The first time you see one, you think it’s unique.
Of course, we’re talking about the iPhone cake.
There's an App for that!
Then you do a Google search, and find out that you might be in the minority, if you haven’t had an iPhone cake.
But if you still seek originality, you can always go with iCupcakes:
Cupcakes make changing Apps easy.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the bakery!
There have been many kinds of groom’s cakes to honor the University of Texas, most of them simple flat cakes with a longhorn on them.
But the three-dimensional cake is pretty impressive!
You expect it to "Moo!"
I had seen several such cakes, and had been scratching my head wondering how they are made, and how much of the statuary is truly edible.
“Let Them Eat Cake, Inc.” tells how this one was made on their blog. Enjoy!
This one is not like the classic Aggie Bonfire cake, but it captures the sentiments that many Aggies have for The University of Texas, while at the same time dissing rival Texas Tech:
Bevo with sawn-off horns and a side of Red Raider.
This was the groom’s cake at Jay and Morgan Behrens’ wedding, where my friend Tommy Evans of Specialty Sound was the DJ and MC. Bevo is branded with Jay’s initials and wearing an Aggie banner. For those outside the loop of Texas sports traditions, “Bevo” is the nickname for the UT Longhorns’ mascot, an actual longhorn steer. Many Texas A & M fans have T-shirts and bumper stickers that threaten to “Saw ‘em Off,” referring to Bevo’s horns.
In fact, the mascot’s name was born of this rivalry. Many years ago when the Aggies beat the Longhorns, a group of Aggies branded the UT mascot with the game’s humbling score: 13-0. When Longhorn fans discovered the offending brand, the poor bovine suffered another branding that changed the “13-0″ lettering to read “BEVO.”
College mascots now have bodyguards to prevent such shenanigans, but they can’t do much about cake bakers.
We hear them all the time. It’s usually a FOAF: “Friend Of A Friend.”
When I meet with brides, they often tell horror stories about a recent wedding they attended (often as a bridesmaid) that was ruined by a terrible DJ. They start our conversation by spelling out what they don’t want at their own celebration!
Sometimes brides don’t hire a professional, because they over-spent on other items (food, flowers, decorating) and don’t have enough left in the budget for a professional Master of Ceremonies. So they hire the low bidder, and live to regret it.
Here are some of their stories:
We should have hired the DJ my sister had:
“Oh my God !! Our DJ was the worst. He was a friend of my maid of honor. She said he was good so I hired him. Though the music was decent, everybody hated him. He was obnoxious and rude on the microphone. I guess he thought his jokes were funny, but this was my wedding! My husband asked him to stop talking. We should have hired the DJ my sister had at her wedding. He was very professional.”
LESSON LEARNED: A friend may mean well, but often will not treat their important role in your wedding as seriously as a professional. Avoid hiring the FOAF.
SECONDARY LESSON: It’s more than just music! Notice, she said the music was “decent,” but she hated the DJ anyway. You need someone with a gift for public speaking, who can manage the mood, the flow, and the energy of your event, not just play music.
Different DJ than who we were told we would have:
“The DJ we received from this company was a different DJ than who we were told we would have. We met with him 2 days before our wedding to go over everything and he seemed confident that we would do a good job. However, during our reception, he played the wrong wedding party entrance song, mispronounced the names of my mother, my maid of honor, and the best man. He sounded very unprepared and unprofessional. Not only that, he barely spoke for the rest of the evening, and failed to announce our cake cutting so that half the guests missed it. I would never recommend this company to ANYONE.”
LESSON LEARNED: Some DJ companies you find on the Internet are only booking agencies, skimming a commission and contracting the cheapest DJ they can get, who often lacks the critical experience needed to do justice to your wedding.
The opportunity to meet your DJ face to face:
“He played the wrong song during the Grand Entrance, and he played the wrong song during the father-daughter dance, caught the mistake and then played the correct song. Both errors could have been avoided if I had an opportunity to meet my DJ face to face prior to the wedding date to clearly review what I wanted. Unfortunately this service does not provide you the opportunity to meet your DJ face to face until the day of the wedding. All correspondences are done through the owner David, and he may not be the DJ at your wedding.”
LESSON LEARNED: ALWAYS meet your DJ face to face! These days many people try to take care of things online. That works for buying a product. But when contracting for a service, especially one that requires talent and experience, you need to meet them in person. Your DJ and MC will be the “Voice” of your celebration, the host who represents your family. This is one vendor you should always meet in person.
This guy who DJ’d “on the side”
”A friend told us about this guy who DJ’d “on the side.” He was a fraction of the cost of other companies. We found out why, when he started hitting on the single girls during the bouquet toss. He did many inappropriate things that were completely embarrassing. We learned our lesson. Unfortunately, we can’t go back and do it again the right way!”
LESSON LEARNED: Professionals must earn a living from good referrals, and will always behave in a professional manner. An amateur doesn’t care about his reputation. Amateurs and wanna-be’s should be avoided!
OVERALL LESSON: Always get references, and contact them!
I always provide extensive references to brides. I find that most brides never check them (although often Daddy-with-the-checkbook will!) The best way to avoid “Cousin Darrell” is to hire vendors with outstanding recommendations. Take the time to check references, and your wedding won’t become another horror story!
And NO, the professionals are not unaffordable! Experienced professionals always have offerings for their low-budget clients, and care enough about you to work out a package that fits your budget. We understand that every bride deserves her special celebration!
When you make your living at this, you must not only be good at it, but must strive to exceed the customer’s expectations. Only then can you enjoy the kind of reputation that has made the Party Machine the top choice of event professionals for 35 years!
At Party Machine Celebrations, we always meet with brides, grooms, parents and wedding coordinators, in person and face-to-face. I will always be your MC, not some trainee. Your wedding will be impeccably planned so it will turn out just the way you want it – Your Wedding, Your Way! And PM Celebrations staff will always adhere to the American DJ Association Code of Professional Conduct.
23) Listen for the Squawks!
I love to fly. I have friends who are pilots, and have flown with them in small planes on numerous occasions. Today’s lesson was learned from pilots, but has served me well in the entertainment business.
The aircraft must be maintained 100 percent.
Every time a plane takes flight, it has to be perfect from a safety standpoint. 100% safe; if it’s only 98%, the plane must stay on the ground. A little thing like a loose connection could cause a tragic accident. So a pre-flight safety check must be performed before each and every take-off.
And every pilot keeps a “Squawk list.” If he notices an unusual noise or vibration, or that a light bulb is burned out on an instrument, he writes it on the list. Each item that needs attention is called a “squawk.”
And every squawk must be investigated and repaired, before the plane flies again.
This is a great way to maintain anything. With sound, lighting, and video systems, there are many little things that could go wrong. One bad cable could spoil a presentation. So we began tracking “squawks” at Party Machine Celebrations.
Failure to fix squawks can lead to disaster!
In 35 years, we have certainly experienced technical difficulties! But because of redundant systems, the show always goes on, without a delay.
But we don’t have many technical problems, because paying attention to the squawks prevents them from happening in the first place.
It’s part of “the Party Machine Difference.”
For the New Year’s Day wedding of Irma and Javier Ayala, they had a unique groom’s cake to reflect Javier’s interest in filmmaking.
Hollywood Javier's cake, prior to "editing"
Photo courtesy of my old friend, master photographer Paul Knudsen.
In honor of their marriage, the hometown college team won the Rose Bowl, and there was much rejoicing. They had a wonderful fun celebration with friends and family that lasted every bit of six hours, with a Party Machine photo montage and ceremony highlight reel that got “two thumbs up” from Javier.
Expect a sequel.
22) Music Has Power!
Music can have an amazing effect on people. It can recall powerful memories. It can create a mood, for relaxation or for celebration. It can stir up deep emotions: feelings of love, or nationalistic feelings of pride.
“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast”
When playwright William Congreve first penned the opening line of The Mourning Bride in 1697, he had no idea we would still be quoting him 300 years later. Nor could he have predicted the massive explosion of different genres of music we enjoy in the 21st century.
In his time there was formal classical music, and there was local folk music. There was no mass communication, no radio, TV nor “the Internets.” There was no means of recording music; in fact, the only way to publish music was the printed page, a technology scarcely 86 years old, at a time when literacy, especially music literacy, was uncommon.
There was Bach and Mozart, Beethoven was a young man, and Brahms, Chopin, and Mahler were not yet born.
He could never foresee the development of American country music, rhythm and blues, jazz, or rock and roll. The rich fusion of African, Caribbean, and Latin music that permeates today’s dance floors was never imagined back then. And who could have predicted hip-hop, even 50 years ago?
Congreve never knew Elvis, the Beatles, nor Beyoncé. He never would have understood the fan following of the Grateful Dead, Phish, Willie Nelson, or Jimmy Buffett’s parrotheads. The concept of George Strait filling an arena with fans on a cold New Year’s Eve, year after year after year, was unimaginable.
And how could you explain Kanye West, the artist formerly and once again known as Prince, or P Diddy to a 17th century man? Or grunge, punk, funk, 80s hair metal, or Lady GaGa? What about Techno, trance, and house music?
Now we turn to music all the time: in our cars, at our desks, while we work and while we play. Digital technology has made music portable and plentiful. Everyone today has an iPod, and can plug in to a unique musical world of his own choosing.
Listening to music of our own choosing is easier today.
We love our music! It’s powerful stuff.
Of course, Party Machine Celebrations has it all.
