Music for Your Wedding Reception
Music is an essential
part of your wedding. Good music enhances the
overall atmosphere and mood of the party and will entertain your
wedding guests throughout the day and evening.
Deciding on the music for your wedding ceremony and reception
is a very personal choice, but you need to keep the overall population
of your guests in mind when making this decision to ensure the
best possible experience for your wedding guests. If your wedding
guests are entertained and have a fun and memorable experience
at your wedding, it's almost guaranteed that you will also. It's
always best if you have had the opportunity to hear and/or experience
the Disc Jockey
or Musicians firsthand before hiring them for
your own wedding. The second 
best
thing is to at lease have a personal referral from someone you
trust. If your only option is to choose your music
provider from an ad, at least find one that specializes in weddings
and has years of experience. Bridal shows are a great way to meet
a few music professionals under the same roof. You can ask questions
to get a general feel for them and how professional they are.
Ask them how busy their schedule is. Most good dj and musicians
are book at least a year in advance. At wedding shows, quite often
you are able to hear musicians play a little to get an idea of
their skill level.
Always keep in mind that the cheapest
is not always the best way to go when choosing your music
providers. You will usually have to pay more for experienced and
well-equipped music providers. When you are talking
to the different professionals, pay attention to how professional
they are and what their people skills are like. They will usually
ask if you have a preference in music and if
you have any favourite songs you would like played at your wedding.
Ultimately your music suppliers are
there to keep your wedding guests entertained.
Keep in mind the overall age of your guests and try to pick music
that everyone will enjoy. Generally most weddings will have a
wide variety of wedding guests so the music should reflect that
and cover a wide variety of music genes. It's ok to mix up the
music a bit and a good DJ will know how to do
this well to help ensure everyone has a great time at your wedding.
Most disc jockeys will
ask you to fill out a questionnaire, or sometimes called a wedding
reception plan. This form will help to inform them of
what your expectations are, the music you want
played, the music you don't want played, the
names of the wedding party, the layout for setup,
if you would like any dj games played, a little about your wedding
guests, special events going on during the wedding reception that
you are planning and if you would like any special songs played
during these events or at other times during the reception.
This is especially important if you
are not having a traditional wedding. Your plan
should also explain if they will be providing any extra equipment
or services like lighting, bubbles, fog or a special event to
get people up and dancing.
Most disc jockeys offer Master
of Ceremony services. This can come in handy for announcing things
like the cutting of the cake and tossing of the bridal bouquet.
When you are interviewing 
different
professionals ask if they offer this service and if the service
is included in their fee or if there is an extra charge for this
service.
Book your wedding musicians,
bands and disc jockeys as soon as you can after
your engagement is announced so that you get your first choice
in music providers. As soon as you have your places of wedding
ceremony and reception booked, you can book your music
providers.
If your music provider doesn't
ask you to fill out a wedding reception plan
with all the needed information for the evening, I would recommend
that you graciously provide them with your own form with this
needed information. The list should include the names of all the
wedding
party and their relationship to you, and all your important songs
that you want played at your wedding with the
times you want them played during the ceremony or reception. Include
any events that will be going on throughout the evening and the
time they will be happening. If the DJ is planning bring special
equipment and/or effects make notes on your form. Tell them a
little about your wedding guests and the music you think they
would like to hear. Don't forget to include any songs you don't
want played. Give this information to them well in advance to
make sure they will be able to play the music
you want at your wedding. Keep a copy of the
form for yourself for future reference. See our Wedding
Song List for suggestions.
Most disc jockeys have many
ideas on how to get people up and dancing, after all that's what
they do for a living. Discuss with them if they plan
on doing anything special throughout the night including games.
Depending on the game, who is involved and how they are involved
you may decide forgo them. If so, make this clear. If you want
some ideas on how to get your guests up and dancing on the dance
floor, here is couple of ideas to get people up and moving.
The Generations Dance is
a fun way of not only getting people up and dancing, it also makes
the couples that have been married a long time feel special.
Step 1: The Bride and Groom are called up to the dance floor and
all the married couples attending the wedding
reception are called up to join them for a slow dance. Step 2:
When the song is over, all the couples that have been married
less than 10 years are dismissed from the dance floor for now.
Start a new song, leaving couples married more than 10 years and
the Bride and Groom. About 30 seconds to a minute into the song,
the couples married less than 15 years are 
asked
to take a break from the dance floor. Then after another 30 seconds
to a minute or so, 20 years...25 years...30 years until one couple
or a few couples are left on the dance floor.
This will be the couple(s) that has been married the longest.
Step 3: At the end of the song, the DJ or Master of Ceremony or
Band leader asks the couple(s) to introduce themselves and for
them to offer the bride and groom some words of advice to help
them make the marriage strong and last as long as their own. (The
secret to a long and happy marriage.)Then a new song is played
inviting everyone to join them on the dance floor.
The Snowball Dance helps
to get the dance floor full early on. This dance can start out
with just the Bride and Groom or with the whole bridal
party. After about a 
minute
or two into a song, they separate and each person picks up another
partner from the room of guests. After another minute the couples
split again, and again, until the dance floor is full or everyone
is dancing.
If you are not very confident about your dancing
skills, consider taking some dancing classes before your wedding.
If you do it together it could be a fun experience for the two
of you to share.
Music for Your
Wedding Ceremony
The
music for your wedding ceremony
is just as important as the music for your wedding
reception. It sets the mood and entertains your wedding
guests. The place where you will be having your wedding
ceremony may have someone who plays music for
weddings. You can ask to hear them play to insure
you are happy with their ability. You will need music
for many parts of your wedding ceremony. You
may wish to hire someone special to play for some of the sections
of the wedding ceremony. Make sure hired musicians
are able to come to your wedding rehearsal so
that they are familiar with the wedding ceremony
proceedings. See below the key parts of most wedding
ceremonies where you may wish to have selected music for.
