Have you ever thought of having a caricature artist at your reception? It’s such a great and unexpected way to entertain your guests and they can take home a really great favor that they LOVE!

Here are a few more fun and quirky ideas:

• Caricature Artist
  Goofy Faces was a really great resource when we need one in New Orleans and have artists available nationwide.
• Cotton Candy Machine, Sno-Cones Stands
  Check with your caterer first, however there are several rental companies that offer these great treats. Just hire someone to man the station so it doesn’t get too messy. (on a side note, make sure to get colorless flavors so you don’t have blue lips from slurping on your bubblegum flavored sno-cone.)
• Strolling Tables
  Trade in butler passed hors d’oeuvres for a strolling table. It’s a fantastic way to serve your guests during the cocktail hour. Not sure what I’m talking about? Take a peak at the photo below of J & D Entertainment‘s custom creation and you will love the idea!
• Moon Bounce (yes, a moon bounce).
  For an indoor-outdoor affair with a lot of kids or for the young at heart, a moon bounce can be pretty entertaining.
• Dance Troupe
  Whether it’s tradition or just for the fun of it, incorporating a dance troupe is a great way to be introduced into your reception or even as a way to open the dance floor.
• Cigar Roller
  

Strolling Table by J & D Entertainment

These are only a few suggestions to get you started and will hopefully get you to think outside of the box in order to create an environment that you will love and keep your guests entertained!

Happy Monday!!!  It seems like we just started the New Year and it’s already the last day of February.  Time sure flies when you’re having fun!  For the month of March we’re going to focus on entertainment.  We love to help our brides think beyond the traditional DJ or wedding band.

Your guests love to be entertained of course!  We enjoy the fine details of entertainment and once we put our heads together with our brides, we have stellar results.  In the past we’ve had a Nigerian dance troupe, an acapella group pose as guests while spontaneously bursting into song, and a Chinese dragon dance; just to name a few.  Think outside the box!

Finally, I’ll quote Courtney whose wedding is featured below,  “I don’t know if this is appropriate to say because it’s my own wedding but, THIS IS THE BEST WEDDING I’VE EVER BEEN TO!”

We hope that you as well as all of us here at the office are determined to making this a great week. We’ve given you some inside scoop into venue searching and some of the characteristics you look for such as: location, capacity, and cost. SJE has been preparing and planning our upcoming weddings, two of which happen to be at Hotel Zaza. So we ask, what’s made Zaza so popular amongst brides?

1. They offer a variety of rooms available for any event. You can choose from their grand Phantom Ballroom to their Piano Man room. Our conclusion, the more options, the better!

2. Beautiful decorations and furniture with an artistic touch that illuminate the hotel.

3. And last but not least, who wouldn’t love a day at the spa? Hotel Zaza offers their ZaSpa as a great way to celebrate your wedding with your bridesmaids and closest friends. Just what a girl needs to relax a couple days before the big day!

Click here ~~~~>ATMOSPHERE

Happy Monday SJE blog fans!   I hope you enjoyed your Super Bowl weekend.  If your guy proposed, then CONGRATS!!!  Today I’ll be highlighting Venues.  Three things to consider when selecting your reception venue are capacity, location, and cost.

Capacity

How many people can your venue hold comfortably?  Sometimes when you visit a venue, you are given the capacity that the space can hold by the venue manager.  However, if that number gives you a pause, then you might be in for a tight fit.  A wedding planner can plan the space with you down to the exact the floor plan you’ll have on your wedding day.  Sometimes we (wedding planners) can take a look at a space and determine that your dream won’t be fulfilled in your chosen space.

Location

Obviously, if you have guests traveling from out of town you’ll want to skip long treks across the city for your guests.  If your ceremony is at one end of the city and your reception at the other, it can be a pain and an additional expense (for you) to transport your guests comfortably to the final destination.  But if your heart is set on a specific venue that’s far from your ceremony your wedding planner can help you make the transition a smooth one.

Cost

Finally it all boils down to the cost.  You may have booked your venue simply because it was the least expensive option you could find.  Maybe they cut a great deal for you and you couldn’t say no.  A wedding planner can review the contract with you and help you determine what you are more likely to actually spend on that “cheap” venue.

As February approaches, we are excited to share just about the sweetest and latest wedding tips and advice throughout this month. There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day is on everyone’s minds and the romantics of this world are hoping to celebrate with a special someone. As pink and red hearts decorate the loving nature of this month, and roses become of exceptional importance, couples may not always be as eager to celebrate the occasion, as many of us might assume. Boyfriends may be a nervous wreck planning a unique proposal, while girlfriends anxiously anticipate the moment when this all may become a reality. Meanwhile, singles dread the middle of the month. All in all, the love that this month brings should be celebrated, whether it’s with your family or your closest friends.

As you may recall, last month we featured a section titled “I’m engaged, now what?”, which guided brides-to-be to their first steps of wedding planning. One of the items we mentioned included finding your venue. We all know that “location, location, location” is important, but what other characteristics should brides be on the look out for when touring venues? Keep reading our blogs throughout the month as we provide the inside scoop for selecting your best reception spot!

Newly engaged wedding couples are always looking for ways to “cut back” on their wedding costs. Even after formulating a budget, every couple will have a list of things that are just “must haves.” Depending on your personal preference, you can eliminate the cost of alcohol altogether if you are looking to have a “dry” wedding. However, there are ways you can still save money by being selective on the what drinks are served on your special day.

• Choose to limit what you serve to beer and wine, excluding mixed drinks which can be more expensive.
• Have only soft drinks and/or wine available during dinner. This will allow your guests to limit their consumption, if this is something you are worried about.
• Serve mocktails that look tasty and colorful. Guests of all ages will be able to enjoy these!

It’sFriday, SJE Fans!  We hope you stay cool this weekend.  Every Friday this month has been focused on an aspect of food for weddings.  Today I’d like to highlight just a few points about a buffet versus a sit down dinner.

Advantages of the buffet meal:

• If you want your reception to be more casual and laid back, a buffet might be a great choice because guests will probably feel more comfortable.
• Buffets are usually** less expensive than sit down dinners. There’s no wait staff to pay, and the food is often cheaper.
• You can offer your guests a variety of food choices. Aunt Pearl will be satisfied with the meat and potatoes, and your vegetarian cousin Sunny will be happy with the veggie lasagna. People enjoy having a bounty of food to choose from.
• Buffets encourage mingling. They force people to get up from their table, at least once!

Advantages of the sit down meal:

• If you want your reception to be formal and elegant, the sit down meal may be the better choice. Picky guests will be impressed.
• Guests don’t have to work for their food! Elderly guests and people who have small children will benefit from this.
• For guests who have traveled a long distance, it may feel appropriate to feed them with a more formal meal.
• You don’t have to worry about running out of food.
• Guests don’t have to worry as much about making a mess on their nice clothing while they carry their food to their seats.

***Having a buffet is not always less expensive than sit-down service, as you’ll need to order more food than you would otherwise.

1.   Cookie display.  You could have small cartons of milk chilling on ice to make the display complete.

2.  Soda Fountain.  How about an old fashioned soda fountain display where guests can make their own floats?

3. Sundae Station.  Allow guests the opportunity to embellish their own ice cream sundaes with all the trimmings!

4. Salty Treats.  Maybe you or your fiancee love trail mix, pretzels, and potato chips.  Let guests pack a snack for later!

I hope you were inspired!  Don’t eat too much this weekend.

Hello Simply Jubilee bloggers and welcome to another Feature Friday. When planning a wedding it may be simple to overlook some important details that may be a serious problem the day of your wedding, such as unpredictable weather. In order to avoid the possibility of undesirable weather, typically rain in the Houston area, there are some cautionary steps you can take to avoid this from happening. Consider the month that your wedding will take place and figure out what the weather is typically like. If it is a month that usually has inclement weather, you may want to make some changes. Below is a list with the best tips:

Once You Have Settled with your Decision:

1. Discuss the topic with you wedding planner, they are familiar with these types of situations and can always provide advice that will suit your individual wedding best.

2. It is common to also include a tent as a part of your rentals, however this may be too costly for some brides and a tent is usually only good if flooring is also included. Therefore an alternative to this would be to ensure that if your ceremony is going to be held outside, that there is space inside where the reception will be held to accommodate for the ceremony if necessary.

3.  Include umbrellas as part of your wedding design that your guests can use. Choose colors for the umbrellas that would go well with your wedding colors and would look great to photograph. Rainy days have been the cause of very romantic and distinctive photos.

If it turns out that a mist or rain still occurs on your special day, many believe it is actually a sign of good luck and a long lasting marriage.