Today’s video of the week is from a beautiful summer day. Ryan and Nicole were married July 30, 2011. Their wedding ceremony took place at Church of the Holy Spirit, with a reception at 59 West. Their romantics were filmed at Heavenly Scent Herb Farm in Fenton. It makes a beautiful backdrop for the images!
Congratulations Ryan and Nicole!
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Mike Staff Productions has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for DJ!
Mike Staff Productions is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.
“We are thrilled to be named one of the top-rated wedding professionals within the wedding community,” said Mike Staff, CEO, Mike Staff Productions. “The Bride’s Choice Award means so much to us because it is based upon the responses of actual brides. This award affirms our commitment to excellent customer service and amazing wedding experiences.”
The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Mike Staff Productions was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.
To learn more about the Bride’s Choice Award winning service at Mike Staff Productions, please visit www.mikestaff.com.
Ashleigh and Brent’s October 1st wedding ceremony was held at St. Michael Lutheran in Canton with a reception at Plymouth Manor Banquet and Conference Center. They truly personalized their wedding day details and photography. Their downtown Plymouth romantics session even included their adorable dogs!
Congratulations Ashleigh and Brent!
The weather forecast for metro-Detroit this weekend is snow…followed by snow. While it’s not fun to shovel, it makes a beautiful backdrop for your wedding photography and videography. If you are willing to brave a few snowflakes, so are we! Check out this montage of some our favorite snow filled wedding day moments.
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The First Look, The Reveal, First sight. Regardless of the terminology, more couples are choosing to meet in private before the ceremony, allowing for some beautiful and intimate photographs and videography to be captured. It can be a private event for the couple or shared with close friends and family. This time is a low pressure, yet highly emotional, way to spend a few special moments as a couple before walking down the aisle. If your wedding day timeline is tight a first look session can allow you to create amazing images, without sacrificing time with your guests.
The tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the ceremony dates back to the times of arranged marriages. There was a fear that the groom would meet the bride and be displeased, thus backing out of the agreement. Those days are long gone, but the tradition remains. Some brides and grooms carry on the tradition in favor of “the big moment” when the bride walks down the aisle. Couples who choose to do the first look session realize that there will still be a “big moment” when the guests see the bride and the emotion of meeting the groom at the end of the aisle for your ceremony will still exist.
Another advantage to the first look session is no restrictions on the placement of the photographer and videographer. Some churches limit shooting locations, making it more difficult to get images of the bride or groom’s face during the processional. A first look session can take place at the location of your choice, allowing the photographer and videographer to position themselves to get the best images of this event. Your photographer and videographer can create the environment for this special moment and then allow it to unfold naturally. This gives you the private time to exchange looks and words without interference and direction. After you have a few private moments, you can capture additional images for your wedding album and video.
Most often, the groom is positioned so that his back is to his bride. Your photographer and videographer can then capture your approach to the groom and the moment when he gets the first look. Another twist is to have the bride positioned on one side of a door way and open the doors for the reveal. Some couples opt to keep the first look at the ceremony location by positioning the groom at the end of the aisle with his back to the bride as she approaches. If you wish to involve close family or friends, they can be seated in the pews for this approach.
Regardless of which approach you take, the first time you see each other on your wedding day will be amazing!
If you choose to invite children to your reception, here’s some ideas to make the event fun for them too.
Milk and cookie bar. Milk and cookies make everyone smile. Consider having a milk and cookie bar for your dessert. You can have white, chocolate and strawberry milk and a variety of cookies for dunking.
Signature “kid” drinks. Remember when you thought a “shirley temple” was a special treat. Ask your venue to offer kid friendly drinks, but be sure they are presented in a different glass to avoid confusion!
Coloring books and crayons. Any family friendly restaurant knows that occupied children make for more enjoyable dining. Consider presenting your younger guests with coloring books and crayons as a guest favor. Mom and Dad will thank you for your thoughtfulness!
“Kid” table. Conversation at the adult table during long dinner service can get pretty boring for a nine-year-old. When creating your seating arrangement, consider putting older children at a table in the middle of their parents. They’ll have a fun time interacting with kids their age while mom and dad talk to adults.
Finger food. While the audits will appreciate filet for dinner, children would be just as happy with chicken fingers. See if your caterer has kid friendly options – this could also be budget friendly.
Remember, inviting children to your wedding is your choice. For more on the subject, click here.
Eric and Kimberly’s wedding on November 5th is a great mix of fun and elegance! The ceremony was filmed at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament followed by the reception at Henry Ford Lovett Hall. Their highlight video features some great party moments and the romantic elements of the day. We love the choreographed dance too!
Congratulations Eric and Kelly!
Interested in wedding videography? Click here to learn more.
The music used for your ceremony helps to set the stage long before you walk down the aisle. You will likely choose music for the prelude, pre-processional, processional, bride’s processional, lighting of the unity candle and recessional. Below are some tips for each. To read even more, click here.
Prelude
Guests are greeting one another and finding their seats to watch your ceremony. Anticipation fills the air. Music used during this time will help to set the scene for the ceremony to come. Popular traditional choices for this time would be “Air On The G String” by Bach or “Air” by Handel. More modern choice would be gentle jazz or acoustic songs.
Pre-processional
Honored guests and family members are seated during the pre-processional, including the groom’s parents and bride’s mother. This is generally a solemn, emotional moment as they spend the final moments with their unmarried children. Popular traditional choices include “Adagio from Sonata in E-Flat” by Mozart and “Prelude To The Afternoon of a Faun” by Debussy. You could also use an instrumental version of a movie soundtrack or another light song of your choice.
Processional
The anticipation of seeing the bride will continue to rise as your bridal party walks down the aisle. Choose a song that has a nice tempo for the bridal party to walk to. Traditional choices include and “To A Wild Rose” by MacDowell. If you have selected more modern choices, consider transitioning here if you want a more traditional bride’s processional.
Bride’s Processional
This is your moment to shine! All eyes will be on you for your walk down the aisle. Traditional choices are often feature grand, dramatic notes for this iconic wedding moment. Popular traditional choices include “Bridal Chorus” by Wagner and “Trumpet Voluntary” by Jeremiah Clark. A modern choice would be to use a song that has special meaning to you and your father as he gives you away. Another option is to choose a song that you enjoy as a couple – it can even be your first dance song!
Lighting of the Unity Candle
Music here is completely optional and many choose to forego it completely. If you choose to use music you will not need a very long piece of music.
Recessional
Congratulations, you’re married! The recessional music will play as you walk down the aisle smiling at your guests. The music used here is usually full of energy and happiness. The most popular traditional song is “Wedding March” by Mendelssohn. Many couples elect to stamp their own personality and play a recognizable song like “Superman’s Theme” or “The Imperial March”. If you want to signal the fun to come at the reception, you can even choose to “Party Rock” your way from the ceremony.
During most of the above times, you will likely not hear the songs in their entirety. You music coordinator or DJ should be able to fade in and out of the songs in particular areas as needed. If you are interested in a traditional spin on modern music, consider artists like Vitamin String Quartet, Jim Brickman, or David Garrett.
Important Reminder: Check with your ceremony site and officiant before selecting the music for your ceremony. Some churches have strict rules about what can and can not be used when it comes to secular music. If you are having an outdoor ceremony, power requirements and volume levels will need to be considered.
Want to learn more about music choices for your wedding day? Click here.
Planning a budget for the wedding is one of the first tasks engaged couples need to complete. Here’s some advice on how to get started.
Who’s Got the Money? While the bride’s parents traditionally paid for the wedding costs, this is less common now. Most couples contribute to their wedding and both families assist if able. Have an honest conversation with both families to see what they are willing to contribute so that you’ll have a starting point to build from. Discuss what level of decision making they think their “gift” buys them.
How Much Does It Cost? Once you know how much money you are working with, it’s time to start dividing the pot. Think about what services, vendors and items you must have, or would like to have, and how much you need to allocate for each. This is a great time to prioritize your wish list. If you want extensive floral arrangements, you might need to consider less guest favors.
Where Is That Spreadsheet? Now that you know how much money you have, and how much you have mentally spent, it’s time to start planning and tracking the budget. If you’re lucky enough to have a full wedding account, consider stretching it further by putting it into an interest earning account. Just make sure it’s easily accessible as you begin to make deposits.
If you’ll be charging your wedding purchases, look for credit cards that offer points or airline miles that you can use for your honeymoon flights.
We Spent WHAT?! Regularly review your wedding budget with your fiance so that you are both on the same page. This is a great practice to get into as you start building budgets for your household too!
We offer some great savings when you bundle services. Want to learn more? Click here.
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