Wedding Story Swap

Wrapping Up The 2010 Wedding Season

2010-10-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

As the title of this posts says, we are wrapping up the 2010 Wedding Season - and it was AWESOME!

We had some fantastic things happen for us - one of the coolest was producing the show for the Michigan premiere of David Tutera's bridal fashions line! Wow! The show was great, the brides and grooms were awesome, and we had a ball!

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Orange County Entertainment has grown! We have unveiled our new division called OCE Express Wedding and we are so excited to share it with our brides and grooms! We have brought all of your wedding services together in one place, for one great price!

We have met hundreds of brides and grooms this year, and the main stress in their wedding planning stems from running around, interviewing vendors, shopping prices, etc. OCE has answered them in a big way! We are now offering the church, the hall, the cake, the flowers, the centerpieces, the music, the pictures, the video...everything but the kitchen sink! Hey, maybe we'll throw that in, too! Check out our website annex at: www.oceexpresswedding.com

We've had a phenomenal year! We are so grateful to our friends at David's Bridal and Brides-To-Be for supporting us! Thank you - especially to our beautiful brides and grooms! We have the best couples around...and we have the pictures to prove it!

Sharon

How To Include Your Dog In Your Wedding

2009-05-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

We love our dogs! It's no surprise that some brides and grooms would want to include their dog in the most important day of their life. Your dog can add a lot to your special day, or it could be a nice idea that turns into a bust.

1. Dog or no dog?

Decide whether or not your dog should be part of the wedding. If there are people on your guest list who are not comfortable around your dog, you may want to rethink your decision. If your future father-in-law is alergic, or your flower girl is terrified, you more than likely will want to leave your dog out.Make certain your dog is welcome at the sites where your wedding will take place. You will want to check with your officiant, your vendors, and venue.

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2. Choose an Appropriate Role For Your Dog

Choose an appropriate role for the dog depending on behavior and temperament. An energetic dog might need to be on a leash held by an usher or ring bearer, while a relaxed, older dog can be free to lounge during the ceremony. It would be unrealistic to expect an untrained puppy to walk down the aisle with the ring pillow, but your older, trained dog may do a great job. Practice, practice, practice. If you can, take your dog to the location where the event will take place. If that is not an option, take him/her to a variety of locations to practice so he/she will be used to performing in a strange location.

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3. Designate Someone To Watch Your Pet

Designate someone to watch your pet. Even if your pet's role in the wedding is as simple as sitting next to you, neither you nor your fiancé can really be expected to give the pet your full attention during the wedding. Try to choose someone your pet already knows and trusts. If you can't, arrange a meeting ahead of time so your pet can get used to its minder for the day. Make sure the person you choose is physically up to the job; don't have your 4 year old ring bearer trying to wrangle your full grown Great Dane.
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4. Clean Up

Wash your pup right before the ceremony to keep people with allergies from having a reaction to dander.
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5. Dress Up

Dress your dog in a fancy collar, ribbon, or dog tux. You will not want to have your wedding day to be the first time your dog tries on a new outfit or collar, so it's best to have practiced your dog's role with the new items on.
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6. Be Flexible

No matter how well you plan, something may not work out as you planned it, especially with your pet involved. Be prepared for scenarios like your pet getting stage fright or having an accident (in which case your pet minder should be prepared to clean it up). Also, make sure your pet minder has the option of taking your pet outside or even back home if your pet acts up or seems uncomfortable.
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7. Remember that...

...not all dogs are meant to be at weddings. Consider carefully whether your pet will be comfortable and happy at your ceremony or reception. As much as you may want your pet there, your pet may be far more content staying at home with a favorite toy. A photo of you and your spouse with your pet in a place of honor at the reception can show how much your pet means to you without causing you (or your pet) as much stress.
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Orange County Entertainment staff loves dogs!

A DJ For Your Wedding / The Poor Economy

2009-03-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

I want to take a little bit of space here to talk about something that is on the minds of everyone right now...the crappy ecomony. It is affecting everyone in different ways, but it is affecting everyone. We don't know what will happen, when it will get better, but people and businesses seem to be pulling together to help each other get through.

I want you to consider Orange County Entertainment one of those businesses that is working hard to help us all get through. We have top-notch entertainers and photographers who love what they do and would never let a bride and groom down for all the money in the world (yeah, we're lucky). Our company values their contributions and they know it. Of course, everyone wants to get paid, but OCE is able to keep our prices low by combining fairness, a great environment to work in, caring about our clients, and a bunch of hard work.

We are all going to be okay, we just need to stick together.

Sharon

Saving Money on Wedding Planning

2009-03-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!

Since it's wedding season, our busiest time of year, I've been talking to a lot of brides and grooms. The resounding theme this year seems to be SAVING MONEY. Not surprising. The economy is the main topic of converstion everywhere right now - especially in Michigan. You are not from Michigan if you don't know at least one person who has lost their job! Most of us know several.
While we are all tightening our belt, brides and grooms still want to have a beautiful wedding with all of the trimmings. Time to think outside the box! Just about every wedding site has a list of things you can do to save money - make your dress, make your flowers, make your food, all good ideas, but I wanted to find ways that are a little different...ways that the poor economy can work in the favor of the bride and groom! (Of course, using Orange County Entertainment as your DJ/Photography/Videography service is one of them). Here are a couple of things I have heard from my customers that struck me as really good ideas that don't involve you making something:

1. THE HALL Banquet Halls are running really good specials right now, but you can save even more if you dig into what you are getting, piece by piece. Many places are trying to reach out to increase their contact list by having you give them your email address. If they are not offering anything for the privledge, ask for a deal. I have heard of at least one place that is offering $2 off per plate if you sign up. They need these contacts right now - their mailing list is probably one of the most valuable things they own. They will send you their newsletter, or their specials, and hopefully you will pass them to your friends and family.
If there are three meats on your menu, you might consider trading one of the meats for chair covers, or chair bows, or some other decoration that the hall typically charges for.

2. THE LIMO Here's my limo tip: NEGOTIATE! Service companies are all fighting for your business right now. Call a few places and use your best negotiating skills to get your best price. My sister told me that she told her limo company what she needed and what her limo budget is - and the limo company went even lower than what she was willing to pay. They wanted to make certain that she didn't go somewhere else!

3. THE INVITATIONS Ebay is a great source for really unique, beautiful, inexpensive invitations. You can conceivably get your invitations, with all of the inserts, for less than $1.00 a piece. I've seen invitations that were ordered from an Ebay vendor, they were gorgeous.

4. THE CENTERPIECES Here's a cool idea I never thought of until one of my customers brought it up to me; Craig's List. She's looking on Craig's List for someone who is selling their centerpieces. I thought it was a great idea. How used can a used centerpiece be? They sat on a table for one evening. If she can find a style that she likes, she'll be able to save a lot without having to make them herself. I'll let you know how this works out for her.

I think the bottom line for saving money on your perfect wedding is to; plan as far ahead as possible, don't accept the listed price as the price, and use some of the internet resources that are available now.
I would love to hear the money-saving ideas that have worked for you! We can use all the help we can get in these financially trying times!

Have a great day, friends!

Sharon

pssst....don't forget to visit our website: www.partywithorangecounty.com

www.yourdjyourway.com

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome Friends of Orange County Entertainment!

Did you ever see "America's Funniest Home Videos"? Have you noticed that the wedding videos are particularly hysterical? Something can happen in your normal life, like you trip and knock someone else over, and it isn't shocking or funny. If you do that same thing in a wedding dress ot tuxedo, suddenly it becomes shocking, hysterical, or horriffic.

I am looking for interesting pre-wedding and wedding stories - funny, shocking, goofy, weird, whatever you got.

My youngest sister is getting married on June 13th- DJ John Harmon is hosting the event - and I am looking forward to sharing my funny wedding stories with you!

Orange County Entertainment, LLC is the exclusive DJ partner with David's Bridal in Madison Heights, MI. We have been going over there on Saturdays to entertain and promote our services. We encourage the customers and staff to request songs, do a little line dancing, and basically have some fun while we are there. We mostly play the type of music that you would hear at a wedding reception - dance music, typical bridal party songs, stuff like that. Everyone was having so much fun, one of the salespeople came up to our table and announced "one of my customers is dancing in the clearance aisle!" I got a laugh out of that! It's one of those sentences that you just don't hear every day! Buying a wedding dress is one of those wedding preparation activities that can be stressful, and it made me feel great that people were having such a good time because of our contribution to their day. I can't wait to go back tomorrow!

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Sharon

DJ John Harmon at David's Bridal

ps: Take a look at our website www.partywithorangecounty.com
or
www.yourdjyourway.com