I love when couples choose to have sparklers for their get-a-way.  They are fun, they add light, and they give the whole day a sense of crazy love story movie ending.

My tip to you… If you are using sparklers, don’t skimp on them.  Get the longer ones.  The short ones burn out way to quick.  Sometimes before you even get to them.  Also, make sure your guest wait to light them till you are standing there ready to exit.  If not, you’ll end up running though a thick cloud of smoke. :)

Courtney & Jonathan had a great little wedding at Elmwood Gardens.  I gave a sneak peek a few days ago but here are a few more of my favorite images.

They had a fantastic First Look.  (Jonathan teared up a bit.)

Is she smiling because she is getting married to the man of her dreams or because the minister is using an iPad?
Yes.

Lydia Covey was there with harp in hand plucking, playing, and performing perfectly.
Book her: 903-261-3097 | Web | lydiaharpist@gmail.com

Designs by D’Anne made  yet another great looking awesome tasting wedding cake.

Mother’s of the groom always get shafted.  The mother of the bride gets the attention.  Fathers of the brides get movies made about them. But giving your son away is no easy chore.  Today’s post is dedicated to Debbie.  She is Jonathan’s mom and is always leaving me some serious comment love on my site and Facebook.  Here are two quick images form this weekend that jumped out at me while I was importing.  Enjoy.

Much much more coming later this week.  Happy Monday everyone.

Part 2 of our 25 tips on planning your wedding comes from none other than Casey Brown, owner of CMB DJs.  Here he is in action as well as a few tips he gave on why having a DJ is a good idea for your wedding.

Here are 5 ways that a good DJ can make your wedding better.

1. Announcements.
Having a DJ that can announce the toast, cake cutting, and the occasional lost set of keys, and be heard and understood is a huge plus. The person on the microphone has to be able to cut through all the chatter and get everyone’s attention.

2. Mixing music that suits your guests.
A good DJ can look at any group and sum up a play list that fits. And he can only do this if he/she is familiar with many genres of music and it’s era. (Adult Contemporary, Pop, country, hip hop, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s)

3. Quality equipment.
While it doesn’t necessarily make a better DJ, quality equipment can provide a better experience and service that not only sounds good, but looks good. A “rats nest” of wires on the DJ table or around the Dj’s setup tends to take away from the nice  center pieces, cakes, and linens that make up your reception decor. Especially in smaller rooms.

4. Be prepared.
Having an outline of the order of events for your reception and any special songs that go with those events will allow your reception to run much more smoothly. If the DJ has a digital setup, making “folder” in his DJ program with all special songs for the reception, or putting all special songs on a single CD and having them ready for use ensures all those important songs are accounted for and ready to play on cue.

5. Knowing the wedding etiquette.
You can’t take a karaoke jock from a bar, and expect them to know how to pull off an elegant and fun wedding reception. This is how that could turn out. ((insert blog link to that couple taking for ever to load the first dance and mother son dance.)) You will want a DJ that has wedding experience and references. When the budget needs to be cut one of the first things they think of is the DJ entertainment.  Because all the DJ does is play music right? By getting a cousin to man the iPod, or a friend that has a big music collection, you stand to lose many if not all of the tips mentioned here. If you’re on a small budget, try to budget more for the services that really affect your wedding, and cut some smaller things that may not be quite as important.

CMB DJs
http://cmbdjs.com/
903.724.3192

I love these rewind posts.  It’s amazing to me that these images happened a year ago.  Many of them are still fresh in my mind and I feel like I took them 3 months ago.

Happy 1 year to Lindsey & Justin, Mindy & Dustin, and Davi & Jonathan.