Last year we wrote up a blog post on why we think you should book a party bus for your wedding day transportation in Detroit instead of a stretch limo. This is just a reminder that we urge you to avoid those stretch limos. They may look really kool but they break down routinely. Last year we were at two Detroit weddings where the guests in the sanctuary waited patiently for 30 minutes for the bride to arrive late due to a limo breakdown.
Book yourself a party bus!
All of us are attracted to what is ultra kool and shiny. It is only natural to look at a book’s cover and decide if we like it or not. However, what lies beneath the ultra kool and sexy hood of a stretch limo? Where does a stretch limo come from?
Stretch limosines come from chop shops where they literally chop a perfectly good and expensive car in half and weld in a midddle piece. Supplemental air conditioning is added as well as other electronic entertainment and convenience items. This may sound like a simple and straight-forward process but it is riddled with problems. They may get 10,000 miles on a set of tires if things go well and electrical anomalies abound. As a result stretch limosines can only serve up to about 40,000 miles of service before being retired.
At weddings we have done throughout Greater Detroit we have observed that it is not uncommon for a bride to arrive at the church late becomes of a stretch limo breaking down.
A party bus, however, was designed to be a party bus and placed in service straight out of the factory. Consider also that you have room to easily more around.
Our advice is to book yourself a party bus. Your chances of arriving at the church on time are greatly improved.
All brides at least have in the back of their minds a worry that something horrific will go wrong on their magic day. They pray that their wedding day might not be spoiled by an event so horrific that if captured to video would become an instant YouTube hit. Worse… what if someone received personal injury because of a safety issue such as a light cord strung across a walk-way or an ornate glass decoration positioned such that playing children could tip it over.
In a DIY wedding you may find yourself placing decorations that create hazards you may have never thought of. We observed one such example recently at a wedding in Detroit. Please examine the photo below and observe the red circles identifying tall glass vases filled with water and marbles. These water-filled vases lined both sides of the processional isle where equipment laden photographers and videographers were to traverse. As the wedding began and the bridal party began to come down the isle, 
someone brushed against one of these vases causing it to fall and shatter spreading a million pieces of razor sharp glass, marbles, and water down the processional isle and into the guest seating. Several guests stepped up and began a quick cleanup picking up any marbles and glass shards that could be found. Fortunately, no marbles escaped detection for someone to later slip on and nobody was cut picking up the glass shards.
You may find beautiful ornamentation to grace your wedding day but always keep safety in mind. It can bite you when you least expect it.
In most cases you do not want to look directly into the video camera lens. One exception is if you are speaking to the video audience. Another exception is when the two of you walk down the aisle away from the altar in your triumphal exit. If we have a camera at the end of the isle it will look most favorable if you can look into it. Still another exception is if you are waving into the camera. The general idea is that your viewing audience perceives themselves as a fly on the wall being able to watch events without being noticed. When you look into the camera you disturb this perception and draw attention away from the viewing experience.
All too often couples getting married are caught up on the details of all the preparations for the wedding day. It is all too easy lose sight of the reason for the day or at least have many peripheral issues cloud your mind.
If the minister does not tell you to, hold each other’s hands anyway when you start. In this way you can speak to each other without speaking during the vows. It will also cause a discontinuity in your own minds forcing you into the reality that the rubber is beginning to hit the road.
Concentrate on speaking slowly pronouncing each word. When the minister speaks each phrase that you are to repeat, allow for a brief hesitation as you hold the other’s hands and look directly into his or her eyes. As you speak each phrase communicate with your hands emotion. The hand communication will not be visible on the video but it will influence your voice and your entire demeanor.
One side benefit of holding each other’s hands during the vows is that it forces you to be close for an audio advantage. We never mike the bride but always mike the groom. When you hold hands it guarantees that the bride is close enough to the groom’s mike that her vows will be captured with stunning clarity.
Tell your groom, “No monkey business” while waiting at the altar for your entry. There is no reason for conversation unless the officiant or minister initiates it. If his best man initiates conversation he must be told to shut up. It is all too common for a groom to be distracted and miss the larger part of his bride’s entry. Just imagine yourself walking down the isle and your groom doesn’t even see you until you are half way down the isle. You both may lose an experience of a lifetime. Besides that, it looks childish to people in the pews.
One thing that renders our video footage unusable every time is gum chewing. The viewer’s eyes are drawn to the flapping jaw simply because of the movement. Because the gum chewing has no applicability to the movie’s theme or subject matter it throws in a major disconnect in the viewing experience.
Explicitly tell the members of your bridal party that your wedding is to be a “gum chewing free zone.” Then give each a breath mint package or something similar on the day of the wedding to remind them of this requirement.
When it is time to say your vows, look directly into the eyes of your beloved and DO NOT turn to look at the minister. It is only natural for you to look at someone who is speaking to you. Consider the case of a handshake. It is almost impossible for you to not extend your right hand when someone else offers to you his hand in a greeting. It is like a slap in the face for you to not return your hand in like manner.
Now, consider what we have at the altar. The two of you are standing at the altar looking at each other with the minister only an arm length away. The minister then speaks directly to one of you saying something on the order of, “Do you, Your Name, take Your Beloved’s Name to be your lawfully wedded…” Unless you have thought it through before hand it will be almost impossible for you to avoid turning your head away from your beloved to look at the minister who is speaking to you. There will be to you an illusion that you are offending the minister.
Taking this to the next level, when you turn to look at the minister your beloved will almost certainly turn to look at him as well. You end up with head bobbing that will look horrible in your video.
Well… rest assured, the minister will understand if both of you completely ignore him and merely repeat his words while never turning your eyes from your beloved.
One of the extremely common surprises of a wedding day comes when it is time to place the rings. Probably zero percent of couples getting married practice placing the rings on each other prior to the ceremony. Consequently, it is quite common to actually struggle at the altar getting a ring to slide to its final position on the finger.
We ask all of our couples getting married to practice placing the rings on each other prior to the ceremony. This way it will be one less potential stumbling block at the altar. Your video viewers will be able to center on feeling the emotion of the ring exchange without the distraction of an awkward moment.