Guest Blogger Profile: Simon Daykin

Simon says to think of your favorite bar when planning your wedding decor

Some of my grooms come to me complaining…”Simon”, they say…”Simon…my fiancé wants all this décor in the room and she keeps talking about atmosphere and what not, all I want is for people to have a good time and I don’t care about all this décor stuff!”  To which I say, “Dude, the décor in a room directly translates to the enjoyment people have.”  Then I have them describe their favorite bar…and guess what?  Yup, they tell me all about the stuff on the walls, the booths and the way the lights shine on the bar and glint off the lovely bottles of fun time juice.  Guess what fellas, that’d be décor!  Décor plays a huge part in how people feel in a space.

A Whole New World

The right décor can take a space, a normal boring space and turn it into a whole new world for your guests.  Take a basic hall, laminate floor, cinder block walls, you know what I mean.  Now add some pipe and drape to the walls, a tented ceiling, some cool lighting, low couches and big pillows and you have an Arabian tent.  Like I said…a whole new world.  Just because your original space is uninspiring, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.  Just a word of caution, if you’re gonna go for a tented ceiling, get an expert because those things are a pain in the ass if you don’t know what you’re doing.

So She Says It’s All About Atmosphere?

You just want your guests to have a good time, you’ve already taken care of the food and the music but your fiancé is still going on and on about the décor and how the room will look.  Truth be told, décor makes up a lot of the atmosphere and directly relates to how good a time your guests will have.  Sure if the music is kick ass and the booze is flowing they’ll have a good time, but think of this.  What if you went to your pub and all the décor was gone?  Everything else was the same but there was no atmosphere, would it still be the same?  The simple answer is no, no it wouldn’t be.  Think of the gasps, the “oh my God how good does this room look” comments you’d be missing out on.  You want your guests to compare all other weddings they go to, to YOURS!  You want them talking about your wedding for years to come, and décor has a HUGE part in that.

A Little Bit Of Both Of You

I always strive to have the wedding day feel like both the bride and groom have had a hand in planning the look and feel of the wedding.  I insist my guys sit in on as many meetings as possible and that they DO NOT miss the décor meeting we offer.  This way they can have their say.  It may be a simple request, some of my guys can be pretty chill on the whole thing, but others really want to get involved, I LOVE THESE GUYS!  The wedding should reflect BOTH the couples’ personalities, so the guests really get a feel of who they are.  You don’t want to walk into a room full of frilly pink crap do you?  Well, if you don’t take part in the choosing of the décor this very well may happen to you, and we don’t want that.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

The décor will create what is essentially the backbone of the atmosphere and feel of the wedding so you both should be involved.  It will give that WOW factor as your guests enter your reception and will have them talking for years to come.  And yes, no matter how good the food and music is, it will take all that to the next level.

Get involved with the décor, it’s fun…seriously it is fun!  Make sure you have your opinion heard and don’t let someone else design your wedding for you.  Work with them as much as you can, even if you think your idea is really out there, get it on the table, your fiancé may love it.

Sadly décor can get overlooked in the planning process or cut back due to budget.  Always include a healthy chunk of cash for your décor, it’s like buying an amazing house and then getting your faucets and light fixtures from Wal-Mart, or restoring a vintage car, but not having enough cash to put the right tires on it, it’s heartbreaking.

Click here to book a décor meeting and get started on your one of a kind wedding, if you’re still not convinced…think about the frilly pink room.  Think about it….

A recent UK poll has determined just how much it would cost to have some of the world’s biggest music acts perform at your wedding reception. Here’s a few of the acts and the prices they would demand:

• Rolling Stones – up to $10 million
• Elton John – up to $4 million
• Amy Winehouse – up to $2 million and the risk of scaring all your guests away
• JLo – up to $2 million
• Duran Duran – $1 million

We're not sure if this is a sight you want at your wedding reception..

To see the entire list, check out the original story: The World’s Most Expensive Wedding Act from The Daily Telegraph

Our friends over at OneWed are giving away a pretty stellar prize package for one lucky bride and groom. All they have to do is read a blog… pretty simple huh?

What is the Kedai Photo Kiosk?

It’s an interactive photo kiosk that is used at the wedding reception. Your guests that have digital cameras can upload their photos as soon as they take them. The photos will then be displayed on a monitor for everyone to see. Sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, eh? Well, believe it. After the reception, the bride and groom will have access to all photos sorted by guest name. The Kedai Photo Kiosk is a $499 value!

To be eligible, simply visit OneWed’s Savvy Scoop blog and do the following:

• Register (US residents only)
• Leave an intelligent comment on any blog post by noon central time on May 15th to be entered.

The winner will be chosen at random at 5:00 central time on the 15th. Good luck!

Jennifer from OneWed.com knows her sports. Her latest entry to GroomsAdvice is all about making sure the big game doesn’t interrupt the big day.

It’s easy to avoid picking the Super Bowl for your wedding date. What’s harder is predicting whether your favorite team makes the playoffs or semi-finals and plays said game on your wedding day. You may be thinking, “Sweet, now I’ll have something to do during the rehearsal dinner and we can serve hot wings & dogs.”

A bit of advice, resist the urge to sneak away to the nearest TV to watch the game with your groomsmen. Unless your bride-to-be is an avid sports fan and you’re having a Cardinals-themed wedding, resist, resist, resist. To satisfy you and your sports-loving guests’ needs, announce the score at the reception or even at the ceremony (only if she’s game).  But be mindful that your bride will likely get upset if folks are watching the game during the wedding. Politely ask your friends to return to the festivities. Give her this one night…you’ll have a lifetime of game nights to come.

Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com is a guest contributor to the GroomsAdvice blog offering a little local flavor for The Man Registry’s Grooms. OneWed combines the largest online directory of wedding vendors, ideas & inspiration wedding blog, online wedding planning tools and, above all, honest answers for savvy brides. Stop by…we’d love to have ya!

Came across this hidden gem on YouTube. Why doesn’t this thing have 3 million views yet?

Enjoy!

A few things that stick out after viewing:

1. The guy walked up to the Rocky theme. Classic! Nothing like stealing the glory.
2. This guy hasn’t been drinking cocktails, he’s been doing shots. Hey, at least he admitted it.
3. 2:38 – F Bomb. There it is.
4. 3:46 “Bla bla bla”

There is now an open offer for this guy to write a guest entry for us with a guide to destroying the Best Man toast. Somebody make this happen!

Cheers!