The “Wow” Factor
Posted by Kathy on Jul 30, 2009. Filed under Ceremony, Music and Entertainment, Off Beat, Real Weddings, Receptions, Trend Watch, Wedding Ideas
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It would be great if you could turn your entire wedding wish list into reality, but in this tough economic climate it’s not always easy to do. So rather than trying to get everything perfect, couples are striving for a more realistic goal: making just one detail of their wedding so memorable that guests will be talking about it for years to come. I like to call this the “wow” factor.
Russell and Alix hired two San Francisco Opera Company singers to sing “All I Ask of You” at their ceremony. At Debbie and Sherman’s wedding, Chinese Lion Dancers led the guests from the backyard ceremony to cocktails in the front yard. (Another couple, Julie and Ryan, also had Chinese Lion Dancers at their reception, and they used photos of the “show” on their thank-you cards!) Creative mood lighting transformed a local community hall into a romantic setting for Adam and Carol’s reception.
The best part? These were normal, budget-conscious couples who made the decision to splurge on just one part of their wedding. None of the above examples cost more than $1,000, but these out-of-the-box ideas made their guests murmur “wow” every time.
Some other ways to wow your guests:
• A solo saxophonist playing as you walk down the aisle.
• A fabulous walking illusionist like Rich Ferguson entertaining your guests during your cocktail hour.
• A bagpiper leading the groom and his party down the aisle or playing as the sun sets at your vineyard or beach wedding.
• A Polynesian dance troop giving your guests a heart-pounding dinner show they’ll never forget.
• A bell choir performing at a Christmas wedding ceremony.
• A video montage of your love story that ends with the first strains of your “first dance” song, and a spotlight shining on you as your MC announces, “Ladies and Gentleman, dancing their first dance as husband and wife…”
What do you want your guests to say “wow” to?
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Comments
WOW, it is nice to be included in this line up! (http://www.TheIceBreaker.com or http://www.Party-Entertainer.com if you want more info on my strolling entertainment…)
HOWEVER, I need to tell you that my wife and I did a little alteration to the standard wedding reception. We got married with just a couple people then took off for our honeymoon… and came back and had the party of the century! Seriously, it was 12.5 hours long… noon-12:30am ...and easy and fun! As far as WOW factor, we had a very high end Polynesian Dance company put on a show on the beach with us. We had 7 tents, one of which was called “The Pillow Palace!” It had dozens of pillows that were take home gifts to people-that was very eye catching and popular. We had our honeymoon pictures raining down on ribbons all throughout the tents! We had the vendor from the beach walk stay at our reception in the afternoon and make floats and drinks, etc.. It was awesome and untraditional. We kept hearing “wow” all day long! Tons of games like limbo, etc… then it was followed by the biggest bonfire you’ve ever seen:)
Enjoy! Rich (“fabulous walking illusionist”)
A great part of Crockett’s charm is that it’s not a preserved tourist attraction. Real people live here. When Crockett residents want to gather, they head for the Crockett Community Center.
I really like the idea of renting a photo booth - not only it will keep your guests entertained, but will also provide them with a souvenir to keep. They also get to loosen up and act funky for some time, which is especially valuable at formal ceremonies.
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I just want to thank Julie Go and Ryan Chew for sharing their Thank you card picture with us (shown above).
Julie and Ryan hired Lion Dancers from Cherng Loong, a dance troupe in San Francisco.
Their website is http://www.cherngloong.com