8/01/2012

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

What can people do with a simple video camera and a very good idea…well, that’s simple, a clip of over 45 million views.

Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz’s wedding dance had almost 20,000,000 single views via You Tube in just three weeks after publication.


In its first 48 hours, the video was viewed over 3.5 million times, and on March 2010, the original upload of the video has been viewed over 45 million time. No wonder it was the 3rd most popular video on YouTube in 2009.

What was intended to be a family video, turned into one of the most popular viral videos on the web, as it was posted on YouTube on July 19 2009, a month after the wedding at the request of the bride’s father who wanted to share it with relatives who were not there.

The video begins with ushers closing the church doors with everything appearing normal, getting ready for the start of a wedding. Forever by Chris Brown then begins to play, and to the surprise of the audience, the ushers, groomsmen and bridesmaids progressively dance down the aisle, culminating in the groom, Kevin Heinz, tumbling through the group. Ultimately, Jill Peterson dances down the aisle, eventually met by her husband-to-be.

Aside from the wedding party, no one else knew of the arrangement. The audience can be seen laughing it up and smiling, however, so they obviously appreciated the JK Wedding entrance dance.

Jill admitted that her mom “was maybe a little nervous,” and Kevin said his parents were “definitely apprehensive,” but didn’t try to talk the two crazy kids out of their plan. They swore them to secrecy so other wedding guests wouldn’t know what they were up to.

The couple even appeared on the Today Show to talk about their crazy nuptials and Matt Lauer asked them who came up with the idea for the unique entrance. Jill told him it was hers and it didn’t take her fun-loving husband Kevin long to agree to the idea, saying the decision to dance was “the first thing we really decided about the wedding that he wanted to do.”

The dancing bride said: “I danced growing up and was a dancer through college, and loved dance as a way to express yourself and share joy. So it was something I always thought about doing.”

The couple also said that they practiced for an hour and a half, and most of the people involved were sort of making up as they went and it really was a surprise that so many were interested in their video.

Wedding Step By Step Guide

Planning a wedding is a difficult task for both the families of the bride and groom and the bride and groom individually. There are so many preparations that must be made, and in many cases, not enough time to do it.

It’s little wonder that many resort to paying professional wedding planners to do the job for them. However, for many, that is an added expense they can’t afford or, takes away from the fun of planning the wedding. For those who need guidance concerning planning the wedding, here are some steps you will find helpful.


1. One of the most important things to do, as soon as you set the date, is to decide where you want to hold the reception. This may seem like a backward way of doing things, but the reasoning is that reception halls tend to book quickly, especially in the summer or during certain holiday seasons, such as Christmas. In order to assure you will be able to have the reception at the place of your choice, book well in advance – sometimes you may have to plan as much as a year in advance. Of course, you will need to have a general idea of the number of guests you plan to invite, just to be certain your venue of choice is big enough.

2. If you plan to have a church wedding, your next step is to make plans for the use of the church, minister, organist, and any other church facilities you need. If you already belong to a church, this process is much easier than for those who don’t have a home church. In fact, this should probably go hand in hand with booking the reception hall, since you have to make sure the church is available at the date and time you desire. This is especially important if you are planning your wedding around a holiday season or on a Sunday afternoon.

3. Whether you’re having a band or just a disc jockey, you want to book several months in advance. Again, this will depend on the season, but during Christmas with many parties going on, they will book quickly.

4. Unless you have booked a venue that provides catering, such as a fire hall or banquet hall of a restaurant or hotel, you will also need to contract with a catering company. Even if your parents are paying for the wedding, you and your fiance should have a say in picking the menu items as long as your choices fall within the allotted budget. Alcohol is optional, and if many of the guests are underage, you may wish to eliminate it, except for the wedding toast. If costs are a factor, a cash bar is an alternative.

5. Once you have booked the reception hall and the church, many of the other preparations can go in any order you choose, since they all need to be started at about the same time. However, most brides like to begin by choosing a wedding gown and dresses for the bridal party. Both of these require one to two months’ preparation in case alterations may be necessary and in case any of the styles are sizes need to be ordered by the bridal shop. Allow enough time to ensure your final fitting and any additional alterations will be ready several days before your wedding.

6. You should order the flowers approximately two weeks in advance to allow the florist time to put the order together appropriately and have time to schedule delivery to the church and reception hall on the day of the wedding.

7. You also want to order your cake a couple of weeks before the big day – preferably even

Planning a wedding

Everybody knows that planning a wedding is a lot of work!

To save themselves the trouble, many young couples turn to specialized help in this matter, such as wedding planners. But what happens if you’re on a low budget? You either give up on the fabulous honeymoon or plan your own wedding. Easy to say when you are in love, you dreamed about this day ever since you were a little girl and you want everything to be perfect. To make things easier you can get a notebook and put down your ideas.


Decide on the one thing everybody is afraid of, the budget and try as possible to stick to it. Once you’ve done that think of the date in order to have time to plan things away.

The first thing you need to do is to think of the setting of the fairytale wedding and book a place in advance, because good restaurants are hard to find. Depending on how big or small the place is, you have to think of the guest list, and yes, you have to invite even those obnoxious distant relatives otherwise your mother is going to do it for you. If you want a small, elegant wedding you can leave them out and later on you can just show them pictures. Whatever you decide, you have to figure out the guest list in order to send them the invitations. You can do them yourself at home, adding a personalize look, or have them bought, it totally up to you. Let people know in advance and make sure they will be able to come. There is also the issue of transportation; you may have to rent something for them.

Then you have to think about the outfits you want people to wear, after all it’s your big day and they all have to please you; the bridesmaid dresses, the groom’s and most importantly your magnificent wedding dress. This is a complex topic, but I’m sure you already have a specific idea.

Come up with a theme, whether it’s a color or something else, it will keep things on track and also it will help with your later decisions. Those decisions may include flowers, table clothes, seat wrappings, lights and even the music band.

Ask yourself what you want to feel or hear on that day, what you want to eat, and add your personal view on the matter. Elaborate the menu and the drinks.

Search for a photographer, and be sure you see his work before deciding; you want to always look back at this day. The same thing goes to flowers; visit a flower shop and tell them what you expect from the arrangements, or bring pictures of what you like and want to appear at your wedding. Mix the flowers with candles and your theme color and it should look amazing.

At this point you should be just about done with the preparation and wait for the big moment to come. On the day, go get your hair done, nails, makeup and prepare yourself to look splendid.

Wedding cakes

For as long as I can remember people have been talking about wedding cakes as an essential part of the celebration, turning this wonderful sweet into an art.


Made out of marzipan, white or dark chocolate, with fruit or cream, the wedding cake is a special moment in the wedding party, because it is the first thing the bride and groom share, both among themselves and with the rest of the guests, thus symbolizing the common future.

Although the size, shape or ingredients used to prepare the wedding cake has changed greatly over time, the tradition has remained the same. In the past it was very common for the cake to be made and brought by guests. The taller the cake the more appreciated by the wedding guests was the bride.

The origins of the wedding cake are quite interesting. In medieval England the bride and groom had to kiss over a pile of cookies. By covering the stack of cakes with frosting, a clever baker of those times invented the wedding cake, making it so popular that from then on every major event had to have a cake present.

Besides tradition, the cake has become the life of the party, catching the eye of young persons as well as old one.

Ancient Greeks used to make a cake out of sesame, and pieces were thrown towards the new couple as confetti or rice is used today.

The wedding cake is a symbol of a fertile and prosperous future of the new couple. When you divide the cake at a wedding or a party it means that you’re sharing the joy with your guests.

Today the cake is made to fit better in the wedding theme; its decoration is the most important part in its manufacture. In general, they prefer white for the wedding cake, but more and more couples opt for custom made cakes. Those who prepare the cakes are not just simple cake confectioners, but they are designers.

The significance of the wedding cake is also slightly modified today. The grooms together with the godparents cut the first slice of cake along with the same knife and then feed each other, which means union and involvement in the couple.

American Wedding

Living in the US makes one feel free – free to do anything, free to live, free to love, free from traditions. While this is true, there are still many practices done during wedding that renders this memorable event with a distinct American touch. Starting from the engagement, Americans can think of unique ways to personalize their wedding. As there really isn’t any engagement tradition, the more unique the marriage proposal is done, the better.


For most wedding preparations, the engaged couple visits their parents to inform them of their recent engagement.
At times, the engaged couple hosts an engagement party. The engagement party costs less than a wedding reception since most of the time, the menu will only include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Therefore, if the couple is on a tight budget, they can just invite more guests to the engagement party if they plan to limit the number of guests during the wedding.
Most wedding preparations have a bridal shower given by the maid of honor and the bridesmaids. The groom may also have a bachelor party the night before the wedding but he has to be careful not to drink too much.

Wedding invitations should include response cards to quickly inform the couple whether the person has accepted or declined the invitation. The wedding invitations should also be sent within four to six weeks before the event. Usually, there is a rehearsal dinner in which the wedding party and guests came from far places to be present at the wedding attend. It was practiced that the groom’s parents pay for this dinner. A bridal luncheon may be hosted for the bride’s attendants during the wedding day. However, time constraints may not permit this to be part of the schedule for the wedding day. Likewise, the groom may also host a groom’s dinner for his groomsmen.

Interestingly, even if the couple is not very religious, they still prefer a religious ceremony. However, this may pose a problem since in America people of different faiths and religious backgrounds get married. Even if there are few people who believe in bad luck, some couples still make sure that the groom does not see his bride until she starts waking on the aisle.

It is still practiced that the groom and his groomsmen enter the church through a side door. The bride will then walk down the aisle with her father. In some cases when both her father and stepfather brought up the bride, she may ask them both to escort her.

During a formal reception, there is usually a bridal table where the couple and the attendants sit. Also, food and drinks should be served as the guests appear at the reception.
Before, gift giving used to depend on what the guest will feel useful for the couple. Now, it is better to register for gifts so the guests will know what to bring that the couple will need.
Upon receiving an engagement or wedding gift, it is better to send a thank you note apart from saying “thank you” to the giver. This should be sent within two weeks upon receipt of the gift. Make a personalized thank you note, instead of using an impersonal generic thank you note.

These are just some American practices during weddings. Whether one chooses to this or prefers to have a very different wedding, what’s more important is that Americans still believe in the wedding vow, “For better or worse, ’til death do us part.”

Dream Wedding Ceremony and Reception

Can you picture it? It is finally your big day and all eyes are turned toward you. With the perfect wedding dress and a gorgeous bridal bouquet, you are certainly the most beautiful woman in the room. After all of the careful planning you put into your wedding ceremony and reception, the day has finally arrived and everything is going just as planned. Or is it?


Every bride-to-bes nightmare is that something will go wrong on her wedding day. This fear is certainly understandable. After all, you have likely dreamed of this day since you were a little girl. In addition, you and your soon-to-be husband have probably invested a great deal of money into the wedding ceremony and reception. From selecting the perfect wedding ceremony flowers to selecting the best entertainment for you and your guests, every detail was given careful consideration.

Although there is no way to guarantee that your wedding will go off exactly as planned – after all, life is always full of its little surprises, there are a few steps you can take to help improve your chances of having the wedding you have always dreamed of.
Start planning your wedding ceremony and reception at least one year ahead of time. This will improve your chances of being able to reserve the best location and entertainment for your special day.

Consult with a wedding florist early in order to determine which flowers will be in season at the time of your wedding. You are less likely to experience problems with in-season flowers for weddings rather than with those that are not. You might also want to consider using artificial silk flowers rather than fresh flowers. In that way, you can be certain they will look great and will be available on your wedding day.Put someone in charge. You don’t necessarily have to hire a wedding planner, but putting someone you trust in charge of the wedding ceremony and reception will take the stress off of you while ensuring everything goes smoothly and as planned when the big day finally arrives.

Make your centerpieces simple. Many brides-to-be want to include wedding ceremony flowers in their centerpieces. Natural flowers can become wilted or easily damaged when used in centerpieces. Even if you insist upon having natural flowers in your bridal bouquet, consider using artificial silk flowers in the centerpieces. Not only will they stand up to the abuse of your guests, they can be given to your guests as longlasting souvenirs of your wedding day. Be flexible. You may have been planning every last detail of your wedding since you were five-years-old, but you need to have a certain amount of flexibility if you hope to enjoy your special day. If you allow yourself to get worked up by changes that have to be made to the small details, you won’t enjoy your day for what it is, one of the most important and special days of your life.

Every bride-to-be wants her wedding day to be absolutely perfect. By following these simple steps, you can significantly increase your chances of having your dream wedding become a reality.

Wedding flowers

Today I would like to talk more about wedding flowers, my favorite thing to use when decorating, and actually the fun part of the preparation.

Flowers offer light, energy and wonderful color to the room, in other words they bring the touch of magic. They give elegant ambiance to your wedding and help create a unique atmosphere. Flowers definitely make the difference between one nice party and something really special.

You should choose a flower theme, and be in harmony with the style and colors of the wedding in general. When you pick this one out you’re free to go wild with the choices as long as you remember this procedure is like getting dressed or designing a room, some matching thoughts are still required. The beauty and fragrance of flowers in combination with the use of natural light, candle light and lighting fixtures sets enhance your wedding theme. Depending on it, you can do all monochromatic or pastel colors, whatever you decide it should look great. You can either follow one type of flower or mix them around to give it more character and personal touch.

After deciding on the wedding theme the next thing in line is look at textures. Select a variety of textures and heights to make them look interesting. Another important step is choosing the flowers. Flower arrangements start with a good combination of flowers, textures that add dept and interest to your bouquets.

If you feel that these decisions outweigh your aesthetic sense don’t be ashamed to hire professional help to give you suggestion, thus easing your situation.

Although flowers are not to be ordered months before, it is important that you choose an agency or a florist a few months before. This is because most talented professionals are in high demand and they might be busy around the date of your wedding day. Another unpleasant surprise is the fact that it could be impossible to those chosen ones to create an exact replica of what you wanted. To overcome the situation be honest with them and explain whatever it is you want changed, giving them specific detail even pictures from as many angles as possible.

If you require a large number of arrangements or elaborate designs, your florist may need to start preparation a full week before the wedding. Color-matched ribbons and unique flowers as well as other floral accessories can take a lot of time for the florist to special order so be sure to take care of things in advance.