Manor House Tasting
We're headed to the Manor House tasting tonight at 4:00. I believe food is served at 5:15. Hope to see you there!
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Wunderland Bridal Open House
We are going to be at Wunderland from 5:30 till 7:30 for an open house. Wunderland will be collecting bridesmaid and prom dresses to donate to Kenzie's closet. Kenzie's Closet makes high school prom dresses and related accessories available to students who can't afford them. Check out this link for details: Wunderland This will also be a great chance to meet with a select group of vendors in a much more intimate setting. I encourage all to come!
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Wedding Checklist
Overwhelmed by wedding planning? Check out this checklist and timetable for planning your wedding. Timetables are not perfect, but give you a good idea. I don't really suggest waiting till 8 months to get your photographer if you want your choice of photographer, but I would say that waiting any longer than that is risky so it's a pretty good basis.
Checklist
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Choosing the best DJ for your wedding.
I’m honored that Daniel asked me to write a guest blog for him today. I love working with Dan and his people. They keep the mood light, they work quickly and they are always a pleasure to be around.

What I want to ask all of you visiting Daniel’s blog today is, “What “moments” do you have planned for your wedding day?”

Think back to all the weddings and reception you have attended in the past. What about those weddings and receptions do you remember?

Prior to becoming a DJ I attended and was in several of my friends weddings. From all of those weddings, I’m sad to say, I remember very little. It’s not that I have a bad memory. In fact, my friends are always amazed at the moments I can recall from our past. It’s just that those weddings and receptions had very few “moments”.

When you move people emotionally they will remember it. Wedding magazines will tell you what colors are in, what flowers work in what season and how to make your wedding day beautiful. None of them will tell you how to create “moments”. This is where your wedding entertainer comes in. If you have a good one, it can make all the difference in how your guests feel about the events of your wedding day.

While I can’t recall much of my friend’s weddings, I can recall many moments over the years I helped create for my clients. I can recall a groom who took the microphone just after the father daughter dance and began to talk about his mother. All the while making his way across the room to her, he finally stopped at her table and said “Mom I love you, can I have this dance.” I recall a groom whose brother was deployed to Iraq just a couple of months before the wedding. You should have felt the moment in that room as we heard a toast from that same brother. A toast I had secretly recorded months earlier when we found out he was being deployed.

I recall a night where at the end of the reception we played Billy Joel’s Piano Man. As everyone with their arms around one another sang at the top of their lungs the bride and groom stepped into the middle of the circle where they danced and smiled and hugged their guests. You could just feel the love in the air and nobody wanted to leave. Imagine a bride returning from fixing her dress in a separate room during her reception and finding all of her guests gathered around the dance floor and her groom sitting at the top of that dance floor holding his acoustic guitar and waiting for her. I remember her smile as he sang to her a song he had written for her after their first date. I remember the laugh we got when we introduced a wedding party into the reception with funny stories about each of them and then the smiles as we introduced the newlyweds with the story of how they met, of their first date and of their proposal. I remember these moments not just because they were my ideas or that I helped orchestrate them I remember them because they moved me and everyone in the room.

Most of the guests at the weddings I mentioned above probably couldn’t tell you if the food was good, if the couple arrived in a limousine or if there was a chocolate fountain but I promise you they remember these moments.

Most couples begin searching for DJs with the idea that all we provide is music. What some of us provide beyond the music is the ideas, knowledge, timing, and creativity it takes to help you create “moments”.

Please check out Brandon's Website at www.HeyMrDJ.net
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Choosing a Photographer - as featured in Ohio Bride
No vendor will have a bigger impact on your wedding than your photographer. Not only will they take the photos that document your wedding for years to come, but they will also work more closely with you than any other vendor that day. There are many things to consider when picking your photographer.

1. Budget/Package
2. Style (photojournalism, traditional, blend)
3. Format (film or digital)
4. Personality fit
5. Experience

You will find a wide price range when looking at photography based on the package, the number of photographers and the experience of those photographers. You will find family friends for a few hundred dollars all the way up to nearly $10,000. Most fall somewhere in between. A full time professional with 10 or more years of wedding photography experience will inspire confidence, be organized and prepared for all situations but will not be less than $2000. However, they may have an associate with less experience that works for their studio in a lower price range. You may find someone with less experience but still a quality photographer for a lower price as well. You just need to be sure there is enough experience that you are comfortable. Don't assume that a higher price means more experience or better quality either. It's a good guideline, but not a perfect science.

Packaging may be the most complicated part of shopping for your photographer. The hidden charges can easily double your package price after your wedding. For example, the high resolution dvd that everyone asks for is often not print ready and if it is, is still not the same level of quality as what is shown in studio. To get a professional look to your digital files, your images need to be corrected with software and printed at a professional lab. This can be a major expense after your wedding as there is a huge mark up of sometimes upward of 1000%. It is important to have your high resolution dvd but look out for watermarks and file types that you cannot print from. Few couples really understand the amount of time they will need in their package. If you are headed to a park, then a ceremony site, then the reception and want your photographer to get any candids at your reception, expect to use 8-10 hours or so. The last thing you want is to be rushed through your day because of your photographer’s package. When looking at albums, make sure that the prints, mounting, binding, cover upgrades and design are included in the price you are given.

Nearly every photographer will call themselves photojournalistic because it is popular. It’s up to you to determine if you like their style. Don’t worry about what style they consider themselves. The majority of photographers in this area are digital photographers. If you like the classic look of black and white film or the colors and skin tones in color film, you will need to do some homework to find those who offer film photography. If you prefer the special effects that tend to go along with digital photography, then be sure your film photographer has the capabilities or use a digital photographer. It is wise to look at both a film and digital photographer so you can judge for yourself.

Most importantly, you will be spending your entire day with your photographer. Make sure that you can not only tolerate them, but actually enjoy being around them. Your photos will suffer if you can tell you are getting impatient with the person taking them. There is nothing more important on your wedding day than how you feel.
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Manor House Bridal Show Presented by Claiborne Productions
Enjoy the ambiance of the Manor House on March 7, 2010 while checking out some of the top vendors in the city. Can't wait to see you there!!

Cincinnati Bridal Expos

Manor House
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Come See us at Bridal Rama
Come see us on February 27th and 28th at the Duke Energy Center for the 2010 Bridalrama Bridal Show.

BridalRama
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Mafia Bridal Show
The Wedding Mafia is proud to present "A Bridal Affair with the Mafia" at the Oasis Conference and Event Center. We are proud to be a featured vendor at this event. If you would like free tickets to this event, please contact us before our supply runs out!
Wedding Mafia
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Receptions Bridal Show
Come see us at the Receptions Fairfield and try to win a free wedding reception at the Receptions Bridal Show.

Receptions Inc
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Cincinnati Wedding Showcase
Come see us at the Sharonville Convention Center for the 2010 Cincinnati Wedding Showcase

Cincinnati Wedding Showcase
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Wendy's Bridal Show
Come check us out at the Wendy's Bridal Show this weekend!

Wendy's Bridal Show
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