Essential Tips for Planning Your Dream Wedding Entertainment

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Music-

• any professional dj will be delighted to listen to your thoughts on the best music for your party- spotify lists, you tube links, even good old email or text lists will be happily received and woven into your night time party. However, work with your dj on music selection rather than dictating what to play and in what order. After all, you're paying you guy for his expertise at working with what is usually a varied selection of guests who will have their own music tastes- so let him have the hassle of prgramming a playlist that entertains everyone

• Don't forget to give your guys plenty of time to source the music you want, especially any essential tracks- First dance, Dad and Daughter dance, entry music, last dance etc. Sending a list of 8 hours worth of music the night before is unikely to give him time to prepare properly.

• Also, give clear messages on any songs you DON'T want playing and explain why where necessary- tracks with naughty words, songs linked to unhappy family events etc. Most good song libraries will contain clean content versions of tracks

• Importance of a good WiFi connection- a lot of pro guys will now have access to on line music libraries, so with a good wifi link they will be able to pull up songs on the fly on the night . Most venues already supply this, but not all, so it's worth checking with your wedding co- ordinator beforehand.

• Adding a sax and/ or percussion player to your evening brings that all- important live music excitment to the event. The dj and artist(s) will liaise on music and very often the artists will link into the dj sound system whilst they are playing thus negating the interuptions created by humping vast amounts of speakers etc across the floor when the act has completed their set. Expect 3/ 20 minutes, or 2/ 30 minute sets for your investment

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  Karaoke- a double edged sword. Few couples want the full karaoke set up to interrupt their big day but some karaoke activity can be useful to add a fun element in the early part of the evening whilst people are stil warming up for the dancing. A lot of expereinced karaoke singers have a fave track that they know the words to so don't need screens to follow. Thus a good dj will be able to throw in a few karaoke versions early on, especially if there is a great vocalist in the room. Karaoke content tends to be driven by the bride and groom if they know their friends are fans, so if that pushes your buttons

  then book a dj who is competant at providing that service, but also understands how to manage persistent K fans once the dance element of the party is in full swing

Room decor-

• Uplighters are a great way to add to the ambience of your night time party, and can be set to your wedding colours for the early part of the evening. Then , when the party is bouncing, they can be reset to bounce with the music. Don't forget to forewarn your dj if any of the guests suffer from light sensitivty. A professional will happily adjust his lighting to suit this.

• An LED dancefloor is another way to rev up the room vibe. These are usually modular so can be set to whatever size the venue can offer, but please note if your room is upstairs with no lift then the floor guys will need to be warned as they will either need extra time (not always available when running to a tight wedding day schedule) or extra crew to install the kit.

• White is the most obvious popular colour for floors at weddings, but floors can also be black, silver, or the Saturday Night Fever multi coloured option. The latter are more complicated to lay so allow for this with your wedding planner

• Light up letters are another efficient way of personalising your day and your wedding pics. Mr & Mrs, LOVE, or even a smaller Mr&Mrs topper with the new family surname underneath are all possible. Most letters are 4' tall by between 2 and 3 ' wide and 6" deep so check to make sure your venue has sufficient room to fit these in. If not, the option of using a strong gobo machine to project your chosen logo (eg Fred and Wilma, or Mr & Mrs Flinstone with some lacy patterning around the names) onto the wall or dancefloor is another option. Gobos and artwork will need prepping at least 2 months in advance to guarantee delivery in time for your big day.

First dance special effects (SFX)-

• Great for the happy couple and their guests, not always so for hotel cleaners so check first before booking. Pro guys will be able to supply all the health and safety docs the venue requires for SFX so don't let the venue use this as a first defence.

• SFX can include 'Dancing on a cloud' 1- a low fog or mist effect which will swirl around the couples knees creating a real dreamy first dance pic. However, the best machines are pricey and really need a larger power socket than the usual 13 amp wall socket that most venues supply

• Confetti cannons- either hand held or floor standing. These will blast your choice of confetti into the area at the pre chosen moment creating a swirling cloud of confetti that is a real boon to photographers and any kids in attendance. Confetti can be white, metallic or any other choice (eg to suit your wedding colours ) but will need an order time of at least 2 weeks prior to your big day.

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• Cool Sparx- usually 2/4 small boxes across the stage or around the floor which at the required moment will shoot a stream of sparks into the air to celebrate that big first dance moment. The sparks come from a special mineral supply which burns at a much lower temperature than iron or magnesium particles usued in pyro machines. Therefore the fire risk is massively reduced as is the danger of someone getting burned if they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong moment. (Video's online show people holding their hands in the sparks to show the safety aspect of the machines)

• Balloon drop- usually the last resort if the venue will not allow any of the above. Fairly simple to do but is quite time consuming to set up so again link in with your planner to ensure time is allowed in the schedule

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Fun and Games

• First question- is this during the daytime or evening? For daytime you will need 2 sources of fun. 1) will be a master of ceremonies to direct everyone around the venue and make the official announcements etc. You should also consider booking an all- day dj who will provide similar services but can also provide msuci for the civil ceremony and during the wedding breakfast, and also provide and manage the microphones for th speeches before then gearing up to provide the evening entertainment. 2) most B+Gs also provide entertainment to run after the service and around the wedding breakfast and turn around for the evening.

• Garden games, giant Jenga, crazy golf courses etc

• Your all day dj will also provide entertainment to whateve intensity you require- ranging from theme tunes competitions to dressing up games, the show game (for which read Mr and Mrs qs) to Last night at the Proms style hanky waving fun during the wedding breakfast.

• Photobooth, magic mirror, 360 video booth- all of this basically offer fun dressing up instant outfits for the guests to then have their pics taken- pink cowboy hats, rastafarii wigs, blow op guitars and microphones you name it. Copies of all the pics will be emailed to the brige and groom immediatley after the event for them to keep for posterity. Guest receive their pics on the night

• Evening fun and games is purely at the choice of the bride and groom. With a fun loving crowd a short fun competition after the buffet is a surefire way to get the party started. It's probably best not to know what game your dj has planned as that would spoil the surprise. Not every game needs to be embarassing for the competitors but with the right crowd you're on to a winner. On the other hand, if you don't want games, tell you entertainer as I'm sure he will have other tricks up his sleeve

So, there you go, a quick guide to your entertainment and decor options. Do your homework online and check out your options testamonials. Best of all, go for a dj who is a member of NADJ (the National DJ Association). That will pretty much guarantee that he cares about his craft and about delivering you the best day. On the next blog I'll delve a little deeper into venus, kit, insurances etc- not as much fun as this lot but equally important.

Have a good one

J

20/2/26

https://www.nadj.org.uk/