Planning Your Music
- Consider this: If your goal is a full dance floor, you may want to consider including some music that isn’t necessarily your favorite, but may cater to some of your other guests, the older guests, for example.
- An hour of music is about 15 songs. Not every song needs to be chosen but it is good to make plenty of requests so we can gauge your style of music. About 40-50 pre-party requests are normal. More requests are better.
- Must-play and play-if-possible lists are handy when choosing more songs. In that case some songs may not get played or may be mixed into the dinner music list. But we will do our best to clear any questionable requests with you beforehand. Ask about our real-time playlist editor option.
- Make sure the entertainment is close to the dance floor, normally near the bridal table works best. Don’t forget to plan for speakers. Seating people too close to speakers does make a difference in guest happiness. Older people normally prefer not to be close to speakers.
Event Timeline
- When planning your event timeline, try and plan your entrance no more than 45 minutes after your guests arrive if possible. If it is going to be longer, you may want to provide some appetizers and beverages for them while they wait. Even then, having your guests wait too long may cause them to leave early after dinner.
Flow
- A very important factor in planning a reception, is the “flow” of the evening. You don’t want to take too long between your events/activities (i.e. toast, cake cutting, etc.) so that your guests start to get bored. There are many subtle cues, and some not so subtle, that tell a professionals dj that his crowd is getting restless. When this happens, the DJ will move into action to get the party started and stay on track and is a success.
Music to Select Before Dancing
- Music is played throughout your reception. From the time your guests arrive until the last dance. Keep in mind that not all the music you need to pick is for dancing. The evening is about you and the more we can customize it the more personal it will be.
Dinner Music
- Once again, vocal jazz, like Harry Connick Jr., is great during dinner. If you are going for a more formal event, then classical music might work for you. As dinner progresses, I like to mix it up a little based on the bride and groom’s taste. This is a great time to play some of your favorite songs that are not dance songs, slow or fast. Toe-tapping music from Motown, new and older country, pop, and oldies all work well during this time.
All music
- Musical selections are important. Remember that one hour can only have approximately 15 songs. A five-hour event can only have maybe 75-80 songs. Also, your taste in music may not be the same as your guests so try and think what your guests will like when making requests.
Take care of yourself
- Get plenty of sleep the night before your event. Remember to eat meals the day of, hungry people get cranky easily.
Good Communication
- Communicate times and plans to your guests and don’t plan to arrive long after the ceremony. Fashionably late entrances normally are no more than 45 minutes after the music begins. Waiting too long will cause your guests to leave early after eating.
Don’t drink too much
- Drinking too much at an event can be looked at as bad etiquette and make you tired.
Invite Carefully
- Be prepared: Up to 80 to 90 percent of those invited may attend. (The smaller the list, the more yeses you should expect percentage because you will likely be asking only those closest to you.)
Get It in Writing
- Make sure you have signed contracts from all your vendors and that you’ve read the fine print and resolved any questions.