Even after all these years I am still surprised at the amount of a wedding budget which is spent on ‘icing the cake’ instead of ‘creating an amazing cake’.
I’m not talking about actual cakes here but the overall atmosphere and success of your Wedding Day. At it’s most basic a Wedding is 2 people choosing to share the rest of their life together and celebrating that occasion with their friends and family. That’s the core of it. It’s about 2 people, their friends and family. The greatest, most powerful and longest lasting memories are created by using the positive emotion and happiness in the room and building on that. To do this requires input from people using their talent and ability to build that emotion and of course the involvement of all of your guests. Once you have that sorted you already have an amazing occasion (or ‘cake’) and can then think about the ‘icing’.
By ‘Icing’ I mean the pretty things. The lighting, the extra flowers and yes – the actual cake!
I spend a lot of time with my clients to discuss ways to produce some amazing ‘Spotlight Moments’ which focus the occasion on the Couple and create those special memories. To see tears of joy and laughter on the faces of guests BEFORE the Couple even make their Grand Entrance is wonderful. To see the emotional involvement which is created by using music played at the right time, the right volume and of high quality is extremely rewarding. For a Couple making their Entrance to their guests clapping and cheering at the height of their emotions is something which just cannot be bought – its a talent.
Today I saw a video on YouTube which was shared on Facebook. It shows a Church Wedding in the USA. Towards the end of the Service the Priest, instead of bringing the proceedings to a close starts to sing. He has a good voice, a very good voice. But what really does it is that he has re-written the song (Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen) and personalised the words to the Bride and Groom in front of him. The reaction of the Couple and their guests starts with surprise, then delight, laughter and amazement. At the end he has touched every guest with his talent.
That’s the difference really between hiring someone who just does a job and hiring someone who is passionate about providing the best experience for their clients. It doesnt matter whether it is a Priest, your Photographer, your Master of Ceremonies or your DJ – passion, talent and an overwhelming desire to give the very best you can – that’s what really counts.
The daft thing is – it costs little or no extra to use these talented professionals. They are all things you need to book anyway. What these people do though is help create the most amazing day of your life for you and for your guests. And that is real value, whichever way you look at it.
Please have a look at the video (it works best full screen).