One particular thing that I realized is that the Spring 2010 release date may have to be pushed back to the Fall of this year due to a number of delays.  Although nearly 60% of the writing is already completed, getting a manuscript properly proofread and formatted for printing tends to be a pretty time consuming endeavor.  Also of considerable importance is that the cover design work has not been approved yet either.

On the other hand, the good news is that I have also had more time to do more research as well as expand that research with the help of a number of industry friends.  What that means for the bride-to-be is that she will have the benefit of knowledge coming from brides who have recently went through everything involved with wedding planning!  Stay tuned for more details coming soon!!!

The premise of the book is quite simple; what The Knot, Modern Bride and so many other wedding publications DO NOT tell you can fill a book!  That’s exactly what I am doing; writing a book about what most media sources will not tell you.  For example, the latest version of The Knot wedding guide book for 2010 consists of more than 400 pages.  Of those 400+ pages, you will be amazed, shocked and astonished by what they don’t tell you!!!

But it’s not all about conspiracies and misinformation, this book draws upon my experiences from more than 1,000 wedding over the last 25 years.  I offer plenty of practical examples, discuss common wedding planning hurdles and offer the reader real options, sometimes in a humorous manner.  Additionally, the smart Bride-to-be will find several chapters chock full of information that The Knot, Modern Bride and others simply cannot or will not tell you.

The shroud of mystery will be pulled back in 2010 with a targeted release date currently set for the beginning of April.  The estimated cover price will be in the range of $24.95 USD and will be available as softbound print and ebook versions.  Pre-sales will begin mid to late February 2010.

Stay tuned for some teasers excerted from the book, cover art, etc. in the coming weeks!

The working title for the book is “Extraordinary Weddings – Perfection Without Buyer’s Remorse!”

The cover design is currently under development and should be finalized just before Christmas 2009.  The planned release date is in the Spring of 2010, but the book will go on presale at a special price on January 1, 2010.

Stay tuned for more details!

I loved the fact that we did not have too many grooms in each session, which allowed for much more time for each groom to discuss his questions and ideas or to add his feedback for someone else’s comments.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the level of interest that each groom showed with making his wedding better and more unique.  I was completely overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received from each and every groom at the end of the sessions!

While I was certainly there to promote my services, my primary goal was to get grooms thinking about their brides before they say or do anything.  I believe that I have accomplished that goal because every groom came up to shake my hand and requested a business card at the end of both sessions.  I know now that their weddings will be much more memorable and their brides will be happier too!

As a follow-up to the Groom’s Workshops, I am getting the details lined up for a Wedding Planning Workshop to be open for engaged couples sometime after the 1st of the new year – stay tuned for more details!!!

Look no further!  Here are my Top 5 tips for grooms to make the most out of every moment during their wedding day. 

Tip #5 – Be On Time

Being on time for your own wedding may sound like common sense, but I always recommend that the grooms arrive at least an hour ahead of time.  By getting there at least an hour before, you have plenty of time in case there is an emergency such as mechanical problems with your transportation, unforeseen traffic or detours or even tuxedo “malfunctions.”  In more than 25 years of performing wedding ceremonies and receptions, I have seen all sorts of scenarios cause delays – plan ahead and be prepared with alternative plans, your bride will greatly appreciate it!

Tip #4 – Get Plenty of Sleep

This may also seem like a no-brainer, but time and again I have seen grooms run out of steam long before their special day is a memory.  Whether it was a late night out with his groomsmen and best man or simply could not sleep from excitement or anything in between; your wedding day will test your levels of mental and physical endurance from the whirlwind of activities.  Fight fatigue and enjoy your special day more thoroughly by being well rested because you deserve to get the most out of your wedding!

Tip #3 – Be Sober

One of the biggest complaints I have heard from brides is that their groom showed up “lost in the sauce” or hungover from the night before.  This coupled with lack of sleep and not eating properly can lead to the groom fizzling out long before the festivities or worse yet, going down for the count during the ceremony.  This is made even worse by heat as it can be quite stuffy in a tux while you slowly simmer in the summer and after a night of liberal libation, your body will dehydrate in a matter of minutes.  Sometimes this leads to everything “going dim” for the groom as he goes down like a sack of potatoes, but it may also lead to serious injuries from the fall, dehydration as well as the heat.

Tip #2 – Eat Well

This may sound like the obvious, but I am always surprised by the brides as well as the grooms that skip meals or only eat lightly due to the butterflies or time constraints.  Be sure to eat a good, full dinner the night before and eat a hearty breakfast too; you will need the reserve energy long before the last guest has left and it is often six or more hours before you can sit down at your reception to refill.  Starchy foods such as pasta and bread at dinner will build up your reserves for the next day and eating a healthy breakfast will give you the additional boost that you will need to carry you through the day.

Tip #1 – Relax and Enjoy

The number one concern that I have addressed over the years has been that of anxiety, anxiousness, nerves and fretting over the minor stuff.  When it comes right down to it, hopefully you have hired professionals that you trust to handle the details not the cheapest; relax and let them worry about the small things.  One of the biggest things that will dampen the spirit of any celebration is the presence of a few wet blankets.  If the bride and the groom are unhappy, your family and friends will be too!  So smile, have fun and enjoy yourself – you have spent a lot of time putting your wedding together as well as the considerable financial investment that you have placed into too.

It’s your day, make the most of it!

Charles E. Snyder III
Certified Master of Ceremonies
Extraordinary Weddings
717.718.5218

So I arrive to my wedding on Sept 19, 2009. As I’m introducing myself to the people in the room, the bride can hear me from the bathroom where she is getting her hair done. She calls me in (no worries, she’s decent!) to tell me that her caterer canceled on her last night. I was in shock. He left her a message that Friday evening claiming he had swine flu.

Well that’s horrible if that’s the truth. I hope the best for him and his family and that they get though it and are cured quickly.

But what burns me up is that ONE, he told her in his voice message that he found on Tuesday (4 days before the wedding) that he had swine flu. So why didn’t he call her right then? TWO, he didn’t have a back up plan. Who, in their right mind, has a business without a “PLAN B”? With 4 days from the wedding, there would have been plenty of time to find another caterer to cover for him, or at least give the bride a head start herself to find someone.

If you were to hire me for your wedding and something happened where I wasn’t able to be there, I have local and out of state DJs that I trust would to come in and do a fabulous job. I would literally fly one in if needed. Thankfully since I began my business in 1997, I’ve never missed a wedding. Been under the weather a bit at a few, but put on a smile and sucked it up!

Bottom line: If you are a business owner, have a back up plan, a “PLAN B”, someone you can call on to help you out when life throws you a curve ball. But don’t leave a bride hanging on the most important day of her life. I’m amazed at how calm and collected she was that bright and sunny Saturday afternoon.

THE POSITIVE:
The couple had a guest in from out of town that was a restaurant owner. When she got the word that the caterer canceled, she hustled to the store early in the morning, bought the food needed, and started preparing everything at 11am (4 hours before it was needed to be at the venue). Neighbors donated their ovens to bake all the food as it was being made, and everything turned out great!

We applauded the baker and the oven donators at the reception and it was a successful night.

Today’s lesson is…you never know what you’ll get until you DON’T get it.

Brian, excellent points and I could not agree more with you - there is only one chance of getting someone’s wedding right.  Why some think it’s OK to roll the dice with someone else’s special day and ultimately their hard-earned money too, I’ll probably never know.  But I will reiterate here what I tell my clients all of the time; make sure that you get everything in writing, make sure you know who will actually be there at your wedding and as this story perfectly illustrates, find out what their backup plan is – if any.

Members of the American Disc Jockey Association have a built-in backup plan complete with an emergency phone number to call.  There is absolutely no excuse for any DJ to ever do this to a customer, but far too often the story involves a DJ instead of a caterer.  Don’t wait until it is too late to find out what a professional DJ is really worth.

*Story reprinted with permission by Brian Harris
Brian Harris Entertainment.

On Sunday, the 1st of November this year, 101 the Rose Presents the 5th Annual – A Wedding Day at the Eden, located in Lancaster, PA.  Doors open at 12 noon and remain open until 4PM.  Extraordinary Weddings will be set up in the Executive Suite and I will be conducting two workshops in the same room, the first at 12:30 – 1:30 and again at 2:30 – 3:30 with some time for personal consultations in between.  The show is free to attend and so are my workshops – normally $25.00 per person!

I know this is going to be much bigger than we ever expected.  WROZ is going to be doing some series promotion of this event starting in the next week or so, it’s going to be all over the Lancaster Newspaper as well as Lancaster Online and I will likely be making an appearance on the Rose Radio Breakfast Club discussing the show and the workshops.  I am also meeting with a local TV station in the coming weeks about the workshop, so it is definitely going to have some major exposure in the six weeks.

In light of this, Kacey and Sue are setting up a pre-registration form that will be available from the Rose Radio website in the next week or so too.  This is to make sure that we have enough seating for everyone during each workshop, so stay tuned here for more details.

What prompted this meeting was that I have had a number of customer consultations within the past few months for wedding receptions that will be held there at Eden Resort in 2010.  Since it has been a little over five years since I have performed a wedding there, I wanted to meet the new Wedding Sales Manager as well as have a look around the facility; especially since I have been hearing so many good things about the recent renovations.  I contacted Tina and she took some time out of her busy schedule to meet with me one afternoon.

Upon entering the facility, I immediately noticed that the lobby looked nothing like a typical hotel.  It was a large, open area with plenty of comfortable seating around a big central fireplace; the whole look and feel reminded me more of a cozy lodge somewhere in the Poconos Mountains.  In fact, the best way I can describe it is that it almost felt like I was relaxing at home!

So after I test drive some of the comfortable seating in the lobby, I stopped by the main desk and the friendly staff working there directed me to one of the office areas with even more friendly staff.  I made some idle chat with the women working there until a few minutes later when Tina arrived.  She showed me to her office to chat for a bit in order for us to get to know each other, then she took me on a brief tour of the facility.  And the ballrooms were every bit as beautiful as the lobby.

All I can say is WOW!  Not only was the new look of Eden Resort Inn breath-taking, but the level of commitment to customer service that Tina and the rest of the staff displayed impressed me even more.  She was very courteous and generous with her time, which says a lot since I am a vendor and not an actual customer.  I feel completely confident in saying that I have no reservations about recommending this facility and Tina as one of the primary considerations for having a wedding reception.  I look forward to developing our professional relationship and I feel relieved knowing that my clients will be in good hands with Tina and the rest of the staff at the Best Western – Eden Resort.

If you are looking for a great location to have your wedding reception, be sure to talk to Tina at the Eden Resort!

Charles E. Snyder III,
Certified Master of Ceremonies
Extraordinary Weddings
717.718.5218