The Wedding Planners

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Walk down the aisle...

Not so much.

Check out this wedding's party entrance into the church. Very cool and so much fun.

Thanks to Fiona Harper who Tweeted the link!

What do you think? Fun or not traditional enough?

Labels: celebrity weddings, melissa m, music, you tube

Monday, January 5, 2009

Starting the Year Off...Romantically

For some reason, movies and the beginning of a new year are inextricably linked in my mind. Whether it's because I finally have a chance to slow down and see a movie or two after all the frenzy of the Christmas season has passed or because it's a time of year when we all tend to reflect on what we want for the coming year and I, being a romantic, always want romance, I'm not sure. But, I love to catch a romantic movie or two to start the year off right.

So, in the spirit of ushering in a romantic new year, here's a montage I discovered.

Enjoy and have a wonderful beginning to your new year!

Labels: movies, music, myrna, romance

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Music to Get Married By...

Last year I was cruising around the Internet doing research for The Wedding Planners when this amazing and beautiful music started flowing from my speakers. Transfixed, I ended up returning to the site later that day (and yes, I had to purchase a CD). The musician responsible for that extraordinary sound was Jamie Lawrence who is our guest today. Jamie and his wife, Lori (our guest last week), run Tropical Maui Weddings. To hear a sample of Jamie's music, click here and page down to the green "Listen" button. Here is the interview:

How long have you been singing professionally?
Ever since the 7th grade I guess. My friends and I had a garage rock band and we played for school functions, dances, etc.. I was the drummer back then and tried to sing as much as I had an opportunity to.

As a wedding singer, what song or songs do people request the most?
The song that gets requested the most is Maunaleo which is a Hawaiian song. Of the non Hawaiian songs, I get a lot of requests for the classic “The Wedding Song”, “When You Say Nothing At All”, and “Cross My Heart”.

What are some of the places you've traveled to professionally?
I have been to so many places as a result of my profession. I think the first wedding I was hired to do away from home was in Stillwater, MN. I was asked by writer LaVyrle Spencer to perform at her daughter Amy’s wedding. Since then I have been invited to sing at weddings in California, Arizona, Washington, Nebraska, New York, Washington DC, Canada, Germany, and even a castle in Southern France. I never thought that my work would take me on so many adventures. I have been blessed!

As an author, I get asked what my favorite books or authors are all the time. And while I do read a lot of romance, I also read many books completely out of my field. So…when you're not singing for weddings, what types of music do you like to sing or listen to?
This is going to sound a bit strange I think, but I rarely listen to any music at all. Even in the car, I seldom have the radio on. My wife and I have an office together in our home and she’s always got something playing. I think she plays the songs that she wants me to learn, hoping that I’ll start liking them the more she plays them. It works most of the time. When I do hear a song I like, it takes hold of me instantly and I know I have to do it. I can’t explain it. I get possessed and have to hear it a hundred times. Mostly it is the emotion of a song that captures my attention. By the time I pick up the guitar, I can already play it.

What's the biggest challenge you face as a wedding singer?
For me the challenge is to exceed the expectations of the wedding couple and their guests. Guests at a wedding want to feel romantic! They expect that. Through my music I am able to create the right romantic atmosphere. I think that’s the reason I have been so successful at this. Don’t ask me how I do it….. it’s not something I work at…. it’s just something I have been blessed with…. somehow.

How far ahead of time should people contact you?
Of course the earlier the better, especially if your date is set in stone. I have some availability as close as next month, but on the other hand, I have bookings as far as 2 years out. So earlier is definitely better to guarantee your date.

How involved are the bride and groom in the process of choosing music?
I am surprised at the number of couples who have no preferences when it comes to their music selections. I am often called upon to suggest music or to simply “play whatever I feel like playing.” I’m completely comfortable with that. I seem to get the best feedback from guests when I do pick the music. Of the couples that do get involved in song selection, the majority of song picks are made by the bride. I think the ratio may be somewhere around 70/30.

If you could plan the perfect musical experience for a bride and groom, what would it be?
This is one question that has many answers. I have had the pleasure of performing for thousands of weddings (wow, that’s a scary thought) and each one has been so different, so unique. The perfect musical experience would have been different for each of them. That experience is a “work in progress” that’s influenced by the desires and personalities of the wedding couple and their guests from the very beginning and continues throughout the wedding planning process. It is continually being adjusted and “fine tuned” right up to the end of the evening’s performance.

What are some of the best musical moments you can remember experiencing, at weddings or otherwise?
I have been blessed with so many great moments that I can hardly choose… Singing in that castle in France (Castlenou) was pretty memorable.
Also very special was a concert I was invited to perform at in St. Christoph, Austria, in a stone church built in 1386! The acoustics were amazing. The people and the food made it even more special.
My wife knows that I am a big James Taylor fan, so for my birthday, she gave me a trip to Syracuse, NY along with a couple of JT concert tickets. It was a magical evening!

What else would you like readers to know about you and your music?
Well…. Let’s see…. I’m currently going through the song selection process for my next recording project. It has been a long time since I have done a recording, so I’m actually looking forward to going through the process once again. My website is at http://www.jamielawrence.com/
and any information regarding future recordings will be posted there as it becomes available.

Labels: maui weddings, music

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Wedding Odds and Ends

How old were you when you got married (or how old would you like to be)? In the year 2000, the average age for a bride was 24 and the average age for a groom was 24.

Most brides have 4 bridesmaids, including the maid of honor.

There was a wedding dress made in Germany that had a train that was 515 feet long.

During Princess Victoria's wedding processional in 1858, Wagner's Bridal Chorus was played, establishing a tradition which has lasted.

Every year in the United States an average of 17 tons of gold is made into wedding rings.

If you're into luxury items, you might be interested in a wedding dress created by designer Helene Gainville. It's embroidered with diamonds mounted on platinum and estimated to be worth 3.5 million pounds.

And last of all, an interesting reason for a tradition. In days gone by, after the bridegroom captured his bride, he placed her on his left to protect her, freeing his right hand (his sword hand) in case of attack.

Labels: music, traditions, wedding dresses

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Coming Up Next Week…and The Five-Minute Wedding

We have some great things coming up this week. Regina the

photographer is planning to stop by, we'll have a visit from a real wedding photographer who has traveled all around the world and more (and don't forget to post comments to enter the contest--see May 3rd post).

But, in the meantime, and since weddings wouldn't be weddings without a little romance and fun, I thought I'd ask everyone to participate in a "five minute wedding" plan.

Remember when we were young, and girls would make those little folded-paper fortune tellers that you put on your fingers that asked such mature questions such as "who does Cindy like?" Other questions were "what's your favorite color, favorite song, favorite…I can't even remember all of them.

It was silly stuff, but it's Sunday, the flowers are blooming and I'm in that kind of "let's do something fun" mood. So…my challenge to you is this: come up with the basics for your "no restrictions" pretend wedding in 5 minutes (and just for the heck of it, let's assume we're all unmarried and whatever age we choose to be. Some of us—and I'm not saying who—are also going to pretend that our scale always reads 122 pounds).

Okay, here goes. This is FANTASY WEDDING – PART 1. Join in by leaving a comment answering the following questions:
1. What color are your bridesmaids wearing?
2. Where is the wedding being held?
3. Where will the honeymoon be?
4. You can have any singer or band play at your wedding. Who will that be?
5. And the biggie…assume that you could have a stand-in celebrity groom for a day (you get your true love back at the end of the day). Who would be your stand-in celebrity groom?

And yes! This is sooo very juvenile! (I'm not even going to wonder what that says about me).

I'll hop right in there and start. In my fantasy wedding:
1. Bridesmaids are in candy apple red with black piping
2. The wedding is in Bar Harbor, Maine standing on the rocks by the shore
3. The honeymoon will be in England (Lyme Regis)
4. The singer? Bruce Springsteen
5. The Celebrity Groom – Oh, it's still Pierce Brosnan – I'm still a Pierce kind of girl

Labels: Bridesmaids, contest, fantasy wedding, groom, guest blogging, music, myrna, regina

Friday, April 11, 2008

Most Romantic Songs

When my husband and I got married, we were really concerned about the music at the reception and we wanted a band that could play a variety of types of music so that there was something for everyone.

But of course we're talking weddings and romance here, so if you could only choose 3 songs that fell into the category of "most romantic" which ones would they be? (And yes, I know this is a tough one. Narrowing it down to 3 is really difficult).

I'll start (even though I know that five minutes after I post this I'm going to think of at least one song that should have made it to the list). I took a minute to consult with my heroine Regina on this, because after all, she's one very romantic woman. Here are our choices:

1. I've Had the Time of My Life, theme song from Dirty Dancing by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

2. When a Man Loves a Woman (either Percy Sledge or Michael Bolton version)

3. (And just to hit something more contemporary) You're Beautiful by James Blunt

Okay, your turn. What 3 songs would you choose?

Labels: music, myrna, receptions, regina, romance