Congratulations Ashley and Jenny

This wedding, with the colors of dark purple and jewel tones, was held in a beautifully restored historic home.  The ceremony was held in the chapel and the reception followed in the rest of the house.  Guests were able to flow between rooms, giving them an opportunity to relax on the couches while watching the action on the dance floor. 

When the guests entered the venue, they were greeted by a unique guest book. It was a large piece of wood in the shape of Texas, with a heart in the Houston area with the couple’s wedding date.  Guests signed the board with gold markers.  The three-tiered, stacked, naked wedding cake matched the feel of the venue with its minimal frosting that allowed the cake to peek through.  There were dark purple flowers and dusty miller accenting the tiers and making up the topper.   

For a unique detail we haven’t seen before, the brides had a kissing bell.  There was a sign telling guests to ring the bell to make the couple kiss, and it was rung quite a few times during the night.  When it came to dancing, this group was fun and I don’t think Jenny left the dance floor all night long! 

After a great night of family, friends and laughter, the reception came to an end with the last dance.  The guests held sparklers as the newlyweds made their exit and drove off to their new life as a married couple.  Congratulations Ashley and Jenny!

Vendors:

Venue, Flowers, Cake: Lasker Inn

Photography: Evoke

Congratulations Frank and Amanda

This wedding had perfect weather for the elegant outdoor ceremony.  The ceremony pergola had a chandelier in the middle and draping accenting the back.  The aisle was lined with rose petals and had ivory lanterns on shepherd hooks.  The wedding party looked great: the bridesmaids wore burgundy floor-length dresses while the groomsmen were in grey tuxes with burgundy ties.

The indoor reception looked just as pretty as the ceremony.  The tables had floor-length ivory linens topped with gold sequin runners.  Surrounding the tables were gold Chiavari chairs that matched the runners and gold chargers.  The centerpieces were candles nestled in flowers and greenery.  To top it off, we projected a GOBO monogram with the Newlywed’s names onto the dance floor.  The whole look was elegant. 

 

When the guests entered, they were greeted with a unique ‘guest book.’  It was a large shadow-box in the shape of Texas, with a red heart in the Houston area. Amanda and Frank’s names and wedding date were written on the heart.  The guests signed their names on little round discs that they dropped into the shadow box.  Later, the newlyweds can hang it on their wall.

The bride’s cake was amazing!  It had three white, stacked tiers, each with hand-painted burgundy and plum colored roses, accented by green leaves.  It was beautiful!  Frank’s cake was a tres leches cake, and everyone loved that as well.  Both cakes sat atop gold cake stands, to match the gold wedding accents.

When it came to dancing, we knew this crowd would be fun, and we were right!  They packed the dance floor from the first song to the last, singing along, jumping up and down, and even raising Frank up in the air!  Our dance floor lights added to the atmosphere, making it even more fun.  The night came to a close with the last dance, and then the guests blew bubbles as Amanda and Frank made their exit to a horse-drawn carriage.  Congratulations Frank and Amanda!

Vendors:

Catering, Cake, Linens, Flowers: Carriage Caterers

Photography: Laura Burlton Photography

Videography: Blue Print Film Company

Congratulations Mike and Scott

We had such a great time working with this wonderful couple.  It was so sweet being around them, seeing how much they loved each other.  Their wedding day started with a cocktail hour before the guests were ushered outside for the gazebo ceremony.  For the ceremony processional, Scott and Mike walked down the aisle together, preceded by their dog Beau.  Beau even wore a cute little tux!  Mike and Scott looked so handsome in their matching tuxedos.  The jackets had a subtle navy plaid design and they looked great with their white shirts and bow ties.  During the ceremony, the couple did a hand fasting in addition to their vows.  In lieu of traditional seating, Mike and Scott had one row of chairs making up the front row and the rest of the guests gathered around the gazebo.

With the wedding color of navy, the reception ballroom was decorated beautifully.  The tables had floor-length navy satin cloths topped by gold chargers.  The centerpieces were either low vases with blue hydrangeas and orange roses, or tall vases with the same flowers in larger arrangements.  It was all very elegant.

The newlyweds decided to do their cake cutting a bit differently.  Rather than announce it, they just casually went over to their cake and cut it.  When they removed a slice, we saw that it was made up of tiers in rainbow colors = so pretty!  The cake topper consisted of a silhouette of two men holding a heart, accented with two pink flamingos.  (I’d love to know the story behind the flamingos!)  For favors, Scott and Mike went table to table, personally giving each guest a gift bag full of items.  How awesome!

After the toasts and special dances, the dance floor was opened up to everyone.  It’s not often that the first dance song packs the dance floor, but it did with this crowd!  They were out there having fun from the first song to the last.   At one point, during the song “Shout,” Mike was laying on the floor, waving his arms and legs in the air.  It was hilarious!  When the night came to a close, the newlyweds made sure to say farewell to all of their guests before heading off as a newlywed couple.  Congratulations Scott and Mike!

Vendors:

Venue: Menard House and Menard Hall

Catering, linens, flowers: Carriage Caterers

Photography: Laura Burlton

Why You Should Never Hire an Uninsured DJ

Here’s one question you might not think to ask when shopping for a DJ: “Are you insured?” An uninsured DJ might be cheaper up-front, but can cost you much more in the long run. I’m proud to say I’m insured — find out why that’s so important in this edition of Peter’s Pointers.

How an Uninsured DJ Can Cost You

Mobile DJs in Central New York(and not Texas either) are not required by law to carry any type of insurance. Plenty don’t. Whether they just never considered it, or they purposely chose against it, doesn’t matter. I won’t name any specific competitors, but I will say this: always ask, and never hire an uninsured DJ.
Some uninsured DJs might try to convince you, “nothing bad ever happened before, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”  Knock on wood, I’ve never needed to file a claim on my own liability insurance. But I’m insured anyway, because accidents can happen anytime.  Hiring an uninsured DJ is extremely risky:

• You could be stuck paying big bucks. If the DJ causes any damage or injury, but can’t afford to pay, you could be held responsible since you hired that DJ.
  • A cables haphazardly strung across a hallway could cause someone to trip.
  • An unsecured speaker or an unbalanced lighting truss could fall on someone, or break a table or a window.
• Your venue might send the DJ home. Some venues require DJs to show proof of insurance. Imagine if your DJ arrived to set-up, only to be turned away for lack of insurance… with no time to get a replacement.
  • Even if your venue doesn’t require DJ insurance now, that could change by the time your wedding day arrives.
• Other problems?  Any DJ willing to work without insurance is already demonstrating major carelessness.  It could be a hint of carelessness in other aspects of their work.  For the most important day of your life, do you want careless or do you want professional?

BEFORE YOU BOOK: What You Need from Your DJ

Don’t just ask if they’re insured — request proof. And don’t feel guilty or back down — a true professional will be happy to comply without hassle.  When you see the document, look for these 3 items:
1. Make sure it’s “business liability” coverage.  Some DJs might believe DJ activities fall under their homeowners or renters policy. Wrong. It’s a business, so they need business liability coverage.  Homeowners coverage won’t pay a penny for a DJ-related mishap.  If the certificate doesn’t include business liability, walk away.
2. Coverage limits. Typical policies cover at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. When venues require coverage, they typically require the same amounts.
3. Expiration date. Most policies renew annually. If the current policy expires before your event date, how do you know it will be kept current?  If you book me, I guarantee it in writing, as part of my DJ services contract.

Never Hire an Uninsured DJ

I know I said that at the top of the post, but it bears repeating.  It’s easy to think “nothing will go wrong,” until it does. Your wedding day is the most important day of your life. Whether you hire me or not, please, please, please, verify your DJ has adequate liability insurance before you book.


Courtesy of my friend Peter of Peter Naughton Productions.  Check out his website for other helpful advice!  https://www.peterthedj.com/2018/01/hiring-insured-wedding-vendors

Want to meet us and hear us in action? Come to The Galveston Wedding Show on Sunday, January 21, from 1:00 - 4:00 at Garten Verein in Galveston. Admission and parking are free!