Music at your wedding. (Or any other party)
When you have a wedding disco or any other party there are a few things you might want to consider regarding music. I use the wrods 'wedding' in this post, but this can apply to Birthdays, christenings, Communions or even a Christmas party.
No matter what you’ve done to prepare for your Wedding, remember this: Music Enhances the Memories. You’ve purchased a Beautiful Wedding Dress. You’ve spent hundreds of Euros on Photography, Flowers and Food. You picked the absolute perfect Venue to host your amazing wedding. But after all of that, your Wedding will be judged by how entertaining it was and if the music was good or not. Music is the most important enhancement of any event, especially weddings. So, if you’re considering a Band, a DJ, a traditional Irish music group to play live music, or all of those combinations, here are a few tips to think about that will help you make decisions and add the great finishing touches to your Wedding.
1. Don’t dance alone for too long
When it comes to the first dance, you don’t have to stay on the dance floor on your own throughout the entire song. The DJ can do several things to make this moment a little shorter without being obvious. Have them make an announcement to ask others to join you on the dance floor, or simply ask everyone to applaud you as he fades the song & moves right on to the next scheduled dance. If you’re asking people to join you on the floor half way through a song, it might be an idea to ask a few couples ahead of time to be prepared to get up there & get the rest of the crowd into it.
2. Silence isn’t beautiful
Every Wedding Ceremony needs music, especially the crucial period just prior to the start of the ceremony, approximately an hour. As your guests arrive, you need to have music playing, possibly a hired musician or the DJ playing pre-recorded music. If you choose a DJ, you can play anything you want! Sometimes my clients choose music like Jason Mraz, Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Simon and Garfunkel, The Fureys or even some relaxing electronic music like Café Del Mar. Either way, this sets the mood for what the evening is going to feel like, but Silence is not an option. Even in the most serene setting, a Wedding is a celebration and should be accompanied by great music!
3. Take charge of the Music
If you’ve hired a band for the reception, the band has maybe a 100 or more songs in their repertoire, a DJ has thousands. You have options! Make sure to tell the entertainment provider what you do and DO NOT want to hear. You don’t have to pre-program every last second of the music, but you shouldn’t just say “Play what you like to hear” I like to have the guidance of the Bride and Groom because I play songs that say something about you as a couple, your personal music tastes are important, it's YOUR day so you should have it the way YOU want it !
At the same time, maybe there’s a song you hate or that has painful memories associated with it, make sure to ask that the song is NOT Played. Beyond that, obviously you should trust the DJ to play great music but don’t be afraid to step in and ask the DJ to play more of your style of music if that’s the feel you want your wedding to have and the entertainer is straying too far from it.
4. Don’t Blow your guests eardrums
DJs and Bands LOVE loud music, maybe you do as well. But, it’s not a good idea to blow the speakers out at your wedding. Granted, as the night goes on and the dancing is really cranking, the music should be louder, but make sure you have a word with your entertainment beforehand to keep the music at a tolerable level as the evening progresses.
Many friends and family come from all over the country and a wedding might be the first time they have had a chance to catch up on the latest developments and so will want to talk before jumping straight onto the dancefloor. I can say that I always watch my volume levels, and there’s nothing worse than being asked to turn down the music, especially when I know it isn’t very loud…but, sometimes, DJs and Bands can’t tell with certainty if the music is getting too loud, especially if they’re into the dance set and working hard.
It’s not a bad idea to ask someone to keep their ears open to the volume and if it’s a problem to assign them to ask the entertainment to turn it down so you and your fiancé don’t have to worry about it! Either way, you want everyone to have fun and there’s a time and place for the music to progressively get louder.
5. Dirty Words Do Hurt You
Your Wedding is no time or place for explicit language. Keep in mind, older guests will be offended by foul language at your wedding, so there’s no reason to play it in the music, considering I have edited versions of songs. Most songs are edited for radio, but there are some that are still questionable and could offend some in attendance. Ask yourself if the song is truly that important to hear the explicit version.
6. Heavy Metal is probably too heavy
I love hard rock and classic rock. I also love some heavy metal and punk, but there’s an appropriate time and place for that music, and it’s almost certain that your wedding is not the place. If you MUST fit it into the evening, don’t have it played during dinner…and don’t stop the dancing just to appease your need to hear Napalm Death, Rammstein or Lordi I promise you, 90% of your guests will not appreciate it.
Play that music at a planned time, maybe you and your friends have a mosh pit routine you want to do and the guests will find it hilariously entertaining and might even want to get involved, that could be interesting to see grandma in a mosh pit! Either way, don’t insist on including it if it doesn’t fit the overall mood of the event, or just play it really late in the evening when most of the older folks have gone home. If however, you have a heavier more edgy wedding planned, by all means, Rock On!
7. Don’t get stuck on one genre of music
You love 80′s New Wave, or you are a Hip-Hop connoisseur, Great! Now, just don’t play that music all night at your wedding and we’ll all be happy. Too much of a good thing is never good. Mix it up, that’s what DJs do really well. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves and feel like they have a chance to dance to the kind of music that makes them move, so it’s best to play short blocks of 3 or 4 of the same kind of music and then mix out to something else.
As the night progresses and the die hard dancers are still dancing then we can cater to whatever style of music they want to hear the most and stick to that for a while. In general the rule for Music Entertainers is, play a great mix, everyone has fun!
No matter what you’ve done to prepare for your Wedding, remember this: Music Enhances the Memories. You’ve purchased a Beautiful Wedding Dress. You’ve spent hundreds of Euros on Photography, Flowers and Food. You picked the absolute perfect Venue to host your amazing wedding. But after all of that, your Wedding will be judged by how entertaining it was and if the music was good or not. Music is the most important enhancement of any event, especially weddings. So, if you’re considering a Band, a DJ, a traditional Irish music group to play live music, or all of those combinations, here are a few tips to think about that will help you make decisions and add the great finishing touches to your Wedding.
1. Don’t dance alone for too long
When it comes to the first dance, you don’t have to stay on the dance floor on your own throughout the entire song. The DJ can do several things to make this moment a little shorter without being obvious. Have them make an announcement to ask others to join you on the dance floor, or simply ask everyone to applaud you as he fades the song & moves right on to the next scheduled dance. If you’re asking people to join you on the floor half way through a song, it might be an idea to ask a few couples ahead of time to be prepared to get up there & get the rest of the crowd into it.
2. Silence isn’t beautiful
Every Wedding Ceremony needs music, especially the crucial period just prior to the start of the ceremony, approximately an hour. As your guests arrive, you need to have music playing, possibly a hired musician or the DJ playing pre-recorded music. If you choose a DJ, you can play anything you want! Sometimes my clients choose music like Jason Mraz, Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Simon and Garfunkel, The Fureys or even some relaxing electronic music like Café Del Mar. Either way, this sets the mood for what the evening is going to feel like, but Silence is not an option. Even in the most serene setting, a Wedding is a celebration and should be accompanied by great music!
3. Take charge of the Music
If you’ve hired a band for the reception, the band has maybe a 100 or more songs in their repertoire, a DJ has thousands. You have options! Make sure to tell the entertainment provider what you do and DO NOT want to hear. You don’t have to pre-program every last second of the music, but you shouldn’t just say “Play what you like to hear” I like to have the guidance of the Bride and Groom because I play songs that say something about you as a couple, your personal music tastes are important, it's YOUR day so you should have it the way YOU want it !
At the same time, maybe there’s a song you hate or that has painful memories associated with it, make sure to ask that the song is NOT Played. Beyond that, obviously you should trust the DJ to play great music but don’t be afraid to step in and ask the DJ to play more of your style of music if that’s the feel you want your wedding to have and the entertainer is straying too far from it.
4. Don’t Blow your guests eardrums
DJs and Bands LOVE loud music, maybe you do as well. But, it’s not a good idea to blow the speakers out at your wedding. Granted, as the night goes on and the dancing is really cranking, the music should be louder, but make sure you have a word with your entertainment beforehand to keep the music at a tolerable level as the evening progresses.
Many friends and family come from all over the country and a wedding might be the first time they have had a chance to catch up on the latest developments and so will want to talk before jumping straight onto the dancefloor. I can say that I always watch my volume levels, and there’s nothing worse than being asked to turn down the music, especially when I know it isn’t very loud…but, sometimes, DJs and Bands can’t tell with certainty if the music is getting too loud, especially if they’re into the dance set and working hard.
It’s not a bad idea to ask someone to keep their ears open to the volume and if it’s a problem to assign them to ask the entertainment to turn it down so you and your fiancé don’t have to worry about it! Either way, you want everyone to have fun and there’s a time and place for the music to progressively get louder.
5. Dirty Words Do Hurt You
Your Wedding is no time or place for explicit language. Keep in mind, older guests will be offended by foul language at your wedding, so there’s no reason to play it in the music, considering I have edited versions of songs. Most songs are edited for radio, but there are some that are still questionable and could offend some in attendance. Ask yourself if the song is truly that important to hear the explicit version.
6. Heavy Metal is probably too heavy
I love hard rock and classic rock. I also love some heavy metal and punk, but there’s an appropriate time and place for that music, and it’s almost certain that your wedding is not the place. If you MUST fit it into the evening, don’t have it played during dinner…and don’t stop the dancing just to appease your need to hear Napalm Death, Rammstein or Lordi I promise you, 90% of your guests will not appreciate it.
Play that music at a planned time, maybe you and your friends have a mosh pit routine you want to do and the guests will find it hilariously entertaining and might even want to get involved, that could be interesting to see grandma in a mosh pit! Either way, don’t insist on including it if it doesn’t fit the overall mood of the event, or just play it really late in the evening when most of the older folks have gone home. If however, you have a heavier more edgy wedding planned, by all means, Rock On!
7. Don’t get stuck on one genre of music
You love 80′s New Wave, or you are a Hip-Hop connoisseur, Great! Now, just don’t play that music all night at your wedding and we’ll all be happy. Too much of a good thing is never good. Mix it up, that’s what DJs do really well. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves and feel like they have a chance to dance to the kind of music that makes them move, so it’s best to play short blocks of 3 or 4 of the same kind of music and then mix out to something else.
As the night progresses and the die hard dancers are still dancing then we can cater to whatever style of music they want to hear the most and stick to that for a while. In general the rule for Music Entertainers is, play a great mix, everyone has fun!
posted by DJ Paulie at
5/21/2011 12:21:00 AM
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