The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Shoebox Photo Booth Inc.’s selection as a Bride’s Choice Award 2013 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Shoebox Photo Booth Inc..

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2013 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Shoebox Photo Booth Inc. is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth year, the Bride’s Choice Awards® program continues to recognize the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize {Enter Your Business Name} for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”

Shoebox Photo Booth Inc. is thrilled to be one of the top event photo booth rental in Charlotte, NC in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® for 2013.

For more information about Shoebox Photo Booth Inc., please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at {Enter WeddingWire Storefront URL}.

To learn more about the Bride’s Choice Awards®, please visit www.WeddingWire.com/brides-choice-awards.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire®, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com, Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.

2. Ceremony Decor
First impressions matter. A personalized ceremony space will make your guests feel at home immediately. If you’re having an outdoor summer wedding, hang orchid leis, colorful ribbon streamers or sun-catching glass ornaments on surrounding trees. For church nuptials, have your florist create arrangements for the pews as well as the door. (Hint: Those arrangements can all be reused at the reception on the tables, at the bar and in the bathrooms.)
The Upgrade:
Ask your florist to cover a canopy with lush flowers and hanging votive candles or blossom-bedecked lanterns to really create focal points. Your guests’ jaws will drop.

3. The Entryway
Often overlooked by wedding planners, the entryway can be given a little attention to create an unexpected wow. It doesn’t take much, either; even the slightest bit of decor will personalize it. Hire your florist to create an impressive display for the escort card table. Right outside the reception hall entry, place a tall Manzanita tree decorated with hanging candles and flowers or a grouping of mix-and-match vases filled with rich flowers of various textures to match the rest of the space.
The Upgrade:
Ask servers to greet guests with glasses of champagne or a signature cocktail so that they feel taken care of from the moment they stroll into the room.

4. The Photo Booth
This is one of those nuptial ideas that made its way from totally niche concept to wedding reception standby. The reason: It works double duty. Your guests will take a whirl in the photo booth at least once in the evening (providing a perfect opportunity for mingling), and they’ll get to take home their photo booth pics as favors at the night’s end. Rent a photo booth that also provides an online gallery or a CD full of images, and that way you’ve taken care of your guest book.
The Upgrade:
With some rental packages, you can get projections of pictures from the photo booth. So while your guests snap shots inside the booth, the images will appear over the dance floor for everyone to see — providing a great way to illuminate the room!

5. A Lounge Area
Give guests a place to mingle during dance breaks by having a lounge area at your reception. Look into renting couches, chairs and other furniture that you can then stage with pillows and votive candles in your wedding colors. It’s the perfect way to involve everyone in the party even when they’re resting.
The Upgrade:
Really want to wow ‘em? Close off the area with curtains, draping and special lighting to create a VIP vibe.

6. Welcome Bags
Fill baskets or canvas totes with water bottles, wine or locally brewed beer, something salty, something sweet and a piece of fruit. Don’t forget to include a welcome letter as well as a detailed itinerary for where the guest needs to be and when. Leave the whole thing with the hotel concierge for guests to pick up when they check in. And be sure to provide maps and lists of local restaurants, museums and other attractions in case they want to explore on their own.
The Upgrade:
Hire a videographer to create a welcome video of the two of you traipsing around the city showcasing all your favorite places — edited with a soundtrack of your favorite dance songs.

7. Special Entertainment
Sometimes the best parts of a reception are the elements guests don’t see coming. Surprise them with a jazz trio or a Spanish guitar player. To get the party going during the cocktail hour, hire a mariachi group, a bluegrass band or even a barbershop quartet to perform some seriously memorable melodies.
The Upgrade:
You’ll blow everyone away with a marching band that leads them all from the ceremony to the reception on foot (if possible); belly dancers during the cocktail hour; or even break dancers to get things started on the dance floor.

8. Late-Night Snacks
Just when your guests think the fun is winding down, liven up the party with late-night nibbles to prepare everyone for an after-party. If you want to ensure the festivities will last all night, arrange for the caterers to bring out trays of late-night munchies like crinkle-cut French fries or fresh chocolate-chip cookies and milk shooters. If you provide low-key comfort foods, the guests will wish the party would never end. Another great idea: Offer a hot coffee bar complete with special syrups and toppings to keep folks caffeinated.
The Upgrade:
Jump on the latest cuisine craze with a fully loaded food truck arriving on the scene to dole out bites to guests. Think about it: Add a waffle truck, a taco truck or a Korean barbecue truck. The options are endless!

9. Draping
This is a pricey detail, but after you’ve draped your reception space, you won’t even be able to tell it’s the same room. The technique works for indoor and outdoor spaces: Create an intimate vibe beneath an open-air tent or lend some serious drama to an already cozy dining room.
The Upgrade:
Drape the reception entryway with gauzy white fabric or deep-red curtains to create the ultimate dramatic walkway.

In a handful of hipster bars — Cha Cha Lounge, Edendale Grill — people are lining up to cram into photo closets, pull the curtain closed and wait for the flash to pop and freeze their goofy expressions. Corporations, sensing the next big thing, are even renting photo booths for promotional purposes.

Back in the day, photo booths made sense. We had to wait days for the drugstore to develop our film. Three minutes after we fed three bucks in the slot, the film strip, damp with developing chemicals, slid down the metal chute, and we were grabbing it away from each other to see how we looked.

But now? There’s a cellphone camera in every pocket. Digital photos appear instantly. And with a few extra taps, we can beam them to our friends and relations almost as quickly.

So what’s behind the photo booth revival? At heart, I think it is a longing for authenticity. When we don’t like a cellphone photo, we hit delete and do it over. Photo booth photos are of the moment. Once the money is plunked into the little metal slot, we have to live with the consequences.

“I’m so over digital,” said Jason, a marketing director darting out of one of our booths. “With film you only have one shot and that’s that. You have to make it count.”

In the digital world, “you could take a picture of a cockroach and make it look like Godzilla,” somone said, explaining why he and a friend ducked into the photo booth. But in the photo booth world, “this is real.”

Photo booth photos fulfill my yearning for a lost physicality. The march of technology has wiped out so many things we used to hold in our hands and savor. Clicking through photos in front of a screen is an evanescent thrill that can’t compare to leafing through a photo album, or spotting a childhood shot of a friend spilling out of a cardboard box.

Digital technology gave us photography without limits. But suddenly, we’re seeing the virtue of limits. Photo booth photos are on a human scale. They take place in real time in a private space we chose to occupy.

And everyone in a photo booth picture is your real friend. One couple said they see pictures of friends on the Tumblr accounts of people they don’t even know. By contrast, they still has photo booth pictures they took with each guest at their wedding six years ago!

To get back to my nemesis at the after-party, digital images have a way of spiraling out of our control. Once our friends Like it, Digg it, Share it, +1 it, and Tag it our online picture flies out into the universe and an uncertain, unlimited after-life. I’m not just talking about that embarrassing shot of beer pong inebriation.

I pose this hypothetical: You put a picture online, and your friends and relations repost it. Somebody working on a “10 Best ….” list runs a Google search and finds it on a blog or online scrapbook. Presto, you’re No. 6 on the “Cute Guys with Beards” site.

But they can’t claim the unvarnished authenticity of the print photos. In fact, photo booth photos are so great we just have to share them on Facebook. “I’ll probably take a photo of myself with the film photos with my cell and then post it online.”

Well let me calm you down a little and give you some tips to follow:

1. One of the first things you need to think of is choosing a date . Factor in everything from your family and friends availability, public holidays, venue possibilities, weather and what you expect your dream day to be .
2. Get yourself a wedding planner. Typically it’s your best friend . You want someone that you feel comfortable with and trust. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how much experience the wedding planner has, it’s their passion for your wedding and their attention to detail that counts most. After all, you tell them what to do anyway, so that you can relax and enjoy your engagement.
3. Book the right venue for your wedding . Keep in mind that good venues can be all booked up a year ahead , so ensure that you do this in good time . There are also numerous factors that you must keep in mind for choosing a venue, but I’ll address this in another article.
4. Find a Wedding Dress or dress maker. You want to get your wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses finalised long before your wedding date, because you’ll need to plan for fittings and accessories. The same goes for the groom and the groomsmen’s suits and accessories.
5. Think about and decide on your wedding theme . What is the theme of your wedding and the colour scheme?
6. Book your DJ, Photographer, Videographer, Photo Booth, Caterer, Wedding and Florist. Make sure that each of them knows their tasks, venue and times of the wedding.
7. You will need some wedding invitations and stationeries . Then send them out about 2 months before your wedding day. Don’t forget that when you set your date, you need to send everyone a save-the-date email or letter.
8. Confirm your Guest List. Prepare the wedding favors, confirm the numbers with your caterer and venue.
9. Before the wedding day meet with all your wedding suppliers and give them a schedule and checklist to ensure that everyone is in sync . Throughout the entire process, your wedding planner will ensure that all this is done. Your wedding planner should double as your budget planner to make sure everyone gets paid and you stay within your set budget .

Then finally all the preparations and planning come together as a whole on the wedding day. Leave it all in the hands of your wedding planner. Get yourself and your bridesmaids ready and prepare for your flawless dream wedding.

One of my best friends is getting married in two weeks and he asked me to find the perfect song.

There are so many choices but for me, being an mc and dj, I look for things that have the huge wow factor.

Check out Rihanna and Calvin Harris We Found Love

Start the song off at 1:33… this will start right after the best man and maid of honor make their way into the room…

The dj will say nothing until the words end until 1:45… right when it hits the beat hard at 2:00 you will walk out… this gives us about 12 seconds to get everyone to stand up and introduce you.

A great choice if you ask me : )

List of Top Wedding Songs for First Dance

1. Heaven – Bryan Adams
2. Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers
3. Forever – Kiss
4. Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley
5. I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You – Elvis Presley
6. When You See Nothing at All – Ronan Keating
7. From This Moment – Shania Twain and Bryan White
8. Just the Way You Are – Billy Joel
9. You Make Me Love You – Al Jolson
10. Don’t Know Much – Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Nevil

List of Top wedding Songs for Dance

1. YMCA – Village People
2. We are Family – Sister Sledge
3. Be With You – Enrique Iglesias
4. Celebration – Kool and the Gang
5. That’s What Friends are For – Dionne Warwick
6. You’ve Got a Friend in Me – Randy Newman
7. Respect – Aretha Franklin
8. Rhythm Divine – Enrique Iglesias
9. There You Go – Pink
10. All My Life – KC and Jojo

List of Top Wedding Songs for Reception

1. Last Dance – Donna Summers
2. Time of Your Life – Green Day
3. Wonderful Tonight – David Kersh
4. Save the Best for Last – Vanessa Williams
5. From This Moment On – Shania Twain
6. Goodnight, Sweetheart – David Kersh
7. I’ve Had The Time of My Life – Bill Medly & Jennifer Warnes
8. Closing Time – Semisonic
9. Could I Have This Dance – Anne Murray
10. Never Let You Go – Third Eye Blind

Whether you choose one of the greatest top wedding songs listed here or opt for a different one, make sure that the lyrics reflect your personality and style.

Bridal Gowns – What says romance more than Victorian-style. Sleeves and illusion necklines provide an aura of royalty for every bride.

Full-Scale Themes – More than a color palette themes are carried through from the invitations to the flowers to the linens to the dessert. Some popular themes include: Vintage, Rustic & Nautical. But creativity knows no bounds, so pick one that reflects you & show it in the details.

Outdoor Venues – Natural settings are hugely popular for the beauty and ambiance that they provide & the minimal decor that is required. Popular places include: Vineyards, Gardens & Farms.

Dessert Tables – Gone are the days of only having a wedding cake and maybe a groom’s cake. Today, couples are offering up their favorite desserts at their receptions. From pies to cupcakes to cookies, it’s a buffet of beautifully displayed flavors and options for guests.

Good Night Station – Couples now are combining food and favor into a fun, interactive station for their guests. Buffets of pastries, doughnuts or candy, provide guests with a goody bag to go.

Faux Flower Decor – Whether paper, fabric, tissue or feathers; Bouquets, centerpieces & pomander balls aren’t just made from fresh flowers anymore and are used in non-traditional ways.

Personalized DIY decor – This is not a new trend but continues strong as many brides are getting crafty to showcase their personality & theme and save some money. The creativity is in using ‘found’ and natural elements to create centerpieces, escort cards, guest book alternatives, swizzle sticks, table numbers & decor.

1. Just-Right Invites
Create invitations that convey the theme of your party — and that it’s going to be really fun, a must-attend. Send a sprig of holly with details listed alongside a lipstick-imprinted kiss, affix a swizzle stick with a promise of a great custom cocktail you plan to serve or shoot out an Evite with whimsical, holiday-inspired verbiage. (“Join Vixen and Prancer on the dance floor and Blitzen as he strikes his usual barfly pose.”) Then save yourself some cash with clever themes. Forget stocking glassware by asking guests to arrive with their most festive martini glasses, or skip a huge bar tab by suggesting each guest arrives with a bottle of vino.

Whatever you decide to do, send your invites out at least two to three weeks before your event. Two important rules to remember: Include a start and an end time on invitations so party hoppers can plan ahead, and clearly indicate the type of party (cocktail party, dinner party, etc.) you plan to host so friends know what to expect.

2. Dynamite Decor and Favors
Cheap chic is the name of the game when hosting a great party. Stock up on serving trays, bowls and any other necessary party decor pieces by borrowing from friends, shopping eBay or loading up at local garage sales. Customize your own party gear by spray-painting it wintry colors like white, silver, gold or cranberry. Add sexy lighting with tons of tea lights (use small water glasses if you don’t have votives) or amber light bulbs, which cast a warm, sultry glow.
Make use of those Christmas decorations: String white lights around the front doorway, windows or the buffet table; stack same-color holiday ornaments in large glass bowls or vases; and hang colored globe ornaments from the ceiling with pins and fishing wire. Pick up a can of Crystal Frost spray to add an icy effect or snowflake designs to windows, and grab some tacky-fun tinsel for last-minute touches, perhaps as a tangle around an appetizer platter or a tie around rolled napkins. Inspire holiday kisses with good old mistletoe over one doorway and, if you’re really looking for love, one sprig clipped into your hair.

You can even glam up glassware. To create custom wine glass tags, use an instant camera to snap mini photos of friends when they walk through the door, hole-punch the tops, add festive ribbon and attach to wine glass stems. Hosting a retro Christmas party? Think Shrinky Dinks! Encourage guests to decorate and sign their own designs on Shrinky Dink paper, hole-punch the tops, bake in the oven for three minutes and present on a silver platter.

3. Easy, Fun and Glamorous Snacks
Unless you plan on serving a full-blown feast, your party should start long before dinner or well after. Even then, it’s important to offer an array of snacks. Everyone loves delicious food at a party, plus it’ll help soak up all that boozy holiday cheer. But there’s no need to slave all day or stock up on plates and forks. Design a self-serve buffet full of finger foods. Then use vibrant, shiny, thick wrapping paper to line each serving tray or plate. Suddenly, all your platters and plates will match the mood. Try these menu ideas for starters and let your guests munch and mingle:
Brie, mango and roasted poblano pepper quesadillas prepped in advance, cut into quarters and kept warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve them.
Make-your-own grilled cheese sandwiches: Set out your George Foreman-like indoor grill, a spray can of olive oil, sliced breads, slices of fontina cheese, slices of prosciutto or good-quality ham or turkey, and arugula. Let the guests do all the custom cooking.
Caesar salad crudites: In a low, wide bowl, arrange overlapping rings of baby romaine lettuce spears. Place a ramekin of creamy Caesar salad dressing right in the center. Breadsticks go on the side, displayed in a tall glass or vase.
Olives mixed with toasted almonds, olive oil and thyme. This mixture is also great when scattered in serving bowls throughout the room. Just don’t forget small bowls for the olive pits.
Endive leaves filled with a mixture of blue cheese crumbles, chopped spiced nuts and a drop of honey.
A killer cheese plate served on a platter or cutting board complete with fruit, crackers and baguette slices.
Mini pancakes (homemade or bought at a gourmet grocer) topped with sour cream or creme fraiche, a layer of smoked salmon and minced chives.
And always be sure to serve one visually dramatic item. For example, fill clear juice glasses or clear plastic cups with brownies, custard, toasted almonds and caramel sauce for an original parfait. (You’ll need spoons for this one.) Or try edible presents, like decadent brownies topped with chocolate icing and white icing bows you’ve created yourself.

4. Custom Cocktails
You can save big bucks and make a party memorable by creating a specialty cocktail. I’m into a drink called Santa’s Helper. Start by soaking peeled and sliced cucumber wedges and crushed mint overnight in Bacardi Limon. Then right before the party, strain out the solids and add limeade concentrate, no-sodium soda water and enough cranberry juice to create a beautifully crimson cocktail. Garnish with lime slices and tie a bell around each cocktail glass.

You can make it in large batches in advance (leaving out the soda until right before serving) and set up your self-serve bar with style. Include plenty of ice (at least a pound per person), glasses (at least two per person or you’ll be washing glasses all night), cocktail napkins, backups of everything (hidden in the kitchen or under the bar) and a note with the drink name and ingredients since guests will be asking you all night.

If you’re hosting a more intimate gathering of close friends and have fun martini glasses you want to show off, try my Peppermint Stick Martini.

Peppermint Stick Martini
1 peppermint stick, crushed
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce peppermint schnapps
1 ounce Triple Sec
Ice
1 small candy cane

Moisten the rim of a chilled martini glass and dip the wet rim into the pummeled peppermint. Combine the vodka, schnapps, Triple Sec and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake it like Santa knows you’ve been bad. Carefully strain the mix into the martini glass and garnish with the candy cane. Ho ho ho and away we go.

(Recipe courtesy of GoodFood Catering)

5. That’s Entertainment
Mingle, yes. But you should also plan something memorable. Encourage guests to do something together — like sing a song — so that they can really let their hair down in unison. Hand out lyrics to your favorite holiday tune, play a recorded version on low volume and let the crooning begin. (By the way, this works better when everyone has exchanged his or her inhibitions for a few cocktails.)

Pace of the party slowing down? Put a crazy disco compellation in the CD player and get your groove on. This always energizes a party and makes people laugh!

6. A Little Night Music
Set the mood of your soiree with all-time favorite tunes. Early in the evening, try the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas (a classic), then pick up the pace midway through the party with festive music. (I like the Jackson 5 Christmas Album and the movie soundtrack to Four Rooms.) Choose music that you know your guests will love, keeps toes tapping and won’t offend. Music is also your best end-of-evening friend — turning it off and flipping on the lights is a subtle signal that guests should head on their way.

7. Look the Part
You’re the master of ceremonies, so glam it up — wear something fun and festive to set the mood. I always put a big flower in my hair. Try a boa or one super-fun accessory that will make guests smile.

8. Don’t Leave ‘Em Empty-Handed
Want a great way to send guests off? Try simple party favors. Fill a big bowl with candy canes, candies or personalized cookies (write your own messages with food markers) that friends can grab as they walk out. To start the giving earlier in the evening, consider place settings that incorporate novelty gifts from a gumball machine (too cute!). Or host an old-fashioned gift swap: ask each guest to bring a small gift and let the good times roll!

9. Closing Ceremonies
It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement and fun (you deserve to after all that hard work), but don’t forget to raise your glass to toast and acknowledge your friends. One activity I love to do at the end of a party: Ask each friend to write a letter that describes his or her personal wish for the coming year and seal it in a self-addressed envelope. Then surprise and delight your friends by mailing the letters the following Christmas or New Year’s. Prepare for the thank-you phone calls — many of my friends meet or exceed their goals each year!

10. My Best-Kept Secret — Revealed!
The secret to great entertaining? It has little to do with your cooking skills or your elegant collection of flatware. It’s about being hospitable and adding a dash of personalized cleverness to each and every fete. You want to be jolly and jubilant when guests arrive, so plan your prep time and menu around your available time and budget. Add a little fun and personal flare to your decor, be playful, make your home warm and inviting, and even if you serve Chinese takeout or pizza, guests will know they’re part of something magical.

Organisers are always on the lookout for something new or different they can include at conferences, parties or exhibitions.

Photo booths are not a new idea, but the way in which they are being used is and adding them to your stand or having one installed at a corporate event venue may prove to be just the thing.

Software for photo booths has been developing exponentially over the past few years meaning that the standard booth can hide something much more in tune with your company or organisation inside.

Tweaking the software can make a bespoke product which will give your clients or customers something they can take away with them, but relay a real sense of the event.

Adding a company logo to the design of the photos is a subtle way to make sure your presence is remembered and if they are shared on social networking sites there is already instant exposure.

This sort of sharing is also a valuable way to reach audiences who didn’t attend the event in question, but may well also be able to use your expertise or products.

Other possibilities include adding contact details and special offers, making an almost personalized business car or flyer, which is less likely to be thrown away or lost.

Documenting an opening or event in a way which is controlled by the guests is both innovative and fun, as well as decreasing the need to hire a photographer to obtain publicity shots.

Hiring a photo booth could be a great way to interact with your audience at your next corporate event and provide an effective way to make sure your brand is not forgotten afterwards.