Memorable Wedding Locations

View from the park

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation offers romantic and affordable locations for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

 

Whether it’s a cozy winter ceremony by a roaring fireplace or a breezy, expansive waterfront celebration in mid-Summer, Seattle Parks and Recreation has just the right location for any wedding. With more than 400 parks and 40 indoor facilities, the choices are numerous and varied.
Right now is the best time to book. “Open season” for booking weddings in Seattle’s parks began on Friday, Jan. 2. The most desirable parks on the most desirable weekends are booking up fast.
Perhaps best of all is that Seattle Parks and Recreation rental facilities are some of the most reasonably priced in the City. We offer a variety of special and memorable venues for ceremonies and receptions for any budget. Just search our library of locations and select your site online at seattle.gov/parks/weddings/.
“The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is expected to exceed $30,000 in 2014, of which the majority of it is often the venue and the catering minimum that accompanies a venue” according to CNN Money. “With costs on the rise, we see many couples and their families turning to Seattle Parks for beautiful wedding venues that won’t break the bank.”

Based on research from The Wedding Report, 35% of weddings take place at outdoor locations. Depending on the bridal plans, Seattle Parks has hundreds of park locations to choose from, of which more than 40 offer indoor facilities with room capacities ranging from 10 to more than 1,000 people. Popular ceremony and reception locations include:

Hamilton Viewpoint: This northernmost spot in West Seattle looks across Elliott Bay at downtown, the waterfront, and the Cascade Mountains. Hamilton Viewpoint showcases Seattle's urban and natural beauty throughout its 16.9 acres, and accommodates up to 200 people.

Sunset Hill Viewpoint: This romantic lawn with pathway rests on a 300-foot bluff with a magnificent western panorama of Shilshole Bay, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. The Bay below Sunset Hill Park is alive with sailboats, and you can smell the salt breezes as you gaze far out to the Puget isles and the craggy Olympic skyline. The park accommodates up to 100 people.

Pritchard Island Beach Bathhouse: The bathhouse is located on a 19.1 acre open, grassy beach park on Lake Washington lined with large Cottonwood trees. It has beautiful views of Seward Park to the north and Mercer Island to the east. Pritchard Wetland is a unique haven of native plants and wildlife, just south of Pritchard Island Beach. The bathhouse accommodates up to 85 people.

Each location can be decorated and customized to each couple’s specific theme. Catering can be arranged with a Seattle Parks preferred caterer or an outside caterer. Parks encourages brides and planners to talk with the Events Scheduling Office about the availability and flexibility of the venue of their choice.
Since 1990, Seattle Parks has hosted more than 10,000 weddings. For more information or photos, call 206 684-4081 or visit seattle.gov/parks/weddings.

If you like what you are reading, and can benefit from the postings on this blog, either stay tuned for more or contact the Event Planning Director at Garcia Entertainment: http://www.garcia-entertainment.com/index.html

Announcing Your Engagement

Announcing Your Engagement

The personal part of the engagement is when one or both of you decide that now is the time get down on one knee, and/or go out to a special/favorite restaurant for just the two of you (at home is also special).  With that life changing step of the engagement out of the way the next step is announcing it to the family and friends.  One very popular time to announce engagements to the family is when the family naturally comes together.  Very commonly Thanksgiving Day is the time when college students come home from college or otherwise gather for the family celebration.  The trick might well be to enjoy the meal and then surprise everyone with the announcement just before dessert.

The people sitting around the table will share your happiness because after all they are the ones that watch you grow up, and your romance develop and eventually fall in love to the point of reaching the announcing of the engagement.  Now your loved ones will watch the two of you say “I do”, and they need to be the first to know.  Your announcement needs to be personal with the family and before you make a status change on Facebook.

There are so many things that will need to be worked out, from setting the date, to acquiring the venue for the reception, selecting a hotel for your out of town guests, the dress, the tuxedos, the cake, the caterer, the flowers, the photographer, the minister, deciding on hiring a band, or a DJ service, most importantly selecting the bridesmaids, and groomsmen.

Make sure that the date you settle on is one that your wedding party can be available for.  You don’t have to consider their availability, but it would be extremely considerate of you if you did.  You might also want to check and see if grandpa and grandma will be available to travel on your chosen date.

If you like what you are reading, and can benefit from the postings on this blog, either stay tuned for more or contact the Event Planning Director at Garcia Entertainment: http://www.garcia-entertainment.com/index.html

Experienced Team Effort

Music Makes the Event

Have you ever been to a wedding where the music was so bad that you wished there had been none?

You certainly don't want anyone to remember your wedding that way, so put some careful thought into this part of the wedding reception. Recent bridal magazine surveys have determined that guests will remember the entertainment at your wedding reception, more than any other single item, so keep in mind that the choices you make for your wedding reception entertainment are critical. Do not trust this day to just any entertainment company. Always remember that playing the right music is very important, but playing the right music at the right time, is crucial to the success of your event.

Remember that the right music adds a welcoming ambiance to the event. The style and mood of your event will be enhanced by your selection of background and reception music. Work closely with the Event Planning Director making sure that your expectations are met and it all starts with your music choices. When you contract with Garcia Entertainment Premier DJ Service all of the personnel from the technicians that will deliver, setup and take down the equipment, to the DJ/MC, and the Event Planning Director, all are working towards one single goal; The Customer's and their Guests' Satisfaction.

Many brides like working with a single system operator because they feel comfortable working all the way from the contract negotiations, to the delivery of service at the reception with the same individual. What I just mentioned is the positive aspect of dealing with a single system operator. On the other hand most wedding receptions are planned and contracted on average 6 months in advance, and anything can happen and usually does, from family emergency to illness, or vehicle accident. When you contract with a multi-system operator (which Garcia Entertainment Premier DJ Service is), there is always backup personnel, and backup equipment including delivery vehicles. In our 30 years combined experience in the business, we have always arrived before your guests and left after they left.

We provide DJ Entertainment for all types of events. We have performed for the Tumwater Thunder Valley Independence Day Fire Works with over 12,000 guests in attendance, Independence Day Parade with over 22,000 people in attendance, Intel and Microsoft Holiday Parties (1,500 guests in attendance) but if there is one area where we excel at, it would have to be wedding receptions. We pride ourselves in our knowledge and experience and being able to share as much information as a bride is willing to solicit from us, but we never tell a bride how to run her reception. With Garcia Entertainment Premier DJ Service, the customer is always in charge, and we are there to provide our expertise to the level needed or desired. Our commitment to you is simple, "Every phase of your reception where entertainment is concerned will have your pre-approval." On the night of the event you will enjoy yourself with your family and friends, knowing that your reception is being run per the agreed plan. 

The Right Music Makes The Event

The Right Music Makes The Event

Every wedding reception is unique if for no other reason the chemistry of the people that come together to celebrate it. Even if you wanted to duplicate the atmosphere of a reception your recently attended you couldn't do it. You could come close by hiring the same vendors (entertainment, caterers, wedding planner) because they are professionals that hold approximately 80% of the formula that determines the successful end result. The other 20% of the formula is the chemistry that your guests bring to the celebration. Your music list should include enough variety to draw the majority of your guests to the dance floor.

The selection of wedding music is a very important factor to consider when you are planning your perfect wedding. The perfect wedding music sets the tone and mood for your ceremony or wedding reception. Wedding reception music is open to the atmosphere you want to create. The cocktail hour, when the guests arrive, has gentle background music. Then the wedding party is introduced with a song, and then a different song introduces the bride and groom. Each event during the reception – cake cutting, garter toss bouquet toss – should have a special song to be played.
Your music makes your moments. Work with your wedding musicians or DJ to create the effect – and the memories – you want to have forever.  Call the Professionals at Garcia Entertainment Premier DJ Service:  http://www.garcia-entertainment.com/index.html