Wedding Planning Stuff

[DoDaFoo]

We're happy with our band. We've got to see them play at a couple bars and they were great. We didn't want anyone that sounded like a typical wedding band and we think we've accomplished that.

Concerts are our thing. We went to around 20 various shows last year and our entire wedding and reception are concert inspired, so for us to use a DJ just would not have fit us. Everyone that hears we're having a band is quite excited actually, because they've been to plenty of weddings with DJs.

[KevinTH]

Originally Posted by parks3923

Trying to convince the Fiance to dance to Snow Outside, but she doesn't dig that song. We are leaning toward You Are The Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne

That's what my girlfriend and I will be dancing to when the day comes.

Just got off the phone with the jeweler and made my first down payment on the ring. If I stick to my strict budget I should have it paid for in March...original plan was to take her to Saratoga for a weekend getaway on our 6th anniversary in July (went there on a trip with a bunch of friends the day before our first date), but if I have this thing in March there's no way I'll be able to wait that long hahaha.

So psyched. I just can't wait to have it paid for, pick it up and then give it to her.

[mr. testaverde]

Originally Posted by KevinTH5

So psyched. I just can't wait to have it paid for, pick it up and then give it to her.

its a fun time its great knowing that you have the ring, but your lady has no clue (assuming she doesnt know its coming). i proposed at an apple orchard in september and had to go to great lengths at times to keep the ring hidden from her. she had no clue though despite all the hints i thought were obvious

[DoDaFoo]

Originally Posted by mr. testaverde

its a fun time its great knowing that you have the ring, but your lady has no clue (assuming she doesnt know its coming). i proposed at an apple orchard in september and had to go to great lengths at times to keep the ring hidden from her. she had no clue though despite all the hints i thought were obvious

I had the ring hidden in our house for almost 2 months before I proposed. I ended up doing it in Central Park while we were visiting New York. She had no clue it was coming, so it was pretty amazing to see her reaction when I got down on one knee.

[AlexK79]

Originally Posted by HoldemHart

Don't be mad because your wedding sucked.






(kidding)

We absolutely loved every second of our wedding.

My point was just that everyone's wedding should be unique to them. What's really important to one person might be stupid and a waste of money to another person. Neither one of those people is "wrong", it's just all about what you want to do to make your day special. A thread like this is tough because everyone feels like what they did at their own wedding was the best way to do it, and it probably was, for them. For someone else, it's going to be totally different.

[parks3923]

I lucked out and inherited the ring, it has been in the family for nearly 100 years. I had to hide it in the house for a few weeks, she never came close to discovering it and had no clue it was coming. I kept telling her I wanted to wait another year. It is a very beautiful ring that I just had to have polished up a bit once I got it from her Aunt. I proposed in Portland 2 days before the Gorge last year. Did it at the Vista House at sunset, it was truly an amazing moment in our lives that will never be forgotten.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by AlexK79

We absolutely loved every second of our wedding.

My point was just that everyone's wedding should be unique to them. What's really important to one person might be stupid and a waste of money to another person. Neither one of those people is "wrong", it's just all about what you want to do to make your day special. A thread like this is tough because everyone feels like what they did at their own wedding was the best way to do it, and it probably was, for them. For someone else, it's going to be totally different.

My theory is if you're doing it for yourself, than do it small and get everything exactly right... If you're the average wedding, 100-120 guests, you're throwing a party that while celebrating you, is basically for them. If you think your wedding is awesome and everyone else thought it sucked, you'll be happy, but you could've done it much cheaper just trying to please yourself (no masturbation).

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by DoDaFoo

We're happy with our band. We've got to see them play at a couple bars and they were great. We didn't want anyone that sounded like a typical wedding band and we think we've accomplished that.

Concerts are our thing. We went to around 20 various shows last year and our entire wedding and reception are concert inspired, so for us to use a DJ just would not have fit us. Everyone that hears we're having a band is quite excited actually, because they've been to plenty of weddings with DJs.

Personally, I don't like most bands for weddings, because at the end of the day they're trying to play cover songs as close to the cd as possible. However, in my experience, guests seem to prefer bands by a wide margin. The best ones I've seen, were a mixture of band/djs.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by mr. testaverde

its crazy how once vendors hear the word "wedding" their prices magically jump up. we've tried avoiding the word "wedding" when calling around for various things but the conversation often ends up talking about what kind of event it is, and boom, too late to negotiate prices.

luckily the DJ we're going with, who we know from college, is giving us a good discount

Most vendors I know don't have different prices for weddings specifically, but will have different prices based on time of day/day of the week. In fact, I don't personally know one vendor who has a 'wedding' price list. Some have packages tailored to weddings, but those prices are comparable with their non wedding packages, just the services they add on are wedding specific.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by DIDriveOut2SPAC

Sorry DJs blow. Literally probably the hackiest things ever.

Disagree. A good experienced DJ will a lot of times set the entire schedule for your reception (if you don't have a planner to do it). You may think it's a good idea to cut the cake right after dinner, but a good DJ knows that cake cutting should be done later in the night (guests leave after the cake is served).

That said, there generally aren't a lot of great DJs and any asshole with an ipod thinks he is one, so there are a ton of hack djs in the special event industry.

[grace2]

Originally Posted by cruscott35

Disagree. A good experienced DJ will a lot of times set the entire schedule for your reception (if you don't have a planner to do it). You may think it's a good idea to cut the cake right after dinner, but a good DJ knows that cake cutting should be done later in the night (guests leave after the cake is served).

That said, there generally aren't a lot of great DJs and any asshole with an ipod thinks he is one, so there are a ton of hack djs in the special event industry.

i am a wedding dj and definitely consider myself to be a great one. it is much more organized and the bride and groom actually have a good sense of what's going on.

[Lee3691]

The most important advice I can give to anyone getting married is not to go on the honeymoon the very next day afterwards - give yourself a buffer day. Who wants to get up early in the morning, rushing to the airport after one of the most important and memorable days of your life? Thankfully we did this, because our hotel upgraded us to the Presidential Suite, and we actually got to enjoy the room for some time.

[GSUdawg521]

Originally Posted by grace2

i am a wedding dj and definitely consider myself to be a great one. it is much more organized and the bride and groom actually have a good sense of what's going on.

Yeah, we met with our DJ and he talked us through all the details of how he does his thing. Way more than just playing an iPod. He's essentially going to be like a 2nd wedding planner. The music selection and I'm sure him on the mic are going to be coordinating a lot of the evening's events and with many years of experience he really seemed to have a good idea of howto get things to flow just right. Looking forward to it

[KevinTH]

Originally Posted by Lee3691

The most important advice I can give to anyone getting married is not to go on the honeymoon the very next day afterwards - give yourself a buffer day. Who wants to get up early in the morning, rushing to the airport after one of the most important and memorable days of your life? Thankfully we did this, because our hotel upgraded us to the Presidential Suite, and we actually got to enjoy the room for some time.

I remember when my oldest brother got married thinking...if they feel anything like I do today...I would not want to be getting on a plane hahaha. I will definitely be scheduling a buffer day for sure.

[DIDriveOut2SPAC]

Originally Posted by DoDaFoo

We're happy with our band. We've got to see them play at a couple bars and they were great. We didn't want anyone that sounded like a typical wedding band and we think we've accomplished that.

Concerts are our thing. We went to around 20 various shows last year and our entire wedding and reception are concert inspired, so for us to use a DJ just would not have fit us. Everyone that hears we're having a band is quite excited actually, because they've been to plenty of weddings with DJs.

[Brohan_Santana]

I work in the industry and it's pretty much you pay for what you get. If you only want to pay $200 for a DJ your going to get what you paid for. If you want to only pay $30 pp for food don't expect a great meal.

People quickly forget how much a work goes into a wedding from a vendors perspective

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by Brohan_Santana

I work in the industry and it's pretty much you pay for what you get. If you only want to pay $200 for a DJ your going to get what you paid for. If you want to only pay $30 pp for food don't expect a great meal.

People quickly forget how much a work goes into a wedding from a vendors perspective

Yup, they think we only work the 4 or six hours at the reception.

[mr. testaverde]

Originally Posted by cruscott35

Most vendors I know don't have different prices for weddings specifically, but will have different prices based on time of day/day of the week. In fact, I don't personally know one vendor who has a 'wedding' price list. Some have packages tailored to weddings, but those prices are comparable with their non wedding packages, just the services they add on are wedding specific.

my fiancee is basically an event planner for a college and she has run into several different kinds of event vendors that have tiered pricing, with the 'wedding' tier being one of the higher tiers. its BS if you ask me. that said, we've avoided those companies as much as possible

[ExistenceNow]

I work catered events, including weddings. There is no more work that goes into a wedding than, say, a graduation. We sure as shit charge more for the wedding though.

Know why? Because people will pay it.

[ExistenceNow]

And there is nothing a DJ does that is worth $3k. Seen them charge it and get it though.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

I work catered events, including weddings. There is no more work that goes into a wedding than, say, a graduation. We sure as shit charge more for the wedding though.

Know why? Because people will pay it.

That's real shady if you charge more for the same menu at same location at sane day, time and time if year for two different types of events.

Might be a regional thing, no idea. I don't know anyone who does that.

Personally we'll charge less for non profits, but we're selective about those and can't do them all the time. We'll also give breaks to people who can help us out on the future. If the coordinator of a hotel we work with calls us about their holiday party, we'll do it free.

[Brohan_Santana]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

I work catered events, including weddings. There is no more work that goes into a wedding than, say, a graduation. We sure as shit charge more for the wedding though.

Know why? Because people will pay it.

This is false. Unless you want the service to be that of a graduation party. this is a wedding you need the best service. And you want better quality food which is pricer. Not graduation food.

[ExistenceNow]

Lol, graduation service. You sound like you're selling rust proofing.

If I'm paid to serve/bartend an event, I'm not going to try harder because it's a wedding or go half assed because it's just a graduation.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

Lol, graduation service. You sound like you're selling rust proofing.

If I'm paid to serve/bartend an event, I'm not going to try harder because it's a wedding or go half assed because it's just a graduation.

Typically aren't graduation parties less formal event with a less formal menu? That's been my experience.

[ExistenceNow]

Originally Posted by cruscott35

Typically aren't graduation parties less formal event with a less formal menu? That's been my experience.

Less formal for our attire, yes. Less formal as far as our demeanor and professionalism, no.

The only time our catering menu changes is if you want us to do something specific just for you, off menu. Otherwise you have the same choices as anyone else. Yes, weddings tend to pick the fancier foods off our menu, and graduations the less fancy, but that doesn't change the way we as a crew serve it to you.

[cruscott35]

That's not what I was implying. Originally I was asking if I ordered the beef tenderloin for a graduation party with identical sides and for a wedding on the same Saturday night in may, will I get charged different prices?

[ExistenceNow]

And the differing food at events is beside the point. I'm saying that, say, prime rib isn't harder to cook for a wedding than it is for a regular party. Setting up a bar isn't harder at a wedding than it is at a regular party. Changing out chafing dishes and relighting sternos isn't harder at a wedding than it is at a regular party.

That's what I meant by weddings not being any more work. The upcharge isn't justified.

You say you don't do it. That's awesome. Tons of vendors do, DJs and photographers in particular.

[cruscott35]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

And the differing food at events is beside the point. I'm saying that, say, prime rib isn't harder to cook for a wedding than it is for a regular party. Setting up a bar isn't harder at a wedding than it is at a regular party. Changing out chafing dishes and relighting sternos isn't harder at a wedding than it is at a regular party.

That's what I meant by weddings not being any more work. The upcharge isn't justified.

You say you don't do it. That's awesome. Tons of vendors do, DJs and photographers in particular.

Yes, for us any special event is the same, but for nearly every vendor there is a ton more that goes on than what the client sees and what the client assumes they are paying for.

And that practice or charging different prices for the same exact service for different type of events is extremely lame.

[ExistenceNow]

I agree that it's lame. That's my point.

As I said, I work in catering so I know the work that is put in.

[snow1868]

Originally Posted by AlexK79

As expected, this thread has quickly turned into - 'The way I did MY wedding was the right way and everyone else who did something different is stupid."

Hahaha, pretty much. BTW, your wedding will suck if you don't get married at the Chapel and Tavern in Port Orange, FL.