Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

10 Simple Ways to Have Great Momentum for Your Wedding

Our Chicago partner, David Rothstein wrote this fun blog post and encouraged us to share with our readers. It’s about “10 simple ways to have great momentum for your wedding.” Being from Chicago, David originally focused on “Chicago Weddings” yet we think it’s good info that can be appreciated by anyone.

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 theWedding bandleader or 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

Photos Courtesy of David Rothstein and Scott Hagar Photography

A Grooms Point of View

Finding tidbits of information for the groom or from the groom’s perspective can be tricky. We wouldn’t even know where to begin to write from a man’s point of view. So when we came across this article from www.manregistery.com on “What Grooms Won’t Do,” we had to share…

1. Say “Fab” – No matter how “fab” something is … no matter how hard you try to drill it voodoo-style into our vocabulary … we’ll never say it. There could be a million Swarovski crystals hanging from a single centerpiece … we still won’t say it. It’s not you. It’s us.

2. Multitask At Your Level – Somewhere in our DNA we lack the chromosome that allows us to have six browser windows open while simultaneously emailing our wedding party, texting the photographer, faxing contracts, and phone conferencing with vendors. So pat us on the head and let us work at our own pace.

3. Cry Over Minor Milestones – We may tear up on the day, but don’t expect us to cry when we book the old school photo booth. We’re excited about it, too, but our lacrimal glands are limited — we need to save up our tears for the big day. We do that for you.

4. Help Plan Your Bachelorette Party – This doesn’t apply to every bride … but some do like their man’s advice when planning their last night of single womanhood. We won’t do it. It’s not that we’re uncomfortable with the idea. And we’re certainly not jealous, no matter how many police officers in tear away pants you may hire. We’re just afraid that you’ll want to reciprocate and help plan our bachelor party. And that’s just not an option.

5. Admit How Involved We Are – We know. You’re just thrilled that you are the one bride among all your bride friends who has the guy who’s involved. And, without hesitation, you’ll announce this at social gatherings, game nights, double dates, shindigs and soirees — but we won’t admit to it. We’ll laugh and deny it and quickly change the subject, especially in mixed company. So let’s keep our enthusiasm between us.

Source: ManRegistry.com

Photograph courtesy of Jai Girard Photography, Chicago

Light Up Your Wedding Night

Looking for that “something” that will really make your wedding feel like a fairy-tale? Look no more, lighting is the answer! This luxury is a small price to pay for a big and bold statement. Whether you’re having an afternoon reception of hors d’oeuvres and mimosas, or a seated dinner affair at 8, the simple addition of lighting can be transformational. Lighting can be used to give a cold room a sense of warmth and glow, or change an elegant ballroom into a personal fashion statement for you and your hip groom.

This couple used Jordan Payne Events to transform The Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas into an exotic lounge. Fun, Flirty, Creative…Clearly, this was an event no one could forget with such stunning lighting. Absolutely an art form!

Jordan Payne Events provided this classic wedding look shown below as well. Here is an example of more subtle lighting, a look well suited for the simple and elegant bride. With warm golden tones, this lighting will surely make your guests feel welcome, invited and comfortable. Beautiful with all wedding colors, especially those in the warm color family (reds, gold/yellow, browns, etc.), and complimented by the beautiful chandelier in Arlington Hall at Lee Park in Dallas, Texas. Timeless!

Next time you’re brainstorming ways to add that “special touch” to your reception, remember, don’t skimp on lighting. It’s worth every penny!

Source: Katy Brooks

Photography by Gary Donihoo of f8Studio

Photography by Joseph Ellis of Joseph Mark Photography

The Opera Collection – Wedding Gowns with Operatic Flair from New York

StrictlyWeddings.com was contacted by Gilles Montezin a New York designer, originally from Paris, who wanted to be one of our exclusive bridal gown partners. We’re still in the building stage for New York, but wanted to share some of the designer’s work from his Opera Collection with our fans.

The Gilles Montezin bridal collection pays homage to the art form of opera by bringing together a complex combination of drama, sensuality, femininity and emotion; all of the characteristics found in the most beloved operatic productions. Based on a design philosophy that focuses on the curvature of the female body this collection features classic couture tailoring. This collection also introduces an optional body shaper Le Cinch™; an abbreviated interpretation of the traditional corset that nearly doubles its predecessor’s figure-enhancing effects. Le Cinch accompanies every dress in the collection so every bride can achieve the perfect hourglass silhouette with unprecedented comfort. The fabrics of each dress are manipulated to produce textures and opulence rarely found in bridal attire. The romantic silhouettes are designed to accentuate and celebrate the female form.

Keeping within the tradition of Gilles Montezin ready-to-wear, signature details for each dress include antique lace linings, intricate hand stitching, elaborate construction and lush fabrics. Creative Director, Gilles Montezin believes everything touching a woman’s body must be beautiful inside and out. The collection is designed for the discerning, sophisticated bride. Sizes are available up to 18W. Larger sizes are available via special order.

Bride and Groom Send Out 8-Bit Wedding Invitations

And now for something completely different in the world of wedding invitations!

From Mashable…

Two betrothed German geeks/gamers just upped the ante when it comes to wedding invitations.

The pair, who shared their story with Offbeat Bride, programed two versions of a Mario-inspired 8-bit video game as their wedding invitations and sent them out to friends and family. Guests are also challenged to beat the game should they wish to unlock the wedding details.

Continue to read the full story and view video.