Collective Sound

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If you frequent some wedding related websites or discussion boards you may notice the use of some abbreviations. I have collected a few of the more popular Acronyms and Abbreviations below FYI (for your information).


BIL - Brother In Law
BM - Brides Maid
FFIL - Future Father In Law
FH - Future husband
FI - Fiance
FMIL - Future Mother In Law
FOB - Father Of Bride
FSD - Future Step Daughter
FSS - Future Step Son
FW - Future Wife
GM - Groomsman
MOB - Mother Of the Bride
MOH - Maid Of Honor
PA - Personal Assistant
SIL - Sister In Law
SO - Significant Other
STD - Save The Date

Some general questions to get you started talking to your venue about services. For your convenience.

• Will there be any setup and cleanup fee's ?
• Can rental items be delivered early and picked up the next day?
• Can they help with decorations like centerpieces and is there a charge?
• What type of lighting is there?, can the dance floor be darkened?, can we string up twinkle lights?
• Is security required because of alcohol and how much does it cost?
• What time does everyone have to be out of the building?
• Are there extra fee's for cake cutting, champagne pouring and corkage?
• Is there a secure area where gifts can be stored during the reception?
• Is the area and table for the cake out of direct sunlight and away from heating vents?
• Will a skirt be provided for the cake table?
• Is a skirt provided for the gift table?
• Is a skirt provided for the DJ table?
• Does the venue provide a microphone for toasts and announcements? Collective Sound includes a wireless microphone for use with all packages so don't pay extra for the venues microphone.
• How soon before the event will a final count be required by the venue?
• Are parking and shuttle services readily available?
• If children are invited will special meals be available?
• Is gratuity included in the total bill for bartenders and staff? If so will the bartender also have a tip jar out?
• What time is last call?
• Does the venue require preferred vendors or will you be allowed to bring in your own?
• If you rent you own table linens will the venue help with setup?
• Let the venue know the names and contact information of your other vendors.
• Will the dance floor need to be used during dinner for tables?
• Are there safety requirements if candles will be used?
• Will there be an additional charge for pop and coffee?
• Can a snack be included for later in the evening?
• Is there an extra charge for the dance floor?

A good wedding DJ will have a number of items tucked away just in case they are needed. If you've ever been asked to delay the first dance because the MOB camera batteries were dead and someone was going to the store to get some fresh ones. Or the bride can't find the garter or bouquet for those events. You will appreciate the fact that your DJ may have spares just for this situation just to keep things moving along. If you or anyone in your party needs something do not hesitate to ask. Some of the items Collective Sound carries are:

1. Batteries
2. Garter
3. Bouquet
4. Pliers and Basic Tools
5. Scissors
6. Sewing Kit
7. Safety Pins
8. Spot Remover / White Chalk
9. Tape
10. Feminine Products
11. Aspirin / Tums / Bandaids / Disinfectant
...
There is more but you get the idea.

Not carved in stone, but a suggested order for booking your wedding vendors follows. Of utmost importance is the reception site and caterer since these are sometimes booked over a year in advance. The caterer used by a specific reception site may or may not be an option for you. A few recommend and sometimes even require the use of a specific catering service.

General advice is book as early as possible. Good sites and vendors sometimes book up to two years in advance.

1. Reception Site / Caterer
2. Ceremony site

3. Photographer/Videographer
4. DJ and/or Band

5. Cake

6. Florist

7. Transportation

8. Invitations


If you have two left feet you shouldn't feel lost.

Your first dance as a married couple is truly a special occasion, so you may want to put some special effort into preparing for it. You will want it to be special, fun, exciting, and unique. If you're not a good dancer, don't worry. Once you pick out a song, it won't take long to get comfortable dancing to it. One approach is to just hold each other romantically and sway to the music, like trees in the wind. But you may want to consider taking some private dance lessons. A dance instructor can help you learn some easy dance steps especially suited to the music you love so well. An added benefit is that partner dancing can be extremely enjoyable and it can give the two of you something special to do together as a couple after your wedding!.

I've compiled the the following list of area businesses offering dance instruction for your convenience.

Arthur Murray
• Our Minneapolis Ballroom and Latin Dance Studios specialize in private dancing lessons & classes for all the popular dances including Waltz, Fox Trot, Swing, Salsa, Hustle, Argentine Tango, Country Western, Ballroom Dancing, and more.

Four Seasons
• Located in Minneapolis, Four Seasons Dance Studio is a relaxed and friendly place to learn innovative and traditional partner dances in a non-competitive style. The focus is on dancing as a social art for personal pleasure and public confidence.

Twin City Ballroom Dance Club, Inc.
• (aka. Twin Cities Ballroom, or TCBDC) is where Minneapolis and St.Paul area ballroom dancers, social and competitive dancers, beginners to champions, come to take ballroom dance lessons, practice, and to dance.

Cinema Ballroom
• Partner dancing including Latin (cha cha, rumba), ballroom (waltz, foxtrot), salsa (merengue, mambo), swing (lindy hop, west coast) and night club (night club two step, country, hustle).

Dance with Lois Donnay
• Providing Lessons in Tango, Ballroom and Partner Dancing in Minnesota

The Dancers Studio
• Whether you want to learn to dance for fun, are planning a wedding or attending one, or want to learn some dance skills before going on your next vacation, the Dancers Studio would like to share with you its passion for dancing. We specialize in teaching all of the popular and classical dances including salsa, swing, rumba, chacha, merengue, waltz, foxtrot, tango, nightclub two-step and more.

Foster's DanceSport Studio
• We offer a wide range of dance programs for youth and adult. Fosters Dancesport makes it fun and easy whether you are a beginner or advanced dancer. Learn todays most popular dances Salsa,Swing,Tango and more!

Inver Grove Heights Fred Astaire Dance Studio
• Have you ever wanted to learn to dance? Fred Astaire Dance Studio provides professional dance lessons at affordable prices for eager learners from age 8 to adults. Whatever style dance you are interested in–swing, ballroom, Latin, or country line dancing, we have a class for you! Our professional dance teachers will provide dance instructions that will have you dancing like the pros in no time. Our dance studio is locally owned and operated and serves the areas of Inver Grove Heights, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and the Twin Cities, so you can receive the best advice and training available for all styles of dance.

On Your Toes School of Dance
• Ballroom, Latin, Swing, and Performing Arts, Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Rumba, Cha-Cha, Salsa, Tango, Bolero, Hustle, Night Club 2-Step, Samba, Mambo, Merengue, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep, Country 2-Step, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Creative Movement, Lyrical, Modern, and Hip-Hop.

Rendezvous Dance Studio
• Ballroom, Salsa, Swing, Tango and Flamenco lessons in a relaxed atmosphere.

Rochester Fred Astaire Dance Studio
• Fred Astaire Dance Studios have developed a unique method of teaching dance called the Conceptual Method of Teaching which is the easiest, most fun way for people of any age, ability or experience level to enjoy learning to dance! Don't wait any longer ~ the sooner you start learning, the more years you'll have to enjoy the many mental, physical and emotional benefits of dancing!

Social Dance Studio
• The Social Dance Studio focuses on just that: social dance. It's the type of dancing you do at parties, nightclubs, and weddings. It's not competitive. It's not choreographed. There's only one goal: to have fun!

Valley Dance and Fitness
• Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern, Hip-hop, tap, ballroom.

A personal website dedicated to your wedding can make it easier to share information with guests. Things like introducing the bridal party, local accommodations, and sharing stories to name a few. It can save you a bundle of time from planning to post reception picture sharing. The following sites offer wedding website services which typically include multiple pages, unlimited photos, RSVPs, events and updates.

www.weddingwindow.com - free 7 day trial, 6 month $59, 12 month $79

www.wedquarters.com - 6 month $19.95, 12 month $29.95

www.mywedding.com - free but loaded with advertisements

www.wedorama.com - 14 day trial, 12 months for $70

Originally, the bride carried a bouquet of herbs designed to ward off evil spirits and encourage good ones.  For instance, dill invoked lust, and was meant to be eaten by the bride, rosemary signified remembrance. Flowers that were said to have different significances were added to the bride's bouquet as time progressed.  Today, a bride often uses the significance of individual flowers in choosing the flowers for her bouquet.
 
Below is a summary of the meaning between the giver and receiver of the most popular flowers.
Bridal Rose - Happiness in love
Daffodil - Warm regards - given between friends
Fern - Sincerity of intentions
Forget-me-not - True love
Honeysuckle - Represents the bonds of Love
Iris - Messages
Ivy - Friendship
Lavender - Luck
Lilac - First Emotions of Love
Lilly of the Valley - Return of Happiness
Magnolia - Perseverance
Pansy - Thinking of You
Peppermint - Warm Feelings
Red Rose - Desire and Love, the traditional Valentine's Day flower
Rosemary - Remembrance
Sweet Alyssum - Worth Beyond Beauty
Sweet Basil - Good Wishes
Sweet Pea- Delicate Pleasures
Violet - Faithfulness
White Daisy - Innocence
Yarrow - Everlasting Love
Yellow Rose - Unfaithfulness

One of the biggest advantages of having a professional videographer is their ability to get good shots. They have probably done hundreds of weddings and just know what works and what doesn't. They also have the ability and experience necessary to edit the video and create a polished product from it. Something that will last a lifetime. If you are having a family member or friend shoot your day, make sure they get this info. It will help immensely.

Use a tripod to stabilize your shots. Especially if zooming in while capturing the ceremony. Nothing screams amateur like a shaky video and zooming in magnifies the shake.
Extra tape, extra batteries, anything else? Just be prepared.

Some shots that they should plan on getting

a) The bride and bridesmaids dressing, just keep it clean
b) The exterior of the church
c) The wedding party arriving at the church
d) The entire ceremony, if possible capture some shots from behind the officiant
e) Follow the photographer for the posed shots
f) Wedding party leaving the church
g) First dance, mother/son, father/daughter, etc
h) Toasts
i) Cake cutting
j) Garter and Bouquet toss
k) Consider having candid interviews with the guests where they can offer the couple some advice. These usually go over very well.

A superstition intended to ward off evil spirits.
 
Something Old:  Symbolizes the continuity of transition from two single people to a married couple.
 
Something New: Represents a transition to adulthood upon marriage.
 
Something Borrowed:  Something the bride carried that had been borrowed from a happily married couple, hoping that their good fortune would be shared.
 
Something Blue: Blue was often the border color of the Bride's dress, and symbolized purity, constancy and fidelity.

Did you know that many of the wedding websites, bridal shows, reception facilities, and even hotels sell lists of potential clients to whoever is willing to pay for it? Think twice about this before registering with them lest you will receive many unsolicited (spam) emails. Better yet, use an email address set up just for this purpose. Below is a list of some of the free email addresses that you might consider using to avoid these aggressive marketing techniques.

www.hotmail.com - 1GB storage and the ability to send 10MB emails

mail.yahoo.com - Address book, calendar and photos

mail.google.com - 2GB storage with excellent spam filtering and search capabilities

Collective Sound like most individual vendors will not sell or share your contact information. We want your business and your referral.

You may want to share some of your photos with guests after your wedding or party. I compiled this list of a few of the more popular free web photo sharing sites for your convenience. It may suit you to actually have this worked out in advance of your event so that you can provide information either at the event or with the invitation about how to access your pictures.

picasa.google.com - My personal favorite, up to 250MB of space for free, picasa uploader/management software, album/gallery support, public and private albums with password protection, editing including redeye, crop color, contrast, resize, effects. Add captions, slideshows, collage, email, print service, and themes. One of my albums on picasa is http://picasaweb.google.com/karl.morgan/JosiePuppyPics

www.flickr.com - Very popular photo sharing site. The free account allows 100MB upload per month. You can upload via tools, browser, email and cell. Flickr supports photo editing, galleries/albums, slideshows. Websharing, email sharing. The list goes on...

www.photosite.com - Personal web address, up to 100 photos free, customizable albums and photoblogs, free upload software, use your web browser or email photos to yoursitename@photosite.com, photo editing tools, online print ordering, slideshows, galleries, cellphone access

www.iwebphoto.com - Personal web address, upto 150 photos, 3 albums, upload via browser or email, slideshows, galleries, cellphone access

Make sure you have someone responsible for getting you something to eat on your wedding day. Many brides and grooms are so busy they sometimes forget, or do not get a chance to eat. Even at the reception you may not get a chance to eat or instead it may be your first meal of the day. Your body needs extra energy to deal with all the excitement of your special day.
Even if it is a fruit plate or veggie dip, eat something before your wedding ceremony. You'll feel better and have more energy throughout the day. It does a body good.

Weddings now a days are all about making it unique and memorable. DJ's can help make things more personal. They can ask the bride & groom why they picked a particular song for their first dance. "I went to a wedding where it seemed like the DJ knew the couple their whole lives. When he introduced the song for their first dance he said a little about what the song meant to them and when I watched their wedding video it was like having a commentator. I though it was sweet." Talk to your DJ/MC about things like this, for example, tell your DJ how you met, what you did on your first date, etc.

Your guests will feel closer to you and more involved in the festivities when these intimate details are shared.