This past weekend, my boyfriend and I attended his best friend’s casual wedding, and — just like last year, at his brother’s family-only celebration — he was asked to give a toast. Ladies and Gentlemen, my boyfriend is a very, very kind man, but he is really terrible at speaking off-the-cuff.

Before each of these weddings, I had warned him that he would probably be expected to speak, but he felt certain that was off the hook since the events were so low-key… which he probably still believed up until he was handed the microphone.

It seems like there are a million and one blogs (actually, more than 95 million according to Google!) devoted to wedding advice and planning, many of which are written by wedding professionals. When you need advice on how to handle a particular planning problem, wedding pros generally offer the most authoritative suggestions, based on years of experience in the business and their own thorough knowledge of what works and what doesn’t.

Next week’s showcases will mark the debut of our newly formed band, Barcelona. Barcelona’s lineup combines talented new musicians with veteran EBE performers; they are guided by bandleader Melissa, a true artist with a great number of theater and  music credits as well as many years of performing with EBE. Come see them perform live on the EBE Showcase Theater stage — their energy is contagious!

Sometimes even the best planning can’t keep your big day from heading toward catastrophe…

With so many “moving parts” susceptible to Murphy’s Law, it’s only natural to worry about the things that could go wrong on your wedding day. Wedding blooper videos are so common that they are one of the most frequent contributions to AFV, surpassed in popularity only by the unpredictability of kids and pets.

A recent email from one of our musicians demonstrates the way we think — for better or worse.

“Hey Mike [Gendler, EBE co-founder],

“I had to share this with you.

“Over the weekend I attended a family wedding at the Ballroom at the Ben. It was my first big event as a ‘guest’ rather than a performer at a familiar venue since joining Dreamtime two years ago, so it gave me the unique opportunity to experience (and critique!) from our clients’ perspective.

Summer is party season, which means that many of us will have the chance to cut a rug at some point in the near future. If you are getting married this summer, you will certainly be spending a fair amount of time on the dance floor — especially if you’ve booked an EBE band or DJ. Regardless of where you twist and shout, you’ll want to do it in comfort and style… and that starts with good footwear. Yes, we’re talking about dancing shoes!

When you book a top-notch wedding band or DJ for your wedding or other special event, you get a lot of things: high levels of energy, well-thought playlists, entertaining personalities, professional equipment and crew, years of party experience, help in coordinating your event, and — of course — great music.

There are some things, however, that you won’t get from a band like Dreamtime, a DJ like Matt Ostroff, or a combination thereof like eFusion Imagine… thankfully.

With the economy down, I’ve seen any number of stories and reporter queries about people who barter their for services or items. If bartering works for you, that’s fantastic. But I will tell you, most companies that are larger than a few employees (EBE included) really can’t trade services for non-monetary payment except in certain, very rare circumstances.

Well, EBE had a blast at “The Bellevue Gets Engaged” February 28th. Here’s the press release and photos to give those of you who missed it a taste of the fun!

Most people checking out music  — whether a DJ or a band — for their wedding, bar or bat mitzvah, corporate event, or other special occasion don’t know what  questions to ask when they look into entertainment companies like EBE, CTO, or Brandywine Valley Talent that offer multiple acts and options for your big day. Let’s take a look at a few questions that you should ask to help you know what to expect before you sign a contract for your event’s entertainment: