We are getting to the point now where we have a ton of little details to work out and not much time left. I still feel relatively panic free, but I am ready to be done soon so I can go into the wedding with as little stress as possible. (more…)
After dancing, we met up with Jonathan for dinner and a music discussion. We picked out many songs and came up with a good description of the feeling we are going for so we can tell the DJ what we want. Basically we want to have funky dance music that everyone can sing along to, but not songs that are played so much you’re tired of hearing them. Now that we have a lot of the songs planned, I am really starting to picture the party coming to life.
We also discussed how to keep the traditional wedding elements we want, but at the same time having a fun dance party that can flow naturally without too much interruption. The main way we are trying to acheive this is to have the dinner courses served during a set time, rather than stretching it out and getting up and down for dancing and then the next bit of food. We’re also going to try and group together some of the other wedding bits so they don’t interrupt the dancing multiple times. Sounds fun, right?
Today was an amazing day, but I almost forgot, I have to write about yesterday first! Yesterday Pete decided he didn’t feel up to dancing at our lesson. At first I felt a little weird, but I decided to go ahead and spend the hour dancing with our instructor. It was a really different experience. Rather than me and Pete both working on learning something one step at a time, then slowly putting it together and then adding the music, we were just dancing away and I learned new steps at full speed. We played about 6 different songs too. At the end I was really glad I decided to dance without Pete because it was exciting to learn so many new steps in one lesson. I learned more swing steps, more side steps, another type of side step and maybe some other things I can’t even remember right now. Sometimes it’s hard to describe what I learned because my brain doesn’t always quite understand the step, but if I don’t think about it too much, my muscles remember. The most interesting idea I learned today is that with swing dancing, as long as you can do two steps and a rock step you will always come out even no matter what crazy turns your partner is doing or making you do.
Today we put the finishing touch on the first dance – the dip at the end! After 9 lessons we are feeling really comfortable with dancing. Each time we learn a new step it seems to come easier than the one before it. Now that we have all the moves down, we have to keep practicing to get smoother and learn to stay on the music. I think about dancing all the time now. It’s so much fun! The only problem is there’s really not enough space to practice in our apartment. I got a nice bruise on my knee from the coffee table one night… Now that we finished all the steps for the first dance, we can we can move on to other songs and types of dance in our lessons. Then we can really bust out the moves at the wedding!!
Hi. Today I had a pretty good day. It started off a little questionably though. By the end of it I was able to salvage the remainder of the day. We went to City Island for Mother’s Day dinner. We dined at a place called the Black Whale. It was great. In fact it has put me in such a good mood that it thought it best to write a bit about how things are going. One of the key things going on these days is wedding preparation. So far we have done really well with the planning. It had been a goal of mine to become more involved with the wedding planning once busy season was over. As I reflect on the month or so since the end of the season, I am pleased. We have started taking dancing lessons. We have already had three sessions. I’ll write more of that in a moment. We have gone to a tasting of both appetizers and entrées at our reception hall. We’ve met with a Catholic priest and found a church to marry in. We have visited an excellent videographer. I am really excited by the look and feel of their videos. We’ve visited a DJ and a florist. I was a bit worried that maybe we should get a band but I’ve never really liked bands at weddings. Sarah reminded me that we need to do what made us comfortable so I think I’ll stick top a DJ. Besides, I think our wedding will sound better with the original music and sound as opposed to a band’s rendition.
So, let me tell you about our dance lessons. We started taking them about three weeks ago. Our instructor’s name is Leslie. She has made it really fun to learn to dance. I have to say we picked up on it pretty well. We don’t practice much, though I would like to, but we manage to do well while having fun. I’ll admit I sometimes let the pressures of everyday life get to me. I sometimes come to lessons with the burden of these stressors weighing down on me, but by the end I feel great. I feel like it was so easy to get to steps down. When I look at video of people “slow dancing”, i.e. rocking back and forth, it looks very simplistic. I recommend everyone take a few lessons. It may be a bit pricey but I feel it is worth it. Oh before I forget, I’ll tell you what we have learned. We’ve learned the box step with a twirl and the promenade step. There you have it. Talk to you next time.
Check out the new page I added to the site today. You can listen to the songs we were considering for our first dance, read the lyrics and then VOTE for which one you think we picked! Check out the new wedding songs page!
After seeing tons of positive reviews for the DJ company I was considering, I decided to ask Pete to come meet with them. We went over everything again and Pete got to watch the sample videos. I really like Ray’s upbeat personality and I think he will do a great job as MC of our wedding reception. Pete thought more about the band vs. DJ question and we talked in the car on the way there. I think I would enjoy either and I like the interactive nature of a live band but Pete really prefers the original songs. So we decided to book Variety Music. That’s one more big piece of the puzzle taken care of!
Yesterday I went and met with one of the MCs from Variety (Ray). In addition to everything I learned at the show on Monday night, I found out about some other great options. They also have strings, a jazz trio, and lots of video options. I think I would really like strings for the ceremony. Between that and the Sinatra singer, I think I would feel like I have enough live music to make me happy, and then we could have a DJ for the rest. We also talked about the fact that Pete and I have 4 songs that are potential first dance songs, and Ray had some great suggestions for incorporating all of them throughout the night.
As far as the video, it’s interesting to know that they can have plasma TVs which show a picture slideshow and then photos and live video throughout the night. It would be nice for people who aren’t close enough to see the action, for example when everyone gathers around for the cake cutting. I’m not sure how I feel about the look of the large TVs at the reception though. Does anyone have opinions?
Tonight, Kristin and I went to a bridal expo in Uniondale. I didn’t set out with this intention, but it ended up being all about the music. First, Kristin had a fabulous idea. She is an amazing composer and musician and she came up the the idea of playing piano at the wedding! I’m so excited to get such a personal gift from Kristin.
At the expo, we saw a 9-piece band called Nightflight and sample performances by Variety Music (DJs and entertainers). I am totally impressed with Variety’s Frank Sinatra singer. He was so perfect! We are strongly considering booking him asap. I also really liked Harry’s MC style. The best part is if we do decide to go with Variety, I won a coupon at the expo. While they were performing they called some of our names to come up to the stage and we had to dance in front of everyone to get our prize!
Then the band performed, which was really fun. The male lead singer was amazing at imitating different singing voices. I’m having a hard time deciding if I would prefer a band or a DJ. Pete is leaning toward DJ. One of the songs that Nightflight performed tonight completely captured my attention. It is a great song to dance to and I think everyone knows it. It’s going to be perfect for the last song at the wedding! When I got home, I downloaded the last song on iTunes, and Pete and I danced to it in our bedroom!