Plan The Perfect Reception

The Reception is your time to let loose and celebrate!! It is important to thoughtfully plan out this part of the day and your DJ, caterer and venue coordinator will help walk you through how to best plan for the evening. As you bring together details with your team, there are several things to keep in mind as you map out the night’s festivities. In today's DZP Planning Series I'm sharing my favorite tips to help you plan the perfect reception.

I have to say, that today is the first day since Wednesday that I am starting to feel normal again! I've been sick since the last day of WPPI and have done nothing but sleep! So that means things like returning emails and keeping up with the blog have come to a hault.

All last week while I was away at WPPI, I was lucky enough to have some fabulous vendors guest blogging for me. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to hit publish on Friday and we missed a fabulous florist, Besty!

So I thought while I'm still recovering today and taking it slow, I'd let Betsy help me out as she shares some tips on your wedding day floral design. Without further delay, here is Betsy from the Flower Kiosk in Portsmouth! Enjoy!

It is my love for creativity that keeps me passionately involved in this business. And I am proud to say that our shop just celebrated 25 years of serving brides throughout New England! Nothing gives me more pleasure than bringing a bride’s vision to life when it comes to floral design!

When choosing flowers for your wedding, it is important to find a way to convey your personal style. Whether you have a specific design in mind or you are still searching for your vision, your florist will be there to guide you. One of the first topics that I discuss with a new bride is her color scheme. Once colors are selected, specific flowers and textures can be determined.

For you bridal bouquet, identify the style that you are going for. Are you drawn to a textural, garden style or a clean, contemporary structure? Make sure to inform your florist of your floral likes and dislikes, as well as any allergies to flowers and plants that you may have. Bring magazine clippings, photos, fabric swatches, any source of inspiration to your consultations. The internet provides endless creative ideas. Online scrapbooks, such as Pinterest, are great and can help convey your inspiration to all of your vendors.

You can add some personal touches to your bouquet, such as attaching a family member’s brooch or wrapping the stems fabric from your dress. One of my favorite touches that a bride came up with was adding small vintage stud earrings to two of the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. These were two of her best guy friends and she wanted their boutonnieres to stand out. Your bridesmaid’s bouquets can be an extension of the bridal, or follow a whole new design and color concept.

These details can make your wedding personal. Your wedding is such a memorable experience, so take the time to make it your own. I hope that this has provided you with some inspiration!

Wedding Love : DJ Nate Downs and the Wedding Reception

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This is the third day of a week long series highlighting several local New England wedding vendors offering up value tips and information to help brides through their planning process!

Today DJ Nate Downs has graciously offered to share his thoughts on the wedding reception and with tips on how to create a great party atmosphere for your guests. Grab a cup of coffee and get ready to take some notes as Nate shares all about making the most of your reception and DJ experience! Meet, DJ Nate Downs!

Hi! My name is Nate and I am a a professional wedding DJ from Dover, NH. Today I'm going to share some tips on how to make the most of your wedding reception and how to best work with your DJ to create unforgettable receptions!

Engaged couples quickly learn that planning a wedding is a time consuming and stressful process. With so many details to understand and plan for, it can be quite overwhelming. When it comes to entertainment, many couples aren't sure where to start or what questions to ask. While many books and websites offer basic questions to ask your DJ, (do you have reviews? do you hold liability insurance? how long have you been a DJ?), here are a few topics that are equally important to think about when planning your reception.

1. Personality. It is important to understand your DJ's personality and philosophy on wedding entertainment. Whether you are looking for a DJ who's quiet presence is offset through perfect song selection or for a line-dance leading, room commanding DJ there are many styles and personalities out there. When hiring an entertainer you should ask them about their level of interaction with the crowd, how vocal (on the microphone) they will be and if there be any surprises? Yes I said the word 'surprise,' as in surprise props or games involving the Wedding Party or your guests. Your DJ should understand that they are to follow your wishes and recommendations for the evening. You will want to consider the overall style of your wedding so that you can find a DJ to match. Think about the kind of atmosphere you'd like to create and find an entertainer with a similar personality!

2. Content. While your DJ has been entertaining for years and knows how to get your guests up and dancing, it is important to discuss musical content with him/her. Your DJ will want to understand the age groups of your guests, the genres of music of you would to hear throughout the evening and most importantly your 'request' and 'do not play' lists. Your 'request list' will hold valuable insight and help direct your DJ towards key artists and genres of music to be played. Try to include a small set of 'must plays' that are important to you, your fiance and your families. Your DJ will use their knowledge, experience and artistic freedom to mix your requests and other songs throughout the evening.

3. Uplighting. Uplighting, dance floor lighting and other effect lighting, have increased in popularity in recent years. Some DJs include a basic lighting package in their services and some sell them for an additional cost. Uplighting will splash color on the walls of your venue and provide nice ambiance. If your DJ offers lighting, I feel it is important to have an understanding of the lighting they will use. For example, LED lighting produces solid colors as basic uplighting or on the dance floor, does not spin. Whereas strobe lighting could be considered over the top. Ask your DJ for pictures or videos of their lights. If they don't have any, check out Youtube as every light manufacturer makes a video for each model light they produce. That way you can at least see the lights in action. If your DJ doesn't offer lighting think about looking into hiring a lighting company. Uplighting definitely adds much needed contract and interest to your reception images as well! Check out this example below of the uplighting I can provide at receptions.

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Hopefully this has given you a little help in planning the entertainment aspect of your reception. Remember to ask your DJ as many questions as you wish and to make sure you are a good match in style and personality. Ensuring that you'll not only dance the night away, but you'll have the wedding reception you've always dreamed of!

Happy Anniversary to Andy and Alissa!

One year ago today I photographed the beautiful winter wedding of Andy and Alissa at the Rivermill at Dover Landing. I can't believe that it's been one whole year since and I just know that there are amazing things in store for this wonderful couple! Happy Anniversary Andy & Alissa! Here's to many more years of life, laughter and love together!

Photography Blog

Plan The Perfect Reception

Wedding Love : Besty from The Flower Kiosk

Wedding Love : DJ Nate Downs and the Wedding Reception

Happy Anniversary to Andy and Alissa!

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Experience
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Boston & Destination Wedding Photographer

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Photography Blog

Plan The Perfect Reception

Wedding Love : Besty from The Flower Kiosk

Wedding Love : DJ Nate Downs and the Wedding Reception

Happy Anniversary to Andy and Alissa!

EXPLORE

PortfolioAboutExperienceContactJournal

Boston & Destination Wedding Photographer

Let's Connect

Portfolio
About
Experience
Contact
Journal