Curtains Up!

This tip is a simple one, and I am reminded of it every time I perform–Gratitude.
In these tough economic times, I try to turn my mind to being grateful for what I am doing instead of getting nervous about how my calendar is filling up. And when a gig doesn’t seem to go just as [...]

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Cathy and her mother met me at a February bridal fair. Cathy decided right then and there that she wanted to have me perform for her wedding. Her mother paid my deposit, and I thought, “These folks are getting everything in line.”
But an interesting thing can happen as the wedding day approaches: Nervousness and overwhelm [...]

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With the present economy, e-mail scams are rampant, and wedding businesses, particularly musicians, are often the target.
Most brides and potential clients will include the question “How much?” in their initial email inquiries. They will include your name in the email greeting and may include some additional info about the time, date, and location of [...]

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I received a call from Monica from the Tuxtown tuxedo rental shop. Excitedly, she told me that she would be launching a full-service wedding boutique in a few weeks and wanted me to perform at the grand opening! The date was Valentine’s Day, a day she hoped to attract many couples that are headed to [...]

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Once or twice a year, I purchase a booth and exhibit at a bridal fair. I do my homework. I make sure that the bridal fair has had high attendance in past shows, I interview other exhibitors from past shows to find out if they had a good experience, and I make sure my booth [...]

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Alex started planning her wedding almost a year in advance. She met me at the Dream Wedding Show, a popular Sacramento area bridal fair, and decided right then and there to book my services.
She planned to have me perform for the wedding ceremony and cocktail service at the reception. When Alex booked me, she [...]

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Karen had everything lined up months in advance for her destination wedding at the historic Cal-Neva Resort at the north end of Lake Tahoe. Karen scheduled a lovely November wedding inside the Lakeview Chapel. The alpine views were gorgeous.
Karen was precise about every detail for her wedding. The autumn bouquets and the rust-and-gold color scheme [...]

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Not many people plan November weddings, but Jerry and Angel went about it right. It’s off-season for weddings, and that means the wedding services they chose were immediately available. They may have even received a discount for some of their wedding services—A good move in this economy.
Here at Lake Tahoe located in the Sierra Nevada [...]

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Gig Salad member Deborah Smith Ford was written up recently in the Fort Myers edition of Florida Weekly magazine. See below for an excerpt, or see the full article.
Fort Myers actress embraces Matrix look-alike role
BY EVAN WILLIAMS
Deborah Smith Ford is always waiting for her next role to begin. She has performed in more than 30 [...]

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In the last blog, I introduced some common ceremony music standards that you might like to include in your repertoire. For the reception, there are many directions you can take, depending upon whether the music will be used simply for background to dining, or whether it’s up to you and your band to get everyone [...]

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