The Wedding
DJ & MC
The entertainment is mostly what guests remember. The music makes or breaks the party. We are going with Party Pleasers due to their great reviews and experience with many multi-cultural weddings. Our DJ and MC are culturally sensitive and that was important to us. They have regularly been praised by Western brides, of course, but also Indian, Korean, Chinese, and Cantonese brides.
Music
Our guests span different generations and have a variety tastes. In response to that, we will have a variety of Cha-Cha and Waltz, favorite dances among Vietnamese couples in our parents' generation, as well as club music later in the evening for the younger crowd. We wanted an interactive reception. This variety would give everyone an opportunity to dance.
Music Selections
Outside of Baroque music and NPR, I'm not much of a music person. FI is a little better because he also listens to some classic rock. Neither of our tastes are really wedding-like. So we needed help! We asked via email and incorporated suggestions from family and friends who contributed their tastes. Here were the results:
GENERAL SLOW SONGS
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
Hotel California by Eagles
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra
Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
Yesterday, All You Need is Love by The Beatles
Everytime We Touch by Cascada
Kokomo by The Beach Boys
3/4 WALTZ
If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red
Can't Help Falling in Love by Andrea Bocelli
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman by Bryan Adams
4/4 MEDIUM
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
4/4 FAST
I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
TANGO
She Bangs by Ricky Martin
CHA CHA
Sway by Pussycat DollsOR Michael Buble
Viet artists
TWIST
Twist and Shout by The Beatles
The Twist by Chubby Checker
Let's Twist Again by Chubby Checker
OTHER SONGS
Thriller OR Billie Jean OR Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
Dancing Queen by ABBA
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
Jump on It by Sir Mix a Lot
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
YMCA by The Village People
Shout by Isley Brothers
INTERACTIVE SONGS
Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer
We are Family by Sister Sledge
Celebration by Kool and the Gang
MODERN
Let DJ decide (Top 40 from past 5 yrs)
GENERAL SLOW SONGS
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
Hotel California by Eagles
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra
Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper
Yesterday, All You Need is Love by The Beatles
Everytime We Touch by Cascada
Kokomo by The Beach Boys
3/4 WALTZ
If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red
Can't Help Falling in Love by Andrea Bocelli
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman by Bryan Adams
4/4 MEDIUM
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
4/4 FAST
I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
TANGO
She Bangs by Ricky Martin
CHA CHA
Sway by Pussycat DollsOR Michael Buble
Viet artists
TWIST
Twist and Shout by The Beatles
The Twist by Chubby Checker
Let's Twist Again by Chubby Checker
OTHER SONGS
Thriller OR Billie Jean OR Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
Dancing Queen by ABBA
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
Jump on It by Sir Mix a Lot
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
YMCA by The Village People
Shout by Isley Brothers
INTERACTIVE SONGS
Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer
We are Family by Sister Sledge
Celebration by Kool and the Gang
MODERN
Let DJ decide (Top 40 from past 5 yrs)
Uplighting
We weren't aware of what professional lights were until we met with Party Pleasers. Once we saw videos of how they are incorporated into a reception, we realized how little effect flowers would make next to the mood that lights can make to a celebration. I was sold. It made sense to us to invest less in flowers and more into the lighting.
We are going with these party lights with the images below in the respective order (left to right):
No problem if you don't have a professional lighting company. I recommend as a cost effective and easy mood creator to dim the lights during dinner to give a romantic ambiance.
We are going with these party lights with the images below in the respective order (left to right):
- A spotlight to track important actions during the evening
- Cake and ice sculpture pin lighting for emphasis
- A few uplighting on walls
- Party lights on dance floor
- Confetti shoot on all the guests during the kickoff of the dance night
No problem if you don't have a professional lighting company. I recommend as a cost effective and easy mood creator to dim the lights during dinner to give a romantic ambiance.
Slideshow
I spent a lot of time and effort scanning our childhood photos. It needed to be backed up, anyway. We're playing it during the toasts.
Father-Daughter & Mother-Son Dances
While we love tradition, there's one that doesn't matter too much to us, and that would be the Father-Daughter, Mother-Son Dance. We're going to skip them.
First Dance
We're doing a semi-choreographed First Dance, which is an alternative to an awkward one. Ours will be a foxtrot to Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon.
Bouquet Toss
I love the bouquet toss. But I always got sad at weddings at any of these outcomes:
So we're doing it with a spin as I saw from Martha Stewart Weddings. Instead of one bouquet, we have 4 bouquets, each with a quote attached to it. We'll invite all girls whether married or single. Leave no woman behind!
- The bouquet is thrown too low and the person in the front row catches it immediately without any thrill
- The bouquet falls to the floor and no one wants to appear desperate and dive for it
- Only one lucky lady gets the bouquet and someone with high anticipation gets disappointed
So we're doing it with a spin as I saw from Martha Stewart Weddings. Instead of one bouquet, we have 4 bouquets, each with a quote attached to it. We'll invite all girls whether married or single. Leave no woman behind!
Here are the 4 quotes I had chosen:
1. We cannot do great things on this Earth; only small things through great love.
— Mother Teresa
2. The woman is at the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace in the world.
— Mother Teresa
3. St. John Chrysostom suggests that young husbands should say to their wives:
«I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us.... I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.»
4. If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2
1. We cannot do great things on this Earth; only small things through great love.
— Mother Teresa
2. The woman is at the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace in the world.
— Mother Teresa
3. St. John Chrysostom suggests that young husbands should say to their wives:
«I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us.... I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.»
4. If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2
Garter Toss
For the garter toss, I know that many fellow brides suggest doing away with it because in this day and age, the wedding night isn't like it used to be. For some guests it's just plain awkward to watch. But for FI and I, the garter toss would still be risque to us and enjoyable to do, so we just can't bare to do away with this cheesy tradition. But with a spin!
To make it less uncomfortable for our audience, we'll introduce a creative humor element to it: FI will be wearing an indoor-pool scuba gear.
I also want the MC make clear that everyone is invited for the garter toss and that whoever catches it will not be paired together. No one will want to participate if they think they'll be paired at the end. That's awkward.
To make it less uncomfortable for our audience, we'll introduce a creative humor element to it: FI will be wearing an indoor-pool scuba gear.
I also want the MC make clear that everyone is invited for the garter toss and that whoever catches it will not be paired together. No one will want to participate if they think they'll be paired at the end. That's awkward.
Pig Toss
For our youngest guests, after the bouquet and garter tosses we will have a pig toss. (In our family, we're known as pigs and our future children are referred to as piglets. Don't ask.) The pig we got is from TY Beanie Babies named Knuckles the Pig (now retired). While we like kids to always go first, we decided for the kids to go after the grown-ups this time, that way the shy ones can watch and learn from the grown-ups to gain the confidence to go up and participate.
Planning Tips
TIP: I have been warned by brides to do a thorough background check on DJs/MCs. Read reviews, meet the actual DJ and MC beforehand, and watch video clips. Imagine a renegade DJ: playing the wrong First Dance song, introducing the wedding party with wrong names, skipping the bouquet toss, telling people to start lining up for food at the wrong time. Or imagine a poor humored MC. That would be a tragedy on your day. The life of the party is dependent on the DJ/MC.
TIP: You wouldn't think this first but having a pair of flats or flip flops to dance or go home in was a saver for many brides. Don't let your feet scream at the honeymoon.
TIP: If you are a multi-dress bride, assign a trusted friend or BM to take care of your dresses.
TIP: For professional lighting options, if nothing else, I suggest to brides to consider having a spotlight. A common complaint of brides is that guests were still talking and ignoring the toasts, they didn't know when the cake cutting was happening, and so on. The spotlight really helps avoid that.
TIP: If you are doing a bouquet toss but want to keep your bouquet, make sure you have a second one specifically for tossing.
TIP: From what I could gather, most brides have said what saved them the most was blister band-aids for their feet and safety pins, binder clips, and double-sided fashion tape for undone bustles and other mishaps. So pile those up in the emergency kit!
TIP: You wouldn't think this first but having a pair of flats or flip flops to dance or go home in was a saver for many brides. Don't let your feet scream at the honeymoon.
TIP: If you are a multi-dress bride, assign a trusted friend or BM to take care of your dresses.
TIP: For professional lighting options, if nothing else, I suggest to brides to consider having a spotlight. A common complaint of brides is that guests were still talking and ignoring the toasts, they didn't know when the cake cutting was happening, and so on. The spotlight really helps avoid that.
TIP: If you are doing a bouquet toss but want to keep your bouquet, make sure you have a second one specifically for tossing.
TIP: From what I could gather, most brides have said what saved them the most was blister band-aids for their feet and safety pins, binder clips, and double-sided fashion tape for undone bustles and other mishaps. So pile those up in the emergency kit!
Resources
My Vendors
Entertainment
DJ, MC, Uplighting: Party Pleasers | Reading Bridal District, Cincinnati, Ohio
Pig Toss: TY Beanie Babies
DJ, MC, Uplighting: Party Pleasers | Reading Bridal District, Cincinnati, Ohio
Pig Toss: TY Beanie Babies
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