Wedding Inspiration
Happy Valentine’s Day
In the 2010 movie Valentine’s Day couples deal with the pressures and expectations of Valentine’s Day.
Can Cupid finish his work by midnight?
For you, the happily engaged, Cupid has already done his work. You’re in the throws of planning the greatest celebration of your Lives. The pressures and expectations of this planning crop up all the time.
What you want, is what you want, when you want it. How we see this at ChicagoWeddingDJs is: “What can we do to make your entertainment shopping, choosing, planning, and creating process as easy (and as fun) as possible.
Let’s look at Valentine’s Day. Does he get you a gift? Will she give you a card? A poem, nice dinner, flowers, chocolate, leisure/lounge wear?
If it’s a dinner out, you’ve got to make plans. Research the restaurant, or call your favorite and make sure there’s a reservation. If it’s the work week, we’ve got to get out of work, run home get ready, or run straight to the restaurant and switch into lovey-dovey mode.
But here’s the thing. You’re planning a wedding, you’re excited, you’re thrilled about being with each other. On top of all the pressure and expectations of your everyday life there are the pressures of planning the wedding.
And in Life, anytime you set your mind on something you have a focus about it. In every task you do focus on excellence and not just Passing. Don’t focus on perfection (Stop chasing perfection and settle for excellence).
Because when you focus on excellence your chances of acheiving it are better than when you focus on just OK average mediocre. You know there’s someting better in Life.
That’s why you fell in love, that’s why Cupid’s arrow struck and why you are giving this gift, and sharing the joy, of your love with the world.
Something old, something new: Food trucks for weddings
Donesha Aldridge/ MEDILL Pecan and Charlie's is a new food truck that is catering its first wedding event in April.
At Chicago Wedding DJs we’re always looking for new ideas to share with you. This is out of the box (well really out of a truck), creative, unique, quirky, and fun.
Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=199777
Story Retrieval Date: 2/3/2012 12:22:09 PM CST
Several wedding blogs have mentioned that Chicago natives are looking for inexpensive and creative ways to celebrate that special day.
“People are looking for more options to explore,” said Molly Schemper who works for Fig Catering. But, Schemper said Fig’s traditional catering business has not decreased even though this new trend has arrived.
“We’ve actually increased every year,” Schemper said. “We haven’t noticed any differences since the food trucks have popped up.”
The Slide Ride, a food-truck service, has done several wedding events, and their business can be found under unique services on The Knot, a wedding planning website for Chicago brides.
“Sometimes they want us to do the late night snacks after the reception,” said Nida Rodriguez, owner of The Slide Glide food truck. “Sometimes they hire us to have appetizers in between the church service and the reception as well so their guests can have something to snack on while they wait.”
Rodriguez said The Slide Glide has even done full wedding receptions. A unique thing about her business is that the servers are on skates.
Netta Stella and Colleen Gallagher started Pecan and Charlie’s Mobile Cupcakery, their food truck business, four months ago. They said the trend is not only for weddings, but for party events as well.
“We did an office party for Halloween and the clients had two other food trucks there set up outside for people to come and get whatever they wanted,” Gallagher said.
Stella and Gallagher are scheduled to make cupcakes for a couple in late April. This will be their first wedding event.
“People want something fun and different.” Gallagher said. “I think that’s why they are choosing food trucks now.”
Bride-to-be Alison Bullock is planning her wedding for next spring, but she hadn’t thought of having a food truck to cater.
“The thought never crossed my mind but it sounds interesting,” she said. Bullock said it’s something she might consider, but her family wants a traditional reception. However, Bullock doesn’t want to cross the idea out totally.
“I definitely want to have cupcakes at my wedding,” she said. “Chicago has a lot of food trucks that I know serve really good desserts. I’m definitely open to that.”
“You can kind of do your own sampling by just walking up to the truck and tasting the different kinds,” she said.
That’s one of the benefits of using food trucks for catering, Gallagher said. “With a traditional catering service you have to schedule and make an appointment with a bakery and then go from there.” That’s not necessary with a food truck.
One of the stigmas brides have is that a food truck can’t accommodate large numbers.
Not so, said Stella. “One of our biggest events was for 500 people.”
An upside that sometimes is a determining factor for choosing a traditional caterer is for the staffing. “A lot of food trucks don’t coordinate rentals or have a staff with full service access,” Schemper said.
Rodriguez said they hire services to help out when they have to do full events with their food truck.
“It’s a great alternative to traditional catering that hasn’t always been there,” Rodriguez.
Food trucks are a unique way to include that “something new.”
Top Wedding Pin of the Week
Yummy!
I like this idea. It’s my top wedding pin of the week on Pinterest.
It’s great to have a place to put your Chicago Wedding Inspiration.
You could also do these frames at home!
You don’t often see cake tables decorated like this.
It’s nice to have a table (the gift table) with old wedding pictures, old family portraits.
What’s really nice about this is the color scheme. Do you like it?
What Brides Want
Hi,
If you’re shopping for a Chicago wedding DJ for your Wedding Celebration we know how important this decision means to you.
Please, do take advantage of everything there is to offer at ChicagoWeddingDJs.com while you’re in your shopping process and beyond.
-the blog,
-the video,
-the emails,
-the recorded messages,
-the check availability,
-book excerpts,
-and audio recordings
We’re hear to help and to make a connection.
Your DJ service will be a part of the memory of your wedding celebration for the rest of your life. It would be great to have the best.
So don’t be shy. Enjoy and know that your inbox won’t be filled with un-resourceful follow ups, or your phone won’t ring at some inconvenient time with someone asking “Are you still looking…?” Won’t happen.
You’ll get solid information sent by real people.
No phone calls, unless you schedule one. (at Chicago Wedding DJs they’re called “Get Acquainted” chats).
It’s amazing. You’ve got this huge moment in your life coming up. All we want to do is have the honor of being a part of it with you. And helping to make it happen. Here’s what we wish for:
-to be a part of this transformational experience with you.
-for your family and guests to share in this experience.
-this shared experience to be an extension of who you are.
-to help express this thing of beauty on a personal level.
You could call that a good thing.
See you soon.
Happy New Year
The surprise of the moment, the thrill of sharing the good news. It’s the start of the greatest things to ever happen in your lives.
Some of the best ideas come from the start of your planning now. Enjoy it all, it’s absolutely the best.
As you’re sharing the news, think about how you can tell this story again and again.
It does two things. It strengthens the memory for you. And it gives you a chance to connect more with the people you know. Your friends, your family, and everyone at your reception.
Set the atmosphere right with candles and lighting. Show a photo/video montage that tells your story. Bringing people closer together through the gift of your Love Story. Congratulations!
My Favorite Holiday Flick
Do you remember the first time you saw this movie? Pretty sweet.
Now you’re getting engaged.
You mean the world to someone. Sharing that love with us is the greatest gift. Let’s celebrate!
Check out Savings of the Season.
On the trend toward more dancing.
Head Table On Dance Floor
“The main course is the last time people are going to be seated and then they’re going to push the tables away and have a dancing and dessert party. They really do not want a traditional four course seated dinner.”
Fall Wedding Trends
Fall Wedding Trends
Happy Labor Day! Since today is the beginning of the turn from Summer to Fall, here are five hot autumn wedding trends from a DJ, master of ceremonies, music perspective.
- You don’t have to play all Fall music for cocktail and background (in fact I would recommend not doing that because there are too many Autumn songs that are melancholy sad.) But playing a few key Fall style songs, in the right arrangement and by the right artist can tie in all the other Autumn themed elements you have chosen.
- A specially design monogram gobo light can project your monogram or name on the dance floor. Take the autumn theme and add some texture and color with a gobo leaf design.
- If it fits your style, Halloween and Thanksgiving themes add unique and memorable touches to your event. Both have special musical elements tied to them. You just need someone that really knows how to put it all together.
- Fall brings an entirely different pallet to your wedding. Use the inspiration of these deep, rich colors in what you plan to say to your guests as a welcome, in what your BM & MOH, or parent says in their speech, in how your DJ/MC introduces your wedding party. How you ask? Not a word about the changing season has to be said, it’s all in the HOW of what you say. Deeper, more meaningful, the joy of the bounty of the harvest; can all be contextual elements that help convey a message.
- Dancing. The same is true for the dance. Think of your dance party as the last big party of the year. It will make it seems in everyone’s mind as big (and bigger) as it should be.
Sweethearts get crafty about planning weddings from afar
Sweethearts get crafty about planning weddings from a distance
With only weeks away this couple is looking at their guest list and saying I Do after wedding planning from afar.
If you’re in Chicago and looking to travel for your wedding, or from Chicago but out of town and looking to come back home to celebrate, long distance can be challenging.
It’s been challenging for one of our couples as they celebrate with a ceremony and full reception in Minnesota this week, and then come back for a 300 plus guest reception here in Chicago.
Luckily they have a great wedding coordinator May Chin of Chinup Events to help. And with our schedule of upbeat SKYPE planning sessions, the online access event planners, and song selection list. It’s coming together nicely.
But in this increasingly mobile society it’s important to take advantage of the technologies available and still keep that human touch.
Here’s the rest of the story:
Sweethearts get crafty about planning weddings from a distance
Streamers of Wishes & Dreams
Wishing you well!
The location of your wedding ceremony and reception will inspire you to place the style of your dream wedding.
Creating memories, powerful moments to remember. Sharing in the experience. That’s what weddings are meant to be. Creating memories that you can look on fondly for years to come. Memories that will carry you through a lifetime of experience together, through it all.
Well wish ribbons for the ceremony are an excellent way to ask guests for their loving encouragement of your life together.
Best wishes!
The rest of the story:
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