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Wedding venue tips

Your Chicagoland wedding venue can make or break the quality of your wedding celebration in ways you may not realize. Having worked with wedding couples for so many years, we offer some super practical wedding venue tips to help your vision align with your reality.

This video is a good starting point. We offer more tips below:

Wedding venue tip #1

Your wedding venue is your biggest budget consideration. Most wedding planners suggest you set aside 45% to 50% of your total wedding budget for your venue.

By contrast, entertainment accounts for only 10% of your budget, but (and it’s a big BUT), entertainment accounts for 90% of the fun. Great wedding entertainment and a great venue are a great complement to each other. So watch your budget carefully when you’re selecting your venue so you don’t run out of money by the time you get to your entertainment.

Wedding venue tip #2

The main tip for selecting your venue is to lock in your guest list FIRST. No venue is a good venue if it doesn’t have room for all of your guests. Be aware that just because a venue says they have a capacity of, let’s say 200 guests, doesn’t mean 200 guests fit comfortably in the space.

You don’t want to feel cramped, that’s for sure. With Crestline Entertainment providing the entertainment, your dance floor gets a real workout. A cramped venue makes it harder for guests to join in the fun, especially if you add in a photo booth (which is fun on steroids!).

Think ahead. How many people do you really, really want at your reception, and what type of entertainment options fulfill your wedding dreams?

Wedding venue tip #3

When you meet with venues, have a clear vision of what is and what is NOT included in their package price. The biggies are obvious: is catering and the bar included? How about linens? Chairs, candles, parking.

Wedding venue tip #4

The video above offers helpful tips. One helpful tip is to ask what type of lighting and sound comes with your venue. That is a lesser issue if you use Crestline Entertainment for the entertainment. We provide state of the art sound equipment that surpasses any venue around. Even more, we provide a rich array of dazzling lighting options and shockingly affordable prices.

Wedding venue tip #5

Here’s another tip: contact us BEFORE you select your venue. We have worked at every venue imaginable, including some real gems that aren’t as well known as they should be. We may be able to point you to some of these gems once you tell us a little about your wedding dreams. Give us a call without obligation to pick our brain: 630-766-9898.

Crestline Entertainment is here to help your wedding celebration exceed your expectations. Happy planning!

How to be a bridezilla: Part 2

Last week’s blogpost on the art and science of becoming a bridezilla was a big hit. We obviously struck a chord. Suggestions gushed in from bridezillas throughout the area on their secrets for becoming a world class bridezilla.

The ‘Extravagant Wedding Shower’ technique

A recent bride, we’ll call her Brandi, said she had tremendous success by making endless demands on her bridesmaids. She insisted on an extravagant wedding shower at a cool out of town destination. She insisted they pay for it. She insisted that everyone attend, even if it strained their budget … or else.

She said it worked like a charm. Those bridesmaids who still talk to her have no problem calling her bridezilla to her face.

The ‘Destination Wedding’ technique

And then there’s a gal named Brittany (you may know her, so we changed the name) who not only planned a destination wedding in Hawaii, but insisted that her guests all wear color-coordinated attire to complement her color theme. Sadly, none of her invitees could make it, but Brittany and her hubby were glad to save the money and use it to go para sailing wearing color-coordinated swimming suits, no less!

The ‘Keep Guests Waiting’ technique

We heard about this next idea from quite a few bridezillas. They loved the idea of keeping their guests waiting for hours at the reception while their photographer took lots and lots of pics back at the church. The extra time allowed him to be sure he got nice posed shots as well as photo journalism, documentary, and edgy pics.

IMPORTANT TIP: When you use this bridezilla technique, be sure you have a CASH BAR. There’s nothing for your guests to do while they’re waiting but to drink, which can get sort of pricey for you. Let them pick up the tab. Oh, and be sure no food is served to tide them over. These well lubricated guests will really be ready to party when you finally make your grand entrance!

The “Treat Your Future Mother-in-law as an Outsider” Technique

Here’s one more idea, which comes to us from a recent bride who must remain anonymous, she said, because her personal safety is on the line if her name gets out. Anyway, she found great success by treating her future mother-in-law as an outsider, an interloper, and as a trespassing irritant.

“After all, this is my wedding, not hers. Every suggestion she made caused my skin to crawl!” said Miss Anonymity. “And MY MOM was picking up the tab, not her.”

Evidently, the bride’s attitude didn’t sit too well with mom-in-law to-be, whose brother Luigi had connections to a colorful collection of characters who got wind of these bridezilla shenanigans. Which might explain the bride’s need for anonymity.

How about you? Do you have some good bridezilla techniques you’d like to share? We have not yet begun to scratch the surface!

In the meantime, Crestline Entertainment offers great online planning tools which relieves brides’ stress. It’s hard to be a bridezilla when everything is nice and easy. That’s what you get with us. Great entertainment. Nice and easy professionals to work with. And stress free planning.

Why wait? Check on available dates today! Or simply pick up the phone and call right now: 630-766-9898.

How to be a Bridezilla

Are you a woman who has aspired to be a bridezilla your entire life? In our quest to be a valuable resource to our readers, today’s blogpost reveals a step by step approach you can use to becoming the bridezilla you’ve always dreamed of being.

1. To begin, remember that this wedding is all about you. Your fianceé, your family, and your friends come second. Your every whim is what counts. Be assertive. Don’t let them get in your way.

A bridezilla should talk about nothing other than her wedding plans

2. Along that line, it is vital that you talk about your wedding. All. The. Time. Be ready to defend your position. For example, let’s say you’re having coffee with a girl friend who just gave birth to her first child. Your self-centered friend just can’t stop cooing over the little attention-grabber. Cut her off at the knees. You might want to say something kind of like this:

“I am appalled at your selfishness, Louise. After all, knowing you, you’re probably going to have a bunch more babies. But I am planning to get married only once. This is my time to talk. So next time we meet, I must insist that you get a baby sitter. That’s the only way I know I’ll have your full attention.”

That’ll put her in her place! Sometimes tough love is necessary with friends!

A bridezilla doesn’t believe in a budget

3. Okay, here’s another key element of achieving your Bridezilla dream: throw your budget out the window. Remember, this is YOUR day. If you don’t splurge for your wedding day, then when will you? Beg, borrow, or steal the money if you have to. You’re worth it. If you want a wedding gown of sumptuous, pale ivory silk taffeta and antique lace, adorned with thousands of pearls and a jaw-dropping 25-foot long train, go for it.

So what if the average cost of a wedding in the US is $35,329 (according to The Knot). If the Bridezilla in you thinks you won’t be happy with a penny less than $100,000, well, tell your father or fiancee’ that’s what overtime is for.

4. Finally, pamper yourself. Need a manicure or a massage? Do it, even if it means cancelling lunch with your fiancee’. After all, he’s going to have you for the rest of his life. You want to look and feel your best for your big day. Don’t let anyone, even him, get in your way.

Ready to become a Bridezilla worthy of your own television show? Just follow the 4 easy steps above.

If you’re not the bridezilla type…

On the other hand, if your view your wedding as being about more than you, in other words, as a celebration to be shared with people you love the most, don’t do any of the above.

You’ll be sensitive to your parents, your friends, and especially your fiancee’, and you’ll dote on your friend’s new born baby. You’ll live within your means and stick to your budget, because you’ll know that entertainment makes the event. And great entertainment as provided by Crestline Entertainment is more than affordable, it’s priceless.

We believe the wedding planning process should be fun, exciting, and stress-free. No need to be a bridezilla, especially with the great planning tools we offer clients. Learn more today about planning the wedding of your dreams on a budget you can live with!