What is the Significance of a "Grand Entrance" at a Reception?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound

The planning and the stress lead to the alter. The nerves and the anxiousness dissolve once the Officiant pronounces the happy couple man and wife. Then it is time to celebrate the new union at the reception.

The reception is the first actual public appearance for the bride and groom as a newly married couple. The grand introduction should not be taken lightly as this is a symbol of the next stage of life for a couple and the official announcement to a couple’s closest friends and family members.

The grand introduction sets the tone for the upcoming celebration. Check out our recent list of “18 Fun Reception Introduction Songs” and see for yourself how songs reflect a couple's tastes and styles.

Why do Brides Carry a Handkerchief at Their Wedding?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound

Handkerchiefs have been used over the centuries and brides carry them at their weddings for a variety of reasons. Handkerchiefs are symbols of family crests or shields; and in many cases, a lady's colors (which knights would wear into battle). The most practical use for a bride is to dab away her tears of joy and happiness.

The wedding handkerchief is generally a bridal keepsake which a mother will then pass down to her daughter. Some families hand down this “something old” from generation to generation. Some brides hold their handkerchief with their bouquet and others tuck their hankie in their dress.

The bride’s handkerchief is one tradition that has held pretty much to it’s original intent and purpose. A plain Kleenex just doesn’t withstand the potential tearful treatment as would a handkerchief.

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Is it a Requirement to Dance with Parents at the Wedding Reception?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound

A “Parents Dance” is one of the traditional dances that many couples include in their wedding. A daughter dancing with her father at weddings dates back some time. In some areas, this is a symbol of a father turning the protection of his daughter over to her groom. In many circles, the dance is a reflection of the relationship and an expression of love between the bride and her father.

On the flip side of the father-bride dance, a groom may ask his mother to dance. Again, this dance is a reflection of the bond and love a mother has for her son.

Fewer songs are written for the groom to dance with his mother than the number of songs available for a bride to dance with her father. We’ve found that there are quite a few songs that are appropriate for either dance. Click here to check out our post featuring a wide variety of song suggestions for parents' dances!

Why are There “Sides” at a Wedding Ceremony?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound

Have you ever wondered why an usher asks you whether you want to sit on the bride’s side or the groom’s side of the church? In ancient times, marriages were sometimes arranged to bring peace to two feuding or warring tribes (or families or towns). In order to reduce tensions and possible fights before the wedding ceremony, the ushers would separate the bride's family from the groom's family.

Over the years, this traditional seating has given way to simply seating guests on a first come, first seated basis. Today, many couples are selecting alternative locations for their ceremony and the divided seating is impractical and in some cases impossible. Nowadays, guests just want to support the bride and groom as a couple and get a good seat to watch them tie the knot.

If you are interested in learning more about wedding traditions or securing your 2010, 2011, or 2012 ceremony and/or reception date, give us a call today!

Why are Brides "Given Away"?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasound

Throughout history, many marriages were pre-arranged even before the bride and groom were teenagers. Social standing and status had a lot of weight in these matters. Sometimes, the groom and his family were expected to “pay a price” for the bride. The groom, in a sense, purchased the bride and compensated her family for their "loss".

At the wedding ceremony, the bride’s father would escort her and “present” her to the groom. By acknowledging the Officiant's question ("Who presents this woman?"), the father would verbally reaffirm that the arrangement was completed and he approved of the union. This also represented that the bride’s family had no additional legal claim to her. She was then dependent on her new husband and his family.

In this day and age, a father is basically giving his blessing to the marriage when he presents his daughter to her groom. Brides may have both parents or her child “give” her away and some brides select to walk unaccompanied down the aisle.

2010 wedding dates are filling up quickly, so contact the Officiants at Megasound to see if we still have availability for your wedding ceremony!

Why Does a Bride Wear a Veil at Her Wedding?

From June Hoffman and Erik Michaels of Megasoud

A bride’s veil dates back to ancient times and arranged marriages. A groom would not see his bride until the wedding ceremony. The unveiling of the bride was typically a part of the wedding ceremony.

Many cultures also believed that a veil was worn as protection from evil spirits or an evil eye. The veil would be part of the “disguise” that a bride wore so evil spirits would not make trouble for her on her wedding day.

Nowadays, brides wear a veil as an adornment to compliment their wedding dress. The veil completes the whole bridal "look". Veils come in every length from cathedral to the French veiling (that looks like a tiny net birdcage).

Fort Wayne bridal salons offer veils, tiaras, hairpins, and more. To save time, attend a trunk show that features unique veil designers. Megasound works with Fort Wayne wedding professionals who offer exceptional veils and other bridal accessories. To find out more, give us a call.

What is the Meaning of the Unity Candle?

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

The Unity Candle is the most common wedding ceremony tradition and is generally held after the ring exchange vows and before the blessing. The Unity Candle symbolizes family unity and the joining together of the Bride and Groom and their families. In the past this was usually done by the Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom lighting their child’s respective candles and then the Bride and Groom together lighting the Unity Candle. Nowadays it is still done that way occasionally, but more often the Bride and Groom light their own candles.

Many different traditions may be used in place of the Unity Candle tradition in the event of your ceremony taking place in a location where candles are impractical, such as an outside wedding or a wedding taking place in a facility that doesn’t allow open flames such as a museum. One alternative tradition is called “The Blending of the Sands” and originated in Hawaii. The Bride and Groom each have their own containers of colored sand and then blend them together in one container during the ceremony signifying their joining together.

Another tradition which can be used instead of candles is called “Handfasting”. “Handfasting” is the binding of the Bride's and Groom's hands with rope, tied with a special knot during the wedding ceremony. Again, a symbol of binding two individuals as a whole.

Still, many other traditions exist such as the “Jumping of the Broom”. This particular tradition is believed to have originated in African tribes. Originally, sticks were placed on the ground, representing the couple's new home. However, it became popular among African-American slaves who could not legally marry, so they created their own rituals to honor their unions. The Bride and Groom are sweeping together in a circle to signify the sweeping away of their former single lives, their past problems, and their previous cares. The broom represents a threshold between past and present, and “jumping the broom” symbolizes the crossing of this threshold into a new relationship as husband and wife. Starting a new life with another person requires a leap of faith, and by taking this leap, the couple shows their dedication to work together through all of life’s circumstances. This tradition can be done either at the ceremony or afterwards at the reception.

At Megasound, we can help you determine which tradition fits you best for your wedding, so give us a call today to set up a visit with us. We would love to hear about your plans and ideas for your wedding so that we can help you build your ceremony and/or reception to be just what YOU want it to be!

Complete Your Bridal Look on March 6, 2010

from June Hoffman of Megasound

The Wedding Place is hosting their 12th Semi-Annual Veil and Headpiece Extravaganza this Saturday March 6th. At Megasound, I get some great opportunities to play music for other wedding related events. This is one of those types of events that I get to enjoy as much as the brides. I am spinning the tunes and MCing the event as well.

This pre-nuptial event is an excellent opportunity for brides to pick out finishing touches to their wedding look. It plans to be a wonderful time for you to check out more than just veils. The Wedding Place is featuring new, be-jeweled hair pins and gorgeous wispy feather pieces from the designers at Bella Trousseau. Fort Wayne brides will have the first look at these amazing adornments on Saturday. Bella Trousseau is only available at the Wedding Place.

Other goodies on schedule for March 6th include scrumptious wedding cake from Elegant Cakes by Carolyn and special gifts for each bride. Each registered bride also receives complimentary hair styling and makeup from Hair, Etc. Space is limited, so to reserve your spot, call 260-482-1250 today.

The “Veil and Headpiece Extravaganza” will be held at the Wedding Place which is located at 4618 Speedway Drive in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Reservations are required as the event runs from 10am-4pm this Saturday, March 6, 2010. Hope to see you there!!

What are the Significances of Wedding Flowers?

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

For instance, why does the groom wear a boutonniere? Why do the bride and her bridesmaids carry bouquets?

Historically, flowers represent fertility, purity, new life, and never-ending love. Therefore, they are perfect for a wedding! Originally, bouquets included herbs and spices along with the flowers. These additions helped cover up offensive body odors and also were used to ward off evil spirits, bad luck, and ill health. Strong spices and herbs were believed to scare these bad spirits and other problems away and in many instances, the spices and herbs were eaten afterwards to promote fertility and desire. Dill weed, garlic, chives, and orange blossoms were most frequently used, but which flowers, spices, and herbs were used had to do with local traditions. During Roman times, both the Bride and Groom wore garlands of flowers, much like the Hawaiian lei in today's world. A Groom’s boutonnière also reflects a more chivalrous time when a knight would wear his lady’s colors into battle.



During Victorian times, flowers took on specific meanings between lovers or two people who could not otherwise express their communication in words or written letters or notes. These meanings came to be used for the Bride's flowers, as their meaning could be easily seen by all attending the wedding. Most everyone is familiar with the meanings of roses with red meaning true love or romantic love, yellow meaning friendship, and white meaning purity, reverence, and virtue. However, many of the meanings of flowers have been lost with time. The language of flowers, called “floriography”, has a fairly large online presence. I also found it interesting that there were even differences of meanings and slight nuances between colors and types of flowers.

While the Bride's flowers were generally white, nowadays flowers can be almost any color to augment the colors of her wedding. Megasound has worked with many florists over the years and we will be happy to recommend qualified professional florists who will be happy to help you pick the right flowers for YOUR wedding. We also take the time at the rehearsal to go over placement of flowers and bouquets for the best logistics and photo options. Should you like to know more, just give us a call at 260.484.2460.

What Do Aprons and Hog Troughs Have to do With Weddings?

From Erik Michaels and June Hoffman of Megasound

Have you ever heard of the "Apron Dance" or the "Hog Trough Dance" at Weddings?


The Dollar Dance: Some traditions at weddings evolved to help with more modern issues. As we mentioned in our post about the honeymoon, when honeymoons originated, they had a different meaning and lasted a bit longer (typically a month) than today's honeymoons. As honeymoons evolved into more expensive "vacations", a new way to help the bride and groom pay for their honeymoon also evolved. The dollar dance is also called the "money dance" or "apron dance" and originated in Poland around 1900. It began in immigrant neighborhoods and was started to help brides and grooms with the costs of either their honeymoon or setting up their new life together.

Originally, the Best Man would begin dancing at the reception with the Bride and pinning money onto her dress or putting it into a purse or an apron which she wears over her dress specifically for this event (which is where the namesake came from). Nowadays, the Groom is also a part of the dance and rather than just men dancing with the Bride and women dancing with the Groom, more often than not; there are no particular rules. Even children join in for these modern festivities. Some Fort Wayne couples have even made the dollar dance into a challenge (to see who can collect more money) during the reception.

The Hog Trough Dance: Another interesting dance at receptions is called the "hog trough" dance. This tradition is much lesser known than the dollar dance, but is often done around the same time frame (in the reception) as the dollar dance. The “tradition” goes as follows: when a younger sibling gets married before an older sibling; the older sibling is supposed to get in the hog trough and dance. This is done to bless the younger sibling's wedding, as it was once believed to be bad luck for a younger sibling to marry before an older sibling.

While doing a bit of research, references were made to this tradition originating in Germany and being mainly a rural tradition. Some research turned up articles referring to this custom as a northern Baltic tradition, but there is a surprisingly small amount of information available today on this subject. Many of the previous meanings have been forgotten and today we simply enjoy the humor and camaraderie of the “hog trough” dance.

Regardless of what traditions you would like to make a part of YOUR wedding reception, rest assured that Megasound will work with you to customize your wedding just the way you want it! Call us TODAY to schedule your FREE consultation!