Is it really all about the food?

Food is important on your special day, if it is great, it is a big plus, if it is bad you are doomed. The main reason it is so important is to keep your guests interested in everything else that is happening. When people get over hungry, they get cranky, fidgety, anxious and UN-interested. Knowing this, the timing of the food is actually more important than the food itself. Thus the timing of your Wedding sets the tone for the whole event, and the whole day for that matter. If your Wedding starts at 11am, people will already be starting to get hungry, and they still will have to wait to re-energize until 1 or 2pm by the time the ceremony is over, then they move to the reception site, wait for your photographer to finish with pictures, and various other things that need to happen before the food in on their plate in front of them.

You should try to time your Ceremony shortly after a normal meal time, but not so close to a meal time that guests miss the previous meal before the event. Also you must make sure that once you set the timing, you stick to it. I MC’d a reception a while back on a hot summer day and the Wedding was late, the pictures took forever and the meal was served over an hour late. This is not a good thing, prime rib doesn’t wait well and neither do the guests. This is something that can happen even with the best planning.

As a Bride, it is hard to understand how overwhelming your special day can be. There is a lot going on at any moment. Professionals in the business have conditioned themselves for these things, but the main actors in your special day come in with little or no training. Your folks, your bridal party, the Groom and groomsmen, transportation, water heaters keeping up with 10 showers. It is easy for the schedule to snowball with minor delays one right after another, none huge derailments, but combined - disastrous.

Make sure you leave extra time in your schedule the morning before. You need a bit of time to relax and allow for minor things that just happen. One thing that you do need to do, even if you never do it on other days, is stick to the timing that you have set.

Back to the food- what you have is not nearly as important as if it is served on time. The best Chefs will stick to the schedule that you have given them. Their food deserves to be served at its best, and its best is on time. Even EggSalad sandwiches suck when they get crusty on top, and then there is the whole mayo bacteria thing! Cooking Lobster for 100 people is not easy, serving any meal for 250 people is all about timing.

One other thing about the food, for me, as a professional- I do not eat at your function. I eat well before and after. Maybe I will drink a protein shake during or something and I drink plenty of water. As an MC and DJ, one of the most important times for me to be paying attention to what is happening and about to happen, is during dinner. I am out and about, talking with the Bride, visiting tables, getting requests, making sure that the next event is prepared. For me, food makes me tired, and I need my energy to be on 10 throughout your event. High Energy is contagious, and at the very least keeps your guests interested in what is happening. I know a lot of professionals that thrive on what you are going to feed them… I do not, as a matter of fact, I tell my Brides to make sure not to count me as a meal that they have to pay for, I don’t eat it anyway.

So what time should your event be? There are a lot of things to take in to consideration. When can guests most easily arrive? When can you be ready? What temperature will it be? How late can your Venue allow loud music? How long will the flowers stay perky? Are you having appetizers, then dinner?

I am currently working with a Bride who is going to have food ongoing throughout the entire event, no sit down meal. No worries about guests getting too hungry, or the food being ruined. Let’s face it, it is really not all about the food, it is about the events of the most special day of your life. If you plan a bit, there will be no distractions and everyone will be energized and excited about all of the special traditions that you will be creating on your special Wedding day!

So, really, it is not all about the Food, it is about your Wedding, joining with your partner in life. Plan ahead, stick to a schedule, and hire the right professionals that will make things follow those important timing issues, so you can go through your day just getting married and partying with your friends and family.

Need help creating the right timing and atmosphere? Call me… my first planning consultation is without any obligation. Let’s find out if my services are a match for creating that special event!
Ed McCurdy MC/DJ  VJEd

“Why just listen to music, when you can watch it?”

I can create instantaneous slide show of your wedding pics on my multiple screens in time for dinner!
207-944-8559
BangorDJVJEd.com

Picking Venders for your Wedding

You need the right allies in this task immediately. Most don't think about it, but if you hire the right Entertainer, yes the person that can actually make things happen at any given time on your special day, they will likely lead you in the right direction once they have listened to all of your dreams for the day.

If you have already decided on the Venue, most good ones have a person to help you with this very important planning. Make sure that you voice all of your ideas early, and find out if that person is actually listening to you, or leading you along some path that "is the way everyone does it".

One of the reasons that I have done so well as an Entertainer, is that my "Radar" is always on. I am a listener. I also have the experience to ask the right questions. I know how long it takes for things to happen, I know how to create moods, and change them in an instant.

A good Entertainer, is also your best friend during the months of planning that you have ahead of you. They know how to listen, then give advice, and back off to allow you to make your own decisions. There are a few of us out there that pay attention to this first and foremost. Make sure whoever you choose gives you this impression every time you talk to them. You need to be excited about them, if you are not, your guests won't be. You should consider having your Entertainer attend important planning meetings, especially with your Venue.

You will be spending a considerable amount of cash getting ready for this big event, make sure you have a great team on your side as well. When you hire a great Entertainer, they are not just working 5 or 6 hours on your special day, they are working and available for you 24/7 during the hard months of planning. Congratulations and Cheers... lets make 2013 the best year ever... Together!

Ed McCurdy MC/DJ (VJ Ed)
bangordjvjed.com
207-944-8559
Its all about the SMILE :)

My new ad on Z107.3

Here is my new ad on Z107.3 that includes a great discount for Brides during January 2013. Book now, get the great discount and make sure your date doesn’t get taken. I am available for a free no obligation planning meeting before you decide. Let’s get together and get your ideas on paper to create the event of your dreams!

Entertainment... (Really?)

I have been in the Entertainment Industry now for nearly 20 years. One of the things that is taken for granted in this trade, is people just expect that everyone that says they are an Entertainer are in fact Entertainers. The only real way to know for sure is to take the "temperature" of the guests that are in attendance of the function.

How often have you attended a function, eaten the food, stayed for the speeches, and the prizes and then quietly evacuated the premises because you are about to fall asleep from sheer boredom. It seems like more and more of these events seem just like the last one you evacuated previously. The Wedding happens, the Company Presentation happens, The Birthday Party, The Lobster Feed, The Summer Bash, whatever the function is, they all blend together in to the same old same old.

The reason you want some Entertainment at your event is to keep people interested, have fun together, and eventually "remember when we did this" conversations happen years later. If the "remember when" moments never happen, your party is essentially a failure. The sad thing is, these moments are rarely planned in to an event. Once the party is underway, there is little that can be done to save poor planning. A great Entertainer can rescue an event like this (I make it a point to continually interact with the attendees so I know the "temperature"), but planning ahead makes all of the difference.

If you are planning an event, you should consider including your Entertainer in the planning meetings. A real Entertainer has enough experience with different kinds of people and events, which is vital information while planning. The other communication that is vital, happens between your committee and the Entertainer that educates Him/Her about your attendees, and the theme that you want conveyed. The collaboration should help you create special events during the evening that will keep your attendees interested, and more likely to participate, and even more likely to have that "remember when" experience as well.

I have specifically developed my Entertainment System to be able to accommodate many different types of entertainment. I have multiple Video screens for Presentations, Corporate Videos, Photo Slideshows, Visualizations, Music Videos, and Karaoke. I have computer controlled LED DMX Lighting for Dancing and Mood Lighting. Then there is the capability as an EmCee for Games, Interviewing, Dancing, Announcements, and introductons. Add to this a state of the art sound system, Shure Wireless microphones, Huge Music Video, Karaoke and Music Library, and Computerized System that allows instant requests. If you have talented attendees, I have the capability of plugging in their instruments to my system, or provided music track background for their performances. And now I even have the capability of Music Production, Recording Studio, and Video Production if you need an eye catching Presentation.

If you want your Event to be memorable, make sure you plan ahead, and Hire the right Entertainer to help you keep your theme on point and on schedule. If you are, or someone you know is, planning an event, please give me a call. My first planning meeting can be scheduled with no obligation. What better way is there to find out if Ed McCurdy MC/DJ is the right Entertainment for your very important event?

Call me now to check availability and reserve your Date!

Ed McCurdy MC/DJ (VJ Ed)
http://bangordjvjed.com

207-944-8559

Eye Catching Setup