Tag Archive for: pittsburgh photography

How Many Bridesmaids Do You Really Need?

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Getting engaged is so exciting!  That excitement can lead to making snap decisions about important points of your wedding early on.  Take for example: picking your bridal party.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting as many bridesmaids or groomsmen as you can fit because you want everyone to be included, but that’s not always the best idea.

Be Selective When Choosing Your Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

When talking about wedding party etiquette you need to keep in mind the good old fashioned K.I.S.S. rule.  Keep It Simple Stupid! You want to keep the people that are closest to you part of your big day.  Not everybody you consider a friend needs to make the cut.  Sure you were really close with your college roommate four years ago but have you talked since?

Theres a reason why the people who are currently the closest to you are the best ones to add to a bridal party.  They know who you are now.  They know your likes and you dislikes best.  These are the people that you want to give the responsibility of being in the bridal party.

What Is Normal?

You don’t need two dozen people at your bridal party.  When it comes down to it, thats just more people to corral on the day of your wedding. The average bridal party these days is between four and six people for the bride and the groom.  So keep it simple! You do not want to be stressed on your wedding day by Joe-haven’t-seen-him-in-years because he’s by the bar instead of taking pictures with the rest of the bridal party.

You have so many things to stress over on your wedding day as it is.  Don’t let your bridal party become one of them! 

 

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Wedding Party Expectations

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Summer is in full swing now and the wedding boom is on. Due to the past years restrictions on social engagements, couples all over are eager to get out and get married. Whether you’re one of those couples or a close friend of one, one thing is for sure: it’s going to be a busy summer! And with business comes a lot of expectations from the wedding party.

To help you navigate through post covid event planning you’ll need help.  That’s why this whole month we’re going to be discussing the ones who help you the most: your wedding party. 

Figure Out Your Wedding Party Expectations

From the moment you choose those people, to the execution of their duties you have to be transparent with them on your expectations. Whenever you’re choosing the people who are going to be a part of the most important day of your life you have to make sure they understand the financial obligations that they are committing themselves to. For example, it is best to put together a simple word document.  This will explain every single item that they’re going to be responsible for in an easy to reference document. 

You might want them to be responsible for all kinds of things. The dress, for the bridal party shower, and anything else for the bachelorette and bachelor party nights adds up.  So having their obligations mapped out in advance will help them to know, going into the night, if they can even afford it. 

According to tradition, if they can’t afford what you’re asking of them, that financial responsibility then falls to the best man or the maid of honor.  That spells for frustration on their part because they are picking up everyone else’s slack.  The best way to avoid tension is to be upfront about your expectations from the jump.

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Blank Venues

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Planning a wedding can be so hard when you are trying to make it unique.  You don’t want your wedding to be too cookie cutter but coming up with new ideas that no one you know has done before is a lot of work.  And there are so many different types of blank venues. When you do find that perfect place, make sure that it’s beautiful scenery and amazingly high ceilings don’t cloud your reason.

Blank Venues

With a lot of couples finding new and eclectic venues for their weddings, it can be easy to overlook practicality in favor of aesthetics.  Since most unique venues weren’t made with weddings in mind, like barns for instance, they are a blank canvas. This means they might not have existing elements that are essential to a good wedding.  So, while that beautifully rustic barn might be great for pictures, think practically.  Will it work for your staff, entertainment and guests? And if not, can you budget for the extra expense of compensating for what the existing venue lacks?

What To Consider When Picking Unique Venues

Your Guests

They all love you and want your day to be as special as possible! However, you also want to make their experience as fun and easy as possible, right?  That might not happen if your guests have an aversion to using porta-potties because your beautiful barn venue doesn’t have the proper restroom facilities.  

Your Staff and Entertainment 

To make your day run smoothly, your catering staff and entertainment must be able to do their jobs in a clean and easy to use environment.  In your venue, will you have access to a food prep location like a kitchen? Will you have a work station for the catering staff? Can the venue’s power supply handle a band or Dj equipment? 

Blank canvas venues can be great and luxurious and wonderful places to let your creativity run wild.  However, for a lot of them, you have to bring everything in yourself to make that beautiful space functional for your guests and staff. And that is where the costs begin to skyrocket.

If you and your partner are able to budget out the extra expenses then go for it! However, other beautiful, existing venues already have amenities. If that makes the most sense for your budget, try consider one of them.  Your guests and staff will thank you for it!

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Breaking Traditions and Unique Alternatives

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When you’re planning your wedding, do not feel pressured to do the same traditions every one else does.  Not everyone likes cake, or maybe you think tossing the bouquet is cheesy.  Whatever the case may be one thing remains the same; IT’S YOUR WEDDING! A big part of the fun of planning your own wedding is getting to pick and choose exactly what you want for your big day. Breaking traditions in your wedding planning will create a fun and unique experience for your guests.

Have Fun With Food

This might be one of the easiest and most common traditions to break.  Loads of people don’t like cake so, why force it into your special day? One anti-cake couple’s idea for a unique substitute was to cut chocolate balls instead.  Not a huge chocolate person? No problem: Cupcakes, donuts, ice cream and more have been popping up in the place of traditional wedding cakes.  Pick whatever sweet treat you and your partner love, and make that the main event!

Think Drinks

Getting creative with small details in your wedding is a sure fire way to make it memorable for your guests.  For example, your seating arrangement and table numbers.  Sure, anyone can have a fancy script card on a plate. But a fun twist will set your wedding apart from all of the rest! One couple featured a champagne wall with custom name tags with each guest’s seat and table on it.  This will really make your wedding one to remember, especially when the guests can take them home.

Breaking Traditions

Now, before you say it, we know. Cookie tables are a staple in any western Pennsylvanian wedding. But, hear us out. Candy tables are becoming more and more popular due to their versatility and ease.

No rules are set in stone when it comes to your wedding.  Do what makes you and your fiancée the happiest. Think outside of the box and most importantly, have fun with it!

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Your Wedding Layout: Where To Put Your DJ?

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We, at Wenning Entertainment, have seen our fair share of weddings.  You have so many things to worry about when it comes to wedding planning. From food to flowers to table arrangements, there’s a lot to handle. This week, we’re covering something that might not even be on your radar yet: your wedding layout. More specifically, where you put your entertainment. Even though it might seem like a little thing, where you put your band or DJ has a huge impact on your guests.

Where do you place your entertainment in your layout? 

If you don’t know much about event planning you might want to shove the DJ in a corner so that they don’t take up too much of your event space.  However, this is a HUGE mistake.  Once you put your DJ in a corner, you isolate the unlucky guests sitting between them and the dance floor.  

It’s always best to put your Dj in the front or your space right in front of the dance floor with no tables in between them. That way, no table is getting blasted with music from a speaker.

Who are you putting where, and why?

Probably the worst mistakes you can make in your guest layout are direct results of where you place your entertainment.  Always take into account accessibility. For Example, DOn’t sit your oldest guests by the entertainment.  They’re here for you and want to be able to have fun and talk to people. That will not be possible for them if you place them right next to booming speakers.

If you have to put your entertainment in a corner due to your event space layout, think hard about your seating chart. Your younger guests will enjoy the loud music more 

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Wedding Timeline Planning

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Keep Your Wedding Memories Alive

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Do I have the right wedding planning mindset

The Right Wedding Planning Mindset

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Wedding Invitation RSVP

How to Reply to an RSVP

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WWTW | Price_Details

Budget Knowledge | Price Details

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Wenning's Wedding Tip Wednesday

Several factors need to be considered when creating your wedding budget and deciding how much to put towards entertainment. Understand what you need and what you want; this will help you create (and stick to) your budget.

Creating a budget entails knowing what wedding services cost. A good rule of thumb is to budget 10-15% of your total budget towards your wedding entertainment. Research shows 80% of people say entertainment is what they remember most from a wedding. Food and alcohol are a close second.

Remember, a professional wedding DJ does more than just stand behind a table and play music. There are elements such as planning, crowd management and timeline flow that go into a successful wedding day. These elements also go into the final pricing of your professional wedding entertainer.

Length of Event

How long of a day your DJ will have plays into the final cost of your wedding entertainment. If you are having your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all at the same venue you will be saving money in the venue category. However, if you will be having a cocktail, ceremony, or reception at that one venue in various rooms of the venue then you need to have multiple sound systems set up.

Pre-Planning

DJs are accountable for the timeline of your event. They are also responsible for coordinating with the various vendors that you will be using throughout your Big Day and keeping everyone on the same page.

Most professional DJs will also include a 2-hour set up and 1-hour teardown free of charge. The client is only charged from the time that the first guest arrives until you say the night is over. Your DJ will also invest unpaid time into your event via 20 or more hours of playlist preparation, timeline organization and going over bridal party names.

Number of Systems

You may be saving money having your event in one venue, which you are on your venue costs but because your professional DJ will not move systems you might have to pay for additional system set ups. Not only is it unprofessional but it is also time consuming and goes against insurance obligations. Having a system setup in each room of your venue that will be used helps with the flow of the evening and keeps from disrupting you guests as they enjoy the atmosphere of your special day.

Venue

Each venue has a different layout that may affect the sound. Some venues may be less accessible for the DJ and his equipment, so the needs of the equipment may need adjusting which can affect the price.

Keep in mind that with the final price you are paying for experience, accountability, peace of mind, back-up equipment and personnel as well as professionalism, contractual obligations and insurance. Most venues will not let an entertainer perform if there is no liability or workers compensation insurance. So if you decide on a hobbyist be sure that they have all of their I’s dotted and T’s crossed!

WWTW | Marriage License | Timeframe

Marriage License | Timeframe

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WWTW | Marriage License | Essentials to Apply

Marriage License | Essentials to Apply

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WWTW | Creative Wedding Ideas

Creative Wedding Ideas | Using a GoPro

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