Find out what happened when a judge who was hired to marry a couple never showed up at the wedding!

The Central Minnesota Wedding Association hosted its Awards Banquet last week. The 'XO' eXtraOrdinary Award was given to the 3 top stories submitted by its members. The stories were judged on how a member of the Central Minnesota Wedding Association 'saved the day' for a couple that had hired them.  The 3 stories that won were written about Larry Rowe at Impressions Mobile Music , Sharon Planer at Pianist for Parties , and Paige Meier at Carlos Creek Winery.

I will share Larry's story in this post and the other stories in later posts.

Larry Rowe is DJ entertainer extraodinare at Impressions Mobile Music

Here is what the bride and groom had to say about Larry 'Saving the Day'! 

The story began on Sept. 27 2014 . . . .

We decided to have our wedding outside in a field on our farm.  We decided to have a Stearns County Judge do the ceremony.  I sent our choice of wording for our ceremony and the address, time and date.  The Judge stated he had a wedding prior to ours but would for sure be here by 5:30. 

Larry came out earlier in the afternoon and set up all of his equipment for the music and lights. 

I was in the house getting ready and all of the guests were arriving.  We had our BBQ started and dance floor was ready for the evening.  We were ready to go... the hay ride to the field was on it's way, it was 5:30 and we were ready. 

When we got to the field we were informed there was no JP yet.  Hmmmmm ... so we said we can wait a little to see if he is just running late.  Larry came up and asked if everything was okay.  We said, "Play some music for a little bit and we will see if he shows up."  Joe's sister had googled 'ceremonies' and had a plan that we would fake it and have Joe's brother just read the ceremony. We could get married at the court house at a later date. 

Larry came over and said, "I can't believe how calm you are.  Other brides would have been crazy by now."  And that was putting it mildly!  Ha Ha.  We told him this is our life, just winging it most of the time.  He offered to check and see if a friend of his was available to do the ceremony.  We said. "Well, we will wait a little bit."  

Larry called his friend just to see if he was around and well, he was fishing.  Larry came back to tell us what he had found out.  We thought for a bit and decided, "I guess we have to pull him off the lake!"  We said, "Okay. The JP isn't showing and we better get someone here."  Everyone was getting hungry and mingling.  So Larry called his friend and asked him to come. His friend stated he had to run home and shower but would be on his way.  I said, "He doesn't need to shower, we don't care if he smells fishy!"  

We were all watching the driveway for the next car to come in and wondered who it was going to be ... the JP or Larry's friend?  Larry's friend pulled into the drive way and  he calmly came up to us asked us if we wanted anything special.  Joe and I both said, "No just lets get married and get to the dancing!"  

Larry literally saved the day, went WAY above and beyond his job.  We loved his music he kept everyone young and old on the dance floor all night.  I cannot say enough GREAT things about Larry and how he just seemed to keep everything going calmly and of course pulling a JP out of his hat was quite amazing!  

We will never forget what Larry did and how professionally he did it.  We feel Larry deserves the XO award. Words cannot explain how lucky we were to have not only a GREAT DJ but one that knew a JP!  

Find out more about Larry Rowe at Impressions Mobile Music

Newlywed brides shared their insights with members of the Central Minnesota Wedding Association.

The Crown Room of Rogers was filled with professionals from the Central Minnesota Wedding Association who were eager to hear what the newlyweds had to say about their recent wedding experiences.

Moderator, Adam Welz of Prime Time DJ's, asked the brides the following question.

If there was one thing you could have changed about your wedding, what would it have been?

Here are some of their answers.

• "I wish I would have hired a videographer."

• "I wish my photographer would have given me more information ahead of time on determining what photos were to be taken of various family members."

This bride said it would have been helpful if the photographer has posted real photos of various family poses on the web site. In retrospect she realized there were some family members who were not included in photos that she wished had been included.

• "I wish I had hired a day-of coordinator."

This bride was pretty certain some problems would have been avoided had there been a coordinator overseeing that everything ran smoothly. In particular, the sound tech who was supposed to play recorded music for their Recessional, never played the song. At the end of the ceremony when everyone was clapping and the bride and groom were supposed to exit the ceremony to lively music...they had to walk out in silence. Ouch!

Adam then asked the brides the following question.

What was one thing you absolutely loved about a wedding professional that you hired?

Here are some of their answers.

• "Hiring two photographers was the best thing I did!"

This couple hired a husband and wife team, both were equally experienced. Some of their favorite photos are from the pre-ceremony activities of getting ready. A huge smile came across this bride's face as she described some of the incredibly fun-loving photos that were captured while the guys were getting ready and the gals too. Having the husband wife team made those photos possible.

• "The staff at our venue treated us like we were the most important client in the world. Even though this venue had many other clients, they always knew us by name and knew exactly who we were when we called on the phone. They took good care of us all the way through."

This couple did not have the opportunity to see their reception hall ahead of time on the day of their wedding, so when they walked through the door to their reception hall, it took their breath away. Everything was more beautiful and perfect than they had ever imagined!

• "I knew the exact wedding dress and dress designer that I wanted. As soon as I was engaged, I went out to buy the dress, only to learn that it had been discontinued a month prior. All the shops I went to did not have it.  I called shops all over the state and got the same response....except for one. This small shop decided to help me. She reached out to all her resources and finally found the dress!"

I enjoyed hearing everything the brides had to say but was hoping to hear about their music. As a pianist, I especially wanted to learn their impressions of their wedding music. So I submitted a question asking if they had hired live music for their ceremony or reception.

Most had live music for their ceremonies and DJ's for their receptions. One bride had a whole family of professional musicians and her music was outstanding. Some of the others found their musicians by word-of-mouth through friends or family. It made me realize just how important the advice of family and friends can be. If someone has had a good experience with a musician, they are usually happy to share their advice. From my point of view, it is a great honor when a couple recommends my piano music to someone they know. Very often the couple that recommended me will be in the wedding party or will be guests at the coming wedding and I have the joy of reconnecting with them!

When the newlyweds were asked, 'What top tip would you give to couples planning their weddings?', their answer was unanimous ...

"On the day of your wedding, ENJOY the day, it goes by so quickly!"

A word about the Central Minnesota Wedding Association.

The Central Minnesota Wedding Association has been a valuable part of my life as a wedding pianist.  The members live by a professional Code of Ethics. We are always striving to learn more about providing the best wedding services possible to couples engaged to be married. Last night's 'Bride Panel' was just such an example. Who better to tell us than the newlyweds themselves!

Let's hear from YOU!  If you are recently married, do you have a story to share or advice to give about planning your wedding?  Just click on the 'comment' link below and we will all benefit from your experiences!

by Sharon Planer, Pianist for Parties

From the moment this couple walked into my office, their enthusiasm and excitement was contagious. As we talked about their vision for their wedding day and as I played samples of piano wedding music, certain songs and artists surfaced that they really loved. We came up with a great play list for the pre ceremony, ceremony and post ceremony music. It was an elegant mix of some older romantic standards with contemporary songs. I was glad they wanted a wedding pianist for their ceremony music. They were a delightful couple to get to know!

Rev. Leslie Johnson gave a heartfelt and intimate message which brought tears and laughter. 

From my place at the grand piano I was not able to view the Handfasting Ceremony. The photo below shows the brides' mothers and Rev. Leslie as they braided the three strands of ribbon. The brides clasped their hands together and Rev. Leslie fastened their hands with the braided ribbon symbolizing their unity and oneness.

The Semple Mansion was a magical setting for this beautiful wedding. This couple wanted to find the perfect venue for their wedding day. It was fun to hear Rev. Leslie's story on how they knew the moment they entered the mansion that this was where they wanted to be married! Intimate, classy and beautiful...just like the brides!

I loved the song they requested for their recessional...'Walking on Sunshine". It was great fun to perform and it was obvious they had fun recessing!

Their wedding was one of the most joyous ceremonies I have experienced. I was glad I arrived early at the mansion so I could experience the exuberant joy that was taking place.  There were happy voices and much laughter as the brides and their wedding party traversed through the mansion and outdoors for photos. It was not uncommon for cheering to break out!  Even though they had to endure the chilly outdoors temps, you could tell by their smiles, that this was a joyous wedding indeed!