timelines That Work

Fog City Entertainment — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:04:00 +0000

Many people think of a wedding as a major event but it is actually several small events. Thinking about it this way can help you when you are constructing a timeline.

Your timeline can be as involved or as simple as you want it to be. Some people will have a three or four day timeline that starts before the ceremony rehearsal and ends when they take off for the honeymoon. Most people take 90% of the tasks and put them on a to do list and then create a timeline for the ceremony and reception.

While we provide forms online to help you create your ceremony and reception timeline, it can still be a daunting task. Here are some suggestions and some things to think about when putting everything together:

1. Think about what is important to you and what you want your guests to say when they leave your event.

If the food is most important, devote more time to cocktail hour, so your guests can experience a wide selection appetizers, then give more time to dinner and cut your cake before dancing begins or add a dessert bar. If speeches and toasts are more important then you could plan to do 15 minutes of toasts between each course and at the end of dinner ask your DJ to open the floor to anyone else who would like to make toasts. If dancing is the focus, get through dinner and open the dance floor as fast as possible, only break up dancing once by combining the cake cutting, and bouquet and garter toss in to one short break (do this about 30-45 minutes after dancing starts).

2. Think about the food service.

You don't want to serve cold food to your guests so be sure to check with your caterer or the location staff to find out what their time window is for serving the hot food. Also think about food and beverage parring to see if the champagne will taste alright with salad or if it will go better with the main course as this could help to determine when you should have toasts.

3. Think about your vendors.

If things run too late, it is conceivable that you can completely blow your wedding budget. Because you most likely want photos and a video of the cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss along with some dancing photos, you will want to make sure that you have planned to have these events to happen before your photographer and videographer have left. While going late and dancing all night is great, you don't want to have to pay everyone to stay additional time. Keeping only the location and DJ will save you money.

4. Think about getting away.

You and your partner will be the stars of the day which is good but it does have a down side. Plan a ten minute break at some point in the night and escape from everyone. Go to a private place, take a minute to touch up make up or just chill out for a minute. Get away from your guests and vendors and recharge. It is a long day for you and a little break in the middle will help you to relax.

Once your timeline is complete give a copy to all of your vendors. When you hand over the timeline, you are also handing over the stress. You shouldn't have to worry about timing on your wedding day.

Wedding Coordinator Tips

Fog City Entertainment — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:03:00 +0000

By Katherine Noller-Fernandez
Wedding coordinator from Custom Celebrations Wedding Planning & Event Design

There you are beautiful as can be. Everything is in place - the flowers are to die for, music seamlessly perfect, bridal gown, hair and makeup flawless and reception exquisite. You are so excited and happy that your big day is finally here! Your dream has finally become a reality. You look at your husband mingling with guests from across the way as you smile and sip champagne. Looking around you think to yourself, "this day is exactly how I envisioned it.'"

As the course of the evening continues you notice that the caterer has run out of the main entrée, the photographer informed you that you still have a balance due and your maid of honor is not assisting you in the areas she said that she would. Ugh! - What a disaster.

This would definitely be a day to remember, however couples that are planning their dream wedding do not want to remember a day like the one described above. Planning a wedding takes much time and preparation in order to have a stress free day. It is imperative that you plan ahead and account for anything and everything that may unintentionally interrupt your big day.

One of the ways a couple can eliminate this from happening is deciding from the beginning items that are extremely important and making sure that your vendors and other individuals follow through with their assigned tasks. Additionally, it is important to develop a timeline that outlines the entire day, conducting site visits, continually reviewing your vendor and ceremony and reception contracts in order to be fully aware of what is not only required of your vendors but rather what is required of you as the client.

Planning ahead will ensure that your stress level will be diminished and your guest and attendants will notice the difference between an event that has been planned ahead compared to one that has not. A spectacular event reflects one that is well thought out, organized and flows smoothly. The end result is quite simple, an organized and coordinated wedding equals a happy couple which equates to happy guests who are having a fabulous time and in turn will talk about how wonderful and fun your wedding was for years to come.

Custom Cocktails

Fog City Entertainment — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:01:00 +0000

Make the bar your own and develop unique drink specials by simply changing the name of drinks to names special to your relationship, friends or family. For example if you or your partner went to Stanford University, you could name one of the drinks “Cardinal” and mix the drink so it matches the school colors (for a red color try a Kir Royale - Creme de Cassis and Champagne).

Instant Photo Guest Book

Fog City Entertainment — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:59:00 +0000

Usually, the guest book falls in to the category of last minute thoughts for brides and grooms. Traditionally it is just a book with a list of quick “congrats” and a signature. By adding your own personal touch, it can be just as unique as everything else at your wedding.

With an instant camera and an Instant Photo Guest Book from Adesso Albums your guests can turn your guest book in to a photo album. The album pages have a slot on the top or bottom of each page to hold the photo and the rest of the page is open for a personal message. They have the basic albums (starting at around $140 with the camera and film) and for a little bit more they have leather bound albums with your name and wedding date engraved on it.

Because this one website puts everything together in one package, you can quickly put this unique idea in to action. The alternative is visiting a scrap booking store, Michael's or even Target and picking up a scrap book, instant camera, double sided tape and cool pens. Make sure everything that you buy is acid free so your memories last forever.

For more interesting pictures, have a friend walk around with the camera to snap candids. Then have the friend give the picture to the people in the photo with the instructions on how to add it to your photo guest book. Also, don't forget to have your DJ make a reminder announcement about the guest book.

To Video or Not To Video

Fog City Entertainment — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:58:00 +0000

By Ron and Tasra Dawson, Cinematic Studios inc.
For information visit www.cinematicstudios.com

Brenda and John were married six years ago and decided to have a friend videotape their wedding. Their friend had a high-end consumer camera, loved filming and convinced them he could do the job. Needless to say, six years later, they hired us to film a love story in place of their wedding movie that has inaudible sound, dark images, and shaky camera work. Their friend had the best intentions, but capturing a wedding - an once-in-a-lifetime event - is completely different than taping a family vacation. Brenda and John learned that lesson the hard way.

Why would anyone not choose to have a professional video recording of their wedding day - the most dreamt about, planned for, and possibly most costly event of their lives? Well, I'll tell you the top three reasons we hear: big cameras and budget constraints.

One no longer needs to fear having their wedding day look like a major media circus. Compact handheld professional cameras and wireless microphones make it possible for a professional videographer to unobtrusively capture beautiful images even in dark or low light situations; and they record crystal clear audio, even whispers. Today's editing software and computers allow professionals to create works of art that rival what you see in Hollywood and on network television. In the hands of the right artist, your wedding movie can be nothing short of breathtaking: a family heirloom you will watch over and over.

As far as budget is concerned, it's usually not an issue of couples not being able to afford professional video. It's an issue of it not being prioritized before the budget runs out. So, ask yourself this: how much would you be willing to pay to see your grandparents' on their wedding day - young, vibrant, and full of life. To hear them say "I do" and to see his face as she walked down the aisle. The ability to see not only what they looked like, but what they were like. To witness your family tree being planted is an opportunity most of us can't even begin to put a price tag on.

If you agree, then consider that choosing not to get your own wedding professionally videotaped is denying your future generations of children and grandchildren that amazing opportunity. Imagine sharing your wedding day with your grand children and other family members on your 50th wedding anniversary. Or, what if one hundred, two hundred, even five hundred years from now at a family reunion they are playing your wedding movie. Imagine. It's within your grasp.

Wherever you are in the wedding planning process, we encourage you to take some time to research professional wedding videography. Studies show that the number one regret of brides and grooms is not prioritizing a professional video recording of their wedding day. Don't be a statistic and live with regret about forever losing the heartfelt vows, joyous laughter, and loving looks exchanged on that special day. Seize the moment to leave a lasting legacy to future generations. Carpe diem. Now is the time.

Staff Party Ideas

Fog City Entertainment — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Some holiday parties are simply dinner and dancing. While a night away from the office can be simple it can also be a unique night filled with excitement. Here are some ideas for a fun year end party that you can drop in your company’s suggestion box.

1. Gaming... For as little as a thousand dollars your company can add a few casino games like Texas hold em, blackjack, roulette, craps or even slots.

2. Karaoke... Add a little Karaoke to your party and find out who the best (and worst) singers are. You may be surprised.

3. Buffet Trivia... Instead of calling table numbers, your DJ asks trivia questions tailored to your business throughout the beginning of the dinner, the table that answers the quickest goes up next to the buffet.

4. Behind the Scenes... Have few employees put together a "E! true Hollywood Story" or VH1 style behind the scenes video for your company and show it at your party using our projection equipment.

5. Game Show... This is a fantastic change to the typical holiday party. Guests will be able to play actual game shows on realistic sets. Choose from Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune or one of our other popular games..

For more ideas, pricing and availability call 866-357-3784 or visit www.fogcityent.com/corporate