Congratulations............
You're Engaged!
Congratulations............
You're Engaged!
You have the perfect location for your wedding reception, you've chosen the Caterer, Florist and Photographer and now it's time to select an Entertainment Company. Make your dreams come true with Jimmy Howes Entertainment. Drawing from our experience, we will play the best music at the most appropriate times while coordinating your wedding in a smooth professional manner.
Top quality, good looking, good sounding, reliable, professional disc jockey equipment is all we use. We will always set the right volume for you, at all times, in any location. We know looking, acting and being professional is a direct reflection on you, we come dressed in Tuxedos to every wedding. Also, we have preformed at dozens of Civil Unions and Gay Weddings. Love is Love and that is all that counts.
Since each wedding reception is special and unique, we're always happy to help by listening to what your desires are and then offering our suggestions and different wedding music options available to you. Together we create the ambiance you have in mind for your wedding reception. We never take for granted what an honor it is to be a part of the most important day of your life.
Events at your wedding reception, such as the entrance introductions, parent dances, blessing, toasts, bouquet-garter toss and cutting of the cake will be professionally announced. We work with your Caterer, Photographer and Video-Artist as a team, to keep informed of each up-coming event during your reception, so nothing will be missed!
Booking a DJ for a wedding reception is a very important decision. Booking with Jimmy Howes Entertainment gives you “Peace of Mind” knowing that our experience and professionalism will make your wedding stress free & elegant. Our ability to “Read the Crowd” will ensure a fun and entertaining party. By getting to know you, we will make sure your reception is fun and memorable.
If you would like to learn a little bit more about our services, we would love to set up a phone inquiry or shoot us an e-mail. Rest assured we will not ask you to make any decisions or ask for any commitments. It is simply an opportunity for us to fully understand what your specific needs are. You can also visit our contact us page to fill out a request for a phone call or more information from us. Our job is to make your wedding reception the best it can be. We never forget that we work for you!
Introductions
It's nice for everyone to know who is in your wedding party. The introductions are where we introduce your Wedding Party members into the reception hall, giving their names and titles. The order of entrance is: Grand Parents, Parents of the Bride, Parents of the Groom, Ushers with Bridesmaids, Flower Girl and Ring Bearer, then the Best Man with the Maid/Matron of Honor. Then finally, the Bride and Groom.
The First Dance
A special first dance with the Bride and Groom to their Wedding Song. This is the height of excitement everyone! Sometimes the Wedding Party will join in about half way through the song.
Dad/Bride Dance
The Father Bride Dance is a very emotional part of your Wedding Reception. There is no love greater than the love between a Bride and her Father. If your Father is no longer among us, a common substitute is the Father Figure
Mom/Groom Dance
This is the dance between the Mother of the Groom and the Groom. It will be hard to hold back the tears when it's time for this dance! This dance is done following the Brides dance with
her Dad or father figure.
Blessing
This is not a mandatory step but for the religious family, it makes a nice setting to pay tribute and thank the Lord for your special day! If the Minister or Priest is attending your wedding reception, it is almost always customary to ask them to do a blessing right before the Toasts.
The Toast
The Best Man and/or the Maid/Matron of Honor make toasts to the Bridal Couple. Sometimes there are tears and sometimes there are laughs.
Dinner Courses
If you're having a sit-down meal, it is served in courses. In between the courses, we supply the music, fun and excitement! If you're having a buffet meal, each table is called up to the buffet. During this time, we provide fun music for guests to enjoy during their meal. Customize your wedding!
Wedding Cake
The Bride and Groom traditionally cut the first slice of wedding cake. Then, the Bride feeds the Groom and the Groom feeds the Bride. The Bride and Groom usually pick a song that we play during this part of the reception. This symbolizes the couple's caring and
sharing for one another.
Special Dances
It's not unusual that the Bride and Groom plan a few special spot-light dances here. For example, a nice slow dance with a Grand Parent, friends or relatives.
Bouquet/Garter
In the traditional tossing of the bouquet, the bride tosses her bouquet to all the single-ladies in attendance. immediately after the tossing, a chair is set in the middle of the dance floor, for the bride to sit on while the groom removes the garter from her leg, then he tosses it to all the single men in attendance. The man and woman who catches the garter and bouquet are said to be the next to marry. The man usually will place the garter onto the woman's leg who caught the bouquet. This is also a lighthearted moment at the reception everyone loves to watch.
Centerpiece
We have so many creative ways to give away the table centerpieces to your guests. There is usually only one on each table and you don't want to leave them behind after the reception ends. It's a nice gesture to give them away but a dilemma as to who gets them. We have classy and entertaining contests that are always a big hit!
Ceremony Package
We also offer a package that you will need if you are getting married at your banquet hall. Sometimes a couple chooses not to be married in a church. For these couples we offer Wedding Ceremony Packages. This includes a separate sound system complete with processional and recessional music and a microphone for the officiant, if requested. You can customize your own ceremony musical choices.
Etiquette, Protocol, and the Game Plan
Having conducted an extensive library and Internet search for the proper, approved and/or accepted way of timing, order, and procedures at a wedding reception, it became abundantly clear that there isn't a readily accessible, clearly understandable, non-conflicting guide. Traditions and personal preferences notwithstanding, I offer this guide as a logical, common-sense, and politically correct approach to solving most concerns and issues.
ARRIVAL AT THE RECEPTION FACILITY
PREPARATION FOR ANNOUNCEMENT
Your introductees and complete Bridal Party should gather in an on-site room or location free from noise and guest traffic. We will review the complete line-up, name pronounciations, get your people in proper order, and explain the full itinerary of the first fifteen to twenty minutes leaving nothing to chance or individual interpretation. The banquet hall representative should be there to assist you and your party.
GENERAL RULES FOR INTRODUCTIONS
All persons to be introduced should be listed with the proper title prefix (Ms.-Miss-Mrs.-Master-Mr.-Dr.) and should be in the formal context (Elizabeth not Beth, Douglas not Doug, William not Bill). Avoid the "family tree relationship" (sister-of the-bride, cousin-of-the-groom, best-friend-of-the bride-at-school, etc). Relationship announcements adds to confusions, takes excessive time, and opens up avenues for potential mistakes and out-of-order announcing.
Ladies line up to the left of the gentlemen. Easy to remember. Ladies Left. LL!
FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS
Grandparent Introductions
If you wish to have Grandparents introduced, follow these simple guidelines. If one grandparent is introduced walking in, then all should be introduced walking in. If one grandparent needs to be introduced from their table, ALL of them then should be introduced from their table. At their tables, they may sit or stand and wave to everyone when their names are announced.
FORMING THE ARCH
An arch of the Bridal Party's raised arms and bouquets (if military, your protocol is service dependant so additional homework will be required) is your choice and should be carefully orchestrated with your photographer and videographer. Remember, while passing under the arch, duck walk instead of bending over or we'll never see your smiling faces in the photos, just the tops of your heads.
FIRST (AND MAYBE 2nd FIRST) DANCE
I recommend having your First Dance done immediately after introductions. It will be the only time during the reception that your entire Bridal Party will be in one spot, be fully clothed, and picture-perfect. Only at these moments is there little chance of you or a guest spilling ziti or wine on your dress. Don't take that gamble with your important first dance photographs by waiting until after dinner.
If your First Dance song length is 3:00 - 3:30 minutes or shorter, the two of you should dance the entire selection solo, no bridal party nor parents joining. Activity during such a short duratrion might detract from its significance giving your guests an impression of a disorganized fire drill. If you still wish to involve the bridal party in a group dance, consider having a second first dance. You may also consider inviting the Bride & Groom's parents to join that first or second first dance (unless there's the slightest twinge of uncomfortability with it, then don't.).
If your First Dance song length is more than 3:00 minutes, it would be very appropriate to have your Bridal Party join you in it, especially if either of you are self-conscious about being in the public eye. You may also consider inviting the Bride & Groom's parents to join that first or second first dance (unless there's the slightest twinge of uncomfortability with it, then don't.).
BLESSING - INVOCATION
(Everyone Standing)
The protocol of the Prayer BEFORE Toast dates to medieval times when it was thought that alcohol actually did contain real evil spirits (thus names such as devil rum). To invoke the name of the Lord with evil spirits on your lips was blasphemy, therefore the blessing should precede all toasts. No liquor on the lips while praying sounds appropriate to me, don't you agree?
TOASTS
(Everyone Standing except the Bottom Tier of a Two Tier Head Table or the Front Two Row of a Two Row Head Table. Bride & Groom are also seated.)
Again, no majority concensus as to who's first, so I've used this logic. A) Ladies First. B) the Best Man's Toast is supposed to be the Grand Finale, the toast of all toasts, and I've never heard of any Grand Finale being first. Based on those two premises alone, here's my order recommedation: 1) any Bridesmaids; 2) Matron Of Honor; 3) Maid Of Honor; 4) any Ushers; and LAST, 5) Best Man. The bottom tier or front row of bridesmaids and ushers at the head table remain seated so that the guests and your professional photographer and/or videographer aren't shielded or blocked from capturing those important and emotional moments.
TOAST OR WELCOME BY A PARENT
The Father Of The Bride will sometimes want to welcome and thank everybody for joining them for the celebration. Pausing only long enough for everyone to retake their seats, do this welcoming speech and/or toast timmediately after the Best Man's toast.
TOAST or WELCOME BY THE BRIDE & GROOM
There are four choices to satisfy the need to meet and greet all the guests at your wedding.
CHOICE ONE: Having a receiving line immediately following the service or ceremony. A huge consideration with this choice is many of your guests were not able to attend your ceremony service. You trying to remember who you've thanked in the receiving line, and then trying to identify and locate those at the reception hall who didn't attend the ceremony may mean you'll have to start all over again, thus duplicating your efforts and wasting precious time. Also, the chances are quite realistic this choice will cause you to be late getting to the reception.
CHOICE TWO: Get from the ceremony site directly to the reception hall. Set up a receiving line at the reception hall and all guests MUST pass you to get to the bar. This does thwart after service formal pictures but then again, they can be done at the facility following the receiving line. You will have to extend your cocktail hour to a cocktail hour and a half to make this work properly, but it completely eliminates the need to go table to table.
CHOICE THREE: Go table to table and greet everyone at their seats. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER DINNER! Do it between courses or immediately after your through eating or you'll be tied up doing this all night. You're going to miss your own reception!
CHOICE FOUR: After all the toasts are done and folks are relaxed for the moment, stand, and side by side, welcome and thank everyone for sharing in your big day. Tell them you look forward to saying hello to everyone throughout the evening, that you'll be on the dance floor all night, stopping by tables as time permits, and "we love you"! Now...no table rounds are needed. CHOICE 4 will allow you the most time to enjoy your own wedding day.
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