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!

Megasound's Most Memorable Moments of 2008

With so many great weddings in 2008, it would hardly be fair to give labels like “best,” “favorite,” or “most awesome.” In some areas of wedding traditions it was very difficult to “pick” a wedding that was the most outstanding in terms of memories. I guess that means that a lot of our 2008 couples were really tremendous. Now that makes me happy! A big “thank you” to all of our 2008 brides and grooms. We wish you a wonderful New Year!!

And the winners are…

Most Memorable Ceremony:
This distinction most certainly goes to Jessica and Bill (married September 27th at the Foellinger Theater in Fort Wayne). This was truly a fun couple to work with to perform their wedding ceremony. Being on that huge stage with a fall-themed wedding was just the start. Not only was the ceremony truly a production, the recessional included sunglasses, dancing, and “I Feel Good” by James Brown rolling out of the theater speakers. Certainly a ceremony to remember!

Hottest Ceremony:
If you enjoyed warm temperatures last summer, then you would have been right at home during Samantha and Nicholas’ (married July 18th in Fort Wayne) wedding ceremony at the Botanical. Between formal attire and the humidity, we surely glistened at temperatures hitting almost 100 degrees. We restrained ourselves from taking a break under the waterfall for relief.

The Introduction was Unforgettable:
We have seen some interesting introductions in 2008, but I would say that Amanda and Ben’s (married August 23rd in Fort Wayne) was truly unforgettable. Amanda and Ben really love 80’s hair bands and Ben wore the wig to prove it during their introduction. His best man donned a mullet wig for the occasion as well. You talk about being fans...

Most Interesting Toast:

Melanie and Edwin (married October 25th in Auburn) traveled from North Carolina for their wedding. Their best man could not make the trip, so we were given a recorded toast to play for Melanie and Edwin. Not only was it a bit of a tear jerker, it was also followed up with Melanie and Edwin raising their glasses…um, I mean giant brandy snifters full of champagne for the event. Who can forget that one? In addition to their toast, their wedding was also memorable in the fact that they held a breaking of a pinata during their bouquet and garter toss tradition. Edwin was blindfolded, given a long stick, and instructed to hit the pinata with it!

Let Them Eat Cake:
With so many interesting “cake” moments in 2008, this category was a bit rough. With challengers like a Rice Krispies cake, cheesecakes, chocolate cake smiles, and even one groom licking the cake knife, who would have thought that picking only one would be so difficult. For most memorable though, we picked Sara and Logan’s (married May 24th in Hoagland) wedding with their adorable bride and groom life-like cakes. They were so endearing, it was a shame to even cut them let alone eat them.

First Dance:
Melissa and Jon’s (married September 20th in Huntertown) first dance was even more memorable because of the guests. We announced to clear the dance floor (as there were so many children playing) and have the kids take a seat around the outside of the dance floor. It was truly amazing to see all of the younger guests seated in front of the head table in awe watching Melissa and Jon’s special dance together. Almost brought a tear to this MC’s eye.

Parents Dance:
Hands down, Katy and Tom’s (married April 26th in Fort Wayne) wedding took center stage for the Father/Bride Dance. Katy’s parents came into the office the week before the wedding to record some special songs that we then in turn sampled into the Father/Bride song request. When Katy and her father were on the dance floor, everyone was amazed to “hear” Lewis’ voice singing “Army Lullabies.” We didn’t have a dry eye in the ballroom.

A Grand Exit:
Many couples leave their reception in a limousine. Cassie and Jason (married June 20th in Fort Wayne) concluded their reception with an awesome "balloon and sparklers" send off as they made their way to their limousine departure. So much celebration and revelry made this a wonderful conclusion to a great reception.

Twists on Tradition:
We had a tie for most memorable in this category.

Not only did Tricia and Justin (married May 10th in Fort Wayne) have beautiful wedding colors and awesome flowers and decorations, they had the neatest and most adorable table decor. They shared starts from an aloe plant with their guests. The symbolism in itself is very wedding-related as you must nurture and care for a plant as you must grow and tend to your marriage. Even seven months later, my assistants still talk about how big their aloe plant has gotten and how much Tricia and Justin cared for their guests.

Angie and Dennis' (married August 16th in Fort Wayne) wedding reception was about beauty, love, and celebration. Dennis called us about a week before their wedding to let us know that he would be “singing” right after the garter removal and toss to surprise Angie. I think that Dennis did more than surprise Angie, I think that everyone was awe-struck with his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” This was an awesome that Dennis shared with Angie, all of their guests, and us.

It is truly wonderful being a part of a bride and grooms' special day. These couples, along with so many others, over the last twenty-plus years have added so much joy to our lives at Megasound. So many of our 2008 couples had very creative ways to personalize their wedding day. It has been such an honor working with inspiring people. It just makes all of us at Megasound look forward to 2009 and the magic that we help create in the wonderful world of weddings. Happy 2008! And here is to a fantastic 2009!!

Is it Time to Cut the Cake?

After a friend told me about the wedding she attended in Chicago this last weekend, I just had to share some of the finer points of "Cutting the Cake."

What should you expect to do when your Master of Ceremonies (MC) announces that it is time for you to cut your wedding cake?

-Your MC and photographer and video person should have already checked out your cake area for the best positioning.

- You and your new spouse should stand behind or to one side of the cake if the back drop will cause distractions in the photos.

- Your Groom should be positioned behind with the you (the Bride) to the front taking in consideration which hand each uses when cutting.

- Hold the cake knife together and make a small wedge-type cut in one of the lower tiers of cake. This will give you the best support in order to keep balance on the cake. Also, frostings such as rolled fondant are more difficult to cut on the cake.

- Use the cake server to place the cake piece on a plate and cut the piece in half.

- Talk with your Groom ahead of time if the Bride and Groom to see if your will use forks or your fingers. Extra napkins should be available for clean up purposes.

- Whether you and your Groom are feeding each other together or separately; be courteous in order to keep each other clean.

- Bring your champagne glasses to the cake table to include in photos.

- The person/person’s cutting the wedding cake for guests to enjoy should save your top cake unless you have asked for the top tier to be used for serving. Many couples save and freeze their top tier cake to enjoy on their first anniversary. Some bakers give the couple a special cake instead of saving their top tier. Ask your baker ahead of time their policy.

- Ask the person cutting the cake to save two pieces of cake for you and your Groom to enjoy after the reception.

- Already have someone assigned to gather and return (if needed) cake parts to the cake person. Many times, cake stands and other parts are rented.

Whether you have a huge tiered cake, cupcakes, or some other sweet treat, take the time to enjoy this moment with your new husband.

Enjoy your celebration!!

Do you hate glass clinking at weddings?

Kissing is a part of any wedding right? If you dislike (the idea of) your guests clinking their glasses for you and your husband to “kiss” on cue, then read on for some creative alternatives to this noisy tradition. Let your MC (DJ or Band) know that you want a unique guest interaction for bridal couple kissing at the reception:

1. Ask tables to sing a “love song” or a song that has the brides or grooms name in it.

2. Have a kissing demonstration—a couple must come up to the head table and “show” the bride and groom how to “properly” kiss.

3. Have your wedding planner, catering staff, or a trusted friend hide Hershey’s Kisses in the reception room prior to the reception. As guests find the kisses, they bring them to the bride and groom for them to kiss.

4. Ask guests to make a donation to charity.

5. Come up with questions about the bride and groom. Print them on slips of paper and have guests select a question from a basket or box. If they answer the question correctly, then the bride and groom kiss.

6. Have guests share advice for the marriage.

Of course, there are all sorts of variations and other ideas to create guest interaction with the bride and groom "kissing." Skies the limit...you could be kissing all night so have fun!!

Toasting Tips tonight

Tonight is the March session of Bridal Academy. I am very excited about sharing my presentation on “Toasting Tips” to Brides and their guests.

Too many “Best Men” and “Maid’s of Honor” have fallen victim to too little preparation and practice before they spill their guts and their champagne in some cases for the bridal toast. I know that public speaking is one of the biggest fears so I hope that the tips I share this evening get passed on to all who need preparing for hopefully only five minutes or less of speaking praises to the new bride and groom.

Hope to see you there!