*AFTER THE VOWS...

Interesting wedding statistics:

These are statistics given from brides, who's wedding day was over. This gives us great insight into how big a role the DJ entertainment plays in your reception.

72% of all brides say they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment. This happens because they make a quick decision, and look for the cheapest DJ. The bride is not happy with the out come of her one and only wedding reception.

Almost 100% say they would have spent more of their budget on the entertainment. This is the result of number one above. Cheap is never the best, and all DJs are not trained in wedding reception entertainment, and not ALL are professionals.

During wedding planning, Brides say their highest priority is their attire, followed by the reception site and caterer - reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities. 

But within one week after their reception, 78% of Brides say they would have made the entertainment their highest priority!  This again is the result of both one and two above. This tells us that, 78% of the brides surveyed, after looking back at the out come of their reception. Would have taken the time, and manipulated their budget, so they could retain a professional DJ, had they known the out come of their wedding reception entertainment with a budget/part-time DJ.

Don’t be the bride that can only recall all the unpleasant memories of her reception, because of the unprofessional abilities of a budget/part-time DJ.

When asked 81% of guests say the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment. Not the food, not the flowers, not the cake, the entertainment. It only makes good sense to provide your guest with professional quality entertainment. It is an entertainment function, and celebration, and your guest are looking forward to having FUN.

65% of all couples that chose a band to entertain at their wedding, said, if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen a disc jockey. Bands can only play the music they know. Their not trained in wedding reception Emcee skills and coordination. Your limited to only the music the band knows. With a professional DJ you get all the music you need to reach everyone’s taste, from the youngest to the oldest. 

*These statistics were published in St. Louis Bride & Groom Magazine in 2003. Sources include: Simmons, 2001; USA Today, 2002; National Bridal Service, 2001; The Knot, 2002; Brides Magazine, 2001.

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50 Wedding Facts & Trivia
Everyone's got a know-it-all in the family: the uncle who spits out World Series stats at the drop of a hat, the sister who can list all the James Bond flicks in reverse chronological order, the reptile-enthusiast cousin. We're proud to be your wedding equivalent -- here are 50 wedding facts to ponder as you plan your big day

GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK

1. Hey, brides, tuck a sugar cube into your glove -- according to Greek culture, the sugar will sweeten your union.
2. The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck. Yikes!
3. In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.
4. The groom carries the bride across the threshold to bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below. BOO................
5. Saturday is the unluckiest wedding day, according to English folklore. Funny -- it's the most popular day of the week to marry!
6. Ancient Romans studied pig entrails to determine the luckiest time to marry.
7. Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition!
8. For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day. Ouch!
9. Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.
10. Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice.
11. A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without.
12. A Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage.
13. Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony.
14. In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck.
    
    IT'S GOT A RING TO IT
15. Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
16. About 70% of all brides sport the traditional diamond on the fourth finger of their left hand.
17. Priscilla Presley's engagement ring was a whopping 3 1/2-carat rock surrounded by a detachable row of smaller diamonds.
18. Diamonds set in gold or silver became popular as betrothal rings among wealthy Venetians toward the end of the fifteenth century.
19. In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.
20. A pearl engagement ring is said to be bad luck because its shape echoes that of a tear.
21. One of history's earliest engagement rings was given to Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. She was two years old at the time.
22. Seventeen tons of gold are made into wedding rings each year in the United States!
23. Snake rings dotted with ruby eyes were popular wedding bands in Victorian England -- the coils winding into a circle symbolized eternity.
24. Aquamarine represents marital harmony and is said to ensure a long, happy marriage.
    
    FASHIONABLE LORE
25. Queen Victoria started the Western world's white wedding dress trend in 1840 -- before then, brides simply wore their best dress.
26. In Asia, wearing robes with embroidered cranes symbolizes fidelity for the length of a marriage.
27. Ancient Greeks and Romans thought the veil protected the bride from evil spirits. Brides have worn veils ever since.
28. On her wedding day, Grace Kelly wore a dress with a bodice made from beautiful 125-year-old lace.
29. Of course, Jackie Kennedy's bridesmaids were far from frumpy. She chose pink silk faille and red satin gowns created by African-American designer Ann Lowe (also the creator of Jackie's dress).
30. In Japan, white was always the color of choice for bridal ensembles -- long before Queen Victoria popularized it in the Western world.
31. Most expensive wedding ever? The marriage of Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum's son to Princess Salama in Dubai in May 1981. The price tag? $44 million.
32. In Korea, brides don bright hues of red and yellow to take their vows.
33. Brides carry or wear "something old" on their wedding day to symbolize continuity with the past.
34. In Denmark, brides and grooms traditionally cross-dressed to confuse evil spirits!
35. The "something blue" in a bridal ensemble symbolizes purity, fidelity, and love.
    
    FOOD AND FAMILY
36. In Egypt, the bride's family traditionally does all the cooking for a week after the wedding, so the couple can…relax. Aren't you glad your in the good ole USA?
37. In South Africa, the parents of both bride and groom traditionally carried fire from their hearths to light a new fire in the newlyweds' hearth.
38. The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where revelers broke a loaf of bread over a bride's head for fertility's sake. Hence the cake in the face...
39. The custom of tiered cakes emerged from a game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over an ever-higher cake without knocking it over.
40. Queen Victoria's wedding cake weighed a whopping 300 pounds.
41. Legend says single women will dream of their future husbands if they sleep with a slice of groom's cake under their pillows.
42. An old wives' tale: If the younger of two sisters marries first, the older sister must dance barefoot at the wedding or risk never landing a husband.
    
    SHOW OFF AT A COCKTAIL PARTY
43. "Tie the knot" comes from Roman times, when the bride wore a girdle tied in knots that the groom later untied.
44. The Roman goddess Juno rules over marriage, the hearth, and childbirth, hence the popularity of June weddings.
45. Princess Victoria established the tradition of playing Wagner's "Bridal Chorus" during her wedding processional in 1858.
46. The bride stands to the groom's left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.
47. On average, 7,000 couples marry each day in the United States.
48. Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve are the two busiest "marriage" days in Las Vegas -- elopement central!
49. The Catholic tradition of "posting the banns" to announce a marriage originated as a way to ensure the bride and groom were not related.
50. Stag parties were first held by ancient Spartan soldiers, who kissed their bachelor days goodbye with a raucous party.

Today’s popular wedding traditions have evolved over hundreds, even thousands of years. The wedding traditions that have endured are based on blessing the couple with good luck. Others are a means for the couple to convey their feelings for one another. Regardless of the wedding tradition itself all wedding traditions share the same essential symbols of unity, happiness and prosperity; messages that stand the test of time.

“Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”. This popular rhyme has been used since Victorian times. The “something old” represents the bond to the bride’s family and her old life; “something new” represents the couple’s new life together and their future hope for happiness, prosperity and success; “something borrowed” from a happily married woman is meant to impart similar happiness to the bride; and “something blue” which represents fidelity and constancy.

White bridal dresses also date back to Victorian times when Queen Victoria abandoned the usual royal tradition of wearing a silver gown, instead choosing to wear white. Before that time brides simply wore their best gown, rather than a special wedding dress. The popularity of white can also be attributed to it symbolizing purity and virginity. White was also thought to ward off evil spirits.

Throwing rice is an ancient tradition. As rice is considered a “life giving” seed it is thought that by throwing in on the couple they will be bestowed with fertility and have many children. Many churches now forbid it on their property but there are some safe alternatives to throwing rice.

Sharing the first piece of wedding cake is a wedding tradition with Roman roots. The Romans believed that by eating the wedding cake together a special bond was created between the couple. The wheat used to bake the cake was symbolic of fertility and a “fruitful union”, while the cake’s sweetness was thought to bring sweetness to all areas of the couple’s new life.

The ceremonial kiss that concludes the wedding ceremony is said to represent the couple sharing and joining their souls. In Roman times the kiss “sealed” the couple’s agreement to join in a life-long commitment.

The wedding tradition of the groom wearing a boutonniere originates in medieval times when a knight wore his lady’s colors (through flowers) as a statement of his love. Flowers and bouquets have long been used in weddings. In addition to adorning the bride with flowers to promote good luck and good health flower meanings allow the bride to express her feelings for the groom. Orange blossoms signify purity, daisies loyalty, violets modesty and red roses signify true love.

Placing the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand has two possible origins; ancient Egypt or 17th century Europe. The Egyptians believed the “vein of love” ran directly from the ring finger to the heart, therefore the ring was placed there to denote eternal love. During a 17th century wedding ceremony the groom would slide the wedding ring part way up the bride’s thumb, index finger and middle finger as the priest said “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. As the ring finger was the first free finger, the ring was placed there.

Suggested Wedding Reception Floor Plan - One

Suggested Wedding Reception Floor Plan - Two

Floor Plans to Avoid!

1.  Your guests at the Bolded Tables are blasted with music and will most likely

be miserable and leave early!  Avoid this floor plan at all costs!

2.  Your guests at these Bolded Tables are so far away from the dance floor and

the music that they will feel as if they are left out, potentially becoming bored and

leaving early.  This plan will work for groups under 100.

3.       And finally, avoid floor plans where the dance floor is in another room, on another floor, or not visible to your guests.  

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“How To Choose The Right DJ”

By Mr. Paul Shupe

National Award Winner 2003

www.PaulShupe.com

Email: Paul@PaulShupe.com

 Choosing a DJ for your function is one of the most important decisions you can make to insure the success of your event.  Everything else can be perfect, but if the music isn’t good, the party will fizzle.  Selecting the right DJ can be confusing.  There are over 15.000 DJs in America; all promising they will do a great job for you.  So how do you pick the right one for you?  The article will provide some guidance to help you make the decision easier.

 The best and easiest way to find a DJ you will like is to hire one you have already seen.  If you’ve been to a wedding or a party where the DJ was great, find out who he or she was.  If you didn’t get their card, ask the host or the manager of the function room where the party was held. 

 If you haven’t seen a good DJ recently, ask your friends.  Your friends probably have the same taste in music as you.  Maybe they’ve been to a function you missed.  Let them know ahead if time you’ll be looking, and ask then to keep their eyes and ears open.

 If the first two suggestions don’t work, your job gets tougher.  You might have to go to the yellow pages.  Look under Disc Jockeys, Music and Entertainment.  You may find DJs listed in any of these categories.  Circle the ads in which the Dj mentions the type of party you are planning.  For example, if you’re planning a wedding, a DJ whose ad says, “We specialize in weddings” would be a good one to call.  You’ll probably find several DJs whose ad looks good. 

How do you tell which one is best?  Probably the worst way to choose a DJ is on price alone.  Some DJs are more expensive then other.  Prices can range from $399 to $3,500 for a four-hour event.  That’s quite a difference, and it would be very tempting to choose the cheapest alternative.  If that’s all you can afford, then you have no choice.  But, consider the law of supply and demand.  There is a reason some DJs charge more money than others.  They are usually worth it.  More expensive DJs tend to be the more experienced DJs.  They can charge more because they have a lot of jobs, and they have a good reputation.  Generally, the DJs on the low end of the price scale are new to the business, and trying to get established.  They could do a great job, and might be worth a shot of your party is on the informal side.  But there is probably more risk with a less experienced person.

As you speak with Djs, pay attention to their professionalism over the phone. It tents to spill over into their DJ style.  The most important thing to ask about is their experience with your type event.  If you are planning an event like a wedding, school dance, or a company party, it would be normal to expect a professional DJ to have performed for at least 20 of these events.  A number in the hundreds is actually common for a DJ who is well established.

 DJs with less experience might also do a good job.  And they’ll usually cost less.  If you talk to one who sounds interesting, ask them for references.  Get 4 or 5 names and phone numbers of people who have recently hired them.  Call these references and ask about the DJs performance.  Any DJ can easily give you 2 or 3 names.  Getting more names is a better test of the quality of their performance.

 You might also ask the DJ if they have photos and or a video of there performance. Most professional DJs will have a professionally made DVD that you can take with you, or view at there office.  Look for clues while watching the DVD, as the DJ interacts with the crowd. Are people dancing? Are they having fun? Is the music to loud? Is the DJ dressed appropriately? These are all good clues to the DJ’s skills and personality.

 Always ask the DJ about there policy on request.  The best DJs will take request from the audience and work them into there routine.  However, do not expect the DJ to play every request.  Many request are simply inappropriate for the mood of the event.  A good DJ is not a jukebox, he will blend requests with songs he feels will properly motivate the crowd.  The act of DJing is timing, and this takes experience.  Forcing a DJ to ignore his or her instincts by making them play every request will result in an “uneven” (and less fun) party.  On the other hand, the DJ should try to play as many of your audience’s requests as possible.  Try to get a feel for their philosophy of requests as you interview them.  It is also appropriate to give a DJ a list of 10 or 15 songs you “must have”.  Just don’t make that list 25 or 30 songs long.

 Many DJs boast about the number of songs they have.  While variety is great, the fact is that they will only be able to play about 60 or 70 songs in a four-hour show.  Having the right 60 songs is a lot more important then having 20,000 songs your crowd doesn’t what to hear.  After you tell the DJ what type of party you are having and who the audience will be, ask them what type of music they’d suggest.  You should feel comfortable with most of his or her selections. 

 Many Dj also boast about having great equipment.  Unless you are familiar with professional audio gear, you probably won’t know the difference between which brands are great and which are budget.  However your DJ should at lease have the professional grade equipment.  If they list brand names your familiar with at the local electronics retailer, that is cause for further questioning.  Home stereo equipment is not designed to stand up under 4 or 5 hours of high volume use.  It could fail in the middle of your party!  For example, typical professional DJ power amplifiers usually have 200 to 400 watts per channel, where consumer amplifiers that are considered powerful may have only 100 watts per channel.

 Some DJ companies have more the one DJ working for them.  In this case, it’s important to get references on the particular DJ who will be assigned to your show.  Even if the company has been around for ten years, they might have hired your DJ last week.  Hi might be a pro himself, or he might be newly trained.  Be sure of whom you’re getting. 

The perfect DJ for you will be affordable, experienced at your type of event, and have great references.  There are probably a lot of DJs out there who will fit that description.  As you search, remember that above all, you want your event to be fun.

Mr. Paul Shupe is the owner of Paul Shupe’s Disc Jockey Productions Professional DJ Service, and has been performing in the area since the dawn of civilization.  He can be reached at the numbers below www.PaulShupe.com.

 Musically Yours, 

Paul Shupe
Professional DJ Service, LLC
Christian DJ of the Year 2003
Arizona Office : 602-349-4990
www.PaulShupe.com