Additional Wedding Information: -

This section come in two parts beginning with the 'Benefits,' followed by 'Pricing & Options'. I have started with the benefits (it's quite long), becuase by understanding the true benefits of hiring my entertainment services, this should help you to select the best option/s for your specific needs (if you want to skip the benefits, please scroll down until the background and type change colour).

So, what are the true benefits of engaging an afternoon/early evening, entertainer?

1) The obvious answer is that afternoon/early evening entertainment will provide some additional interest and sparkle to any wedding day experience... and who does not want some extra interest and sparkle in their lives?

2) However, whilst the above answer is in itself a very good reason to engage an afternoon/early evening entertainer, there is another less obvious, and perhaps far more important benefit. This is because well timed entertainment can significantly improve the chances of the evening party being a success, as it will remedy the all too common "Afternoon-Lull" issue.

What is the "Afternoon-Lull" issue?

Note, this section has been written by a former professional photographer, and is based upon his many observations of how people "react and behave" to the different parts of a wedding day.

Firstly, the Afternoon-Lull issue specifically relates to the period that starts shortly after the wedding breakfast, and only ends when the evening party 'FULLY' gets going. Depending on exact timings of these two parameters, an Afternoon-Lull will usually last somewhere between three to six hours. Generally, this is the only time period during a wedding day where there is very little going on, and this inactivity can lead to guests becoming bored and lethargic.

An benefit of entertainment, is that it can provide a focal point for your guests, and this will reduce the fragmentation of guests into small cliques. It is still likely that people will move around from time to time (as too much sitting around will also induce lethargy), but most guests will be drawn back to an entertaining focal point.

Realistically, most wedding guests can easily withstand around one hour of inactivity (they may even appreciate a break from the formalities), but a more lengthy period can be incredibly tiresome and if lethargy sets in, this can have a significant negative imapact on the evening party. Simply put 'lethargy' and 'partying' are NOT good bedfellows!

That said, if a bride and groom are "really lucky", the arrival of a fresh batch of evening guests and/or, the onset of the evening party, may re-ignite the energy and enthusiasm of your lethargic guests (especially if you have engaged a really good DJ or Band). In such cases all will be well... "happy days"!

However, I have witnessed far too many evening parties that have failed to meet expectations (probably over 50%), and almost all of those that failed to meet exceptations, it was due to the Afternoon-Lull issue. So, I would suggest that if you don't want to rely solely on luck, just ensure that any Afternoon-Lull lasts no longer than sixty minutes!

I must mention that there are alternative methods of avoiding the "Afternoon Lull" but in reality unless you really know what you are doing, these are either far less effective, and less reliable, than engaging a professional entertainer.

Lastly, I know that the above may appear like I'm a "gloom & doom merchant," and that organising your wedding may now appear to be even more of a logistical and financial burden. However, here is a reality check... with regard to the logistics, most weddings are just a predictable sequence of specific parts, and almost all of these parts will have professionals involved (who should provide you with their specific timing requirements) e.g. Hairdressers, Make-up Artists, Photographers, Chauffeurs, Clergy or Registrars, Caterers, Venue Managers, Entertainers, DJ's, etc. Once you have all of the timings for the day, all you have to do for is look for any long gaps and in most circumstances, the only long gap will be the "Afternoon-Lull". With regard to the finances, in the grand scheme of things an afternoon/early evening entertainer should not add that much to your overall wedding budget.

My Top Tips:

Logistics: Start your outline plan as soon as you can, as this will make the logistics experience less overwhelming and stressful, and start to book anything important immediately e.g. before someone else books your dream venue! Make a very accurate to-do list, budget record, and a timings schedule (spreadsheets are perfect for this). Don't forget to calculate travel times for arriving at, or moving between, different locations (account of parking time), and also add some delays/overrun time. The schedule should account for every single minute of the Wedding Day i.e. from when you need to get up, until the parties finished and your guests have gone.

With regard to weather (hot, cold, rain or wind), all of these may have an effect on your timings (although being too hot is relatively rare in the UK!) However, some simple advanced planning will drastically reduce the delays and stresses associated with weather e.g. having a few umbrellas on hand will negate most of the issues caused by rain.

Lastly, once a wedding day commences, there will be some things that don't go exactly to plan (this is pretty much 100% guaranteed). That said, I have never witnessed a wedding that has been ruined by a good plan going slightly awry (just have your plan with you, and adjust it to accommodate the change). However, I have witnessed far too many issues and meltdowns caused by having a bad plan, or no plan at all. So, I strongly advise people to make a meticulous plan; print two copies of the plan; and ensure that the groom and best man have a copy in their pocket.

Notes: If the above appears like a military operation and a bit overwhelming and stressful... well the truth is that it probably will be a bit overwhelming and stressful to start with. The good news is that all of the stresses associated with forming a good wedding plan will be over way before your wedding day, so your actual wedding day will be nice and relaxed for you, your family, and your guests!

Financial: If you have a tight budget, sacrifice things that are not going to really add much value to your own, or your guests, wedding experience e.g. fancy invites, extravagant table or room decorations, overly expensive wines and/or Champagne, ponsy food, etc.

I will finish with this... "a good wedding is one where those people who really wanted to attend, those who were duty bound to attend, and those who were coerced into attending, all come away having had an enjoyable time.

For those of you that have read this page, I do hope that it will help you to have the wedding of your dreams.

And, I wish you the very best!