Many, many times I hear the statement “I found a DJ for $500 at the bridal show and I think we will go with him”. When I hear this, my first question is why that DJ? Almost always when they say this first sentence, the next sentence is “because we don’t want to pay too much for the DJ”. While I can of course understand the need to be frugal, this is probably the number one mistake I see clients make when it comes to choosing the DJ for their wedding reception.
A wedding DJ (disc jockey) has become so much more than the person who stands behind the speakers and plays music. When choosing your DJ, keep in mind that this is your master of ceremonies. This person will guide you and your guests through the wonderful reception you have planned, from introducing you and your new husband, to letting your guests know when the food is served, to entertaining them and keeping them on the dance floor into the late night. Their skills behind the microphone and choosing music is truly a talent.
Think about it: the DJ is the one wedding vendor who can literally drive your guests out of the building. Yes, the food could be bad, but that just means everyone will be picking up another meal on the way home. If your DJ is horrible, they can literally have your guests fleeing from the event and of course, it will definitely be the talk at the water cooler the next morning. Consider this comment one of my clients left on Facebook when discussing the garter toss: “I was at a wedding and the DJ does the screeching music stop and goes ‘Whoa, slow down buddy! She’s not gonna like that speed later tonight!’”. Is that really what you want your guests to be talking about the next morning?
Consider more than the price when choosing the entertainment for your wedding. Look for a personality, attitude and knowledge of music that matches the ambiance you want to create for your special day. Think about what value you would place on the mood you want to create, then look at the investment cost the DJ is asking of you. You will not regret your choice if you take all of these details account and balance them according to your needs.
In case you missed it, Sarah with Sweet Art Bakery is helping me answer questions for the bride-to-be in her research on wedding cakes. Sweet Art Bakery is based in downtown McKinney, with an office and soon to be bakery located in the historic Flour Mill at 407 East Louisiana Street, Suite 103. She has baked, designed and delivered cakes for over 50 weddings this year, making her our local expert! She loves a challenge, and is great at baking and designing anything from a bucket of beer groom’s cake down to wonderfully delicious and super cute sugar cookies. (Great for favors!) Take a look at the rest of her answers from our interview:
Q: Do you recommend a cake topper for the bride’s cake?
Sarah: On some cakes, yes. But I generally prefer the look of not having one. If it is a two tier cake, or a design where the cake is wide, then I think it definitely needs one, to add height. Monograms can be done on the side of the wedding cake, as well as flowers. If there must be a topper, I think flowers are the best idea. Very elegant.
Q: If a couple chooses to save the top layer of the wedding cake for their anniversary, how do you recommend they store it?
Sarah: If a couple books with me, they don’t have to store it- because I make a FREE fresh tier on their first wedding anniversary! But I completely understand the “tradition” of it- as I saved mine at my wedding. The best procedure is to box it and take it home from the venue. Once home, put it in the freezer for about an hour to harden up the icing. Then wrap the heck out of it with plastic wrap. One more layer of foil, and then some freezer paper. Put it in a cake box and label it. When you’re ready to eat, completely unwrap it and put it in the fridge until it is thawed. Then leave it on the counter for about 2 hours before eating. Or like I said- call Sweet Art Bakery and get a fresh one!
photo by Dallas In Focus
Q: Are there any fresh flowers that should not be used on cake? Should you use silk floral on a cake?
Sarah: Some very common wedding flowers used but can be toxic if eaten, are: Calla lily, Arum lily, Hyacinth, Lily-of-the-valley, Jasmine, Snowdrop, Tulip, Hydrangea, Bird of paradise, Pink carnation. These should be avoided when decorating cakes. If a bride really wants these to be used on her cake, she should opt for silk or gum paste. [Many of the flowers can be used if a barrier is placed between the cake and the flowers, so make sure to ask your baker or florist about this if you prefer to use any of those flowers mentioned.]
Q: What should couples know about choosing their cake?
Sarah: Please do not have Aunt Rose, Cousin Sandy, or your best friend’s co-worker create your wedding cake. I have “helped out” many a couple who have come to me at the last minute because their original plan fell through. These people also may not have the skill to bring your vision to life. The bride in her dress and the cake are generally the most memorable things at a wedding! Also, don’t make the mistake of hiring a bakery because they have the lowest price per serving- look at all of the fees to determine the best value. Don’t forget about the immeasurable value in talent, creativity, and customer service! [I have unfortunately seen the effects of not having a professional provide your wedding cake, so take care in making this decision!]
Thanks so much to Sarah for helping us out with our cake research! If you have any questions we missed, please leave it in the comments! Sarah and I would love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy your tastings!
While cake tastings can be one of the most fun appointments when planning your wedding (who doesn’t love eating cake!), it definitely helps to do your homework before attending. Before making an appointment with a bakery, you need to narrow it down to a bakery or two that actually offers the options you are looking for in a cake. Plus, you might want to do a little research on cakes and bakeries before choosing the ones to visit. Here are some questions to think about:
How many cakes will you be ordering? A tradition throughout the southern states of America is to have a cake for the bride and for the groom. This groom’s cake is usually where you will find the chocolate deliciousness that so many crave, but are not necessarily brave enough to include as part of their bride’s cake. So, will you be taking part in this tradition, or just keeping it simple with one cake?
Second, do you want a cake or something else? Many couples have started choosing cupcakes over a typical wedding cake, or even cake truffles. If you want either of these options, this will narrow down your bakery choice. Also, if you want what is known as a sculpted cake, this will help narrow down your choices as well. (A sculpted cake is a cake made to look like something else, like a sports car, purse, etc.)
What else do you need to know? Well, I sat down with Sarah Halterman of Sweet Art Bakery and asked her a few questions to help you with this research. Here’s some of what she had to say:
Q: What is the average price of the bride’s cake? What about the groom’s cake?
Sarah: Most weddings I book are usually from 100-200 guests, so the brides’ cakes on average range from $300-600, most about $500. Groom’s cakes are generally to serve around 50 to 75% of the bride’s cake, so an average cost is usually $350.
Q: Are you seeing any new trends with the bride or groom’s cakes?
Sarah: Brides want clean and simple. Not really a new trend, but very popular. One trend I’m very excited about is the tiers of differing heights. I’ve had a few brides want these, and I love the look! Another great look that is gaining popularity is a clean cake with one big flower on the second tier.
Q: Since the average serving size from bakeries is a two inch square piece of cake, how do you recommend couple’s choose the amount of servings to purchase?
Sarah: The standard size is 1″x2″x4″(height). I say get as many servings as you think there will be guests. Worst case scenario- you have a little left over cake if not everyone eats a slice. You certainly don’t want to run out!
Q: Are more brides’ cakes all white, or are more incorporating color? Do many choose cakes that are all one color other than white?
Sarah: The majority of cakes I create for weddings are requested to be all white with some accents in their color scheme, such as scroll work, or ribbon on each tier, etc. For those that want color, it’s usually all one color, like light teal, for example, and then she’ll want the second color to be pulled in with scroll work, ribbon, or flowers.
There are more questions to come, so check back in a couple of days for Part 2!
According to the 2010 Wedding Market Forecast and 2010 Wedding Trends report from TheWeddingReport.com, candy buffets will be very hot in 2010. Lovely! I personally enjoy candy buffets, not just because of a sweet tooth reaction, but because I love how it sends everyone back to their childhood. It seems to bring out everyone’s playfulness, a literal translation of the phrase “just like a kid in a candy store”.
I had a wedding in June this year that we created a custom candy bar for. The bride and groom had just graduated from dental school, so along with all the sweet treats, we included toothbrushes and floss, with the couples monogram on them. This particular candy bar turned out to be one of the most raided by the guests. We had it set up for the guests to pass by on their way to dinner and then again when leaving the reception. Surprisingly, they had it almost completely empty with just the first pass. We even discovered most of the toothbrushes and floss were taken as well, a tell-tale sign that while the kid took over, the adult remembered those were a good selection too. Here’s a picture before it was raided:
photo by Dallas In Focus
Are you considering a candy buffet for your wedding? If so, here are a few of my tips:
When choosing your candy, look first to the faves from your childhood. If you loved it, chances are your guests will as well.
If you want to select by color, try to choose two to three colors. Monochrome candy buffets tend to attract less interest.
If you can, customize the candy to your wedding. For example, order M&M’s with a customized graphic or wording. Order candy bars that have customized labels. These little details add to the fun.
Check out the many, many different fun containers available for guests to fill with their favorites. Choose one according to your theme and practicality. You want it to travel well, so the guests can take home some of the fun.
Finally, make sure to include labels of the different candies so your guests know what they are scooping up. They are more likely to try something new if they know the flavor.
I have continuously said one of the best parts of planning your wedding is getting to taste the cake. It’s so much fun to just taste different flavors of cake, filling and frosting. Designing the cake is fantastic too as you can go from the very traditional white-on-white design with 3 tiers, to creating a pool table out of cake. How amazing is that?
The best place to taste cake is with Meringue Bakery. Siv Lopez is an amazing baker, but even better is her customer service. When you taste cake with Siv, it’s a truly fun experience. You are not given the slivers of cake already frosted in the best combination (according the to bakery) to take one tiny bite of. Instead, you are given full cupcakes (a few of each flavor!) along with tubs of fillings and frosting to pick and choose from. You truly get to experiment with the different combos to find out what your favorite is.
Just last week, Siv helped a couple of mine help decide on their cake flavors. Thanks Eric and Deirdre for letting me take pictures!
Cupcakes
Frostings and Fillings - YUM!
Eric and Deirdre tasting their favorite combos.
Definitely stop by and say hi to Siv when you get the chance. All those lovely cupcakes need good homes. Plus, she has a wonderful new flavor each month, which I’ve loved every one I’ve tasted. I’ll leave you with a pic of the flavor of this month, S’Mores. With toasted marshmallows on top and a graham cracker on bottom, you can’t go wrong! Careful not to drool on your keyboard!
I know, I know, you’ve seen tons of these. I just couldn’t help it though, I just love this Bride & Groom’s take on the first dance. Not only do they surprise their guests with choreagraphed moves, they did in a dance off style in competition with each other. They seem like such fun people, I wish I could have worked with them!
Many a bride has considered having their favorite pup be the ring bearer, or even a best man. However, as a wedding planner, I’ve always cringed at the idea as it never is as simple as it seems. How well behaved would your four-footed best friend be if they were walking down the aisle while being stared at by 150 guests? Are you sure they wouldn’t have a call from nature during the ceremony? Would they be well behaved enough to walk the aisle without a leash and attendant? If you have someone escort your fluffy friend, what do they do with your pet after the ceremony? Do they have to leave the festivities to pet sit?
So, imagine my delight when I was contacted by a service that handles all the details for you! Dedi & Gary Wood have added a wonderful wedding pup assistance service to their business, Shadow & Marty’s Puppy Pantry & Services. Everything you need, from bathing Fido before the big ceremony, delivering them to the site, even walking them down the aisle! Not only that, but they’ll happily pet sit throughout the reception if you’d like your pet to attend the entire affair. Of course they also have honeymoon care services too, so you don’t have to worry about Fido being lonely while you’re gone.
Sorry I’m so late in blogging guys! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with lots of work on new ideas, posts, articles and such that are coming VERY soon. Of course while I work tonight I found something fun to play with, creating you bride avatar on The Knot. Such fun! Here’s what I came up with:
There are so many wedding magazines out there. Each has it’s own style and I have found that some are better for dress shopping, some better on advice and some are better for inspiration on decor and color. When you go to the bookstore, which of these wedding magazines do you find inspiring when it comes to theme and decor? If you select other, leave me a comment on which is your fave, even if it’s not a wedding magazine!
What’s the difference between the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to DJs? Here are some examples:
1. They don’t have the equipment requested. This past week I requested a lavalier microphone for the officiant to wear during the ceremony on Saturday. This did not make it onto the DJ’s truck, thus the minister had to use a hand held mic for the ceremony. Not convenient when he has a bible, rings and the couple’s hand to juggle while doing this. Especially not good if he hasn’t practiced this and the vows keep getting cut off as he moves the mic from himself to the bride or groom to quickly. Even worse, the officiant decided to put on his own comedy routine to entertain those guests remaining seated while waiting for the receiving line to go down. We took the microphone away. Some people just can’t handle their microphone. A good DJ will bring the equipment you asked for. A great DJ would have double checked to make sure your request was taken care of, had a backup or had someone bring him said equipment if he didn’t have it there.
2. The songs you requested are not being played. Too often an unprofessional DJ does not have the genre or the specific songs you requested, but what’s worse is he doesn’t read your song list until 2 days before the wedding. He then calls and tells you to burn a cd of this, which would have been fine 2 months ago when you had time, but now you only have 36 hours and between picking up tuxedos and family, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, etc, you don’t quite have the time to spend 2 hours doing this. A good DJ will have checked the song list immediately upon receiving it and make sure he has on hand what you need. A great DJ will either have the songs already, or will obtain them on their own (legally), with no questions, no extra fees and no hassle.
3. He skips the details you worked into your agenda, like the blessing you asked Uncle Phil to give before serving dinner. Even though this may be written down directly in front of the DJ, they skip it because it’s not their “usual” and they simply aren’t paying attention to the written instructions. A good DJ will be checking the agenda all evening, making sure to not skip any of the personal details you added to the evening. A great DJ would have double checked the agenda with you before hand, making sure to understand all the nuances of your agenda and even making suggestions on personal touches you can add to your evening.
When interviewing a DJ, ask how they keep their library current. Ask what they’ll do if they do not have a song on your request list. Look at their paperwork and see if it allows you to customize your evening by adding personal touches, or if it just allows you to number things in the order they are to happen. Find out from their references if there were any “little” mistakes at their wedding, and look at them with a microscope. While these are little mistakes, it might be something this DJ has a habit of doing and you do not want it repeated at your wedding. All of these questions will reveal whether the DJ you are looking at is one of the good, bad or the very ugly.
Thanks for visiting the blog of Each & Every Detail! The purpose of our blog is to share fun ideas and info on planning weddings, for brides-to-be as well as others interested in the behind the scenes work involved in such an important day. Interested in something specific? Check out our search box below or email us at questions @eachandeverydetail.com. Enjoy!
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Many, many times I hear the statement “I found a DJ for $500 at the bridal show and I think we will go with him”. When I hear this, my first question is why that DJ? Almost always when they say this first sentence, the next sentence is “because we don’t want to pay too much for the DJ”. While I can of course understand the need to be frugal, this is probably the number one mistake I see clients make when it comes to choosing the DJ for their wedding reception.
