How soon should I hire a band for my New England wedding?

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Hans

When it comes to hiring a band for your New England wedding, time is of the essence. At Best Bands we are already scheduling wedding reception music well into 2012 and some for 2013. But we also understand that for some people the date 2013 might sound like something out of a Sci-Fi movie.

The earlier you call, the better the selection will be, but not every one has the ability to plan so far ahead. Six months out is not too late. We can even find something appropriate for your wedding 2 months out!

This is one of the best reasons to work with Best Bands: Things happen. Your favorite band might regroup and you might not love the new singer, or your band might disband altogether (it is a relationship after all, and not all relationships are predictable).

When things do happen, we have the most up-to-date schedules for all of our bands right in front of us all the time. Give us your date and your musical preferences and we can find something that will work for you. We can always find an available band. Even our most requested wedding bands have some wiggle room in their calendars.

But do call soon!

Our Favorite Vermont Wedding Caterer

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Hans

A catered Vermont wedding in the countryside...

Vermont is a Mecca for good food. We love organic food, local food, gourmet food, picnics, barbecues… There are so many great wedding caterers in this tiny state of gourmets, you may have a hard time choosing.

So we’ll make your job a bit easier and single out Cloud 9 Caterers from Shelburne. Owner Sarah Moran is passionate about food. The Virginia Wolf quote on her website says it all: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Cloud 9 clients think, love, and sleep well (these may also be the components of a happy marriage). If your first meal married is any indication of your future as a couple, you’ll live in nuptial bliss (perhaps even on Cloud 9).

Cloud 9 is a member of the Vermont Fresh Network, a partnership of farmers and chefs committed to using and promoting organic, locally produced ingredients. Cloud 9′s dishes have been describer as eclectic, contemporary, and fresh. These are also great adjectives that might describe a fabulous wedding reception!

Here a testimonial from Sarah’s site (I took out the raves about the food, they just went on forever):

“Planning our daughter’s Vermont wedding from Massachusetts was becoming very challenging for us. When Cloud 9 became our caterer, our worries were over and we were finally able to relax… Cloud 9 is so much more than a catering company. Their help went way beyond preparing the food. They were organized and professional so that on my daughter’s wedding day, everything was perfect. Thank you, Cloud 9, you were wonderful.”

Vermont Wedding Florists: When is the right time to hire yours?

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Hans

Bridal Bouquet, Stray Cat Flower Farm In a word: Now. If you are getting married in Vermont this summer, it’s high time. Many popular wedding magazines suggest the 6-7 month window for hiring your Vermont wedding florist. Some florists disagree and suggest you get organized as early as 15 months before hand. Others are more amenable and will work you in as their schedules allow.

Here are two ends of the spectrum: Stray Cat Flower Farm and Floral Artistry. Both are dynamite floral designers in Northern Vermont.

Alison at Floral Artistry prefers more notice, as man as 15 months; Diana at Stray Cat might be able to squeeze you in or even give you a DIY option on shorter notice. She prefers that her clients contact her three months before and event. I talked to Diana this morning to get some tips about how to go about arranging for (and arranging) your wedding flowers for a Vermont wedding. Here are a couple highlights:

Know your budget. Communicate this very clearly from the get go. Your florist will be able to work with you most effectively and efficiently. And there wont be any surprises on either side of the relationship.
Communicate your tastes. Let your florist know if you have any favorite flowers (also let your florist know if there are any flowers you hate). If you don’t know anything about flowers, no worries. Give your florists some adjectives about your personality and the type of feeling you want at your Vermont Wedding: Elegant, Country, Punk, Romantic, Earthy, Formal…The flowers will set the tone for your whole wedding, so bee as specific as you can be.
DIY might be right for you. Stray Cat Flowers offers a Do-It-Yourself option that is less expensive and requires less lead time. Depending on your family and wedding guests, DIY flowers can be a good mixer the day before the wedding. But do reserve flowers at least a month ahead of time.

Whichever florist you choose (here is a partial list of wedding flower vendors from Weddings Vermont), keep in mind that the relationship you have with your wedding vendors is a relationship. The better you communicate, the better your relationship will be.

http://www.straycatflowers.com/weddings/

Find the right caterer for your Vermont Wedding

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Hans

Vermont is one of the best places in New England to get married. If you are even a little bit outdoorsy, Vermont is hard to beat: Lake Champlain, Green Mountains, meadows, farms, etc. Vermont is scenic and quaint. We’ve got great people and great music.

Vermont is also a great place to eat. Local and gourmet are all the rage here. Local because it tastes better; gourmet because it’s the right thing to do especially if you are having a wedding. Vermont caterers are some of the best in the country. You’ll find everything from extravagant to earthly.

Here are our favorites:

The Skinny Pancake is a crêperie. They started with a crêpe cart on Chruch Street, Burlington’s pedestiran mall, and blossomed into two restaurants (one in Burlington, the other in Montpelier) and a wonderful and inventive catering service (at a Vermont wedding near you). The hay wagon in the photo above features The Skinny’s bar in an incredible Vermont setting.

Their food is earthy and good. One of the fun things The Skinny Pancake is known for is fondue. While fondue might not be the most appropriate dish for a wedding reception, it is fun and worth mentioning. Benji Adler is a major proponents of local food. If your stuck for a rehearsal dinner location, they are known to rent out their restaurants. Their prices are quite reasonable.

Talk about catering to your needs! Dish custom tailors each menu to yours tastes, the mood of the event, and the best of the season. Dish presents foods that are rich in flavor, as well as history and meaning.

Kate Taylor Hays will work with you to create a cohesive gourmet menu for your wedding. At Dish “We work with you to creatively incorporate all the flavors you want. Want the fun and funkiness of high-concept appetizers and the restrained elegance of a plated dinner?”

Check out this winter themed wedding menu: from Crostini with white bean-spinach puree, seared peppered tuna and crispy pancetta to Herb-crusted beef tenderloin with leeks and wild mushrooms in a sherried demi-glace sauce.

The food at Dish is gourmet and breath taking. The prices are, too.

Can’t Fit into that Wedding Dress? In Vermont there is a sure fire solution

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Hans

Is your Vermont wedding coming up this spring? Feeling a little too voluptuous for your mother’s vintage wedding dress? I’ve got one word for you: CrossFit.

Best Bands will help you get your music together; CrossFit will help you with your waistline. CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that will help you get that fit, beautiful, strong, wedding dress body you are dreaming of.

CrossFit is used by police academies, tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, olympic athletes, ballerinas, bathing suit models, grandmothers, college students, and desk jockeys.

Some call it elite fitness, but the great thing about CrossFit its inclusiveness. It is accessible to anybody at any age and any degree of fitness. Classes are conducted in a supportive group. Each member performs the same exercises at her own fitness level. But if you don’t love the encouragement of working in a group, you can work one-on-one with a fitness trainer. There are ten precepts of CrossFit:

Agility
Balance
Speed
Power
Accuracy
Stamina
Coordination
Flexibility
Strength
Cardio

Crossfit will get you into that vintage wedding dress, it will also give you better balance and poise for your first dance.

There is a great CrossFit Gym in the middle of Chittenden County: Champlain Valley Crossfit. Just outside of Burlington, on Route 2 in Williston. They offer On-Ramp sessions through March. In these sessions you’ll learn the techniques and moves of the exercise program and get tuned up for regular group classes. According to Champlain Valley CrossFit, the program “delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. CrossFit’s specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness…” He forgot to mention weddings, but it’s obvious isn’t it?

Check it out:

This video will give you a taste of CrossFit. You don’t have to change your life to do CrossFit, CrossFit will change it for you!

wedding dress image credit: www.realself.com