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Q: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please! ( Answered 3 out of 5 stars,   4 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
Category: Relationships and Society
Asked by: radiant_ruby-ga
List Price: $20.00
Posted: 10 Aug 2005 02:36 PDT
Expires: 09 Sep 2005 02:36 PDT
Question ID: 553907
Hello

I?ve got most of our basic wedding ideas together but am now trying to
think of sweet but not cheesy ways of involving our different
interests. I?m a rockabilly girl at heart and love swallows, flowers,
anything Hawaiian; and fiancé is a punk rocker and loves skulls,
tattoos and anything punk. I would love to come up with special
touches that combine our two passions without the wedding verging on
novelty or cheap ? although I?m on a budget and based in the UK.

I?m very open to any other ideas you might think of; currently the
special touches I?ve come up with are: I?m wearing Hibiscus earrings
(we?re going to Hawaii for our Honeymoon), tulips on each table (we
went to Amsterdam after two weeks of knowing each other) ? but I don?t
know how to display them, he?s wearing a tie with a pirate on it (its
hidden when his suit is on) and matching cufflinks; and the
buttonholes and corsages will be silk orchids (my fav) and each table
is named after a place in Berlin (where he proposed).

Also my friend is DJ-ing and is trying to accommodate us both and so
for me is playing some jazz records and for fiancé some more
dance-able punk music (like Flogging Molly and the Pogues). I think
he?s got his work cut out so can anyone make some good suggestions?
I?m particularly a fan of 30s-50s jazz but am hoping for some exotic
Japanese or French covers of well known songs can anyone help as I
don?t know any!?

Lastly as my fiancé is not as terribly organised as I am I?m making a
box full of goodies (he?ll forget to buy) to give to him the day
before the wedding. The box will contain the usual: boxers, socks,
facial scrub and a love letter from me but any other ideas would be
gratefully received!

I?m specifically looking for ideas and if possible images and British
suppliers for:

Cake: decoration, style
Wedding favours for each guest ? but I?m on a £1 a head budget!
Table decoration ? for four-person tables as well as head table
Giftlist ? completely stuck on this one!
Rings ? we?re having them commissioned but don?t know what type of brief to specify
Songlist
Fiance?s wedding Box
Rehearsal Dinner
Romantic things to do in Hawaii
Misc

Many thanks!

Request for Question Clarification by nenna-ga on 10 Aug 2005 14:07 PDT
Hello radiant_ruby-ga,

I believe that your question will require more time
and effort than the average amount of time and effort associated
with this price.  Here is a link to guidelines about pricing
your question, https://answers.google.com/answers/pricing.html

Nenna-GA
Google Answers Researcher
Answer  
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
Answered By: angy-ga on 11 Aug 2005 05:06 PDT
Rated:3 out of 5 stars
 
Hi, Radiant-ruby !

What fun your wedding plans sound, and I do wish you and your fiancé well !

Nenna?s right - you?ve asked for a lot of information and ideas, but
hopefully I can give you some useful pointers.

First your gift list. I can?t begin to guess what you and your fiancé
either need or want. I?m assuming you?re not in need of pop-up
toasters and the like. However, here are some ideas:


- Money: 


the last couple of weddings I?ve been invited to have openly suggested
gifts of money as an alternative gift - one even included a tactful
(silver) envelope in which to place the offering. Personally I find
this embarrassing, but at least it?s practical. Another variation on
this - perhaps more acceptable - is:


- Store Gift Vouchers:


Voucher Express offer Choice vouchers which can be used in a wide
range of stores, as well as store-specific vouchers, at:

http://www.voucherexpress.co.uk/asp/moredetails_TEMPLATE.asp?name=moredetails&id=7

Choices own site is:

http://www.choicegiftvouchers.co.uk/

Their vouchers are in values from 2 to 20 pounds.



Other ideas could be:


-His?n?hers Magazine subscriptions:


Maybe ?Rockabilly Revue? for you 

http://www.geocities.com/rockabillyrevue/

or another from the list at:

http://www.palmsradio.com/rockabillylinks.html


?Skratch? or similar for him:

http://www.skratchmagazine.com/CDreviews-uk.php



- A limo FROM the airport for when you get back.



- A good digital camera for all those photos of Hawaii.

 My personal favourites are the Sony Mavica range because they have
options to save onto floppy disc or CD (depending on model) as well as
memory sticks. This  means you don?t have to keep finding a friendly
internet connection to upload your photos. There are some UK price
comparisons at:

http://uk.bizrate.com/digitalcameras/pid107477527/. 

There are various models.



- Hair stuff.

A gift for the poorer friend to afford which  needs more imagination than money.



- For very poor friends - their own art work or  music on CD. Just
remember you?ll have to display it or play it.



OK. Next question:

Decorations, wedding favours, cake style, etc. This is really one
query - theme. I?m assuming you don?t want skulls with candles in them
as the main table decoration ? Perhaps not, if you?ve any
unimaginative elderly relatives.

Two ideas here:


- Look at some of the better tattoo sites for images. For example:

http://www.tattoodles.com/home.php

There is a free trial membership (no downlaods) and a very affordable
short-term one.

Browse among the artwork for the images you like (swallows, flowers,
Hawaiian themes) in an very clear tattoo style. Use those as the basis
for your decorations - pretty, for the conventional guest; and very
clearly recognizable in artistic style for the punk tattoo fans. Keep
in mind that the image of a swallow in a tattoo seems to symbolise a
lost loved one, so is probably not the best choice of image. Try for
doves ?? There are also plenty of religious symbols in this style, if
that?s appropriate for you.

A bonus is these designs ought to be really good for piping icing on the cake.



And/or to be really silly:

- Use butcher paper as the table topper. 
Raid your local discount store and provide each guest with a pack of
decoration odds and ends - a streamer, a couple of balloons, some
coloured bendy straws, anything pretty, in a bag or basket that they
can keep (as their favour).

Get the MC to tell guests they have five (ten?) minutes to co-operate
to decorate their own tables, with a prize (your choice - but wine or
chocolates are good)  for the most imaginative.

People of all ages really get into this even when sober, strangers
start to talk to each other, you save money on table settings that are
wrecked as soon as somebody moves a napkin, and the venue doesn?t have
to sweat too much over room themeing. It?s also very economical.

Don?t include anything in the pack that will mark  the venue?s carpet
or wallpaper, or that may set light to anything !!



Rehearsal dinner:

This is where I?d go Hawaiian, otherwise this theme doesn?t really
fit, unless you?re planning a wedding in Hawaii itself. Ask people to
dress Hawaiian. (If there?s a church rehearsal, check what?s
appropriate there with the minister first.)

You might consider flower leis. I doubt if fresh frangipani is
available cheaply in the UK, but Hindu weddings traditionally
incorporate an exchange of garlands, and there?s probably a local
florist that specialises in supplying these, as long as it?s not the
depth of winter. It might be worth the expense for you and your fiancé
at least.

Countrywide, talk to:

http://www.flowers24hours.co.uk/weddings/


Or you might want to incorporate that idea into the wedding itself.



- Fiancé ?s Wedding Box - this, I think, is intended to be silly, so
make it silly. But perhaps include one small item he?s always hankered
after: a REAL Swiss Army Knife, a 15mm open-sprocket twiddle-wrench, 
- preferably something he wants, and you can?t imagine why he wants
it.



- Romantic things to do in Hawaii:

Apart from holing up in a good hotel and - er - watching cable TV??

Remember what you?re really doing here is building the first shared
experiences of your married life. It?s not really about candle-light
and hibiscus.

I have no idea how long you?ve given yourselves but here are some
basic ideas from my one and only visit:

Eat waffles with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast.

Take the trolley (tram) tour of the city. Visit the Royal Palace.  The
Maritime Museum is also excellent. (Depends on your definition of
?romantic?.)

Do the round island trip by bus or taxi.

If you can afford it, do the trip that flies you over the volcano/es.

Collect all those discount restaurant vouchers people will push at you
and pick some good places to eat, cheap.

Look for the guy with macaws who takes photos of you with the beautiful birds.

Visit the bird park.

Walk on Waikiki beach at sunset. This is a tourist beach in a city,
not an isolated beach, so it?s not that exciting, but it?s a good
beach, and they?re good sunsets.

Get a local paper (or search the Internet) for music gigs.


- Rings

The kind of ring that will suit you both will depend on such things as
the size and shape of your hands, and so on. Do take the jeweler?s
advice. But if you want to go with theme ideas, may I suggest a twin
ring structure : a plain band, possibly shaped, which interlocks with
another band which incorporates your theme image - skull, flower,
whatever, as is often done with gemstones.

Otherwise might I suggest the bird theme - swallow and/or eagle - with
the wings spread around the band and the head modeled where the
gemstone would normally be set. This would need a jewellery designer,
not your average shop.



- Songlist.

Is your DJ using vinyl or CDs ? Does he record his own mixes ? If
s/he?s a friend doing you a favour then probably you will do best to
leave them to it and settle for what you?re given.

From my son?s experience as a professional DJ, songlists provided by
the host are constantly over-ridden by guest requests on the day, so
unless you intend to lock your DJ into an inaccessible box it?s not
going to work. Give her/him a clear idea of what you prefer, and if
Aunt Alice requests and gets the Beatles Remastered, never mind.

Your own choice of music should happen:
1. When you arrive at the venue.
2. At the equivalent of the Bridal Waltz. 
3.When you leave, if you choose to do the big official exit.



Remember, it?s your wedding; if you want it to be fun and a little
unconventional,  just make that very clear on the invitations, and to
any immediate relatives who are inclined to argue - especially if they
are paying for the wedding. Talk to your minister or celebrant or
whomever as to what they find appropriate. Explain gently and
personally to any elderly relatives attending who might be confused
(though they might surprise you with raunchy reminiscences of 1932).
No-one else matters.


Thank you for your question - I?ve enjoyed working on it.


Search strategies:

UK ?gift vouchers?
Tattoos swallow
UK rockabilly magazine
UK punk magazine
UK Hindu ?wedding garlands?
+Personal knowledge.

Request for Answer Clarification by radiant_ruby-ga on 11 Aug 2005 05:27 PDT
Hello

Thanks for your work BUT I was actually looking more for actual
original ideas and suggestions. I'd already mentioned swallows,
skulls, hibiscus and hawaii in my question and was looking for other
routes to follow. I was really hoping for 3-4 actual songtitles that
we could play; cake decoration ideas; ideas for favours for each
guest; table decoration and specific romantic things to do in hawaii -
as I already have a theme as mentioned. You answer was quite vague on
specifics and I'd prefer if it was answered by a Researcher who had a
passion for either punk or rockabilly.

Hope I don't offend you.

Clarification of Answer by angy-ga on 12 Aug 2005 02:03 PDT
Hi, again, Radiant-Ruby !

I?m sorry I did not focus my answer as you required. You asked for ten
different aspects of your plans to be addressed, and it wasn?t clear
which ones had top priority.

Here, however are a couple more romantic Hawaii ideas, and some
information on the local music scene.

- Romantic Hawaii:

There are a couple of very special possibilities. Aloha Destinations are at:

http://www.alohadestinations.com/hawaii_engagement_vacations/

They suggest:

?Private sunset dinner on the beach
 First Class Romance
Table set with fine linen, china, silverware
Choice of 3 menus
Your own chef and server
All dinners include salad, appetizers, entree & dessert
Premium beverages available at an additional charge.
Romantic CD
Photos taken by staff
And handed to you at the end of the evening
$350.00 per couple?

or $850.00 with 2 hours limo hire, red carpet and live music. 

Several companies offer this service at various prices. Watch out for
whether tax and tips are included or additional:

http://hawaiianislandweddings.com/table.html

Some hotels and other venues will also arrange beach dinners - I would
wait until I got there to book, unless it?s a very short stay. You?ll
probably get better prices on the spot.


You could also consider a Hawaiian style wedding service to renew your vows:

http://www.mauilaniweddings.com/tropical.html

This one is US$ 1670.00 plus tax but they vary depending on inclusions
and extras, and you would not need to bother with the legal
requirements since you?d already be legally married.



If you haven?t already booked, there are lots of romantic
accommodation ideas to be found at:

http://www.previewhawaii.com/

?How about a remote oceanfront cottage with your own kitchen on Kauai?
Is your dream a first class hotel on the bustling Waikiki Beach, with
all the shopping and nightlife of Honolulu at your fingertips? You can
stay in a first class resort on the Big Island's Kohala Coast, or in
your own private beach bungalow on the charming island of Molokai.
Perhaps you would prefer a restored plantation-era cottage by the sea
on the romantic isle of Kauai. These are only some of the fantastic
honeymoon itineraries Preview Hawaii can help you plan.?


- Linking Hawaii and Punk:

Had you thought of downloading and playing a video such as ?Punk and
Disorderly? in the background of the reception - it?s a surfing and
music video available from:

http://www.totalvid.com/Surfing-Videos/Punk-and-Disorderly/

Perhaps patch it through to a display screen - a lot of venues have
this facility nowadays.


- Hawaii, Rockabilly and Punk:

I suggest adding to your playlist a few artists that are Hawaii based
or have links to Hawaii, so that you are pulling the various ideas
together for the guests.

Gail Lloyd, of Gail & The Tricksters, is one Rockabilly artist you are
probably familiar with.  Find her at:

http://tricksters.freeservers.com/

Gail was born in Hawaii and knows how to hula - there?s a nice cartoon
of her in Aloha shirt retro pedal pushers and lei - though she is not
now based in the state.


Suspicious Minds seems to be Hawaii?s first and only rockabilly band
?complete with stand-up bass.? They feature on the Roots Rock Reggae:
Hawaiian Islands album, available from:

http://www.hwnexp.com/RRR.html

Suspicious Minds?  website is at:

http://www.suspiciousminds.net/

and it has details of up-coming gigs (out of date), plus free mp3s to download.


Punk is much easier to find, there was a strong eighties punk scene.
An on-line tribute to the 70s and 80s Hawaii punk scene is at:

http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~motopu/hawaiirelatedtop.htm

Again, there are tracks to download.

Current scene is at:

http://www.808shows.com/

Other bands include the Quintessentials (used to be the Products) at:

http://thequintessentials.cjb.net/

and Red Light Taxi with free music downloads at:

http://msn-cnet.com.com/redlighttaxi/3600-8608_32-100612536.html?tag=listing_song_artist


Check the conditions of the downloads for copyright restrictions -
they are very stringent in the UK. See notes below. And yes, people
have been fined for breaching the rules, including singing ?Happy
Birthday? (which is copyright) in a public place....!


When in Hawaii look out for what?s on at such venues as The Wave,
Waikiki, the Pipeline Café, Pink Cadillac and Kainoa's Sports Bar.
When looking at gig lists, remember the month is given first in
America - 9.4.05. is the 4th of September.


Have fun !



Additional search terms:

Hawaii romance
Hawaii rockabilly
Hawaii punk
UK ?performing rights association?




- Other comments on music and copyright.

You are probably aware of the new legislation coming in in November
making the already difficult regulations about playing music in public
places even more difficult.

This is partly why it is so difficult to advise you on playlist. 

Basically, if your wedding is at home or in a private house, then you
can probably play any music you legally own.

If the venue is not a private home, then the venue will need a
Performing Rights Society licence, and most venues will have this. But
this licence basically covers royalty free music only. Where music is
not royalty free - which is most of it - an additional royalty is
supposed to be paid. Bemuso explains this in part at:

 http://www.bemuso.com/resources/musicbiz.html


This is why a professional DJ will have a playlist to show you from
which you choose the music. All that business of licensing and
royalties should have been sorted out in advance.

Likewise cover artists are supposed to pay a fee for a licence to
record and distribute their music.




Also if you are videoing the wedding when music is playing in the
background, you need a Wedding Video-Recording Licence !!! If you are
employing a professional videographer this is probably included in the
price, but do check. This is explained at:

http://www.videolicence.co.uk/faq.asp

Clarification of Answer by angy-ga on 12 Aug 2005 23:51 PDT
Just a quick note about wedding favours.

The European tradition is five sugared almonds in a fancy bag, or box,
symbolising  health, happiness, long life, fertility and good fortune.
See:

www.ukweddingfavours.com

If you want to get away from that, Mother922-ga (who made the comment
below) has this suggestion:

" For the wedding favors why not suggest they have cds made up with
their wedding song and some of the specific songs they chose for the
wedding. 100 or so cds burned from an original would be around their
price range less if they did it themselves. "
radiant_ruby-ga rated this answer:3 out of 5 stars
I'm afraid a bit of a disappointing answer, I did gently nudge for
clarification and that I would have been happier with more organic,
creative ideas. I know it was only $20 but I don't think the answer
was worth that much. Maybe it would have been better to have the
question answered by someone with more knowledge. I guess the
researcher is given the question on a first come - first served basis?

Comments  
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
From: mother911-ga on 11 Aug 2005 23:32 PDT
 
For your Hawaii stuff, 
Oahu has a movie screen on Waikiki beach, I don't remember the
schedule but it was romantic sitting in the sand drinking maitais and
watching a movie under the stars.

Honolulu of course offers the Pearl Harbor Memorial which I highly
recommend, find the veterans and hear some amazing stories, they're
easy to find, they are wearing sky blue shirts and will be surrounded
by a crowd.

To offset the seriousness of the Memorial, we took the Duck, it's an
amphibious vehicle. They pick you up at your hotel drive you to the
memorial (the long scenic way with a ton of historic information. They
drive you right to the memorial entrance and pick you up right
outside, no rush no fuss. Lastly, they take the duck out for a swim,
which is where I took some wonderful pictures of Oahu from the ocean.

If you aren't scuba certified, I recommend snorkeling and SNUBA. The
big island of Hawaii has some unbelievable beaches and snorkeling.
Avoid the large beaches and try to hit some of the more local areas.
We found a beach called two step (ask the locals they will help you
find it) I spent the day swimming with sea turtles.
SNUBA is a cross between snorkeling and SCUBA diving. They put an
oxygen tank in a small boat and you are given weights, fins, a mask
and a mouthpiece. You are limited to less then thirty feet, but the
experience is mind-boggling.

Again on the big island, we found the chain of craters road, and the
volcano day trip to be very romantic, lots of places to stop and view
with amazing scenery and awe-inspiring events. It?s a nice day of
driving together through wonderful scenery (not the volcano) and the
impressive forces of nature. At the bottom of chain of craters road
you can walk out to where the lava is currently hitting the water.

Be sure to see the green sand beach on the big island, the black sand
beach also on the big island. If you are adventurous you can go to the
beach where "From Here To Eternity" was filmed, we weren't brave
enough.

It's a challenge to not be romantic while in Hawaii.

Mother911-ga
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
From: jazzin-ga on 15 Aug 2005 19:26 PDT
 
Hi there !  Congrats on your upcoming wedding.

Well, my suggestion is that you get yourself a Ukelele player who is
accomplished who can play some punk and rockabilly stuff.  George
Harrison, Paul McCartney were uke players and there are ukelele
players (young ones, as well) who ROCK.  Where do you live?  Anyhow,
just search ukelele clubs or something and that would be a cute little
gig to add to your wedding.

Don't worry about being a Punk Rocker vs. RockABilly - music is music
! You have a merger going on and what is really cool is you can
appreciate one another's tastes in music !  You can only add to your
collection !

Hugs to you !   
from Jazzin
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
From: kdelong54-ga on 25 Aug 2005 15:39 PDT
 
Radiant Ruby,

I am currently going through the same problem with my upcoming wedding
in January.  He is into punk and im a little rockabilly chick, and we
are on a tight budget.  For our center pieces I bought oversized
Martini Glasses and filled them with red sand (our wedding color) and
placed small votive candles in the sand.  Plain but totally my style. 
We also did the invitations to look like a 1940-1950's wedding poster.
 Since you like old style you might want to look for vintage candy as
the wedding favor.  You can find lots of 1950's candies that are being
remade now and put them into little bags....I might just steal that
Idea!  For the wedding music we are doing alot of original rockabilly
from the early days like elvis and wanda jackson.  Just because alot
of people recognize the music and I think they will enjoy it.  Also
alot of Frank!!  I just started searcing under "rockabilly weddings",
"retro weddings", and "punk weddings"  there are alot of people that
have had the same problems that are willing to share.  Hope I helped a
little!

Kathlynn :)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a Rockabilly v Punk wedding please!
From: joeythompson-ga on 10 Dec 2005 03:21 PST
 
Jeez, give the researcher a break.  You weren't very clear on what you
wanted (asking about 10 questions) and she gave you not only a very
full answer, but an even fuller reply.  It is rude to rank her so low
after providing so much work for you.  Tsk tsk.

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