Pianist Sharon Planer was nominated as a finalist at MN Bride Magazine.

Couples getting married in Minnesota have a wealth of talent and dedicated wedding professionals to choose from. I love performing piano music at weddings where the professionals work together as a team to make a wedding couple's dream a reality. I recognize many of the Finalists at Minnesota Bride 'Best of 2015' to be exactly of that caliber.

I am humbled and grateful to all the brides, grooms, event professionals and others for nominating me as a finalist for the MN Bride Magazine 'Best of 2015' Ceremony Music. Many thanks!

There are many wonderful wedding musicians in the Twin Cities including the other two finalists the Four Voices String Quartet and the Lake Minnetonka String Quartet. Engaged couples have great options for live music! Check out the complete list of MN Bride Finalists for 'Best of 2015' at http://mnbride.com/minnesota-brides-best-2015-finalists

If you are planning a wedding and are looking for exceptional wedding services available in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota, the 'Best of 2015' Finalists list at Minnesota Bride Magazine is a great place to start your search!

When meeting with couples to plan their wedding music I also enjoy hearing how their wedding planning experience is going.  

Often one of the couples will come with their notebook organizer or phone organizer with access to details of their wedding at their fingertips.  This makes the planning go much easier for them.  

There are times when couples seem to be overwhelmed and not well organized. I am able to walk them through the music planning and break it down into an easy process.  If I sense they could benefit from outside help with organizing the rest of their wedding, I happily direct them to the event professionals that I know and trust. But now I can also direct them to some technology tools.

I found the article posted in Mpls. St. Paul Weddings by Emily Howald Sefton to be an excellent overview. There are many technology options available, but Emily highlights the 5 best tools out there...and they are easy and fun!

Read Emily's 'Helpful Tech Tools to Stay Sane'.

Emily Howald Sefton is the Deputy Features Editor and Weddings Editor at the Mpls. St. Paul Magazine.

So if you are recently engaged to be married, don't panic over the many tasks before you. Follow Emily's tech tool tips and the road map to your wedding will go a lot smoother!

by Sharon Planer, Pianist for Parties

Are you planning a Wedding? Are you planning a special event such as a birthday party or anniversary?

Chances are you will want to attend a Wedding or Event Fair to get ideas for your event. 

Here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of your Wedding and Event Fair experience.

Before you attend the event, think about your top priorities for your event. Ask yourself, 'What are the two or three most important aspects of my wedding day or special occasion?'

Floral arrangements / your wedding dress / live music / price / writing the perfect wedding vows / having someone else be responsible for the pressure of your planning and day-of festivities / photography / videography / venue location / decor / food .. . . the list goes on.  

I have worked with hundreds of couples planning their weddings and people planning parties.  Their priorities vary immensely. When planning your event, it is helpful to determine what items you think are most important.  From there you can direct your focus. Use a mobile device or notebook to draft some questions surrounding your priorities. List the categories where you need help planning. Educate yourself in those areas that are most important to you. By doing this, you will develop more questions.

On the day of the Event Fair here are some items to bring.

• Your list of questions.
• Your list of categories where you need help planning.
• Camera or mobile device to take photos.
• Your appointment calendar.

On the day of the Wedding or Event Fair approach the event professionals that are top on your list. Be direct and tell them that their area of expertise is especially important to you.

• Take photos of items of interest. After you have photographed the items you like, snap a photo of their poster or business card to remember their name.
• Ask your questions. Don't shy away from asking hard questions. 
• If you feel good rapport with the professional, set up a private meeting to further discuss your questions in detail.
• For the remaining Categories where you need event planning help, gather what information you can from those event professionals and record which companies you might like to do business with.
• For the professionals that you are interested in, find your Categories list and record their business name. Take notes that will help you remember what made them stand apart from the others. This will be very helpful when you return home with a pile of brochures because you will be able to identify the companies that you want to follow up with.
• Sign up for the giveaways and prizes.

After the Wedding or Event Fair is over. Contact the professionals that you liked and go from there!

There are many great Wedding and Event Fairs in the Twin Cities as well as greater Minnesota. I personally think the smaller shows give you have a better opportunity of connecting on a personal level with the event professionals. But the larger shows are great for gathering a lot of information from many different sources.

For a list of shows where I will be performing, check out my web site at http://pianistforparties.com/events

I would love to meet and play samples of music just for you!