I just found this video on idosugar.com and had to share it with you.  I promise it's not another first dance video.

 

I just heard from the casting director for Rock the Reception - that new show on TLC I wrote about earlier this week.  As one of the readers posted, they are looking for two couples getting married next month (July 2008) in or around Los Angeles, though they would consider couples in other areas of the country if their application is great. 

Over the past 6 months I’ve posted over a half dozen first dance videos from Thriller to Dirty Dancing to Baby's Got Back.  If you and your fiancé would like to perform a show-stopping dance at your wedding reception, but don’t know how to choreograph your first dance, you can apply for the new TLC reality show, Rock the Reception.

 

The show will pair engaged couples with “top notch choreographers who will turn your first dance to an unforgettable production.”  To apply, send the following information to CASTING@BNENT.COM:

 

• A picture of the Bride & Groom
• Bride's name, age, & contact info
• Groom's name, age, & contact info
• The date of your wedding
• The city you live in
• The city your reception will be in
• How many people will be in the bridal party?
• What's your ideal first dance song and why?
• Briefly describe yourselves & tell them why they should pick you for this amazing experience
  

Good luck!

iVillage is not a sponsor and is not responsible for the casting of Rock the Reception.  For additional information, please email casting@bnent.com.

 

I found this first dance video on IDoSugar.  I think this couple couldn't decide what type of dance to do, so they decided to do every type of dance they could think of.  It's a little long at just over 6 minutes, but it's very cute.


Awesome First Dance Wedding Video - Watch more free videos

Since I saw a preview of Made of Honor last week, this past weekend we went to see Iron Man.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with weddings.  I’m sure your fiance will appreciate you going with him to a non-chick flick, and I promise you’ll enjoy it.  It was amazing!

 

But if you did get to see Made of Honor this weekend (this is not a spoiler, so feel free to keep reading) you know that the bride is engaged to a Scottish gentleman, and they decide to get married in Scotland.

 

The couple chooses a variety of Scottish traditions to include in the wedding festivities: a pre-wedding sporting event, the menu, attire and music. Whether you’re getting married in a foreign country or not, you may want to include cultural traditions in your wedding.  These traditions can come from your family, the groom’s family, or just pick a tradition you like and make it your “something borrowed.”

 

I love the idea of having music represent a family’s heritage/culture.  From klezmer bands during the cocktail hour to bagpipes at the ceremony, there are a myriad of options available.

 

At a Scotland Tourism event I attended last month I had the privilege of trying two Scottish cocktails – which I’ll write about tomorrow – and also hearing an amazing Scottish band: Red Hot Chilli Pipers.  That’s right bagpipers. 

 

While traditional bagpipers in kilts are not an unfamiliar site at Scottish weddings in the US, this new take on a familiar cultural tradition will definitely add a unique element to your wedding. 

 

And no, I’m not suggesting that you only have bagpipers for your reception music.  Research local bands in your area and hire a cultural band for your cocktail hour or for part of your reception.  Unfortunately, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are based in Scotland, but maybe you could email them and ask them if they can recommend a band with a similar sound in the States.  Please let us know if you know of a great cultural band, I'm sure other brides would be interested in the information.

I’ve been putting this story off for a long time and I think it’s about time I tell it. 

 

So I went to this wedding and the DJ was awful.  He played the Hokey Pokey - that’s about as bad as it gets.  Anyway, the bridesmaids knew I worked in the wedding industry and kept asking me to “do something.”

 

At first I said, maybe this isn’t a dancing type party - but they assured me that it was dancing crowd.  So I went over to the DJ and made some song recommendations:  We Are Family, Celebrate - songs that would get a mostly older crowd (parents’ age, not grandparents’) on the dance floor.  Well first he puts on the Electric Slide - okay, a little Bar Mitzvah-y, but it got about 20 women on the dance floor.  After the Electric Slide he puts on the Hokey Pokey.  Well, we thought we would just die, so my sister turns to me and says get him to put on a normal song. 

 

So I go over to the DJ and he says after this we’ll have the Chicken Dance because he’s only one person and can’t DJ and MC at the same time.  So I say, “do you need me to help?”  And he says yes and hands me the mic.  So now I’m the MC.

 

Well after getting the crowd to bear with us during this musical glitch, he finally puts on Celebrate and We Are Family and some other 70s songs and I still have the mic.  So I’m walking/dancing around the room, singing in the mic and trying to get the crowd - including the bride and groom - on the dance floor.  So this went on for about 15 minutes and then we had the cake cutting, which I also announced.

 

Well I had the time of my life and my family is split on whether I did a good or bad thing.  Half of them say that it got the party started - the dance floor was packed with people for those 15 minutes.  The other half says that I shouldn’t have interfered even though the DJ was a disaster it wasn’t my place.  And incase you were wondering, no, I was not drunk.

 

So here’s the moral of the story:  If you and your groom are not on the dance floor, don’t be surprised if your guests don’t get on the dance floor.  They are taking your lead, so if you’re not big dancers, you may want to forgo the big band and just stick to a formal dinner with background music or have a fun cocktails and dessert party.

I know this isn’t really a wedding themed movie, but there have been thousands – and possibly millions - of weddings that have been inspired by it. I know I was.

If you’ve ever seen the movie, then you know that many father-daughter/mother-son dances have been set to Sunrise Sunset. It’s a very touching song and really appropriate for a wedding – especially parent dances.

For our wedding, I started dancing to Sunrise Sunset with my dad, and halfway thru Dave and his mom joined in. The song is appropriate for both, and we only danced to the one song, so our guests weren’t sitting down for more than a few minutes. I find that after the first few seconds of watching the parent dances the guests lose interest.

Anyway, since we’re on the topic of cultural traditions I thought this movie was appropriate for our Reel to Real series. And speaking of cultural traditions, another Jewish custom is to get married under a chuppah or wedding canopy. Some couples will have their florist create one, while others will make one from a tallis (prayer shawl).

Josey, the iVillage Love Senior Editor learned at the last minute that her chuppah had fallen through. So she and her groom decided to build one themselves. At first they were overwhelmed, but after some thought, they realized they loved the symbolism. Chuppahs symbolize the “home” the couple is building together—and, the week before their wedding, they literally built it! But first they had to figure out what supplies they would need and where to get them. Too bad Khris Cochran’s book, The DIY Bride, hadn’t come out yet.

In addition to the dozens of creative DIY projects in her book, Khris has an easy and very affordable project to create your own wedding canopy. I’ll tell you more about The DIY Bride book next week. But if you want, you can check out Khris’ site DIYBride.com to learn more.

Tomorrow’s the last day in the wedding flick series. Before I pick the movie to write about, do you have a favorite wedding film you think I should know about?

I don't know what's in the water, but everyone seems to be taking the choreographed first dance trend one step further.

I know I've shared with you the Thriller wedding dance, the Dirty Dancing first dance and other favorites, but I think this first dance to - should I ruin the surprise? Lets just say this bride's got back - is tied with Thriller as one of my favorite wedding first dances of all time!

What do you think? Would you surprise your guests with an untraditional first dance?

I went to the Conde Nast Bridal Dream House with 2 friends over the weekend. We sat for a lecture by Modern Bride and Elegant Bride’s editor-in-chief, Antonia Van der Meer on how to personalize your wedding, then got wedding flower advice from one of my favorite florists, Michelle Rago, and enjoyed some delicious cake by Ron Ben Israel.

After all the talk on how to make your wedding personal to both you and your fiancé, I was trying to figure out what I should write in today’s post to convey exactly what Toni, Michelle and Ron spoke to us about. And then I received an e-mail from my sister that said it perfectly.

Torey was forwarded a You Tube link of a couple’s “untraditional” first dance. What this couple did was exactly what every couple should do – they let their personalities come through. After starting off with a more traditional slow dance, the couple switched gears and got their party started. Click here to check out Holly and Joel’s first dance, and when you start to think about not just your first dance, but all of the details of your wedding, remember to make your wedding all about you and your groom.

I went to a wedding yesterday. The groom is one of Dave's closest friends. We took a lot of pictures, and I plan on posting them this week with some of the great ideas they planned.

Overall I have to say it was one of the nicest weddings we've ever been to. The food was delicious, the music was great and we had a fun time. The bride and groom made sure that their personalities were part of every detail.

The wedding was in DUMBO, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, and the theme of the wedding was New York, New York. While they didn’t name every table after a famous street (like I did at my NY, NY bat mitzvah), there were a lot of NYC elements including the ceremony which took place in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a New York City picture book served as their guest book and the last song of the night was Frank Sinatra’s New York – all the guests formed a Rockettes-type kick line.

One of my favorite moments was the bridal party and couple’s entrance. They chose Twist & Shout and when each person was announced they did The Twist. If you’re planning on making a big entrance talk to your DJ or band leader about playing a fun and unique song that’s very you. Elissa and Ian, who got married in August, played White Wedding by Billy Idol. What are you planning on being announced too?

When selecting music for your ceremony processional, think outside the music box. There is no rule that the bride must walk down the aisle to Here Comes the Bride.

You and your fiance should pick songs that mean something to you, and reflect your relationship. You can choose all love songs, songs by your favorite musician or you can select a potpourri of songs. If you are getting married in a house of worship make sure non-religious music is allowed to be played in the sanctuary.

If you live in the New York Metro area I recommend Curtis Music for your pre-ceremony, ceremony and cocktail hour. Gael Curtis will work with you to ensure that you choose beautiful songs for your walk down the aisle.

PS - Our wedding processional was to Broadway love songs, coincidentally my parents did to 30 years earlier. What are you thinking of walking down the aisle to?

Yesterday I was a bridesmaid at one of my oldest friend's wedding. And by coincidence my husband went to college with her husband. The wedding was beautiful and I took lots of pictures that I'll be posting in the next few days and weeks.

For those of you who know me, or have been reading this blog for awhile, know that I’m all about the cake. I love the wedding cake – partly because it’s fun to design, but also because I love cake.

Elissa and Ian’s cake was simple and elegant, as well as delicious, (chocolate is always a safe bet), and as you can see they did not smash the cake into each other’s face.

They’re on their honeymoon now so I can’t confirm this yet, but I think they played I Will by The Beatles as they came up to cut the cake. I highly recommend picking a fun and festive song for your cake cutting. My cake had crescent moons and stars on it so we cut the cake to Fly Me To the Moon.

Talk to your band or DJ about playing a fun song, or even something with the word “sweet” or “sugar” in the title – Sugar Sugar, Sweet Dreams, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Sweetest Thing, Sweet Love - for your cake cutting.

Help other brides find a great song for their wedding: What song are you thinking of cutting the cake to? Do you have a sweet-themed song you can add to this list?

Lets face it, a killer band or DJ can make or break your wedding. It's very important to find musicians who can play music that you, your parents and grandparents can enjoy and most importantly, music everyone can dance to.

Here are a few tips on hiring and working with a wedding band or DJ:

1 - What type of music will your guests enjoy? Like most couples, your guest list will be multi-generational so look for a band that can play music from the 40s through the 60s, 70s and today's top hits too. If you are only inviting your friends, you should find a group that specializes in contemporary music, or your favorite genre - swing, country, salsa, etc...

2 - Don't take their word for it. Ask to see them perform. Many bands and DJs perform at showcases where brides and grooms can hear and see a band's music as well as how they interact with an audience.

3 - The Play and Do Not Play Lists. Go over song playlists with family and friends to make sure the one song your mom has to have played is accounted for - and explain that requests will not be allowed at the wedding. Don’t take the chance that mom, dad or any of your guests will request the “Funky Chicken.”

If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area check out Absolute Entertainment. With a roster of DJs, classical musicians, vocalists and a variety of reception bands including: party, swing, country and latin bands, they can provide entertainment from the ceremony to cocktail hour and through the reception.

Is there a song you definitely don't want played at your wedding? Add your Do Not Playlist to ours.

While online at Shop Rite last night I grabbed a copy of People magazine's special Weddings issue and started flipping through. The entire issue is dedicated to real weddings.

There are pictures of couples who were inspired by celebrity weddings - The Trumps, Christina Aguilera, Pink, The Costners - and amazing stories of proposals, overcoming obstacles and of course bridesmaid dresses gone bad.

But my absolute favorite feature was the two-page spread on "Dancing Like the Stars." These brides and grooms took their favorite dances from videos and movies and choreographed their first dances after them.

My two favorites are the bridal party, with the bride and groom, who performed the dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller video, and the couple who recreated the final dance from Dirty Dancing. (Click the links above to watch the dances from each wedding.)

These brides and grooms definitely had the time of their lives, and even if you don't think you could recreate a song and dance routine like they did at your wedding, watch the videos for a great laugh with your fiance.

The best thing I ever did for my wedding was force my fiance, now husband of 4 years, to take dance lessons.

Like most grooms, Dave was not interested in learning the fox-trot, but after a few classes with a private instructor we weren't all that bad.

Your first dance doesn't have to be the traditional hug and sway. You can tango, swing or waltz your way across the floor and impress your guests with your new moves.

Visit a local dance school and talk to an instructor about what you want to dance to. Take at least 6 lessons to make sure you won't be stepping on each other's toes, and practice, practice, practice. Don't forget to practice while breaking in your wedding shoes - there's no superstition about seeing the bride's wedding shoes before the wedding - and get comfortable dancing in them.

Wedding Tip: Have your dance teacher score the bottom of both your shoes and the groom's so your first dance goes off without a slip.

PS - That's me and my hubby dancing to "It Had to be You" by Harry Connick, Jr. We took private lessons with Teddy Kern at Dance Manhattan in New York City.