The Captured Moment
Whenever I am approached by a new bride, I am always captivated with the thoughts of how can I make her wedding day not a good wedding, not a great wedding but a “Magical Wedding”. What elements can I pull and weave together to truly make her wedding day the most memorable day of her life.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of spending my afternoon at the elegant Royal York Hotel and I was doing just that. I found myself standing in the midst of the beauty of the Concert Hall and Ballroom and caught up in this emotion.
I was coupled with all the vendors (I prefer to refer to them as my “Wedding Day Team of Romance”) and together we came together and related to how the colors, the linens, the decor, the flowers, the lighting, and the music was going to be fully ensembled to create this magical wedding day. It was clear that we all understood that we all wanted to capture a moment in time.
I believe that whether a wedding will have guests of 30 or 300 attending, it deserves this special attention to every detail. I know one could read in magazines and blogs what to look for in a wedding planner, what credentials they should have and what associations they are members of, but really all of this seems so black and white when really isn’t it the beauty of the emotion of awe, the beauty of the colors, the beauty of the floral arrangements, the beauty of the music which well put together by a planner captures what every bride wants – the captured moment.
Yes, I do offer the black and white aspect of a qualified wedding planner but I always want to be captivated by the romance of the wedding that I have the privlege to plan and design. Truly, only then will I know and can be known as the planner whom understands the feeling of romance when it comes to planning a wedding.
Thank you to all my brides and grooms, whom allow me to be a part of their wedding day and step into their world of romance.
Photo courtesy of Florian Photography at www.florianphoto.com
Casamentos Haute Couture Weddings
Real Love. Intimate Moments. Exquisite Weddings.
Dear Casamentos,
My name is Michael Danso and I have been involved in this genre of performance for about20 years. I have a large complement of musicians, but usually provide a nine (9) piece band as well as smaller ensembles for events. It may be interesting to note here that I have also been asked to, and have provided, a string section( from 6 to 12 musicians, depending…) as a supplemental addition to the band, from one of the local symphonic organizations for larger functions
I am in complete agreement with your statements that”I believe that whether a wedding will have guests of 30 or 300 attending, it deserves this special attention to every detail” ….and….. “isn’t it the beauty of the emotion of awe, the beauty of the colors, the beauty of the floral arrangements, the beauty of the music which ,well put together by a planner, captures what every bride wants – the captured moment. ”
I have been in show business all of my life, and it has been very good to me. I have enjoyed success in many different areas of my business, but my own personal favorite reaction to what I do is the happiness I see in the faces of the( my ) Brides and Grooms,their families and friends when they are expressing the joy they have found in my attempts to make music that has created fun and goodwill and enabled an environment where many different people from all walks of life could come together with a single united purpose to share in,and add, their individual joy to collectively celebrating their Friends’ ( the Bride and Groom’s ) special day. I have had the opportunity to weave many different kinds of Sound – Tapestries ( sorry, that means.. to make music.. .You see,I am Scots and have a tendency towards verbosity and the poetic )Living in Canada’s multi-cultural environment has allowed me to work for clients who come from around the globe.Each of them taught me so very much about their individual cross-cultural musical preferences and as a result, I now have Celtic, East Indian, Italian, Korean, German, Xhosa, Irish, Zulu, Spanish, Japanese, and many other types of music and songs, in my repertoire. I mention this because I am very pleased to be able to give a musical nod of appreciation where it is not usually expected, to Guests,Family members and Attendees present at the wedding events in which I am hired to play. As we all know,Our present world is becoming a very small place, and people getting married today come from all points on the global map. It is a common occurrence that modern Brides and Grooms come from different cultures and backgrounds, as do their individual families and friends. It is a good thing to be able to bring them all together using the Universal Language of music.In my mind, it is all a part of making the magic happen for the people who have entrusted us with the gift of their Special day. Anyone can make a good or great affair, but few do the wee bit extra it takes to make the magic, which should be happening in order to create memories that last a lifetime. I have had the opportunity to make music for all kinds of events from the largest to the small. I have noticed a trend towards the down sizing of some events either due to budgetary constraints, or a simple matter of personal taste. I decided to respond to this new market with a product that is not only Joyful and fun, but which is also elegant, intimate and full of those “special moments” for the Bride and Groom to connect with those they love and who love them back. It is called the Jazz Wedding. The repertoire is Standard material. The songs that many great artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Sarah Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, and many others chose to present and include in their repertoire because of the stellar combination of lyrics and music inherent in the material written by the likes of George and Ira Gershwin, Rogers and Hart, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and others. I like to intersperse the Standards with the works of some modern composers such as Sting, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Billy Joel to name a few. It makes for a very interesting, different, fun yet elegant affair which, in its’ own way is cutting edge because of its’ unusual appearance in this genre. The reaction has been nothing short of fabulous. The Jazz Wedding is for those with joyful discriminating taste, and a sense of adventure who want ( and deserve ) to have magic happen at their event. I will quote you again where you say in your blog ” I always want to be captivated by the romance of the wedding that I have the privilege to plan and design….” Taking this into account, I will unequivocally state that the Jazz Wedding is for you and your clients. It returns a solid dollar value since the musical ensemble is small ( 3-4 musicans and M-F Vocalists ), the repertoire the finest written, and the feelings raised by this music is unmatched. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to share my thoughts.Your site is not only professional, full of interesting information and easy to navigate, but conveys an Elegance and a true Romanticism that I am sure is expressed in the wonderful work that you do. It caught my attention and proved to me that there IS always something new… This time, it is you.
Michael Danso
May 17, 2008 at 4:47 am
I understand completely what you mean by the magical moment – that’s what photography does so well!
Every moment has it’s own color though, and finding that color is a fun way to look at how a relationship expresses itself: http://makelovereal.net/wedding-photos/what-does-a-relationship-look-like-2/
May 19, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Vertebral.
June 19, 2008 at 6:47 am