A wedding is a once in a lifetime event, and with it comes a MOTHER IN LAW monster lurking in the shadows…. Ok, although the reality is not all mothers- in- law and mothers- of brides are terrors. Some moms are quite nothing short of angelic guardians who guide us all through the process of life through their infinite wisdom and unrequited love. (I love you mom!)
As we all know in New Jersey weddings, family is family and no one should be disrespectin’ nobody’s mom and brides are no exception. (So put down the claws Bridezilla). After all, part of the whole marriage process is a joining of two families and our central New Jersey wedding venues celebrate this unity of family by treating our brides as family of our own.
After seeing an article posted by OneWed featuring the What Not to Wear for MOBs and MOGs, Hotels Unlimited decided to take a crack at this (with of course a bit of sensible tongue in cheek and a drawing ability of a fifth grader, since that is how we roll here in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean County, NJ)
How does the bride then ask the mother in law about her attire for the big day?
After deciding on a color palette and a theme, it is time to do some dress shopping. Why not make a day of it and enjoy it? Take the mom(s) out to lunch, order a few drinks, and have a fun day of shopping together. Get to know the woman you are intending to dress and imagine what her wedding dress was once like, because she too was once in your shoes.
Some tactful ways to approach this can be covered in conversation and in the right questions:what style of dress mom wore to her wedding?, what were her wedding colors?, who was her favorite fashionista-type celebrities? Somewhere behind that mother -in-law -death- glare- of- love is a woman.
WHAT IF MY MOM…. Says she likes 80s grunge and would like to be dressed out of a combination of a dumpster and Lady Gaga? (and please, no meat dress at my wedding!!)
Although that is a tough combo to salvage, even Lady Gaga has had her classy moments that could make any woman beautiful. Show mom the Lady Gaga-esque styles that you would like and see what she thinks. Fortunately, there are enough styles and variety that it can loosely tie into the bridal theme without making the mother-monster miserable. (yes, pun was intended.)
When all else fails, at least the bride can say she tried. Although a NJ wedding is one of the biggest milestones, one has to ask the important questions of what truly matters: family. After all, remember that the family will still exist long after the wedding is over so it is best not to burn any bridges since you will be with them until death do you part.
As the temperatures outside become slightly warmer outside we are reminded that spring and love are coming into the air, and what a better way to celebrate love than through a wedding? When selecting your central NJ wedding venue, one must consider the value that the venue can provide for their special event. Today, Hotels Unlimited announces its One Day Wedding Sale for our Ocean County wedding facilities: The Atlantis Ballroom & The Versailles Ballroom. With half price enhancers and prices starting at $45-$49 at the Atlantis Ballroom and $49-$59 at the Versailles Ballroom, Hotels Unlimited has not had a better wedding package deal for 2012.
Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms River
Particularly, Hotels Unlimited already offers in our packages:
-One on one personalized service and a commitment to your vision
-Table linens & centerpieces
-Catering package options
-On-site ceremony space and overnight stay
Atlantis Ballroom inside of the Holiday Inn of Toms River
Both the Atlantis Ballroom and The Versailles Ballroom have won The Knot Best of Weddings awards thanks to our lovely brides who rated us among the best. To see the Versailles Ballroom reviews and the Atlantis Ballroom reviews be sure to check out our pages on The Knot, our website, or on WeddingWire. To see more details on our offer see the
Interested parties are invited to participate in our New Jersey wedding catering tastings during our 2012 Mercer County bridal shows. Here we took a short preview video to allow interested couples an insider’s look into the world of The Windsor Ballroom as part of our Behind the Scenes YouTube Video series.
Our Central NJ wedding venues are available for tours and to schedule a meeting with you. We look forward to hearing from you:
Today Hotels Unlimited is happy to introduce Lauren and Matt who were married on September 17th. Lauren and Matt like some of our Toms River couples held their Jersey Shore wedding ceremony on the nearby beaches and took pictures there. Then when it came time to celebrate the reception, they brought elements of the beach back with them to the Versailles Ballroom inside the Ramada Toms River. This is a great way to bring the beach into your special day without paying through the nose for a venue on the water. This locally inspired wedding features photographs from Georgian Court University, Ocean County Beaches and of course the Versailles Ballroom.
Today Hotels Unlimited would like to present some interesting research that we found courtesy of The Knot. Each of our Central NJ Ballrooms and Banquet Halls have pages on both The Knot and WeddingWire and have received awards from these sites. Here brides can review our facilities and rate our services.
According to some of our research from The Knot we found some interesting facts and highlights about NJ Brides.
Did you know?
- 83% of North/ Central NJ Brides are working full time
- on average spend 15 months engaged
- 54% of brides began planning more than a year in advanced
-73% of ceremonies are held indoors
- 43% of brides invite more than 150 guests
- The most popular seasons for a NJ Wedding were summer–39% and fall–34%
After looking through some photos in our gallery to feature on our blog, we still are in love with this wedding. This Middle Eastern inspired wedding includes the best of a traditional American wedding along with embracing the exotic tastes, colors, and culture of the Middle East. Featuring the photographic talents of Abella Studios and the amazing catering team at the Crystal Ballroom, this stunning wedding reception is truly an inspiration for any NJ Bride looking for wedding photos or ideas.
Did you know that it wasn’t until 1947 that diamonds became a standard for an engagement ring? It was not until a marketing campaign was released with the slogan ‘Diamonds are Forever’ that diamonds entered the wedding industry and are still prevalent today.
Engagement rings before 1947 usually had semi-precious gems or other accent stones. Today, one can find accent gems on dresses, pillows, garters, in floral arrangements, and just about any wedding accessory. When picking an accent stone one needs to consider the season, theme, and color scheme of the wedding.
For example during a Winter Wonderland themed Wedding, one might use shades of blue silver and white to accent their wedding with an ice theme. To compliment this hue of colors, one might select accent stones of sapphires, aquamarine, or crystals to accent this in their jewelry or floral spread.
Regardless of colors, neutral colored stones are always an easy bridal accessory. For example pearls, crystals, glass, and rhinestones are a neutral and less expensive alternative that one can use to accent their wedding. Be creative and explore the local craft and art supply store for beads to inspire an accent stone for a more personalized wedding.
What do Batman, Superman, Indiana Jones and a bride all have in common? Each has their own cued theme music. They take command of the center stage and stride into the crowd as the music plays in the background.
Whenever anyone plans a big NJ event the music can completely set the tone. Today Hotels Unlimited met with Jason Jani from Sound Connection Entertainment. Jason has been providing Hotels Unlimited with the latest beats since 2000. Hotels Unlimited is proud to announce in this exclusive interview that Sound Connection Entertainment is our #1 preferred vendor for the latest in music and entertainment for your NJ Wedding and NJ Corporate event.
How long have you been DJ music industry?
I have been a DJ for 16 years. I have done everything from private events to nightclub events, remix production and radio production work. Have done over 2000 events in my life and over 1000 wedding receptions alone.
How did you get started with Sound Connection Entertainment?
I founded Sound Connection 11 years ago. At the time, I was working with different night clubs and I was asked to do a lot of private events. Back then, a lot of private events consisted of doing the staple line dances and doing mostly interactive stuff. Not that I was against any of that, but I wanted to do something different and that was how Sound Connection was born. When I got invites to do weddings, social events, and corporate events I wanted to do a more modern unique presentation. We really wanted to do something that was outside of the box.
What inspired you to get into the industry?
That is a really good question. It’s really interesting to see how the industry has changed now from when I started. When I started, I thought of it as a fun creative job. As I evolved as an entertainer/ DJ, my responsibilities have taken on different forms as a business owner and with the event planning and production aspect. It has evolved so much and it still continues to do so. At SCE, we try to draw inspiration from anything. Movies, concerts, Broadway, industry conferences, music videos, and pop culture are all creative influences to us today.
What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is getting to know people and understanding their unique vision. When I meet with a client, it’s not just a business relationship but a personal relationship too. My favorite part of the job is at the end of the event seeing that everything the clients have envisioned is brought to life or surpassed. It’s fun to see the younger guests on the dance floor all night and the older guests too. It’s the combination of people at the end of the event that say ‘this is the best event I have ever been to,’ ‘It was perfect,’ etc - that makes all our effort and hard work worth it.
What separates Sound Connection from other music and entertainment companies?
Sound Connection Entertainment is different because of our staff. We are fortunate to have a very creative, talented and dynamic full time staff. We also aren’t limited to preparing our events a certain way. Everything that we do surrounds the clients’ ideas and vision. Everyone has a different idea of perfect and what they want for their event. We take the time to understand what that is and materialize it to perfection while keeping people entertained and happy. There isn’t anything we can’t do and we are not afraid to try new things for people. When a client comes to us with an incredible idea, the Sound Connection difference is we try to incorporate the idea into the production for that evening. Our events are as unique as our couples.
Sound Connection entertainment offers more than just music. What other features do you have to enhance the event experience?
Some of the enhancements that we offer include lighting and light-scaping. We will use lighting design to transform both the look and feel of the room. We can change the lighting with the mood and the feeling of the room. For example, when the bride is sharing the dance with her father the room goes pink. When the groom shares the dance with his mom, the room goes blue. When they cut the cake, the room goes white. If we know it is a fall wedding and everyone is eating dinner, we will light up the walls in reds, oranges, and yellows, and it is constantly changing so that the landscape in the room will always be changing and will always be different.
We also offer drapery which can transform any traditional wedding venue into something you would see in Miami or New York City. We will hang fabric up against the walls which really complements the lighting features we offer and it gives the room a new dimension. It really surprises people with how classy it looks, and how it accents the venue in a different capacity. Multi-media presentations, Lounge Furniture, Digital Photo booths, Atmosphere elements, and custom audio production are all services offered by Sound Connection
How long does it take to prepare for an event?
Every event is different so it depends on what the clients’ needs and services that they require. On average, I would say we put in about 20 to 40 hours per wedding production that we do. Some are more than that, others are less. It really depends on the framework or vision of the client. Some couples might want custom voice-overs, custom remixes, lighting design, venue touring, setting up equipment and even appointments that can sometimes last two to four hours.
What is your favorite genre of music?
From a DJ perspective, I am an open format kind of DJ. I am open to any form of music. I can go from 70s, 80s, 90s, top 40, house, rock, to hip-hop in one night.
When I am in my car, I will listen to something different to get a feel of what is going down in pop culture, but recently the 90s station is making a huge comeback for me. If I could only pick one music type though, I would say the dance music because of my club DJ background.
Recently TLC network had created an article listing the top ten most expensive facets when it comes to a wedding. It should come as no surprise between the cake, the dress, the catering, the rings, the DJ, the venue and the honeymoon that the average wedding costs about $30,000.. YIKES. (Somewhere inside, you know somebody’s bank account is crying.)
Meanwhile, this TLC article explained that the venue was the #1 most expensive item that couples spend the most money on while planning their wedding. Catering followed in at #2. Fortunately, Hotels Unlimited understands and is here to help. Our New Jersey banquet facilities with our inclusive value packages can save the average NJ wedding couple more than $7,200.
Our packages include the following items:
Bridal Suite & breakfast for two the following morning
Private Bridal Party Room for Cocktail Hour
Five Hour Premium Open Bar
Customized Wedding Cake
Choice of Napkin Color
Dramatic Centerpieces
Place Cards & Direction Cards
Personal Wedding Coordinators
Professional Maitre d’ Service
Attended Coat Room (Seasonal)
Our NJ banquet facilities have won recent awards from Wedding Wire and The Knot, and we can assure anyone who books with us that they will receive the highest quality event for the money. We also offer discounted rooms for out-of-town guests and on site catering all neatly wrapped within one venue.
Hotels Unlimited is proud to announce today that four of our NJ banquet facilities were recipients of the annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year through WeddingWire.com.
