Archive: Jan 2016

1. Alicia + Jason, A Winter Wedding at Hotel Monaco

   January 20, 2016

   Alicia Krupa + Jason Landrio

   A Winter Wedding at Hotel Monaco in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

   January 9^th, 2016

   

   Three words to describe their wedding day:
   Classy, Fun, Celebratory

   Alicia and Jason knew from the moment they met that they would share a love to help each other through the good times as well as the bad. Their wedding at Hotel Monaco in January was a celebration of their love and the joy and support of their family and friends.

   Paying homage to their love of R&B and Soul, the bridal party entered to “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, and in special tribute to her life with Jason so far, Alicia was escorted down the aisle to “Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness” by Anne Peebles.

   

   The vocalist, Anne Peebles, sings about her past trials and tribulations, telling her constant companions Trouble, Heartache and Sadness that she no longer needs them.

   “Coz I found the love I need a long time
   I found the love to ease my troubled mind
   Love blind hanging over my head
   All of this time so it won’t rain on me
   He’s my sunshine, and your loving me
   Gonna set me free yeah… “

   

   The deep love expressed in the Bride’s processional was echoed throughout the entire ceremony. Alicia and Jason exchanged their vows during a candlelit ceremony surrounded by their family and friends. From touching readings by Alicia’s aunt and uncle to the couple presenting roses to their mothers, Alicia and Jason’s ceremony was full of an intimate, caring, tender love to last a lifetime.

   Following the ceremony, Alicia and Jason’s reception continued the candlelit joyful celebration. One of the most memorable moments of the night was the happy couple’s jubilant first dance to William Bell’s “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday”, with Jason scooping up the couple’s young son, Chace, to dance with him and Alicia. The guests rounded out the evening with an energetic dance floor that showcased some serious dancing skill and enthusiasm.

   

    

    

   The touching moments shared between Alicia and her father, Stanley Krupa, during the Father & Daughter dance were full of smiles and laughter, and they both radiated a quiet and peaceful happiness.

   

    

    

   A mother’s pride in her son and his new family could not be more evident in Jason’s mother, Laura Landrio. Laura beamed at Jason through the Mother & Son dance. Together, the new Landrios, their parents, and extended family and friends danced the night away in celebration.

   

    

    
2. 

   Wedding Trends for 2016

   January 15, 2016

   This is an exciting time of the year, the very beginning of the year. It is also a very weird time of the year. We are still emotionally hungover from the holiday season, the marathon run that begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends the second day of January. In addition to feeling a hurricane of emotions, some good some bad, we are also riding high on optimism and hope for the future. That is why we make New Year’s resolutions, but resolutions are not the only thing we pay attention to; we also pay attention to trends. Like resolutions, trends affect everything around us and ultimately change how we behave. We build weddings on a foundation of what is popular at the time and 2016 is poised to be a very interesting year for weddings. For starters, they will be more techie than ever before.

   Marta Segal Block of The Huffington Post writes, “For the past few years technology has been at the top of every wedding trends list. But what those lists mean by “technology” has gotten a little old: hashtags, charging stations, that cool thing Disney does with the movie on the cake…Hardly the stuff of fairytales for most couples interested in technology.” Some technological innovations Block touches on are photo apps, drones, on demand bar service, and more. Perhaps the most important of these things is the on demand service, which is preventative measure against overspending on alcohol at your wedding. This is accomplished by giving the bride and groom the ability to order more alcohol if needed during the wedding itself.

   Then there are trends that have nothing to do with technology, nothing really to do with increasing the efficiency of your wedding planning, but they deal more with the aesthetics of the wedding. This might involve your stationary and it seems that glitter on your stationary is out and foil stationary is in. The most aesthetic jarring change in trends for weddings in 2016 seem to involve the things that you sit on and at: Tables and chairs.

   Danielle Rothweiler of The Huffington Post writes, “Keeping with the idea of tossing the formalities aside when planning a wedding, banquet round tables are starting to not be “in” anymore. Long tables, square tables and even a mix of everything look amazing at a wedding. However, the lucite and mirror tables are how you kick your wedding up from a 9 to a 10.”

   Kicking your wedding up from a 9 to a 10? Who doesn’t want that to happen at their wedding? That is a big jump and if it requires something as simple as a changing of the guard in terms of tables and chairs, you should absolutely consider it. Remember how important aesthetics are to the overall vibe and success of your wedding.

   In 2016, there will be technological innovations, a change in aesthetics, and last, but certainly not least, a greater presence on social media that may psychologically impact a bride and groom’s mentality going into the ceremony and reception. Rothweiler writes, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a massive celebrity wedding or a random “Real Weddings” feature that a bride wants. Everything blends together in social media land, and a bride can drown in the inspiration available to her. Getting overloaded on wedding details is not the bad part here. What’s bad is when the bride figures out what she wants, and her decision was influenced (unbeknownst to her) by hashtags like “Wedding Goal”.”

   In 2016, a couple preparing for their wedding is more vulnerable than ever when it comes to hashtag psychology, pooling over Instagram photos of pricey weddings and wondering if their wedding can ever match up. This adds unnecessary pressure to an already stressful situation. You have to keep in mind that every wedding is different and no one set of standards applies to them all. Weddings should not be competitions; they should be about two hearts coming together as one and that is something you will not find in a toy box of hashtags.

   At Kelli Burns Entertainment, we always keep our eyes on trends, because that makes us better at making your wedding the best it can possibly be.
3. 

   In the New Year Manage Your Emotions with Wedding Apps

   January 5, 2016

   The holiday season is confusing. Not only is it confusing, it is downright overwhelming. So much shopping to do. So many people to see. It is as if you’re in a whirlwind moving at the speed of light. One minute you’re at the mall and the next, someone’s house you may or may not know and everyone is singing carols and there’s glass of hard eggnog in your hand.

   Even if you had a personal planner, the holiday season is tough to manage – not because of all the events you have to attend per se, but rather the emotional toll it has on your mind, body, and soul. While this season might not be too easy to get through, we ask that you look at the silver lining. This emotional rollercoaster you’re currently on? Well, it’s a lot like being engaged and eventually getting married – all that planning, all those emotions flowing like electrical currents around you and your partner.

   So, if you’re someone that’s currently planning a wedding, consider this time of the year your rigorous training period, as you groom your mind, body, and soul so that it can deal with the sudden shifting of your emotions, from elation to disappointment to frustration to joy then melancholy, all within a three second span. If only we had an app or something that could manage our emotions so they don’t get the best of us or an app that’s constantly keeping our hormonal heads clear…oh wait, there are, but the best ones are for wedding planning.

   According to App Ninja, “The wedding planner apps for iPod, the wedding planner Android app and other wedding planner apps can be the difference between a great wedding on a tight budget and a disaster. These apps will give you all of the tools you need to make this possible. Yes, you can have a wedding that is unique and different even on a smaller budget.”

   While wedding apps do a marvelous job of managing money and dates, the most important thing they do is manage your emotions, creating a less stressful atmosphere for you and your partner. Remember that when emotions become cloudy, couples begin to fray around the edges and that is not beneficial to any wedding prep. The stress begins to get the best of us and that, as you all are well aware, can sour the love and make the engagement process a nasty one. How do you want your wedding to be? An explosion of joy that is strategic and poignant or a vacuuming out of all the stress in your bones? Of course, you want an explosion of joy and planning accordingly via a wedding app is a surefire way to make that a reality.

   At Kelli Burns Entertainment, we do more than just provide Pittsburgh’s best wedding & event services; we will also help you in the process of creating custom apps for your individual wedding. Remember that every wedding should be tailor made to you and your partner, and wedding apps will you assist you in that.