Reception Entertainment Director

Have you chosen your First Dance yet?  Ever wonder who else has used “your song”? Here’s a list of some celebrity couples and their First Dances.  You can just imagine your favorite celebrities dancing to them…. Prince William and Princess Kate – “Your Song” by Elton John, performed live by Ellie Goulding President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama –  “You and I” – Stevie Wonder Ivanka Trump and Jason Kushner – “This Years’ Love” by David Gray Kate Moss and Jamie Hince – “If There Is Something” by Roxy Music Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel – “A Song for You” by Donny Hathaway Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt – “It Had to Be You” by Frank Sinatra Joel Madden and Nicole Richie – “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odum – “Angel”  by Anita Baker Shannen Doherty and Kurt Iswarienko – “My Baby Just Cares for Me” by Nina Simone Michael Buble and Luisano Lopilato – “Everybody Loves Somebody” by Dean Martin...

By: Eva Torres-Luciano, Owner of Eva’s Weddings Congratulations on your decision to get married! When couples are looking to hire a professional wedding officiant, for example, they may find that our pricing may be higher than the quotes given to them by other amateurs or less experienced officiants. Why? Experience and know-how = overall superior outcome and satisfaction. Couples must also take into account the Officiant’s area of expertise, years of experience, and value to them. For example, expertise in bilingual bicultural, rituals, traditions, unity ceremony weddings. You will be doing yourself, your wedding and the Officiant an injustice by focusing on price as a starting point. Hiring a professional is a great investment for your marriage. Your fears and nerves will be less, which is PRICELESS! Why higher prices? From an Officiant’s perspective, there’s a lot of time spent and expenses incurred behind the scenes while working for you in order to create a unique, m...

Looking for a beautiful historic mill setting for your wedding vision? Or maybe a unique DIY reception? Or an intimate location for a Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter reception?…. It’s ALL possible at The Packing House in Willington, CT. Located on the main drag into town and situated on a small lake and waterfall….there’s so much to fall in love with, if your wedding planning! At The Packing House you have the freedom to work with vendors of your choice or Kia Martinson, the experienced on-site coordinator, will recommend vendors and assist you through the details and logistics of creating your special day in this unique space. The Packing House can comfortably accommodate up to 150 guests for a seated meal, or up to 200 for a cocktail style wedding. There’s also options for an on-site Ceremony and outdoor Cocktail Hour locations… plus lots of locations for pictures. Formerly, the Gardiner Hall Jr. Company’s Packing and Shipping Building, the Packing House, f...

Many of our clients dislike the custom of the Bride and Groom being ‘forced’ to kiss whenever glasses are clinked together. Some find it offensive. I know, from personal experience, that many of the guests like it and won’t understand why the Bride and Groom don’t want to “follow through” and KISS! So the question is often asked “What can I do that’ll satisfy my guests and make me comfortable?” “Clinking” of glasses may have originated from the medieval days when wine was often spiked with poison. If a host wanted to prove to their guests that the wine wasn’t poisoned, he would pour part of the guest’s wine into his own glass and drink it first. If the guest trusted his host, he would just clink glasses when the host offered his glass for a sample. (Hence the clinking of glasses has become a sign of trust, honesty, and toast to good health.) Another explanation claims that the practice warded off evil spirits. If your guests start clinking the glasses, don’t pa...

Picture it now: a nice warm gusts of wind, an outdoor setting, bright colors and the sounds of birds in the air without a single cloud in the sky… There are so many perks to summer weddings!!  It’s the perfect time of year for weather, scenery, and even the attitudes of other people, which are made much more pleasant by the presence of the sun and warm weather. Of course, you can’t really change the weather, but you can try to. The weather forecast is not always the most reliable thing, especially when you really need to be able to count on the five-day forecast. There are a few facets to summer wedding planning that any bride-to-be or wedding planner should keep in mind, and the first one actually is the weather. Many people plan their weddings for the summer time because the weather is a bit more predictable during this time. If you’re lucky, you will get beautiful sunshine, a light, cooling breeze and a nice clear night for the reception. If you are like any ...

ATMOSPHERE PRODUCTIONS can now provide you with numerous choices for your on-site Ceremony, Cocktail Hour or Dinner music. We have teamed up with some of Connecticut’s leading and most experienced musicians to offer creative and unique ways to make your event unforgettable. Here are some Ceremony Music suggestions: Prelude – Whilst Guests Are Seated: • Massenet – “Meditation From Thais” • Mozart – “Ave Verum Corpus” • Dvorak – “Humoresque” • Handel – “Minuet” • Schubert – “Serenade” • Beethoven – “Ode to Joy” • Mozart – “Viennese Serenades” • Haydn – “London Trios” • Handel – “Largo” from Xerxes • Mozart – “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” • Tartini – “Two Sonatas” Processional – For Bridesmaids Entrance • Vivaldi – “Four Seasons – Spring” • Handel – Air From “Water Music” • Bach – Allegro From “Brandenburg Concerto#4” • Bach – “Air On G String” • Chopin  – “Nocturne In E Flat” • Tchaikovsky – “Waltz” (from Sleeping Beauty Act 1) • Traditional...

“DJ Sam is a true professional and was one of the reasons that our day was so special. We would recommend him to anyone.” ~ Kristen and Nick – Newington, CT Kristen and Nick’s Ceremonial Music: Jeremiah Clarke – Trumpet Voluntary Pachelbel Canon In D Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G Major Kristen and Nick’s Introduction Music: Maroon 5 – Sugar / Chris Brown – Forever Kristen and Nick’s First Dance: Brad Paisley – Then Kristen and Nick’s Cake Cutting Song: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is Kristen and Her Fathers Dance: Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me Nick and His Mothers Dance: Boyz II Men – A Song For Mama Kristen and Nick’s Last Dance: Frank Sinatra – Last Dance Songs That Rocked The Dance Floor: Sister Sledge – We Are Family Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline Pharrell – Happy Four Seasons – Oh What A Night Photography by Brian Ambrose Photography ...

Weddings have become a bit more complicated these days and narrowing down the guest list will be one of your most challenging and important wedding tasks. The size of your guest list will greatly affect your overall wedding expenses. It’s a rare bride and groom who don’t have to edit their original list, whether dealing with 30 or 300 guests. Most likely, you, your fiancé, and both families will be contributing names to the list, and each party will have their own ideas about who is necessary and who is not. Be forewarned, if more than one person controls the guest list, things can get stressful. Preparing the list and keeping all family members happy, requires diplomacy and tact. To help, try these list-cutting strategies: Start by setting a goal for your list size. Base this on your budget, on space limitations or both. Have everyone involved submit a list of the people they’d like to attend. From the top, they should rank the names in order of importance. Then, cross off any...

Wedding invitations can be as simple as one sheet of cardstock printed with the basics, or they can include a number of enclosures. Not sure what you need? Here is a complete guide to the various enclosures you may want to include in your wedding invitations. Depending on the nature of your wedding and your stationery budget, you may choose to consolidate and forgo certain invitation enclosures. Here’s what you need to know to assemble your wedding invitations. Outer envelope   Most wedding invitations consists of two separate envelopes.  The outer envelope (the one actually scanned by the post office) lists the complete names and addresses of all recipients and holds all enclosures. Inner envelope The inner envelope lists only the names of invited recipients. It holds all the contents of the formal, third-person invitation for protection during shipping. Reception cards  Reception cards specify where and when the reception will be held. These are onl...

“DJ Sam was great! All of our guests have mentioned how they both loved the music selections and the flow of the reception. As he was getting set up I was getting ready to step out of the reception space and head down the aisle, he played “Going to the Chapel” as I was waiting to go out. It put a smile on my face! We would definitely recommend him!” ~ Katie and Jim Wheeler – 8/23/2015 Katie and Jim’s Introduction Music: Pharrell – Happy / Ray Lamontagne – You Are The Best Thing (edit) Katie and Jim’s First Dance: Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud Katie and Jim’s Cake Cutting Song: Frank Sinatra – Love and Marriage Katie and Her Fathers Dance: Tim McGraw – My Little Girl Jim and His Mothers Dance: Rod Stewart – Have I Told You Lately (Unplugged) Katie and Jim’s Last Dance: Michael Buble – Save The Last Dance Songs That Rocked The Dance Floor: Spandau Ballet – True Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely Bruno Mars – Treasure Bruno...

Nestled in the quite corner of Litchfield County, Connecticut, just past Torrington, is a hidden valley.  Resting on a hillside overlooking that valley is The Inn at Mount Pleasant. As part of the 70 acre  Mount Pleasant Farm , this 18th century farmhouse provides an outstanding view and plenty of options. The farmhouse has been completely remodeled to offer modern amenities, with each of the four rooms offering a queen bed, private, attached bathroom, and air conditioning. The spacious outdoor area is perfect for a tented wedding with complete access to the property, including hiking and mountain biking trails to Nickel Brook Creek, an outdoor grill and large deck, hammock, outdoor fire pit for campfires, and a practice golf hole for chipping. For a rustic wedding, the farm includes a barn which can accommodate upwards of 150 guests, with updated electricity and facilities for catering. As an added option and a short drive up the road is a beaut...

Throw tradition out the window…..Think outside the box!! If you are a couple that wants something new and unique for your wedding, but don’t want the cost or headaches of planning a wedding then a Pop Up Wedding is for YOU!! Maybe buying a house is more important or spending money on an exotic honeymoon is really what you prefer. Then a Pop Up Wedding is for YOU!! Perhaps your family has been fighting constantly over the budget, or that you have to invite all their co-workers, even though you’ve never met them, or Uncle George who no one likes, then a Pop Up Wedding is for YOU!! According to Heidi Hanson, owner of Always and Forever, a Pop Up Wedding helps bring your wedding dream to life, and reflects you and your partner and celebrates the incredible love the two of you share. We believe that every couple deserves a beautiful wedding regardless of budget. That’s why the Pop Up Wedding Package starts at just $3,000. Think about all of what you are getting, a we...