Rowan Elizabeth Logan

Rowan is a sweet little girl who loves to dance, laugh and cuddle at bed time. She's throwing a temper tantrum downstairs as a write this, but I guess that's what 3 1/2 year olds do from time to time.

Lately I've been pondering the vision of her wedding day. Who will she marry? Will I approve? Will it be spontaneous...or will she be very planned and calculated? Will he ask me for her hand in marriage...or will they elope?

One of my biggest questions is...who will handle the entertainment? Who will we hire to represent us and our entire family on one of the biggest days of our life? There's no way for me to know at this stage in the game, but I do know this...it's the most important aspect of her wedding day...of OUR wedding day. This person will be super cool, really good at what they do...and most importantly, they will be extremely prepared in understanding what we want and what we are all about.

A wedding reception is a celebration and by definition it's all about entertainment. I've never understood how a family can spend so much time, energy and money on a single day...yet put so little importance on the most important aspect of the entire celebration.

Bottom line...get the entertainment right...and you guarantee success.

My daughter is only 3, but I can only imagine the emotion and pride that you feel when you walk down the aisle with your little princess...she looks at you to give her away...and she's now under the care of another man. I'm going to be a wreck! The celebration that follows will be an epic one.

One of my main goals as an entertainment director for weddings is to go above and beyond for the bride and groom and their vision. Similarly, the parents' wishes and expectations are just as important...and arguably even more important given their years of sacrifice and selfless parenting. I can only hope to arrive at a wedding day as special as Lindsey and Bill did on 4/9/11 at Union Station after their Preston Hollow ceremony.

Thank you, Jack and Marilyn, for trusting me with Lindsey's wedding day. You are both model parents!

Dallas Observer's Artopia 2010

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed being a part of the Dallas Observer's Artopia 2010 this year in Victory Park. Ryan Lee and I spent a tremendous amount of time creating and preparing for this grand event and it really paid off.

My favorite part of the evening was about halfway through the event...and I was standing on top of our DJ platform elevated 9 feet above the crowd...and I looked across the sea of people and saw one of my associates, Mike Schneider. Mike gave me a smile and a big thumbs up and I was on top of the world.

Set the tone early!

I'm always talking with my clients about the importance of setting the tone early in the evening. If you want a good party...a killer dance floor...and engaged crowd...you gotta come out of the gates in a full sprint.

This particular group took that concept to heart...and took it one step further...














This was the first bridesmaid and groomsmen that I introduced into the ballroom. Yes, his pants are off...and yes, she's holding them. Too funny!

One after the other, they entered the room and brought the crowd to a roaring cheer.

Bobby and Conner finally entered and the guests were on their feet!

Success!!

Choose your vibe...

I got the opportunity to illuminate the Old Red Courthouse in November 09 with a great team. Becca and Kerrie with A Stylish Soiree executed the floral and overall design of the room, Andy Austin was the DJ for the evening, and we were stoked to be involved with the wedding reception lighting details.

I always shoot a lot of pictures of our work after the room is complete but before the guests have entered. I sometimes allow the color-changing LED lights to cycle between colors so that I can capture a variety of vibes to view later...which leads me to the main point of this blog entry

What color should you choose as the primary hue for your wedding reception? The answer is...whatever works best...and it's different for every reception and every overall decor design.

The honest truth is that you really can't say for certain what will work best until you see it. If I can educate my clients on the best way to achieve a glorious final product it would be to say; thoroughly discuss your vision with your designer and then give him or her the freedom to make adjustments in the moment. I've seen receptions where a deep red would never work...and I've seen some where it was the only color that seemed worked. It's a good idea to remain flexible on the color for your room and allow your design team to work together and find a hue that supports the overall design.

Go big or go home!
~ Colby
http://www.astoundingsounds.com