Chicago Wedding Times – March, 2022

Test Your Music Knowledge

Which of these 11 artists is NOT among the Top Ten selling performers of all time (according to the RIAA)?

Billy Joel
Eagles
Bruce Springsteen
Garth Brooks
Beatles
Led Zeppelin
Michael Jackson
Elvis Presley
Pink Floyd
AC/DC
Elton John  

The answer is at the end of this newsletter. 

Surprise! Here Are Some Great Ways to WOW Your Wedding Guests

This isn’t just a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all wedding. It’s YOUR wedding. And if you really want to make it memorable for the special people in your life, try a few of these WOW factors. 

Engagement party – not! Invite your closest relatives and friends to celebrate your engagement, and let them know it’s important to you that they be there. Then, surprise them with your actual wedding ceremony! Only your parents and attendants need know in advance. The rest of your guests will be thrilled! You won’t get a table full of gifts. But you won’t have the stress of gift registries, and you won’t have to endure that endless unsolicited advice about how to put on your wedding the way someone else wants it! 

Presto, change-o! It’s common in many Asian weddings for the bride to have two different gowns and a cocktail dress for dancing. There’s no reason you can’t do the same thing. You may opt for a gown that can be partially stripped away to reveal a shorter dress more suitable for the dance floor. The groom may ditch his tux for a comfortable blazer, or just lose the jacket and keep the vest. 

A chat room. But not the online kind. Create a comfortable lounge area, away from the dance floor, where guests who want to visit with one another can do so in a relaxed setting. Or if your venue has a fire pit, set up some seats around it.

Instagram your wedding. Create a hashtag where your guests can post their favorite “OMG! They did it!” photos in real time.

Make your First Dance something special. If your schedules permit it, sign up with a dance studio and learn a 3-minute choreographed dance. You’ll get the loudest applause of the night!

Keep the food and drink flowing. In addition to your bar, set up snack and Champagne stations around the room – anything from a s’mores bar to a mashed potato bar, from a gelato bar to a cotton candy machine or a popcorn machine.

Spring a photo booth on ‘em! It can be either a picture booth or a video booth. Be sure it includes lots of great props, like funny hats, oversized glasses, feather boas and so forth. Your guests will love to share their own personalities, and you’ll end up with some of your most memorable photos of your big night.

A late night refill. Imagine your guests’ delight when you put out a spread of pizza, or hot dogs, or cheeseburgers or pretzels, just as your dancers are getting hungry again.

A special group photo. Arrange a sparkler or bubble sendoff for the newlyweds, and gather everyone together for a huge group picture. It doesn’t have to be when the party is over. You can take the photo, then return to the party!

A designated after-party venue. 6 hours may not be enough, and a lot of your guests may want to keep the party going, even after your reception venue closes. So choose an after-hours place that can accommodate a few dozen friends, and have your DJ end your reception by announcing where the after-party will be held.

These are just a few ways to set your wedding apart from all those ordinary ones! Your guests will remember your special night for years, and you’ll have great pictures and memories to treasure when you’re both old and gray.

Real Chicago Wedding – February 12, 2022

Madeline and Benjamin Zibricky threw a grand reception gala at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, complete with a dazzling light show and an elegant monogram light proclaiming their exciting new union. The dance floor was filled all night, to music by the Chicago wedding DJ professionals of Fourth Estate Audio.

Wedding Getting Too Expensive? Try These Ways to Economize

It doesn’t take long to find out that the budget you created for your wedding is completely out of touch with reality. Everything costs more than you expected. But here are some great ways to clear out a little room in the budget for things you really want to keep.

Hold your wedding off-season. If you haven’t set your date yet, you’ll find that venues and vendors are more flexible on price if you book between November and March.

Use email to send your invitations. You can create a graphic with the artwork you would otherwise put on a paper invitation. Plus, RSVP-ing to an email invitation is as simple as replying to any other message. No card to fill out. No envelope or stamp to buy.

Consider a wedding at home or in a public outdoor area with plenty of room. Just remember, you’ll need to rent a tent and a dance floor.

Trim your guest list to your closest friends anmd relatives. You don’t have to invite everyone from work, or everyone you’ve met on social media.

Buy seasonal flowers. They’re cheaper; and frankly, red is red, white is white. etc.

Rent your gown. There are lots of places that are happy to rent.

Hold your ceremony at your reception site. It’s cheaper to rent one place than two.

Skip tuxes and bridesmaids’ gowns. The men can wear suits. The women can wear their own cocktail dresses. Just give them a couple of colors from which to choose, so they’ll “match.”

Have a reception brunch instead of a full dinner. 

One cake is plenty. Or consider a small cake for cutting, surrounded by dozens of cupcakes for dessert.

Ask for help from talented friends – a singer for your ceremony, an artist for your invitations, a flower expert to create your bouquet, etc.

Forget a live band. You can get a great 5-star DJ for a fraction of what a mediocre band will charge you. A DJ has a much larger song repertoire; all of his music on on-key; he’s also your professional master of ceremonies; and he can lower the volume if it’s too loud for some of your guests.  

Here’s the answer to our music quiz.

Bruce Springsteen is not among the Top Ten; here they are, in order:

Beatles
Garth Brooks
Elvis Presley
Eagles
Led Zeppelin
Michael Jackson
Billy Joel
Elton John
AC/DC
Pink Floyd

Thanks for playing.

To learn more about professional Chicago DJ entertainment and lighting by Fourth Estate Audio:

Jay Congdon
President