Eric and Robyn are a lot of fun! Though their wedding was in the afternoon, with the Florida sun shining bright, it didn’t stop them from dancing!

Good thing, too…. we need to continue my “BEST WEDDINGS EVER” Month!

You have to see the videos to believe how many people danced in the middle of the afternoon. The location, colors, setting, and everything was perfect and seemed to really fit their personalities!

First, the location was the beautiful Huntington Hills in Lakeland, Florida. Denise is one heckuva Chef, and her staff is always prompt, effective, and smiling! The big windows allow plenty of sunlight to come in, but their effective AC system keeps the place comfortable. It’s amazing how many weddings one has to do in a Florida Summer before you really appreciate air conditioning.

The colors were chocolate and apple green elegantly splashed throughout the whole room.

And of course, Maggie made the cake. It was delicious– you’re darn right I had some. Yum!

Lots of unique things were done, and I want to share a couple:

• Father Daughter Dance: The Hokey Pokey — the ultimate in cheese became something fun and special for Robyn and her father Bud
• Families were encouraged to bring in their own homemade cookies for a “cookie buffet.” It was very unique and delicious! Any wedding with Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal is a good wedding!
• Instead of a guestbook, there were cards to be filled out. Guests were able to fill out their best wishes in these cards, seal them up, and place them in the bowl.
• This wedding was another example of using colors wisely. Their wedding colors matched Huntington Hill’s signature colors perfectly!

Package chosen: Premier, upgraded to Entertainment Coordinator compliments of us.

Check out some great photos and a video in the link below!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

I wanted to share another wedding tip on choosing a very important wedding vendor: YOUR DJ!

Often, many DJs talk about wearing a suit/tux and count that as proper appearance. That’s good- but it doesn’t cover everything.
How clean is his setup? Will you see a web of wires that will earn him the name DJ Spiderman? Are his speakers clean, rust-free, and odorless? Yes– Odorless… many speakers have a carpet covering… carpet can absorb odors!!!

Most importantly…. will the equipment be an eyesore in the photos?

Let’s take it one step further and look at the setup we used for Mr. and Mrs. Ramnaught.

Look at these two photos:

Find the speaker!!!!

Give up?

Let’s look:

It doesn’t disturb the photos one bit.. and if it’s really that annoying– it can be Photoshopped out.

Neat, clean, and out of the way– how does your favorite DJ set up??

It’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life… so why do you feel so stressed? There is no such thing as being born a Bride/Groomzilla…. it’s just what happens when you don’t take the stress out. So what can you do?

1) CHILL OUT!

Whenever you begin to feel stressed out, take a breather. Go enjoy a movie, a walk in the park, or visit a spa! Stressing out is not going to fix anything nor will it put you and your fiance in a good mood for the wedding. You should never have to associate feelings of stress and dispair with weddings! Whatever you do to relax, just make sure it has NOTHING to do with your wedding. So CHILL!

2) Being emo can be nerve-wracking!

One minute you’re super-excited about your wedding cake. The next minute you’re upset because you can’t find sashes in your wedding colors! Then you’re excited because you found beautiful photography, but suddenly you realize you’re behind in your planning. ARGH! How is it that you haven’t pulled all your hair out yet? This emotional roller-coaster can set you off in a frenzy!

It’s going to happen and it’s perfectly natural! Find someone to vent to… someone who ISN’T your fiance. Find someone who isn’t stressed out about the wedding and ask them to help you think with a clear head!

3) Trust God.

Enough said there. The best way to deal with the stress is to just pray… but beyond that, talk to your pastor. You and your fiance will learn A LOT about each other in the next few wedding planning stages… be sure to attend a marriage class.. not to mention the state of Florida will give you a discount on your license if you do! SWEET!

4) This is why you hired….

…a professional. Don’t stress about the day-of wedding timeline. Talk to your entertainer/coordinator about your concerns on creating the perfect day and let he/she handle the rest. If you can’t trust them to do this… find a new one. If they’ve done this plenty of times, they’ll have a plethora of ideas to help you!

The same applies for photos, cake, food, etc. You hired a pro— let them help you! Give them the vision of what you want and let them handle that stressing out stuff.

5) A wedding planner doesn’t plan YOU.

Wedding planners and coordinators are great people to have on your team.  Again, trust them to handle the stress and take their advice the best way you can… they do this several times a year and you’re only getting married once! However, they can’t control what you do…. so prioritize! If they’re helping you step-by-step with wedding plans then there’s no worries, but if you only have day-of coordination (or none at all) then you need to sit down and come up with a schedule of what’s the most important things to you, then make sure those are checked off FIRST.

6) The day before the wedding should not be the day before the wedding.

DO NOT, I repeat: DO NOT use the day before the wedding to finalize all details. Work as hard as you can to have everything done at least 3 days before the wedding. Why? Because you can enjoy these three days to lose ANY stress/jitters you may have. Spend time with your friends… go to a movie, beach, SOMETHING FUN! You should be looking forward to your wedding… not wishing you had one more day to finish planning!

7) CHECK!

If possible, pay all your vendors two-three days before the wedding! If you’re anything like me, signing paychecks will induce stress. If you plan on tipping (and you should, lol) make sure to do it in cash. Have everything separated in envelopes for easier management.
CHECK! LIST!

I’ll make this one short: DJs have checklists. Caterers have checklists. Planners have checklists. Do you? No? MAKE ONE!

9) Internet and friends are dangerous!

Have a question about your wedding? While asking your friends is important, their suggestions may reflect their style and not yours. As for the internet, stay away unless it’s coming from the keyboard of an established vendor! The best wedding tips come from the professionals you’ve hired and learned to trust. They will work hard to build rapport with and get to know you. They will apply this information to any info/tips they give you!

10) Weddings are NOT a barometer of happiness.

Can something go wrong at the wedding? Maybe. Possibly. So? Roll with it! Marriages aren’t perfect, but they will be held strong if you have faith! Weddings are living, breathing creatures and just because something went wrong doesn’t mean your marriage will go bad. Did you show up? Did he show up? Did you say “I do?” Did he say “I do?” Then you’re good to go— you’ve accomplished the mission: the rest is just icing on the cake.

Brides and grooms: don’t stress! As vendors, we’ll do everything we can to take that stress of you… but ultimately it’s up to you to make sure you don’t stress out. Don’t confuse stress for anxiety… you will be very anxious for the day you’ll be standing on the altar.. and who can blame you? Just remember to ENJOY your planning… as you’ll only do this once in your lifetime, too!

Did I forget a tip? Leave me a comment!!