19 Sep What I learnt from my wedding
A few weeks ago (and after MONTHS of careful planning), Jordan and I finally tied the knot. Woohoo!
Check out the photos below (yes, I do scrub up well!)
It was a fairytale day. Everything ran perfectly, and we now have mountains of happy memories, which we’ll treasure forever. That said, the lead up was a little bit weird.
As you know, I entertain at a LOT of events (especially weddings,) so it took me a while to get used to sitting on the other side of the table.
There I was asking potential entertainers the very same questions that future Mr and Mrs’ usually ask me!
And it gave me a powerful insight.
Because for the first (and only) time I got to sit in the shoes of a real groom and bride and experience the nerves, concerns, anticipations, and excitement that you’re likely feeling now – as you’re up to your ears in planning the biggest day of your life.
So as a seasoned wedding guest (and now a proud husband), let me share with you the biggest thing I learnt from the experience.
The things you think will matter don’t matter as much as you think
Just like you, I got more and more nervous as the big day approached. Will it all go to plan? Will the food be good? Will the venue let us down (no, we used my parent’s back garden!)? Will this… Will that…?
It was exhausting!
But looking back, none of those eventualities happened. Everyone who mattered showed up (phew!), I can barely remember what the ceremony flowers looked like, and the scrummy food has long filled my tummy.
So what matters now is what I remember and how I know I felt on the day.
And the single biggest influence on that (apart from my wife of course) was the entertainment.
OK!
I know, and I apologise in advance because it will probably sound biased, but I stand behind my wedding day conclusion.
DON’T SKIMP ON THE WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT!
As an entertainer, it’s my passion to make people smile.
Smiles are important to Jordan too because she’s a wedding photographer – so she’s usually on the other side of the camera too.
It means we both have first-hand experience of knowing what makes a great picture – and what keeps your guests talking about YOUR wedding long after the throwing of your bouquet and the waving off on your honeymoon.
You guessed it 🙂
It’s the entertainment – for lots of reasons.
Wedding entertainment provides a focal point. It creates a shared experience. It prevents those awkward silences when two strangers have no clue what to say to each other. It avoids you being stuck next to Aunt Maud when you desperately want to grab another drink, and it means you don’t have to worry about what mischief or disruption your cousin’s noisy kids are going to cause!
Entertainment creates a unique atmosphere. It brings people together. Gets people talking, laughing, dancing, smiling, and interacting.
You name it; great entertainment will bring out the best in all your guests and ensure they (and therefore you) have the best time ever.
It’s why we invested so heavily in keeping our guests entertained.
- We had a comedy waiter (who was hilarious) during the drinks reception.
- Two bands played different musical styles.
- A silhouette artist who had us mesmerised.
We even had a Close Up Magician (and no it wasn’t me) organised as a surprise by Jordan. (I hate to say it, but he was actually brilliant!)
In other words, we hired a whole collection of contrasting acts, which constantly shook up the wedding day vibe and ensured there were surprises and laughs around every corner.
Our guests loved it (so did we) because there was always something different going on.
It means our wedding photos are just fabulous because everyone was having such a brilliant time!
I know you shouldn’t compare, but…
The difference that awesome wedding entertainment can make to your big day was reinforced shortly after when Jordan and I attended someone else’s wedding.
The venue was beautiful (and probably expensive), the food was spectacular (and probably expensive), but the entertainment was pretty non-existent. As a result, guests had to fend for themselves and quietly splintered off into their own little pockets for private conversations and twiddling thumbs.
There was some music later on but by that time most people were pretty bored and it was too late to unite everyone as one big wedding party. It was a good day, but it was just another wedding.
There wasn’t anything particularly special or magical that I’ll remember forever.
If only they’d spent a little of their budget on the wedding entertainment and compromised on things that don’t matter longer-term…
So here’s what I learned from my wedding
INVEST IN PEOPLE WHO WILL MAKE YOUR AUDIENCE, LAUGH, SMILE, AND COME TOGETHER
You’ll never regret a penny spent on giving your guests a good time – because you’ll benefit from amazing photos, piles of feedback about your awesome wedding, and amazing memories of a day that was perfect and that you’ll treasure forever.
When it comes to picking wedding entertainment, of course, you should put a good magician at the top of your list (and now that my honeymoon is over I am available to hire!) 🙂
But in addition, consider what other unusual acts and entertainment you can throw into the mix to create a day that you (or your guests) will never EVER forget.
I promise you’ll be glad you did.
CLICK HERE to grab a quote and find out how I can help make your big day as memorable and amazing as you hope.
