If you’re planning a winter wedding, congratulations! The serenity and spare elegance of a New England winter will only serve to highlight that of your marriage ceremony and reception. In a season when everything is stripped down to the essentials, small details stand out and have a dramatic impact. Here are five ways to use winter’s beauty to your wedding’s advantage:

Sparkle. Envision a beautiful winter landscape. Without a doubt, one of the most striking features is sunlight glinting like diamonds on a blanket of snow. Echo that sparkle throughout your wedding with all kinds of crystals, from the ones embellishing your gown to sparkling sugar crystals on your cake to crystals scattered across mirrored tiles on your reception tables.

Shine. Silver is a perfect accent to your winter white wedding; it elevates white without competing with it. Consider white-on-white invitations with silver accents and silver-lined envelopes, silver ribbons on bouquets, silver ink for place cards, and wedding cake or petits fours dusted with edible silver powder.
A Hit of Color. Summer is saturated with color, but in winter, a little bit goes a long way: imagine how vivid a red cardinal looks against a blanket of snow. Choose one color you love and highlight the white and shimmer of your wedding with it. Jewel tones, like ruby, emerald, or sapphire, provide the most impact. If bridesmaids are wearing a deep red, consider having them carry white flowers, and reverse the color scheme for the bride.

Light. When dark falls early, use light to enhance the sparkle and shine of your crystal and silver accents. Whether or not your wedding takes place around the holidays, tiny white Christmas lights are an easy and inexpensive way to make your wedding magical. Candles, whether tapers in crystal holders, groupings of silver column candles, or tealights floating in bowls, are another. Decorative mirrored tiles as a backdrop play up the warmth of candlelight.

Warmth. Take advantage of the cold outside to welcome your guests to the reception with a hot drink. Hot cider, mulled wine, and hot toddies are all terrific seasonal additions to a typical cocktail menu. Or consider a coffee and hot chocolate bar, where bartenders can customize your guests’ drinks with their liqueur of choice.

Check out some images from a recent lighting event we did at The Aqua Turf Club.

Check out some of the images we captures at a recent wedding reception where we provided lighting at The New Haven Lawn Club in New Haven CT.

Check out the LIVE ART flanking the fireplace

We up-lit the room in Amber to warm the space, and pin spot each table with a soft white light.

Their Photographer:  Misty Enright Photography

Live Art Statues:  Ten31Productions

We had fun with both young and old at Berkshire School's Reunion  Weekend with our photo booth.

You couldn't have found a more perfect day when it came to the weather.  As we drove into Spencer for Liz & Jimmy's wedding, we left the black clouds behind us and it was nothing but sunshine as we reached the top of the hill at Zuka's.  Calling this a barn or tent wedding does not do justice to Zuka's Hilltop Barn.  The grounds are just amazing.  There is the frog pond, the fountain, the fire pit and the view from the back...

Liz and Jimmy had a simple ceremony with our long time associate, Arthur Tatro as their JP out at the gazebo.  Cocktails were inside the main building and guests had fun with our photo booth as they mingled.   We washed the tent where dinner and dancing were being held with our new LED wash lights.  Purple is such a popular wedding color these past couple years.

For a Sunday night wedding - they really got up and danced the night away right up until the last song was played.

First Dance Song:  Brighter Than Sunshine - Aqualung
Cake Cutting:  Grow Old With Me - Adam Sandler
Liz & Her Father:  My Wish - Rascal Faltts
Jimmy & His Mother:  Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler

Favorite artist of the night:  Britney Spears!

We are used to driving 45 min - 90 min to get to our events.  With Hampshire Regional's prom, it was 2 minutes down the road to Tekoa Country Club.  With around 300 students in attendance, this prom was an instant party when they opened the doors to the ballroom at 6:30.  By 6:35, they were up and dancing event before the food was served.  Our photo booth was a huge hit as was all the lighting.

We had the honor of performing at the newly renovated Lord Jeffrey Inn in Amherst's FIRST WEDDING.    It was an intimate wedding with around 80 guests.  They had so many kids in attendance, that they hired a magician to entertain the children during dinner.   It was a beautiful day so guests were mingling outside on the back patio for social hour.  I can honestly say that I had never played Chinese Opera music at a wedding until this event.  They had engraved chop sticks as wedding favors as this blending of two cultures met for their wedding.

Jeff & Enhua met on a ski lift.  How cute is that?

First Dance Song:  Hush Hush - Room Full of Blues

Their Wedding Photographer:  Studio SMC Photography - Sandra

Yes, one of our summer 2012 weddings was just chosen to be on TLC's FOUR Weddings show.  We expect it will not air until sometime this fall.  We will keep you posted as details become available.  Congratulations to Kymberly & TJ.

Want some great Wedding Planning Tips from TLC's FOUR Weddings?  Check them out.

When planning music for your wedding reception, choosing songs for a father-daughter or mother-son dance offers a great chance to send a loving message to your parents. Here are some things to think about when making your selection.

Ask your parents if there are any songs that are especially meaningful to them for this dance. If they don’t have a strong preference, don’t be afraid to choose a song you love that’s not a “traditional” parent dance song. Do make sure you’re familiar with the lyrics and that they’re appropriate! Also, be sure to ask mom and dad if there are any styles of dance or music they’re not comfortable with. If dad has two left feet, you don’t want to pick a father-daughter dance song that cries out for elaborate moves. Along the same lines, if your parents have health or stamina issues, beware of choosing music that requires them to be on their feet for a long time. Your DJ will know how to shorten or fade out a favorite song if needed.

Think about how long you want your first dance, parent dances, and wedding party dances to take. Some people love these dances and consider them a meaningful part of the reception; others consider them just something to get through before the party can really get started. If you’re in the latter camp, consider choosing a song that could be used for both father-daughter and mother-son dance, and have both at one time.

Possibly the biggest challenge in choosing parent dance music is what to do when a parent and a stepparent are both present at the wedding, and the bride or groom would like to dance with both. If relations are amicable, a bride could to dance with her father for one part of the song, with the stepfather stepping in at a prearranged point. The DJ could announce before the dance that the bride is going to dance with two special gentlemen. If this seems unworkable, two separate dances, or none at all, might prevent stress and hurt feelings. When in doubt, an experienced DJ is a great resource. You can be sure he’s seen circumstances like yours before, and will have suggestions for handling it with grace.

See all of the Top Wedding Songs of 2011 here

Classic Parent Dance Songs - Music List

Looking to make your school formal or prom something unique?  Check out what we can do for your next event.

Video Slide Show

See video clips and slide show of some of our recent events