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Monday, January 20, 2014

The amount of time music is part of your wedding.

The average wedding is 9 hours long. The average amount of time that music is performed at a wedding is 7 hours.
Between the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, there is music for 78% of the wedding.
There is no better way to put a damper on your wedding than to hire poor entertainment.
If you think a professional DJ is expensive wait until you hire an amateur.
A national survey recently found that 25% of brides are not happy with their entertainment AFTER the wedding.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Photo Booths

Hello Brides,
This year the biggest trend seems to be toward photo booths. YES we have photo booths and we also can provide uplighting.
We are not talking weddings here we are talking about YOUR wedding. It is one of the most special times of your life, make it special.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

10 things couples need to know.


10 Things Couples Need to Know About the Wedding Industry That the Media Will Never Tell You
1. We spend WAY more than 4 hours on your wedding.
Couples are often shocked at the price tag attached to their wedding services.  “But I’m only hiring you for four hours!” is a common reaction.
What you don’t know is that we spend many hours outside your wedding day timeline on planning, communication, rehearsals, meetings, travel and all the logistics necessary to make that “four hours” look easy.  This doesn’t even take into account the necessary time investment in training and education to keep our skills sharp.
Let’s take photographers as an example.  According to this recent survey, the average photographer spends 65 hours invested in each wedding; when all the hours invested in a wedding are factored in, a typical wedding photographer makes an hourly wage only $37 per hour before expenses!  DJs, florists, officiants, planners and other pros are in a similar situation.
Most wedding professionals are not living large on “wedding ripoffs,” a charge often lodged by the media.  While the average wedding in the US costs around $25,000, a recent survey of our wedding professional audience revealed that 48% of wedding businesses make less than $25,000 in an entire YEAR.
2.  If you hire an amateur for your wedding, expect an amateur result.
Wedding professionals are not a commodity item.  You’re hiring a unique personality, talent and experience set.  We charge more because we are worth it.
Those amateurs you can hire for a dime a dozen?  They’re worth the price you pay, too.
Sure, you might luck out and find the next undiscovered Preston Bailey for your wedding, but you’re much more likely to get sub-par performance along with that bargain price.
3.  You pay more for wedding services because you get more.
Much has been made of the so-called “wedding markup,” a phenomenon that occurs when secret shoppers get quoted a higher price for identical services when they are booked for a wedding as opposed to another type of event.  While this certainly can occur, journalists neglect to address the very real reasons WHY this happens.
Providing any service for a wedding is far more involved than a similar, non-wedding event.  Wedding pros make themselves available for planning meetings, calls and consultations, and may well send hundreds of emails back and forth with a single client in the year or more of planning up to the wedding.
This type of time and attention isn’t expected or required for most non-wedding events; the time investment alone is enough to justify a higher price.  The quality of wedding services often requires a greater degree of skill and specialization, not to mention the stress and risk involved should something go wrong.
4. We stay up at night worrying about your wedding, too.
We may participate in dozens or even hundreds of weddings per year, but yours really IS important to us.
Each and every wedding can make or break our reputation.  We worry about what can go wrong and we sweat the details because it’s our responsibility.  If we mess something up, we know that in the age of viral sharing on the internet, it may very well destroy our business.
5.  Listening to our advice will save you time, money and stress.
We love your ideas and your enthusiasm.  Please know that when we suggest changes to your dream wedding scenario it’s not because we want to take over your wedding; it’s because we have your best interests at heart.
We probably made a lot of mistakes when planning our own wedding, and it’s inspired us to ensure that pain NEVER happens to you.
We’re wedding experts.  If you take advantage of our knowledge and experience, we will save you time, help you avoid mistakes and make your wedding even better.  But only if you let us.
6.  If you only have $10,000 to spend on your wedding, we can’t make it look like you spent $100,000 no matter what we do.
Weddings can be expensive, and you certainly don’t have to spend a lot of money.  But if you’re going to trim your budget, please don’t expect it to be a carbon copy of the Royal wedding.
It’s not because we don’t want to do it for you…it’s just impossible
7.  We love what we do, but that doesn’t mean we want to do it 24 hours a day.
Working in the wedding industry is HARD.  It’s stressful.  There are deadlines, timelines and lots of pressure to make sure everything goes perfectly.
You know that anxiety that’s giving you nightmares?  We get them, too, and sometimes we need to take a break.
Yes, your wedding is important, but we can’t be available for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week without losing our sanity.  Remember that the next time you’re tempted to call your planner at 2am or before freaking out when s/he doesn’t answer your text immediately.
8.  It takes WAY more time and money to imitate those DIY projects and wedding inspiration shoots than you think.
We love that wedding porn as much as you do, but it sets up unrealistic expectations.  Wedding blogs and wedding reality TV misrepresent the details of what’s actually possible for a typical wedding with an average budget…one that doesn’t have a team of expert designers and planners working magic behind the scenes.
The media accuses the wedding industry of encouraging these unrealistic expectations so that you spend more more money.  The truth is that we hate it as much as you do!
It makes our job more difficult, and it puts us in the uncomfortable position of telling you, “No,” when it can’t be done on your budget.
9.  DIY projects are NOT a bargain.
Think you’re going to save money by having the wedding in your backyard?  When you add up the cost of the tent, rentals, food, booze and silverware, you end up spending MORE than you would hosting it in a traditional wedding hall.
The same thing goes for your favors, centerpieces and flowers.  It’s going to take you 10x longer and cost twice as much in reworks and mistakes than you think—especially if you’re a perfectionist.
Please don’t choose to DIY your wedding for the savings; make sure you actually like being crafty, and that you can adjust your expectations to accommodate less than perfection.
10.  Your wedding day will not be perfect, but we’ll be there to make sure it’s as close as possible.
I haven’t seen a single wedding where at least one thing didn’t go wrong.  Your bridal party will be late, the weather won’t cooperate, or the guests will forget to take home those favors you agonized over.  There are simply too many details and too tight of a timeline for everything to be completely perfect.
But when something goes wrong, we’ll be there to help you make it right.

Sincerely,
              Bruce Witherell – Aries Entertainment – 413-7434-4246    The Wedding Experts.


Monday, January 6, 2014

The top 10 wedding reception songs for 2013

Here are the top 10 wedding reception songs for 2013


  1. Ke$ha – Die Young
  2. Pitbull f/Christina Aguilera – Feel This Moment
  3. Mackelmore – Thrift Shop
  4. Mackelmore – Can’t Hold Us
  5. Nicki Minaj – Pound The Alarm
  6. Calvin Harris – Sweet Nothing
  7. Icona Pop – I Love It
  8. Justin Timberlake – Suit & Tie
  9. Robin Thicke  - Blurred Lines
  10. Florida Georgia Line – Cruise

Friday, January 3, 2014

8 Questions you must ask your wedding professional.



8 Questions You Must Ask a Wedding Professional
Before Booking Them
Hiring the right team is critical to planning your dream wedding...and it can also be quite stressful.
How do you find the right match for you? How do you know who to trust? Where do you go for advice?
First of all, this is not an easy task and it’s totally normal for couples to feel overwhelmed, frustrated or confused.
It’s not like you plan a wedding every day! This is all probably brand new to you, so be patient with yourself.
A few tips to finding the right ones for you...  
Do Your Homework. You’ll get much more out of a meeting or conversation with a wedding professional if you do a little background homework first.
Spend some time on the internet or talking to friends who’ve recently been married. Find out the average prices in your area and what services are available.
Get an idea of what you like and don’t like. Wedding websites and chat rooms can be a great resource. This way when you meet with a wedding professional you’ll be able to ask better questions and have an idea of what to look out for.
Meet With Them. An in person meeting is the best way to interview a potential wedding vendor. It lets you get the full experience of their personality, style and professionalism. If that’s not possible, have a phone conversation.
Ask Questions. There are no stupid questions! Make sure you get clear, specific answers to your questions. If you aren't sure what something means, ask them to clarify. Keep asking questions until you completely understand. If a wedding vendor has a problem with you asking questions, they probably aren’t the one’s for you. The best wedding professionals are understanding and take the time to help you make the best choices for your wedding.
Listen. Don’t just hear the words they say, really listen. Watch the vendor’s body language. Are they confident and comfortable with their response? Do they look and sound nervous? Do you get a “funny feeling” about them? Take all the sights, sounds and feelings into account along with their responses; if your gut tells you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.  
Check References. Portfolios are hand-picked to show off the best work, but they may not represent the “average” wedding performance. Videos are edited for the optimum presentation. But real referrals from satisfied clients are hard to fake.
Call up both client and professional references. Ask questions and use those listening skills. Even if they give a rave review, you’ll often be able to “read between the lines” if there were any issues or problems. Ask around and search the internet for reviews. Check the Better Business Bureau for any outstanding complaints against the business. Weigh all of this information into your choices.



Here are 8 Must Ask Questions to ask ALL your potential wedding professionals before booking:
1. How many weddings do you do per year? How much experience do you have? This is an extremely important question. Ideally, your wedding professional should have ample experience specifically with weddings. Not only will they be more skilled in their craft, this also makes them a valuable source of information and ensures that your wedding day goes smoothly.
2. How much do you cost? Price is often relative, especially when you factor in experience, reputation and expert skill. Generally, the most talented professionals have a higher price tag because they are worth it.
3. How much is the deposit?
4. What specifically is included in that cost?
Because packages often vary, it’s likely that you won’t be able to compare one vendor exactly to the next without doing a little figuring. The lowest cost isn’t necessarily the best deal; some higher quotes include services that you have to pay extra for in other packages. Make sure you take this into account.
5. What happens if I cancel? What happens if you cancel?
Find out if your deposit is refundable under any conditions. Does the wedding professional have a back up plan if something happens to them?
6. Do you use a contract?
If the answer is No, RUN! A contract is designed to protect both you and the wedding professional. Don’t settle for a verbal agreement that won’t hold up in court.
7. Are there any additional fees?
Taxes service charges and travel fees can add up quickly. Make sure you understand exactly what is included and if there are any other fees you’ll have to pay. This should be clearly defined in your contract.
8. Do you carry liability insurance?
The answer you’re looking for here is Yes. This protects you in case an unfortunate accident should occur on your wedding day. It’s also a sign that this is a reputable business, since most “fly by night” operations don’t invest in insurance.
If chosen wisely, with the right wedding vendors you get expert help and advice...for free!
 Sincerely,
           Bruce Witherell – Aries Entertainment – 413-743-4246


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Wedding tips for 2014


Do you want a professional MC, an experienced wedding Dee Jay, someone with professional equipment, someone with an extensive song selection that  caters to your needs, someone who dresses professionally, someone who will work with the
wedding planner, photographer, etc. someone who realizes  he work for you not the other way  around                                                                        
TIPS FOR BRIDES – Keep it simple, the bigger the wedding party the more people you are going to have to keep track of,  and the more personalities you must deal with.
CHOOSE VENDORS YOU CAN TRUST – Hire professionals and trust them. This is one of the most important days of your life don’t let it turn into one of the most stressful.
PRIORITIZE YOUR BUDGET – You will be floored when you add it all up. Work on the big issues first. Most important details : Good music, good photographer, good food, good booze, good people.
PLAN IT TOGETHER – Have your husband plan with you, it is a great test of communication and compromise.
MAID OF HONOR – Do your research and stay one step ahead. Plan a list with the bride and prioritize the list. Get to work early there is a lot to do.
Always communicate with the bride and respect her authority. Your job is to support her, but also protect her from pitfalls.
ARIES ENTERTAINMENT – YOUR WEDDING EXPERT IN THE BERKSHIRES – 413-743-4246