Did you ever wonder what goes into a Central NJ wedding reception? The decor, the lighting, the cocktail reception, all of these details and more are revealed in our behind the scenes series of wedding videos that will be showcased at each of the Hotels Unlimited properties. Today’s post features the Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms River, NJ. Located in the prime location of Ocean County the Versailles Ballroom is close to both Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights and allows for great photo opportunities in the Jersey Shore local area.
According to a recent article found on Business Insurance, event planners are showing a trend of NOT insuring their events. According to research, the article suggests that many of the 50,000 event planners across the country are independently operated and will only get insurance for an event at the client’s request.
Photos of some of our outdoor ceremonies & nearby beach weddings
But like anyone else, we are only human and cannot control everything. For example in last August, Hurricane Irene had ruined more than 6,000 weddings across the east coast according to a report from CNN Money. The average cost of a wedding is about $30,000 and about a whopping $70,000 in New York City.. ouch!
So would you consider insuring your wedding or large gala event? As we all have learned throughout life, poop happens and so does the weather. Although we always can hope for the best for anyone’s big day, we can only do just that. Hope.
It’s time to reveal this month’s NJ Wedding Deal in October! Book your new wedding before October 31st, 2011 and receive 5%- 20% off your wedding package. We will also include a special treat that goes toward your package. This offer is an exclusive Central NJ wedding deal available at the Atlantis Ballroom at the Holiday Inn Toms River, The Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada Toms River, The Sterling Ballroom at the Doubletree Tinton Falls, The Crystal Ballroom at the Radisson in Freehold and the Windsor Ballroom at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor.
Today, we have some lovely photos for our NJ Brides to enjoy at our Monmouth County wedding banquet hall. Featuring Melvin and Jamie, our happy couple enjoyed great food, fun, and looked stunning. Check them out!
Don’t forget that the Sterling Ballroom is also available for any Central NJ Bar Mitzvahs, Sweet 16s, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, and corporate events.
Happy Friday everyone and the unofficial last weekend of summer at the Jersey Shore. :-/ Although summer is almost gone, we start pulling out our warmer clothes and jackets and get ready for the weather ahead. With the cold, brings the holidays and the families together. Each season has its advantages and beautiful colors that come with it.
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.
It is almost the end of summer and for most that means back to school season is in full swing. In order of celebrating the season we have decided to honor our NJ Teachers for all their hard work and dedication year round. We have extended our NJ Wedding Deal for teachers who book their wedding now through September 30, 2011 will save 10% off the wedding.
Recently, we interviewed Alina from Doubletree Tinton Falls for her advice and expertise on NJ weddings and events. She offers her wisdom and advice on how to save money on event favors.
For more information, please check out our wedding packages at the Sterling Ballroom website.
It is hard to believe, but today is the first day of August. My, how time flies! Here atHotels Unlimited Banquets, we have a new deal to spark the flames for a NJ wedding–winter wonderland style. Although when people book weddings they think May through July, a winter wedding can bring the families together in a warm setting. Just think, while everyone is home for the holidays and sitting around the dinner table with the warm smell of roasting pine over the fire with the enticing aroma of cranberries and baking cinnamon. Mmmmm! What a perfect time to bring families together than through a celebration of love.
With our new Winter Wonderland holiday deal, any new bookings between now and August 31, 2011 will pay only $55 for our Grand Package for all weddings booked for January- March 2012 and 2013. Hotels Unlimited will also offer any new bookings 50% off their room block for all guests. In case if the weather is bad, guests do not need to stress and can safely spend the night with us.
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.
