Wedding Ceremony & Reception | 8 February 2015 | Catherine & Marcus | Tumbling Waters Retreat, Stanwell Tops

Catherine and Marcus are a beautiful couple who currently live and work in London. They met through a couple of match-making friends and it was not long after that they realised they were falling in love with each other. They spent the next year traveling Europe and enjoying many adventures, fun times and falling deeper and deeper in love, before moving in together. But it was not until a trip to the United States, whilst visiting New York’s Central Park, that Marcus dropped to one knee and asked Catherine to be his wife.

Fast forward to 8 February 2015, the day Catherine and Marcus selected to exchange vows and become husband and wife. Tumbling Waters Retreat, which is perched on the edge of an escarpment at Stanwell Tops, located just north of Wollongong, was selected as the location for the ceremony and reception. With it’s beautiful private gardens, spectacular views and a glorious sunny day, it was just the ideal location for them to begin their journey as a married couple and to host an intimate celebration with their closest family and friends.

The ceremony, beautifully officiated by Rebecca Ramsay, was full of much love, laughter and smiles. Catherine looked stunning in her lace gown and lovely veil, whilst Marcus looked very suave and handsome in his bluish suit. Supported by longtime school friends and a work colleague, the entire wedding party looked elegant and stylish.

Following the ceremony guests enjoyed some refreshments and canapés before being seated and then welcoming Catherine, Marcus and their wedding party. Everybody enjoyed a delicious meal, great company lovely speeches, the cutting of the cake, Catherine & Marcus's first dance, dancing and a room which was overflowing with love and happiness. All too soon it was almost time to farewell Catherine & Marcus, but not before a beautiful father daughter dance, a final dance joined by all their guests and a guard of honour as they departed.

Catherine and Marcus are a truly awesome couple who are so deeply in love. With the help of Catherine’s mum Maria, they created a wedding that was a joyous celebration – I look forward to seeing all the amazing professional photographs captured by Anna Blackman. It was such an honour to be granted the privilege of witnessing your life long commitment and to be your Wollongong Wedding DJ & MC. Catherine & Marcus I wish you a marriage, filled with loads of joy, love and care. The love you share, is immense and sweet. May your love never fade away. May your feelings and emotions for each other only grow deeper and stronger with time. May love, laughter and music fill your lives forever!!!

Photography and Video by DJ:Plus! Entertainment

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Songs selected by Bride and Groom;

• Bridesmaid Processional:  "Spring" by Vivaldi

• Brides Processional:  "Canon in D" by Pachelbel

• Register Signing: "Everything" by Michael Buble, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye

• Recessional: "You're The First, My Last, My Everything" by Barry White

• Bridesmaids & Groomsmen Entry: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen

•  Bride & Groom Entry: "You Are The Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne

• Cake Cutting: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

• First Dance: "Real Love" by Regina Spektor

• Father/Daughter Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra

• Farewell Dance: "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

• Final Farewell Song: "Ho Hey" by Lumineers

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Other Wedding Professionals

Celebrant: Rebecca:Celebrant   Facebook

Photographer: Anna Blackman Images    Facebook 

Florist: Bunches

Cake Designer: I Want Cake

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Wedding Tip - Wedding Party Introductions & Entrance

Everyone knows that weddings are all about the bride (and maybe just a tiny little bit about the groom). Most couples also select a number of special people to be in their wedding party (also known as the bridal party). The wedding party are not only the people who the bride and groom count on to help with the planning, but also are the ones that they wish by their side when they walk down the aisle and say their vows. They generally include sisters, brothers and/or closest friends and all certainly play an important part in a wedding, and whilst mostly behind the scenes, it is always lovely to recognise all their efforts.

So how do you go about acknowledging their efforts? One of the most common ways to show them how much you appreciate them, is to include details when introducing them as they enter the reception. Of course there are also creative fun ways to introduce those that have been given this honour to all your guests, and there are certainly also other easy ways to show your appreciation which does not involve an introduction, however this post will focus on the introduction.

Traditional Introductions

Ensure that your MC knows the correct order the individual members of the wedding party will be entering, as well as how to pronounce their names. (A professional and experienced MC will naturally ask for this information during scheduled planning sessions in the lead up to the wedding day). At a minimum the MC should introduce each person by their first and last name and mention the role they have in the wedding party. If you wish a more personalised introduction, consider adding how they each know the bride or groom, their occupation, hobbies or interests, other relevant information and some fun facts.

I have seen some couples include information about the wedding party in the Order Of Service Booklet, or similar, for your guests to read, and whilst this is helpful, it can be impersonal and doesn’t give guests any way of putting names to faces.  If you are contemplating doing this, consider including a small photo next to each member’s name along with a short biography.  But to me, a wedding is about the joining of two families. The celebration should make everybody feel included and the best way to do this is to have the MC introduce the wedding party.

But to me, a wedding is about the start of a new relationship between two families and not all the guests will know all those in the wedding party and how they are connected to the bride and groom. The wedding celebration should make everybody feel included and engage guests from the very start of the reception, and the best way to do this is to have the MC introduce the wedding party.

Tips for Formal Introductions

Ensure your wedding party is comfortable with each other - often they may not all know each other and may only meet just before the ceremony. If practical, it may be a good idea to organise a social event a few weeks before the wedding so they can spend some time to become more acquainted. They will be together for a significant part of the wedding day, so it is important that they get along with each other and enjoy the experience.

You and the Wedding Party should enter the reception excited - when your guests see you and your wedding party having a great time, they will be so much more excited and will more eagerly participate in the festivities.

Communicate with your MC - a professional will have a multitude of great ideas and fun ways on how to personalise and spice up the introductions.

Creative & Fun Introductions

Encourage your wedding party to do something fun as they enter the reception.  As an example, they could all perform a different dance routine as they enter and they may waltz, tango, jive, twist, shimmy or even moonwalk their way into the reception. Letting each couple decide which dance move they want to use for their entrance is a great idea as the couple will be more motivated to give it their all if they have had input into how they enter.

Use props: find toys, colourful wigs, costumes or other props which complement your theme and have your wedding party use them during their introduction.

However you decide to do the wedding party introductions, please be open to all ideas as the results can be truly amazing. Personally, I just love to explore the different possible options with my couples to kick off the reception in a fun energetic way whilst bringing the two families together and setting a tone that it will be a truly enjoyable and memorable wedding celebration.

Images: True Photography, Daniel Krieger Photography, Dream Love Wedding Photography, Cinisa.com, Ryan Smith Photography, Menning Photographic, Dennis Drenner Photography

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Australian Bridal Industry Awards | 2 December 2014

On Tuesday 2 December 2014, DJ:Plus! Entertainment was once again recognised as one of the state’s Best Wedding MC & DJ Entertainers by ABIA at the 18th NSW Annual Bridal Industry Awards. Taking out runner-up in the Master Of Ceremonies Category, DJ:Plus! Entertainment was also a finalist in the Disc Jockey and Ceremony Music Categories. Consistently a finalist or winner each and every year since 2001, DJ:Plus! Entertainment's continued success at these prestigious awards is a testament to the passion and hard work invested into each and every wedding that I am given the honour to be a part of.

The Australian Bridal Industry Awards are voted on by newlyweds rating and reviewing suppliers based on the ‘Quality of Product’, ‘Quality of Service’, ‘Value for Money’ and ‘Attitude of Staff’ of each of the nominated wedding suppliers. The ratings are collated and used to determine who were, in the opinion of the voting newlyweds, the best suppliers of each wedding category.

I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my beautiful brides & grooms that took the time to provide feedback on their wedding experience using my services to ABIA. You all give the greatest honour to be a part of this milestone event in your lives, it is something which means the world to me and something which I never take for granted. I look forward to help create many more wonderful memories throughout 2015 and beyond.

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