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Oct 01
Love0
Honeymoon packing tips

How to pack for your honeymoon

By Honeymoons

Men and women have totally different ways to pack for their honeymoon, as the humorous video below points out. Nonetheless, there are some rock solid honeymoon packing tips that apply to both genders.

Honeymoon Packing Tips

 

TIP #1: Be sure to label your luggage on the inside and out. Even more, make your bags standout with a unique, colorful luggage tag so it is not mistakenly taken by someone else with a similar bag. Don’t let missing luggage slow down your honeymoon!

TIP #2:  Create a packing checklist. It’s just as easy to overpack as it is to forget critical items. Checklists make packing more efficient and less stressful. By the same token, checklists reduce your risk of leaving items behind at the end of your honeymoon.  I’ve attached a real, nice checklist for women I found from a website at www.HouseMixBlog.com to get you started.

honeymoon packing tips

More honeymoon packing tips

TIP #3:  Travel light. Be honest with yourself, traveling heavy is hard. It’s more expensive. It’s unwieldy. You work up a sweat. Your luggage breaks. And if you are really, really honest with yourself, you never use everything you’ve packed. Traveling light is so much easier. A website called www.TravelJoy.com advises brides to ‘recycle’ and accessorize:

√ RECYCLING: Instead of bringing 8 tops and 8 bottoms for 8 days of travel, try bringing half that amount and then mixing and matching outfits. It will help you feel like you are wearing something new without adding bulk and weight to your bag.

√ ACCESSORIZING: Adding scarves and jewelry to simple outfits is the another way to increase your travel wardrobe. A bright blue scarf and some fun earrings will make a black dress look different than it does with only a simple belt and a simple chain necklace.

TIP #4:  Start with your non-clothes necessities. Here are things your really need to have;

√ Drivers license.

√ Airline tickets or e-ticket confirmations.

√ Passport and visas.

√ Credit cards. Leave behind those you don’t need.

√ Reservation confirmations.

√ Medical prescriptions.

√ Photocopies of everything listed above. Make 2 sets: one to carry with you; one to leave behind in your hotel.

√ Phone #s for your doctor, credit card companies (in case they’re stolen), and house and pet sitters.

TIP #5:  Carry key items on the plane with you, such as medications in their original bottles, tickets, itineraries, emergency contact info, change of clothes, and a few fun and light items, like magazines, e-books, or playing cards.

These simple tips will help you relax and enjoy your honeymoon all the more!

Congratulations … and bon voyage!

[Don’t forget to check out Queen City DJs’ wedding services!]

Sep 22
Love0
DJ advantage

Why 2 out of 3 brides prefer a DJ to a band

By DJ Entertainment

The DJ advantage

I’m like you:  I love music, and I love a good band.

In fact, Queen City DJs is friends with many top notch bands in the greater Cincinnati area.  Having said that, the Knot conducted a nationwide survey of some 18,000 brides and learned that 2 out 3 hired a professional DJ instead of a band.

One DJ advantage really stands out with brides here in our area:  flexibility.  We can play about any song you want by the artist of your choice.

DJ flexibility matters to brides

Take the timeless classic song for a wedding first dance, “The Way You Look Tonight.”  It was written way back in 1936 for a movie called “Swing Time” with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and music by Jerome Kerns.

Many local bands don’t know the song.  And for those that do, can they compete with the polished, professional arrangements and vocals that a Michael Bublé provides?  Just listen to the video above.  It’s hard to beat those seductive Latin rhythms that caress your ears, isn’t it? And Bublé is simply one of the best contemporary vocal stylists around!

On the other hand, perhaps you’d rather hear the great jazz artist, Harry Connick Jr., singing your first dance song as only he can do it: with jazz!

Or maybe you love the super smooth voice of Adam Levine:

Looking for romance on steroids?  How about the legendary Tony Bennet singing a duet with the lovely Faith Hill?

How about a retro interpretation of the song by Chad & Jeremy?

You’ll never go wrong with this definitive interpretation by the Chairman of the Board himself, Frank Sinatra, and a simply swinging arrangement by the great Nelson Riddle.

Great artists make a great song like “The Way You Look Tonight” their own.  Which version do you like best?

Here’s the thing:  a DJ can play whatever version fits your style and personality.  Queen City DJs has these versions and more.  We can get whatever you want if we don’t.

This flexibility is a significant DJ advantage, one that contributes to the popularity of Queen City DJs with Cincinnati wedding couples.

What songs do you want to hear at your wedding reception? And who do you want singing them? Check out our musical database and start planning the wedding of your dreams!

Sep 20
Love0
don't let a friend DJ your wedding

How to ruin a friendship

By DJ Entertainment

Do you value your friendships? Whatever you do, don’t let a friend DJ your Cincinnati wedding. It’s a recipe for disaster, unless he or she is an experienced professional with at least 50 weddings under their belt.

As regular readers of this blog know, entertainment makes the event. It is the great equalizer for brides on a budget.  Great entertainment compensates for the need for most of us to moderate our desires when it comes to which package we select from our caterer, photographer, and florist.

But if the entertainment is legendary, your reception will be legendary, too, even if you had to cut back a little on other areas of your wedding.

Don’t let a friend DJ your wedding!

Here’s your risk, and it’s a big one: you try to cut corners by having a friend play some tunes off of his iPod at your reception. Not only will you put your friendship at risk, you put your entire wedding reception at risk when your guests start to leave early.

DJing involves far, far more than just playing music. In the hands of professionals like Queen City DJs, it is an art form that energizes and entertains your friends and family.

We know how to read an audience and play music that packs the dance floor. Even more, we know how to engage even your shy guests to move them from their seats to the dance floor.  It’s done so naturally, but the talent to do that was honed by raw experience.

Your friend just doesn’t have that experience. Nor does he have the experience to MC a wedding reception.

Announcements have to be timed perfectly. They need to be coordinated with the rest of your wedding vendors. A wedding reception doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  There are a lot of moving parts. Our skilled professionals are the quarterbacks to pulling everything together so your party flows like clockwork.

And there are practical reasons professional wedding entertainment is priceless. Queen City DJs offers the professional pre-planning, the professional lighting options, the professional microphones and cutting edge sound equipment that transforms ordinary receptions into extraordinary ones.

Two out of three brides hire a professional DJ company

Your friend just can’t bring these resources to the table. This is why two out of every three brides in the U.S. hires a professional wedding DJ company, according to a massive survey of 18,000 brides and grooms by The Knot.

We’ve heard way too many horror stories from people who let their friend DJ their event. Their friend only played his favorite music. Few people danced. The equipment was terrible. There was no first dance. The cake-cutting was ruined. No one could hear the toasts because the microphones and speakers were horrible. Speaker feedback was distracting. The party ended an hour early.

Isn’t your friendship worth more than this? Don’t put him in the position of disappointing you.

Even more, isn’t your wedding reception worthy of a legendary party? Yes, it is, and the key is the entertainment. Entertainment makes the event every time. Learn more about how Queen City DJs can make your wedding dreams come true, while saving your friendships!

Sep 03
Love0
best wedding movies

Best all time wedding movies

By Culture

Wedding movies are so fun. They unite an audience because everyone has wedding experience, either as an attendee or a participant. So when various antics, disasters, and human foibles are projected on the big screen, well, it can be delightfully entertaining.

Queen City DJs gets a big kick out of wedding movies, because we’ve seen it all in real life! When you entertain at wedding celebrations on a weekly basis, you can’t help but encounter some zany escapades that fall into the ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ category!

I couldn’t help but laugh at a recent wedding ceremony that was held on a Sunday afternoon. The poor priest officiating the service kept referring to it as a funeral instead of a wedding. That got a ton of laughs. He explained that he almost never performs weddings on a Sunday, and that funerals are more typical on Sundays, so it was tough for him get his mind out of funeral mode and into wedding mode.

(For the record, Sunday weddings can often times save you money, since most couples prefer Saturdays. Some wedding vendors offer more favorable pricing on these “off” days.)

Entertainment Tonight’s list of best wedding movies

Entertainment Tonight compiled a list of their favorite wedding movies in the video below.

Here’s their list of their top seven, along with their respective box office receipts:

7. My Best Friend’s Wedding | $299 Million

6. 27 Dresses | $160 Million

5. Bridesmaids | $288 Million

4. The Wedding Planner | $95 Million

3. The Wedding Crashers | $285 Million

2. The Wedding Singer | $123 Million

1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding | $368 Million

wedding movies

Wedding movies are so much fun!

There’s money in wedding movies!

The risk of watching movies like these is that most brides don’t have Hollywood budgets! Some brides get a little overwhelmed and fret that their wedding celebration will pale by comparison.

Your wedding can be better than a Hollywood movie!

Don’t worry, your wedding can easily exceed any you see on movie screens, even if your wedding budget is on the ‘normal’ side, which is most of us. Everything depends on the entertainment. If your guests are having fun, they aren’t even going to notice if your reception is a buffet or a sit down dinner.

Queen City DJs offers a rich selection of entertainment options with attractive package pricing.

Check out our wedding DJ entertainment services and uplighting. Entertainment provides 90% of the fun at wedding receptions, but only costs 10% of the typical budget.

Uplighting transform a plain hall into a palace.

Just as a good Hollywood wedding movie provides you with great entertainment on the silver screen, Queen City DJs will provide you with fabulous wedding entertainment, defined by packed dance floors, flawless MCing, and a spirit of fun.

It’s your turn. Your wedding CAN be better than a movie. Start planning your dream today.

 

Aug 28
Love0
passionate spaghetti and meatball recipe

Here’s a passionate spaghetti and meatball recipe for newlyweds!

By Recipes

Italians know how to love life, beginning with their spaghetti and meatballs.  This blog commends their panache for living, and goes even further with this philosophy:  great food enhances marriage.  So here’s a passionate spaghetti and meatball recipe for newlyweds which will enhance your marriage!

Italian cuisine offers endless possibilities on the creative use of pasta.  In this recipe, the meatball is king.  You’re going to savor them.  At the same time, the pasta gives you something fun to do with your fork.

To enhance the sensuality of this recipe, immediately lower the lights.  Then open a nice bottle of cabernet and pour a glass for each of you.  Furthermore, select some nice music with an Italian flair.  You can’t go wrong with Andre Bocelli.

Okay, get ready to live life to the hilt with this passionate spaghetti and meatball recipe for newlyweds!

Ingredients make the difference in this passionate spaghetti and meatball recipe!

Meatballs:

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces

8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese

2 pounds ground pork

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 large eggs

2 shallots, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Sauce:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Ready for the passion? Here are your easy-to-follow instructions:

  1. FOR THE MEATBALLS: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Then set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray evenly with vegetable oil spray. Next, combine bread and ricotta in large bowl and let sit, mashing occasionally with fork, until smooth paste forms, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add pork, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon zest to bread mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Then divide meat mixture into 24 portions (about 1/4 cup each) and place on platter. Roll meat between your wet hands to form meatballs and space evenly on prepared wire rack. Roast meatballs until browned, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
  3. FOR THE SAUCE: Meanwhile, combine oil and garlic in Dutch oven set over low heat and cook until garlic is soft and golden on all sides, 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, with lid slightly ajar, and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about 30 minutes. Also, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4.  Nestle meatballs into sauce, cover, and transfer pot to oven. Bake until meatballs are tender and sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Transfer meatballs and sauce to serving platter. Sprinkle with basil and serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.
  5. Finally, serve over pasta that has been lightly oiled with olive oil.

Bon appétit!

Planning a wedding? Then check out this recipe for great entertainment!

Aug 22
Love0
marriage is good for your health

Marriage is good for your health

By Culture

We live to celebrate. No celebration is more special than a wedding.  Queen City DJs knows, because we specialize in Cincinnati wedding entertainment. But did you also know marriage is good for your health?

It’s true!  Another wonderful reason to celebrate weddings.

Comedians who like to poke fun at their spouses love to make marriage the butt of their jokes. For example:

In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens.

In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens.

But by the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.

The longterm beauty of marriage

When you set aside the foibles of each of us and look at the longterm beauty of marriage objectively, you’re faced with a shocking realization: marriage is good for your health!  According to research, you will actually live a longer, healthier life if you’re married.

Marriage is good for your healthThis research was conducted by Scott Haltzman, MD, who is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University in Rhode Island. He is the author of The Secrets of Happy Families: Eight Keys to Building a Lifetime of Connection and Contentment.

Marriage health benefits

Check out these amazing facts.  Married people:

√ Live longer than single people.

√ Experience fewer strokes and heart attacks.

√  Have a lower risk of depression.

√ Have a lower risk for advanced cancer.

√ Survive longer when cancer does strike.

√ Are better able to survive major operations.

He looked at mortality rates for married women at age 45 years of age.  They have a 90 percent chance of living to age 65 verses unmarried women who only have an 80% chance of living that long.

The difference for men is even more dramatic.  Married men live on average 17 years longer than single men!

Marriage IS good for your health!

Marriage is so therapeutic to men, that a married man with heart disease will live an average of four years longer than a single man with a healthy heart.

And did you know that unmarried people spend twice as much time in hospitals as married people?

Both unmarried women and men have much higher rates of depression than their married counterparts, but with men, the differential is glaring.  Unmarried men are nine times as likely as married men to suffer from depression.

Former late night talk show host and funny man, David Letterman, even admitted that divorce is harmful to your health, but he had to insert a punchline, of course:

“According to a new survey, people who get divorced die early. People who stay married live longer. The difference is they just wish they were dead.”

Now, now Dave!  Let’s remain positive!  The research is in:  marriage leads to happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Marriage is worth celebrating!

Let’s celebrate!  As you plan your wedding celebration, check out our wedding entertainment services, our fabulous event lighting, and our handy, online planning tools.  Queen City DJs is the wedding celebration specialists you’ve been hearing about!

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage.

Feb 26
Love0
how to tie a tie

How to tie a tie

By Culture

It’s true: a lot of men can’t be bothered to dress up for weddings or funerals. I see guys in cargo shorts and Hawaiian shirts at weddings and even their Aunt Mabel’s funeral! What gives? Maybe it’s because they simply don’t know how to tie a tie!

Queen City DJs provides a simple tutorial on how to tie a tie in the handy video below.

Don’t be embarrassed if you never mastered the art. You’re not alone, but it’s not hard, especially with the assist of this video. Watch it. Practice. You’ll have it mastered by the third knot!

Look impressive!

No matter what anyone says, a man wearing a tie is an impressive site.

Peyton & Eli Manning

Football greats, Peyton and Eli Manning wear ties talking to each other on the phone! If it’s good enough for a couple of guys with four Super Bowl rings between them and a combined net worth of $300 million, isn’t it good enough for you? And here’s the deal, you don’t have to be able to throw a football sixty yards to look like a hall of famer in a tie!

Michael Jordan

Basketball great, Michael Jordan, wears a tie just walking into Starbucks! If it’s good enough for a guy with six NBA titles and a net worth of more than one billion (with a B) dollars, isn’t it good enough for you? Don’t worry if you can’t slam dunk a basketball, your coolness factor will skyrocket if you simply dress like Mike!

Zac Efron

Speaking of cool, Zac Efron wears a tie with sun glasses just to look cool! Now if a Hollywood heart throb and star of High School Musical flits about town in broad daylight wearing a tie, well, maybe you should sit up and take notice! If the only thing holding you back is lack of confidence on how to tie a tie, stop what you’re doing right now. Invest 107 seconds and watch the video above.

You need a tie for formal and semi-formal occasions

Queen City DJs doesn’t suggest that a guy can’t knock around in a t-shirt and a ball cap with the bill facing backward. But there is a time and a place for a suit, don’t you think? For example, if you get a wedding invitation that says formal or semi-formal, you’ll need to wear a coat and tie.

If you’re planning a wedding and you want to go the formal or semi-formal route, I encourage you to share this blogpost with your friends who may need a refresher course on how to tie a tie!

Don’t forget that we offer helpful wedding planning tools right here on our website.

If you found this blogpost helpful, please share it. Thank-you.

Feb 12
Love0
celebrity wedding

10 ugliest celebrity wedding dresses EVER!

By Wedding planning

 

Would you like to have a celebrity wedding?

Think twice about that. Just because celebrities have money doesn’t mean that they have any taste. As evidence, just watch the video above which showcases the 10 ugliest celebrity wedding dresses EVER!

What a waste of money!

The typical bride has to deal with reality, a limited budget. Here’s the good news. You can celebrate like a celebrity without spending buckets of money. In fact, you’ve probably got more taste than a whole lot of celebrities.

No where is your taste more on display than with the entertainment. Entertainment makes the event. We can taylor the entertainment to suit your personality, your sense of style, and your taste. And packages can be customized to fit your budget.

Forget about a celebrity wedding!

When you think about it, weddings are really about families and friends who love you and want to share in your celebration. There’s no need to try to impress people who really care about you with a wedding dress you can’t afford.

Instead, throw a great party you CAN afford, and entertainment makes the party.

Forget about a celebrity wedding. Make your celebration distinctly you with customized entertainment from Queen City DJs. Check out our wedding planning tools to get started now.

Jan 29
Love0
fairy tale wedding

You don’t have to be royalty to feel like royalty on your wedding day

By Lighting

Be honest: do you imagine your upcoming wedding day as a fairy tale wedding? A dream-come-true? Your day to feel like a princess?

I hope the answer is yes, because dreams can … and SHOULD … come true on your wedding day. Take a few minutes and watch the video above as Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange their wedding vows in the resplendent West Minster Abbey.

Your fairy tale wedding awaits

You don’t have to become the Duchess of Cambridge to feel like a Royal Highness on your wedding day. Even more, you don’t need to hold your wedding reception in the Buckingham Palace to feel like royalty. There are more affordable solutions.

Queen City DJs offers a way to level the playing field between your limited budget and the Royal Family’s bulging coffers. It begins with the power of fun. If people are having fun, they’re not focused on how much you spent on the flowers or the food, they’re focused on how great you have made them feel.

The power of fun unites wedding guests to be fully engaged in the true meaning of the day, which is the cherished union of two lives which has just taken place before their very eyes.

Queen City DJs knows how to create the fun that keeps a dance floor packed and your guests united in celebration of your glorious wedding day.

packed dance floors

Uplighting transforms a plain hall into a palace

Our wedding DJs are the ‘aristocracy’ of our profession, total pros, who know how to entertain without ever taking the focus off of YOU. But we offer even more affordable solutions to create a ‘regal’ feel at your reception: uplighting.

Uplighting is so very elegant. Queen City DJs can transform even the plainest hall into a palace. You may not be able to afford Buckingham Palace, but you won’t care, because you’ll be partying in your own dazzling palace right here in Cincinnati, or so it will seem.

If you want to feel like a princess on your wedding day, it really can happen. It begins with a phone call to Queen City DJs: 513-659-9293. Let’s start planning your fairy tale today.

Jan 15
Love0
Top classical songs for walking down the aisle

Top classical songs for walking down the aisle

By Ceremony

Classical music has been the gold standard for wedding royalty for centuries. Every bride is special.  One of these top classical songs for walking down the aisle will make you feel like royalty on YOUR wedding day. You can preview them on the video below.

Here are the top classical songs for walking down the aisle. Which is right for you?

  1. Air on the G String | JS Bach
  2. Suite for Solo Cello | JS Bach
  3. Clair de Lune | Debussy
  4. Arioso | JS Bach
  5. Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring | JS Bach
  6. Air from Water Music | Handel
  7. Canon in D (aka ‘Pachelbel’s Canon) | Pachelbel
  8. Bridal Chorus | Richard Wagner
  9. Prince of Denmark’s March Trumpet Voluntary | Clarke
  10. Trumpet Tune | Clarke Purcell
  11. Wedding March | Mendelssohn
  12. Ode to Joy | Beethoven
  13. Rondeau | Mouret
  14. Hornpipe – Water Music | Handel
  15. Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 | JS Bach
  16. Spring from Four Seasons | Vilvaldi

A word of warning on these top classical songs for walking down the aisle!

Do you have access to good local musicians? Do they have the ‘chops’ to play Bach or Beethoven with bravura? Can your budget afford a string or trumpet section that truly honors the majesty of the moment? If the answer is ‘no,’ we can help.

Queen City DJs not only provides dance floor-packing music and entertainment for your Cincinnati area wedding reception, we also provide a complete repertoire of the top classical songs for walking down the aisle.

Our sound systems provide beautiful, controlled music whether your ceremony is in a church or outdoors.

When you walk down the aisle, the music should be regal and beautiful, just like you. Queen City DJs offers the top classical songs for walking down the aisle that will create that magic moment you always dreamed of.

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