I, Chelsea, I, Chelsea, take you David, take you David, to love and respect,
to love and respect, from this day forward, from this day forward,
that I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss.
So this is it. It's the big day. From the time you were a little girl, you've dreamed of this
day. The anticipation, the excitement, one of the most awesome tasks you'll ever undertake is
planning your wedding. During each new segment of the video, you will be introduced to wedding
coordinators, florists, photographers, and videographers that have attended hundreds,
if not thousands of weddings. Now that makes an expert. What can you tell us to help make
the wedding planning easier? The wedding planning easier. Know what you want and express it. That
is the easiest of all. But realistically, we know that's not realistic. It's different. In matters
of where the families are, single parents or remarried parents, you have a lot of step parents
involved, get everybody pretty much together in terms of what they will be contributing to the
affair, whether it's money, whether it's love, whether it's kindness, whatever the contribution is,
know it coming in before you start making all your plans because otherwise you're going to make
yourself a wreck. But there are ways to cut costs down if you know the person, like a wedding director,
who can help you in those areas. Is it common for a wedding to go over budget? Oh, very common. A lot
of brides and grooms will call and say, oh, I want to get married. And I say, well, what is your
budget? Budget? Oh, we haven't thought about a budget. So that's very important. They need to know,
unless daddy is Mr. Warbucks and has all kinds of dough. That people plan for weddings from the time
that you are a little girl, you have your dream of what you want your wedding day to be all about.
And everybody has them. And then when you face reality, when you get to that point in your life,
you realize that it's going to be very expensive to do that because times they do change. And
economics change. And if you want something, you can get it, but it costs money. And that's what the difference is.
Well, a lot of brides go church shopping. Some of the things they're thinking about are location.
Where is it close to where I'm going to have my reception? And then the second choice is they want
a certain look. They want an old-fashioned church or a modern church. And then size. If you're having
50 guests, you don't want a church that seats 1,000. So those things are very important. Size,
location, and look of the church. And they should probably ask about a wedding director, right? Do
all churches have wedding directors? Not all of them do. Some of them, as I said, may have a wedding hostess.
But I think the trend is toward the wedding director. I always suggest to people that location is
probably the number one priority, only because of where we live. And locations go very rapidly,
especially in certain times of the year. There are certain months that are more than others. But the
caterer is a very critical part. And a caterer can also help you sometimes in finding a location. So
if you have a caterer, you have a friend who's a caterer, professional caterer, they often can
help you with the location if you don't have a specific preconceived notion in your mind.
One of the most beautiful and romantic locations in California is the Calabasas Inn. Let's stop
in and visit with Elisa, their coordinator, talking with our hostess, Lori. Elisa, Calabasas
Inn is one of the most sought after wedding locations in Southern California. What makes your
location so desirable to a bride? I think there's a lot of factors that come into mind when a bride
chooses the Calabasas Inn. First of all, we're very known for our beautiful grounds. We're located on
about four and a half to five acres. We have a beautiful waterfall outside and there's a lot of
great photo opportunities. Our rooms are beautiful. They all have windows all the way around, so it's
a very open feeling, not like you're in a room confined to four walls, as well as we're very known
for food and service. The chef is more than willing to meet with you or to come up with a special menu
for your wedding day. What is the most important question a bride can ask you when inquiring about
your wedding services? One of the most important questions besides date and availability, depending
on how far ahead you're going to book, is what the facility has to offer you on your day, whether
it's a special menu that you want or something specific you want to see happen. You should know
what your options are. Our chef's name is Wolfgang. He's more than willing to meet with you and to sit
down and work something out. We've done theme weddings, very elaborate hors d'oeuvre weddings,
so he's willing to work and be as creative as you want him to be. What are some other tips that are
helpful for the wedding day? I think it's important to come prepared to have as much of a calm atmosphere
as possible. Many brides think ahead of time they want to come here and do their hair and their makeup
and get dressed, and there really just isn't enough time. Your day should start someplace away from
the ceremony site. Get your hair and makeup done. Have it be done in a place that's quiet and calm.
Then arrive here, slip your dress on, and start your pictures outside. That way, not everybody's
fighting for the same mirror. You know, I've attended many weddings where the ceremony was
called for three o'clock on the invitation, but the wedding didn't actually start until 315. Is that
common? It's very popular for people to want to print their invitation time a half an hour prior
to their ceremony time. I always recommend that you don't do this. You should print your invitation
time the same time as your ceremony time. Guests will arrive 15 minutes prior and be here early
enough. At the reception, what do you find makes the best seating arrangement for the bridal party?
What's become popular the last few years is something called the bride and groom table. It's a
small intimate table for two. It can be set up close to the dance floor. It allows the bride and
groom a few quiet moments as well as it allows people to feel comfortable in walking up to them.
It's good access to the dance floor. Head tables are not as popular as they used to be. They tend
to take up a lot of space in the room, and I think your bridal party feels very alienated from who
they've come with, whether it's a date or a spouse. They really want to sit with them. Is there a
standard amount of time allowed for photography? We recommend and our policy states that two hours
prior is when the bride can arrive to start her pictures. I think that everybody needs to keep in
mind that the bride and groom's day has started well before they've arrived. Hair's been done,
makeup's been done. They probably haven't slept well because they've been anxious, so their day
is seven or eight hours long before the guests even arrive. So to have your bride out there more
than two hours prior plus time afterwards, she'll just be worn out. In closing, is there anything
you'd like to let the brides know? I think it's important to try to have as much of a stress-free
day as possible. A good rapport between yourself, your services, the management of the facility that
you're going to be spending your day at is as well important. Everybody should take a backseat to the
bride. Let her have her day, which she has planned for. Don't get so detailed and involved as to
forget that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy. And be aware of all your options to make
your day as special as it can be. Now let's go back to Billy Ray at the Wilshire E-Bell and find
out about his beautiful location. The weddings, are they held out on the grass? Are they held
inside the rooms? Both, we do both here at the at the Wilshire E-Bell. Most of the time, it depends
on the time of year actually. As we get into the wintertime, December, January, February, March-ish,
the weather is very iffy. And those who don't want to have a garden wedding, that's why we use the
garden most often during the summer, is because girls who want to have always dreamed of a garden
wedding, we have a beautiful setting here for that. And the room inside is also as beautiful
because it has a stairway that the bride can come down in a reflowing dress and the whole thing.
If, perchance, they did decide to have a garden wedding in January, February, and it does rain,
there is always an alternative to coming inside and doing the wedding inside if necessary.
Well, in closing, Billy Ray, is there anything that you can suggest for brides when choosing
their caterer and their location, anything overall? I think the most important thing is, is to be,
I think we've already mentioned this, is to communicate and be upfront about everything
with the people that are involved in your day because, face it, girls, girls, your special,
it's your day. And in order for it to be your day, you have to let the people that are in
charge of it, regardless of what part they're playing in it, whether it's the florist or the
caterer or the photographer or the videographer or whoever, they need to know exactly what is
your concept so that they can do that for you. If they're professional as we are,
it'll happen. It'll happen just as you've dreamed about it.
Hi, I'm here with Olga at Clydeen's Bridal Shop in Granada Hills, California.
Hi Olga, welcome to the shop. Thank you. When should a bride begin shopping for her dress?
She should be start looking for a dress at least a year before wedding, but she can purchase
at least six to eight months before wedding date. What if she's only got three months?
She can still come over to us and she can still try a lot of gowns. Most of the companies now
do provide with fast delivery on certain gowns, not all of them. There is a certain styles which
is they consider most popular styles. They have either rush delivery or quick delivery that they
call rush delivery. If you have less than four months, you have to pay extra and you can save
a lot of money if you do it on time. How does a bride choose her style of dress?
Most of the brides usually look through the magazines, through the books, and see what they like.
They bring their pictures from the magazines and we start trying styles that they've chosen.
And from that point on, we would suggest to girls what look best on them considering their
type of body and height, weight, and everything comes with it. Do you have any suggestions for
choosing bridesmaids dresses? Most of the time, a bride chooses bridesmaids dresses and we suggest
for pictures sake to get gowns that complement bridal gowns. But if they can't, there is a way of
complementing each other with the styles and we would help her to choose. And what about the men?
What about the tuxedos? Oh well, they got a maid. They don't have to worry about anything. Most of
the times, brides would choose tuxedo and all they have to do is come in, we'll take measurements,
we'll show them tuxedo. They can try it on and they're set. Be happy to tell you guys, here's
what you're supposed to do. Nod your head yes a lot to your fiancé. Be on time in your tuxedo.
That's it. There's nothing else you have to do. The rest of the girls. That's all men have to do.
That's all they have to do. Thank God. Be happy that's all they have to do. Is there a latest trend
in bridal gowns? They always have latest trend but most of the dresses that popular is classical
styles like Gibson Girl look, portrait neckline and short puffy sleeve or short cap sleeve which
is very small sleeve with the full skirts, straight gowns, mermaid gowns. Do you make suggestions on
veils? Veils should be chosen complementary to the bridal gown. They should have same color
sequence, same type of lace. We also suggest to know what kind of hairstyle you're going to wear
day of the wedding before you will be coming to shop for a veil. That way it will be much easier
to choose style. Now that you've selected your location and wedding gown one of the most important
decisions you'll make is choosing your wedding photographer. I'd like to welcome Mark Lee from
Moments to Remember to our show. Hi Mark. Hi Lori. Mark you have one of the larger wedding
photography studios in Los Angeles and do beautiful work. Why should a bride choose a large
established company rather than a small company? I think a bride should book with a bigger company
one that's been in business for a number of years based on the fact that they book so far in advance.
Normal bride would book a year to two years in advance and she needs to rest assured that
studio will be there. On the average most of our brides book about six months to year and a half.
I think if a bride wants to get the better photographers the sooner the better.
Should a bride ask to see pictures from her location? It's very comforting for a bride to see
different locations and see the location where she's going to have her wedding and very possibly
to see where we would be photographing her. So that way she may get a sense of whether she
likes the backgrounds or not. How long does the average wedding photo session last?
Depending on the size of the wedding it could go from five to eight hours. We've seen them go nine
and ten. Yeah for the bigger ones that really sometimes people will have dinner after the
wedding and they party so long they have breakfast. The pose part of it lasts about one to two hours.
The entire wedding lasts probably about an average of seven hours. We normally stay until
they cut the cake and throw the bouquet and garter. So to the very end then? Till the end and I think
it's important that the photographers stay till the end because a lot of the really fun stuff
really starts happening near the end. People get a little loosened up. What kind of different
pictures do you take? Are there formals, candids? Do you take both? Well we try to take them all
and actually during the formal shooting which is the family shots, the romantics of the bride and
groom, we try to do some fun stuff so we're not afraid to have them laughing and catch them having
a good time and getting some goofy shots if that's what they like. Some people don't like to be goofy
at all. They're very straight-faced and some are not. Do churches have restrictions about lights
and movement? Every church and temple has their own set of rules and I think it's important that
a photographer find out what they are and follow them. Every church has different restrictions.
Every rabbi, every preacher, they all come up with different things. Catholic churches have a
set of rules that they're supposed to go by. Not all the priests go by them. Presbyterian churches
have a set of rules. Not all of the churches go by them. But in general, yes, there will be a set
of rules and we've worked to all of those circumstances so we know what we need to do
and how not to step on people's toes. How many photographers and assistants will be there the
day of the wedding? Well if you've got 40 people in your family and then the groom has 40 people
in the next and then there's 200 guests, so you're talking about 280 people, it's hard to handle
280 people with just one little photographer. So it's kind of nice to have an assistant.
Sometimes we have two shooters and two assistants. It just depends. We don't want to have more
photographers than guests though. Most studios feel that one photographer is enough but it's
really a great advantage if your photographer brings an assistant and it's worth the extra cost.
How can a bride and groom save time on their wedding day? Be on time, be organized, know in
advance when and where they need to be and make sure all their families know where to be and at
what time. Make sure they know how long their makeup is going to take and how long it takes
to get into their dress. Just be organized. They can save time by trying to stay organized
and being ready on time for the photographs. If we can start the pictures on time and keep everybody
together in a group throughout the entire photo session it really helps because when we need
somebody we just call them up. Does it save time to take the pictures before the ceremony?
Saves them time during their party. Doesn't save us any time. We still have to shoot the pictures
regardless whether they see each other before or after. It saves a little bit of time. It really,
if the bride and groom do the pictures before the wedding it probably gives them a little more time
with their bridal party. It's not the most important thing and I think if the bride doesn't
want to see the groom before the wedding it's okay. What we do a lot of times is a first glance
so that the bride can come out from a door and the groom's standing there and we get to capture
the look on his face and a lot of bride grooms like that. They're also fresher there in the
beginning. The makeup's fresh and so in the photographs which are lasting the longest
you get to see the very first look at the bride. Tell why a bride should hire a professional
photographer rather than using oh uncle Joe. It takes years of experience to be able to just know
quickly in your mind all the different poses and all the different people that need to be shot
and then to have experience at different ceremony locations and different hotels and this and there's
a lot of things to know that it really takes years of experience to pick up. So somebody who
hasn't done it obviously is going to run into trouble. What's the most important thing a bride
and groom should look for in a photographer? That's a hard question but I think she needs to
find a photographer that has a lot of experience, a professional. She needs to find a photographer
who's work she really likes. She needs to go and interview him, go look around their studios
and take a lot of time doing this because it's really important that she likes his photographs
or her photographs because if she doesn't like the photographs she sees she may not like her
photographs when they come back. Third and maybe most importantly the bride must have a report
with the photographer. She needs to know that he understands and respects her needs.
She needs to know that when he comes to the wedding he's going to be enthusiastic
and show a lot of real joy when he's doing his photograph. She needs to
really find somebody that likes what he's doing like me.
Hi I'm here with Beverly of Mr. B's Flowers. Beverly I've heard it said that Mr. B's are not
just florists but floral artists. What are some of the considerations a bride should make when
choosing her flowers? Well it's senseless to approach your florist until you know what color
the girls are wearing, your bridesmaids, where the ceremony is going to be held and where the
reception is going to be held. Once you're armed with that information then it's time to start to
talk to the florist. It also helps for you to personally have a real sense of what you want
the wedding to be. If you want a real Victorian romantic look, if you want something a little
more contemporary maybe a little more austere, dark linens with a vase of white tulips against them.
Do you have any decorating tips for cutting costs at the church?
I try to be cost effective right from the start. There are places where I think a lot of the
decorating budget should go and I'll steer the bride in that direction and then there are places
where I feel like this is a good place to be a little more careful with the way we spend money
and we can make some more impact over there. So I try to guide the bride through the ceremony and
reception and highlight the places where I think it makes sense to spend a lot of money and
kind of be careful about the areas where it's not really that important. Are there any actual
flowers that are less expensive than other flowers? The bride will let me use some simpler
flowers to fill in and some of the more exotic, more expensive flowers as accents. I think most
people get comfortable with that kind of look. It's not all exotics, it's not all simple flowers
and it's a happy medium that satisfies the needs for budget and the needs for the total look.
Are roses still the most popular wedding flower? Absolutely roses. A bride always wants. Brides
become very traditional on their wedding day even if they think that they might not have been.
Overall, what is the most important thing a bride should look for when hiring her florist?
I think the bride has to have a good rapport with the florist that she's working with.
I think punctuality is very important for a florist. I think photographers and videographers
and everybody concerned with a wedding appreciates a florist who's punctual. I think in Southern
California a florist who has plenty of refrigeration both on site so that after the flowers are
assembled they're put under refrigeration and they go from refrigeration into a refrigerated
or air-conditioned vehicle and they're transported to the wedding site. It's vitally important in
Southern California. Of all the mementos and souvenirs of your wedding day,
nothing will allow you to relive it like a video recording.
Let's stop in with Kirk from California Video and find out a little bit about his service.
I'm here today with Kirk Thompson from California Video. Hi Kirk, welcome to the show.
Hi Lori, thanks for stopping by the studio. How many years have you been in business
and how many events approximately have you shot? Well California Video was formed in 1984 so we're
coming up on 10 years in business and I do tell my brides that I've been in business for 11 years
because I had some experience before that and in that time we've done I would guess about 1200
weddings. Do you shoot the jobs yourself or do you think of yourself as more of an overall producer?
Well at the beginning I was an entrepreneur and of course I did everything myself but since we've
grown into a company that now shoots about 170 events a year I no longer can shoot all the
events myself. I do have staff cameramen that work with me and they go through an extensive
production course before they can do a wedding and I feel that some of the people that now shoot for
me are better than the work that I used to put out myself at the beginning. Well in the beginning I
was a one-man band. As the company grew it became more apparent I would become an overall producer
although I still like to attend some events and specialty events. I do have staff members that
do videotaping for me. How much is enough when viewing a sample of a videographer's work?
Well it's kind of a hard question to answer precisely but enough is enough is when both
the client and the presenter realize that the information has been appropriate to the finished
product that they want to see. I would recommend normally a video of about 25 minutes be the norm
to watch. Well a typical demonstration at my studio takes one hour. During that time I try to
give the bride and groom a little bit of a tour of our studio to give them about a 15 minute taste
of our work and to try to find out what it is they're looking for. When you go to see your
videographer let him know what you're interested in. A videographer should not be a robot who does
150 weddings a year all the same way. Your wedding is a precious independent production that requires
special attention and you should talk to your videographer and give them an idea of what you're
looking for in your video. What are the advantages of having a professional videographer over an
amateur friend or relative? Many advantages. Too numerous to spend time with and talk about each
one but the advantages over what I call the Uncle Fred syndrome are quite simple. The professional
videographer has a total understanding of what's about to unveil before his eyes based on acquiring
knowledge and the experience he's had in the past. The disadvantages of a non-professional would be
is he wouldn't know what to expect or how to anticipate it. Also most videographers probably
complement for example a wedding with well over $20,000 worth of equipment on site. Uncle Fred
would be hard pressed to match that. Well the first thing that comes to mind is the equipment.
I think I have better equipment than the average uncle or relative would have. Most relatives have
purchased their camcorder recently at Circuit City, may or may not know how to actually operate
the equipment and there's a good chance that if something goes wrong they won't know how to fix it
and your wedding is lost from that point on. We have experience with problems. If something goes
wrong we will have backup equipment with us and I feel that overall the product that we give you is
much more professional in terms of the camera ability, the framing of the shot and a lot of the
photographic principles that have been used in professional photography have been passed
on to video through the years and we can offer the bride and groom some of that experience.
Now the other thing of course is the professional attitude of the company. When you deal with a
professional company you will get the experience of that company, you will get the professional
product that you pay for and I think overall your enjoyment will be much more for something that
you paid for than something that was given to you by a friend. Are there different formats you can
shoot on? Sure, there are several different formats that a videotape person can use. We prefer
Super VHS, some companies shoot on Hi8 and there are also weddings that are done on 3.25 inch. Now
that may sound confusing but all of those are professional formats that give you a good picture
quality. Some of those are up to the individual taste of the videographer himself. We personally
shoot on Super VHS, we employ a three-chip camera for the highest professional resolution
and most of our editing is mastered on 3.25 inch which is a broadcast format. The result is
the product that you see in your home is a professional product. How the videographer
acquires the product is probably up to his individual taste and there are as many different
formats as there are colors of the rainbow. Is there a difference in the cameras? Sure,
most high-end videographers employ a three-chip camera. A three-chip camera is equal to like a
low-end broadcast camera. Some videographers use a one-chip camera which might be the equivalent
of like your photographer using a 35 millimeter camera. Both give you a professional product.
Three-chip is a little bit better as far as the resolution and the color but some people do very
good work with one-chip equipment. I personally myself prefer three-chip equipment simply because
it does give you the very best picture quality. How long does a tape last? A fun question. The
manufacturers tell us a tape should last 100 years. No one's been here to find that out yet.
However, a tape properly stored should last many generations for enjoyment. The only time I've ever
experienced any failures of tapes would be mechanical damage due to a poor VCR for example
or improper storage. Why are two cameras necessary for a professional video? Two cameras in my opinion
are the only way. I don't particularly believe in a single camera. They are offered and I attribute
that to the what-if syndrome. Now what-if means we are dealing with a mechanical product.
What if it decides to fail and you have a camera? There goes the whole program. Well quite honestly
a professional video needs to have two cameras. Most people are used to watching a television show
while there are many different camera angles cutting back and forth during the during the
viewing of this. With one camera angle of a ceremony the video can get a little bit stale.
So the thing that separates my video from an amateur video is the ability to use multiple camera
angles during a wedding. A good example is to have one camera on the altar of the bima where you can
see the faces of the bride and groom. To have a second camera in the back that kind of gives us
the eyes of the audience and when we edit the tape we cut back and forth between the front and
the back camera and if your budget allows it it's the most professional way to have your job done.
Now we do shoot one camera occasionally but this is limited to churches or temples that do not
allow two cameras. There are three ingredients required in a videotape no matter who really
videotapes it. The professional understands this immediately. The first is it must be interesting
editing accomplish that. Secondly it must be informational and we're not talking about the
title of an event such as a wedding but the lace, the flowers, the table settings, the gowns, the
guests, so forth. This is information but the last one is probably most important and editing
can prevail in preventing it bringing this forward and that is it must have historical value.
This is something that the bride can not only offer to her children but her children's children
giving them time with the tape and they will see someone at their very best that great grandmother
who unfortunately time won't allow them to see in life. So the editing factor creates a smooth
finished flowing video with those three ingredients. Do you do special effects? Sure,
special effects are what separates my video from some of the amateur videos that we've been talking
about. Special effects can be anything from a beautiful page turn to a slow romantic dissolve
to the next scene to an explosion on the screen to having scenes fly in and fly off. It really
depends on the individual taste of the videographer and we also try to find out what the bride and
groom like. This is the MTV generation and some people like Ratatatat special effects and some
people, myself included, prefer kind of a soft romantic look to the video. Ask your videographer
the kind of special effects that he likes and you guys could probably come to a mutual agreement on
what's best for you.
One of the great things about the DJ companies and that since they came into Vogue in the late 70s,
early 80s and then through the 80s is that the ability to provide music for brides and grooms
instantaneously. You know you have, especially now with CDs because they're so small, you can bring
a lot more product to an event and literally within seconds have a song queued up and ready to go.
So that's really important is to be able to have the music right there at your fingertips.
You've got to remember when you're picking a disc yoggy that's the person that's going to be
representing, you know, and adding the tone and setting the pace and the atmosphere of your whole
reception. He's the person that's out in front on the microphone so you want to make sure that
he has the style that's going to best suit your needs.
Can you tell me what are the differences between a band or a DJ?
They're numerous. They really are. Some of the top, the things that come off the top of my head
are, for example, budget. A DJ is going to be a lot less expensive. He's also going to be providing
you with exactly the kind of music that you're looking for because he's playing music from
recordings. However, he can never compete with the band's energy level. There's nothing like
having five or six people standing up there moving around, dancing, singing at the audience,
getting involved with the audience. So there's pros and cons to both of them.
The band can definitely set up an energy level and fill the whole room with airwaves
from every individual in the group as opposed to the DJ. However, the DJ has good personality.
He'll get people involved, get them up dancing, do the same kinds of things.
So you need to prioritize what's going to be the look that you're looking for.
What are you projecting that day? What kind of an image do you want to project?
There's nothing like live music. This particular company does provide an MC.
We actually send out a disc jockey and an MC. I think one of the more important things that an
MC provides to a function or an event is sensitivity. Being able to listen is very important,
not only in the phone call preceding the wedding day, but also during the day itself. To be able
to interact with all the various people that are there, you've got photographers, video people,
catering people, and the easier it is to get along with all of these people and make the whole thing
work so that everybody gets what they came there to do done. A photographer wants to get good
pictures, etc. Also, the ability to move the event forward. Brides and grooms should feel confident
that an MC has that ability to do it in a respectful, elegant, tasteful way. At the same time,
hopefully provide some semblance of fun. Bands are wonderful. Bands have a feel and an energy to them
that a DJ finds it hard to match. There's nothing like seeing good live music being
performed and the energy and things like that. The drawback to a band is actually a couple of
reasons. Bands, one, tend to take breaks because it's tiring banging away on those instruments
for hours at a time. When they do take a break, the atmosphere and the party and the momentum
of the reception tends to take a little nosedive while they slap on a tape and grab something to
eat or things like that. How many breaks do you take? Usually the breaks will last, they'll go,
we'll do about three or four breaks. They last 15 to 20 minutes and during that time we usually
supply, supplement it with break music, tape music if it's a band. The DJ will continue the play and
he really doesn't take breaks, but it's important and it's imperative that the group pace everything
so that, for example, if they're doing the cake cutting and then following that with the tossing
the bouquet and the garter, let people sit down and eat cake. You don't need to bombard them with
noise and music at that time. Sit down and let them relax and enjoy their cake. It's important
to take requests. We sent out an information sheet ahead of time and we discussed the music
thoroughly with the bride and groom because everybody's looking for different stuff.
Nowadays, country is more popular. Ten years ago, it was disco. Five years ago, rap. So yeah,
we take requests and it's important to be sensitive to everything and take requests on the location too
is also important. I mean, we hear all the time complaints and stuff. He didn't play any of the
music that I asked for and there's really no excuse. Even the most bizarre song,
there's a place for it and usually if we get an unusual request, we'll put it right after a slow
song because you've got a full dance floor. Odds are people are going to want to do some sort of
dancing. If it doesn't work, they'll clear off. We'll get them back with an A song. Actually,
a DJ wears many hats and primarily, of course, he's going to play the music that you want to
hear at your event. Secondly, he's going to work as the MC and run you through your formalities
and things like that. All the certain events such as the cake cutting and first dance and grand
entrance for introductions, things like that. But he's also a good DJ. He's going to serve as
the orchestrator, the producer behind the scenes so that everything runs smoothly. He's the person
that works almost as a party coordinator and he's going to be speaking with your video,
your photographer and your caterer so that everyone knows what's going on and everyone is
ready and your event runs smoothly. That way, you don't have people, the photographer not being
ready or announcing the cake cutting and the caterer isn't finished with the cake. It just
ties everything together to give you a nice smooth reception. Also, I forgot one important thing.
The reason why he does all that is, and this is the most important thing, is so you and your
fiancé do not have to. Good MC service, in my view, is someone who can control the events and
formalities and lead the bride and groom along through their wedding reception without going too
far with it. I always tell people you want somebody who is not going to be dead and put people to
sleep, but at the same time, you don't want somebody to go too far. There is a fine line
that you have to walk as a good MC. In fact, one of my disc jockeys came up with a quote
several years ago, which I like to pass on to people when they call on. He said,
basically, all the bride and groom have to do is show up.
Ahead of time, we supply the bride and groom with a list of music and we let them go through that
and try to outline the kinds of things they want to hear. Then, at the party,
we also open it up for a request. Do you have any special advice for a bride and groom about
how to select a band? Well, like I was saying earlier, you need to prioritize. Then, what we
do is we sit down with them and we talk about what their expectations are, what they're looking for
in a master's ceremony, and we show them videos. Our videos are all live and that's really critical.
They need to be able to see everything that a group or a DJ has to offer in a very short amount
of time so that they can feel very comfortable about it. Then, what we do is we give them
referrals. Referrals are the best way to go. A lot of brides and grooms have asked us, well,
we'd like to come out and see you and we'd love to do that, but it's not always possible. A lot
of people are offended by having someone come to their actual party and I would hope that they
would respect that. It's great to see them at a party, but the videos are live. These are
actually the best. You're going to sit down and in 15 or 20 minutes see everything a group has to
offer. When you go out to see them at a party, unless you're going to stay there for the whole
night, you're not going to see all that. It's really the best way to go and get the referrals.
We'll be referred from different hotels. You'll see that one hotel you go to for looking for the
banquet room to another hotel will refer the same group time and time again. You know that they must
be doing something right. That's very, very important. It's funny, but there is one cliche
in the wedding business that really holds true and that is you do get what you pay for.
Make sure when you're going out and you're pricing, price is a big consideration. Hey,
let's face it, weddings are expensive, but considering that your disc jockey or your
entertainment is the most important thing besides you and your bride and the groom,
you really want to make sure that you're not pricing, that price isn't the first and foremost
thing. I'd be wary of disc jockeys charging $200 and $300 for a four-hour party. It's something to
keep into consideration and just make sure that once again you just get a good feel from the person
that you're working with. If people remember their wedding day was a smash, they'll remember us.
It was just a great day and that goes for any disc jockey, by the way, or band. If they had a
fun time and if they had some memorable moments, they're going to remember who was in charge and
they'll think back fondly.
One of the oldest traditions on the wedding day is your cake.
Through the centuries, bakers have outdone themselves to deliver artistic and tasty creations.
There are as many different styles of wedding cakes as there are colors of the rainbow.
Let's stop by and visit with Daniel at Regal Bakery and discuss wedding cakes.
Well, how far in advance should a bride order her cake? Three to six months. If they are ready
before that, that's good. It's always better too early than too late. Daniel, Regal Bakery has a
wonderful reputation not only for the ingredients you use in your cakes but the taste as well as
unique designs you offer to brides. What makes a cake special? What makes a cake special, Laurie?
That's a very good question. I think it's a trend towards personalizations. That one-of-a-kind cake
that echoes either the decor and the mood of the receptions or the personalities of the bride and
groom. I think it's a great idea that each layer of cake can be a different flavor. What are some
of your favorites? My favorite cakes will be marble and raspberry truffle. As a matter of
fact, Laurie, I have prepared a little sample for you. There is one marble and raspberry truffle
over here. Oh, it looks delicious. Thank you. And yet cappuccino is becoming really strong.
It's a trend of the 90s. Everybody likes to drink coffee and everything coffee,
cappuccino cake and cappuccino filling. We have also offered that. And in closing,
is there anything brides should know or anything they should do when coming to see a cake company?
Yes, choose your cake designer carefully and try their products. Talk with the designer or
decorators more into details. What do you have in mind? What colors, the shape, the setup,
and if you talk about those aspects, you will be guaranteed a memory that will last a lifetime.
The cake is often the one thing guests will remember for years to come about your wedding day.
Okay, well thank you very much, Daniel. You're welcome.
What you serve your guests for dinner at your wedding will make a lasting impression.
Let's go back one last time to Billy Ray of More Than a Mouthful and discuss your menu.
Billy Ray, is menu the most important thing? It is for the caterer to be concerned with,
yes. When brides and grooms are preparing for their special day, the menu is a very important
issue, yes. What are some of the determining factors that help a bride determine her menu?
Is it just cost or is it the kind of food they like? Yes to all of the above. What we do at More
Than a Mouthful is that we don't have preset menus. You don't come in and select A, B, and C, or a
combination of A and C and B. We don't do that. All of us here are graduates of the Culinary
Institute of America. We tailor make every menu for every single party we do. In order to do that,
we need to get to know the client as well as possible. So that's what basically we do.
And it is important, yes, the number of guests is an important issue, which will determine part of
what kind of menu we want to do. If we want to do a theme menu, great, we'll do it and go with it.
How much does the menu depend on budget? Entirely? Not entirely. We're very flexible in terms of that.
A lot of it can depend on the type of food, which is part of the menu, obviously. But a menu won't
make or break a wedding, to tell you the truth. We can make even the lowest amount of budgetary
requirements into something very spectacular. It can be done, yes. In closing, we'd like to thank
all the merchants who took part in this video. These people took time out from their busy schedule
to share their experience with you and help make your wedding a memorable day.
Call these merchants and let them know you saw them on the video.
And feel free to ask any of them for their advice pertaining to your particular need.
Here are their names and numbers.
Thank you.