Time for a website makeover

Hey.  If you have been around a while, you will notice that Utah Wedding Services has gone through a bit of a makeover.  A new look and feel, updated information and best of all, we are now a free service.  We got a bit sick of all the sites that are just filled with vendor ads that they pay for so we figured, hey, we have been around the block in the Utah wedding industry, let's just provide a great service to brides and recomend and review the vendors we know do a great job.

Who is "we" you might ask?

"We" is Utah Live Bands.  A multi-year best of state winner that provides the best wedding bands and DJs Utah has to offer and some of the best wedding bands in the entire country.  Don't believe us?  Check out our website at www.UtahLiveBands.com

Anyway, feel free to browse the site and PLEASE, check out our new addition: Contributing bloggers.  We asked some of the best and most experienced wedding vendors in Utah (that we love working with) to join our teem.  You will be treated to a monthly blog post from each of them with tips and ideas for a successful wedding.  They are here to help.  You won't find better advice anywhere.

Enjoy and congratulations on your wonderfull wedding experience.

Michael Tobian

Owner/CEO of Utah Live Bands, DanceBands.com and Utah Wedding Services

Chosing a wedding band

One of the most difficult tasks in planning your Utah wedding is in choosing your wedding band.  When your guests are on their way home, the thing they will be talking about is how awesome (or how awful) the band was.   A great band will keep your guests dancing and having a good time all night long.  There are many options out there.  Some do a fine job.  Others..... well, don't.  There are four main things that separate a great wedding band from a terrible one.  They are as follows:

1- Song Pacing - If a band can't keep people dancing, it feels like a waist of time and money and you end up embarrassed at the lame party you are throwing.  A great wedding band will move quickly between each song so people keep dancing.  If there is space longer than about 10 seconds in-between songs, people feel awkward and walk away.  A really great band (such as the Groove Merchants or the Bandits) will actually sequence their tunes so one tune moves right into another.

2- Experience - Great wedding bands consist of the best players and entertainers around and are made of career musicians, not people who are performing as a hobby.  You want a band that will take things seriously. Experienced bands will play music that they know people will dance to and will keep the volume at the appropriate level.

3- A Great Look and Feel - Make sure the band you are hiring has good audio files and preferably some video footage.  A great band is visual as well as aural.

4- Familiarity With What is Going On - When you speak with the band leader or booking agent, pay attention to the answers they are giving you.  Are they familiar with the venue?  Have they been doing this for a long time or are they just a bar band that is trying to get into the wedding business (not the same thing)?  When you ask questions, do they know the answers?  Do they seem confident in what they are doing?

Finally, go with your gut.  Does the band look like they know what they are doing?  Does the company you are working with have the credentials and experience to make you comfortable?  Do you feel like you are working with professionals or a mom and pop operation?  Are their promotional materials professional looking?  Your gut will be your best indicator.  Have fun!

This article was written by Michael Tobian, owner of Utah Live Bands.  Utah Live Bands offers the very best event bands in Utah and the surrounding states.  They have won the Best of State Award for Utah and are a preferred vendor with the Salt Lake City Visitors and Convention Bureau as well as many many other venues and wedding businesses.

Are you a bridezilla? - by UtahWeddingServices.com

Don't be a bridezilla.  It will ruin your special day..... but if you can't help yourself, embrace it.  Give it 113%  Here are 10 ways to tell if you have what it takes to be a bridezilla.

10 - You have not only given the band a list of the tunes to play but you have given them the order to play them in and an estimate of how long each tune will last. (we have unfortunately delt with this one)

9 - You have tried on over 30 dresses.  (remember the first step is denial)

8 - You are no longer getting in trouble at work for being on Facebook, instead you are getting in trouble for being on www.UtahWeddingServices.com (shameless plug)

7 - Your friends and family know not to invite you to do things on Saturday... I mean, wedding show day.

6 - You have your wedding planner's phone number on speed dial

5 - She has your number on speed dial

4 - You laugh anytime anyone asks you what your budget is like.

3 - You start most your sentences with "I don't mean to be a bridezilla, but..."

2 - You made your photographer cry.... twice

1 - Your groom is invited to the wedding but there is a mutual understanding that he should be discrete.

Okay, so you are just a little bit crazy.  That's okay.  What is the worst that could happen?  By the way,if you know the answer to that question than you are definitely a BRIDEZILLA!

Michael

www.UtahWeddingServices.com

Using the internet to get the best deals - by Utah Wedding Services

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No one uses the phone book anymore.  I haven't picked one up in ages.  I do, however, use it to boost my daughter up to the table at Sunday dinner.  It makes for a slippery, yet affordable booster seat and that's about it.  Why is this?  Because with search engines, social networks and online planners such as Utah Wedding Services, information is much easier to obtain than it was just 10 years ago.  In this day and age, you will get the most reliable information and the best deals online.  Here are 3 ways to get the best deals and the most out of your "fabulous online wedding planner":

1- Register to receive discounts.  This is a definite time saver as you let promotions come to you.  Many people don't do it because they want control over what vendors they look at.  The more information you have in front of you, the more options you have, which means the more money you will save.  Vendors want to compete for your business.  Let them.

2- When searching for vendors, look for "quality", in addition to the "final price tag".  We are naturally geared to zero in on the best price.  You will find that the cost of a vendor is not always in direct proportion to the best value.  Sometimes the difference in quality is greater than the difference in price. 

3- Look for experience.  It goes a long long way.  Every vendor makes mistakes at weddings before they get it right.  Look for references, video footage, professional promotional materials, awards (like Best of State) and listen to your gut on who to go with and who to "no" with...... cheesy, I know but I'm keeping it.

So put away the phone book, get the best deals and above all, have fun!  You probably only get one shot at this.  Make it memorable.  Make it fabulous!

Michael Tobian

www.UtahWeddingServices.com