Order Order Order

You want your evening to flow smoothly and seamlessly from the Cocktail Hour to the Grand Exit. How do you do it? Should the First Dance follow the Grand Entrance? Should the formal dances take place before or after dinner? Where in the world are we supposed to put the toasts? These are all questions that almost every bride and groom worry about so hopefully this post will help ease those fears and eliminate some of that stress.

Just like a reporter, the timing of events within your reception should be approached with the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How mentality.

Who: Who will be participating in your events? If you have decided on doing an Anniversary Dance, you probably don’t want that to be buried late in the evening.  Your older guests are the ones that are going to be featured in this particular event and the older guests tend to leave earlier than your younger guests.

What: What events are you planning on doing? Do you have a lot of things that need to be scheduled or are you skipping a lot to increase the amount of partying that will take place? Sit down with your DJ and discuss what events you had in mind before you start planning on the placement of everything. This way, nothing gets left out or forgotten.

When: When is your event getting started? If you are having an early ceremony you may want to place all your formal dances before dinner. Think about when you normally eat dinner and try to adjust things around that. Don’t forget to include your caterer in on the discussion to get their feedback. They often have great ideas and tips on how to adjust your timeline to best accommodate your guests.

Where: Where is your reception venue? If you’re reception site is out on the water looking off to the west, maybe you could time everything out so that you are having your First Dance as husband and wife as the sun sets behind you. Nothing says you have to have your first dance before dinner.

Why: Why are you doing it this way? Often time’s couples feel that they are bound by tradition and that simply isn’t the case. Your wedding should be all about you and the events within your reception should be a reflection of your tastes and style not what you think people are expecting. If you don’t want to do the garter toss, don’t do it. If you want to add a special dance with a loved one, do it. It’s all about you and what you want!

How: How are you doing things? Is dinner going to be stations instead of a sit down meal? If it is, having all your formal dances (First Dance, Father Daughter & Mother Son) immediately following the Grand Entrance might help the evening flow a little better. Are you doing a fun Father Daughter or Mother Son Dance? If you are, why not place that in the beginning of the evening while you still have everyone’s full attention. Talk with your DJ about how you are doing things and they should have some ideas on where everything should be placed to make your night the BEST NIGHT EVER!

Picture courtesy of the wonderful Jillian Michelle Photography (www.jillianmichelleblog.com)

The Anniversary Dance

 

The Anniversary Dance is a great way to recognize the married folks that have come to your reception. It’s also a great way to include people in the biggest night of your life and the more people feel included the more they will remember your wedding!

So if you are unfamiliar with the Anniversary Dance let me walk you through how we do it.

The first step takes place during our consultation meetings, picking the perfect song. My favorite song for the Anniversary Dance is Remember When by Alan Jackson because it’s a good length (over 4 minutes, which is important, we’ll explain later) and it tells a story. If you don’t like country feel free to pick any song that follows those two requirements.

The second step takes place at your reception. Your DJ should explain to everyone that the next song is dedicated to all the married folks and invite them to the dance floor. Once the floor is crowded, the DJ will start the song and move to the next step.

Once song begins the fun begins as well. About five seconds into the song your DJ will say “if you’ve been married for less than a day, please step off the dance floor.” Obviously you and your partner will laugh and step off the dance floor. The DJ will then wait a few moments and say “if you’ve been married for less than a year, please step off the dance floor.” The DJ will do this over and over again until there are 3 or 4 couples left on the dance floor. Once the song ends your DJ should recognize everyone still standing and encourage a round of applause.

This final step is optional but we have found it really adds a lot to the reception. Once the song is over we ask everyone to please stay on the dance floor. We then walk to each of the couples and ask them (on the mic) how long they have been married and if they have any words of wisdom for the bride and groom. It always warms my heart how in love people can be after 35, 40, 45 years or more of marriage!

**The Anniversary Dance doesn’t work for every event. You will need to discuss with your DJ how long some of your guests have been married. If Grandma isn’t around anymore or if your folks are divorced, this might not be the best thing for you to include. Discuss your concerns with your DJ, they should have the knowledge to help you decide.**

What do you plan on spending your money on?

I found a really nice article about what brides and grooms spend their money on for their big day. I have seen these late night snack options and never really thought about how much they were. I personally loved the Chanello’s Pizza at the Mazzitti wedding!

Click here for the article!

Photo courtesy of Katelyn James. www.katelynjamesblog.com

Two “outside the box” ideas

Thinking about having a signature cocktail at your wedding? Why not try gourmet Jello shots?

For more information: Weddings by Lilly

Having an outdoor ceremony and want to stand out from the rest? Are you getting married in a large venue that isn’t a church and want to add a unique touch? Try setting up your chairs in a circular layout and getting married in the middle, there won’t be a bad seat in the house and you still get a center isle.

For more examples: Socialtables Blog

Don’t forget about lighting!

If you really want your venue to pop and stand out in everyone’s mind, think about uplights. This relatively inexpensive add-on can really bring life to your venue. Whether you are getting married in a tent overlooking the water or mountains, or you are dancing the night away in a beautiful venue, uplights can spice things up when the sun goes down.

There are two types of uplights, the ones that use the traditional halogen bulbs and the ones that use LED technology. Both have pros and cons but either can do the job. Halogen uplights are less expensive (to rent or purchase) and put off a great amount of light, but they can get very hot and are limited to whatever color gel (the color sheet placed on top) you start with. LED uplights are more expensive to rent (purchasing these are probably out of the question, a decent system with wires and a controller can cost $1000 – $2000) and inexpensive ones may not provide the amount of light needed, however they have more flexibility in color selection and a lot of cool effects.

For more information on uplights, contact your DJ. You can always contact us as well via our website, Facebook page, Wedding Wire account or our You Tube channel.

Before

After

Having an Outdoor Ceremony During the Summer.

If you are having an outdoor ceremony during the peak of the summer heat, remember a few things:

1.) Have small bottles of water on ice for your guests. You can even find places online that will custom wrap your bottles with your own unique label!

2.) Print your wedding programs so your guests can turn them into a fan.

3.) If it’s an option, try to reserve seats in the shade for older guests.

4.) Let your guests stay in the air conditioning for as long as possible. Right before it’s time to start, have your ushers open the doors and escort guests to their seats.

5.) Ultimately it’s your choice, if you think the heat is too much, don’t be afraid to move it inside. However, remember that it’s the day you will remember forever, if you had your heart set on getting married outside, do it. Just make sure you make accommodations for your guests!

Photo courtesy of the wonderful Jillian Michelle Photography. http://www.jillianmichelleblog.com

Photo courtesy of the wonderful Jillian Michelle Photography. http://www.jillianmichelleblog.com

Shoot to edit

This weeks wacky Wednesday isn’t really wacky, it’s more creative and outside the box. Well, I guess it’s kinda wacky but in a cool, unique way. This videographer has a really cool approach to creating an awesome wedding memory, make sure you check out his other videos!

Top 5 Father Daughter Dance Songs

5.) My Wish – Rascal Flatts

4.) Stealing Cinderella – Chuck Wicks

3.) Over the Rainbow – IZ Kamakawiwo’ole

2.) Father and Daughter – Paul Simon

1.) Butterfly Kisses -Bob Carlisle

Photo courtesy of the amazing Katelyn James Photography. http://www.katelynjamesblog.com

The Shoe Game

Before I became a full time DJ, I had never played a reception game. I thought they sounded cheesy or tacky, just not something I wanted to offer as a part time DJ. Then I was introduced to the shoe game and found out, done correctly, it isn’t cheesy or tacky.

When to play the game. The object of the shoe game is to entertain your guests so it should be played during a time in which your guests may be getting restless. I have found that it works really well towards the end of dinner right before we transition into the next event like the first dance or father daughter / mother son dance. Placing it here works especially well if you are having a buffet and you have a long guest list. It’s inevitable that some folks will be finished with their dinner before others and may become antsy waiting for the party to start. If you really want to keep your guests entertained, couple the shoe game with an interactive slideshow (I will go over what that is on another post).

How to play. To play the shoe game your DJ will invite you and your partner to the dance floor and seat you in two chairs back to back. They will then instruct you to take your shoes off and pass one of your shoes to your partner. While you are removing your shoes your DJ should go over the game with your guests letting them know what to expect. You may also want to involve your wedding party. I always ask the bridesmaids to stand on one side facing the groom and the groomsmen to stand on the other facing the bride. The more you include your guests the more they feel apart of your wonderful night, the more they enjoy themselves!

Once the shoes have been exchanged the DJ will ask questions to both of you and instruct you to lift the shoe of the individual they are talking about. For example, if the DJ asked my wife and I “Who is more likely to steal all the covers?” I would raise her shoe because I think she steals the covers more then I do. However, if the DJ asked us “Who is the better driver?” I would raise my shoe because I am, in fact, the better driver 😉 Now, my wife probably disagrees with me and that’s what makes the game so much fun. Your DJ should encourage your guests to help, again, the more you involve your guests the more they feel like a part of your big day, the more they will enjoy themselves and remember your reception.

What questions should be asked? You can search online for a list of shoe game questions and I have included a few below but I have found it’s best to incorporate your own questions into the game. Maybe you and your partner could think of three funny questions each and email them separately to the DJ. This way you are each adding your own special uniqueness to the reception. Inside jokes are great if they include the wedding party or your family but don’t include too many inside jokes or your guests will lose interest.

The shoe game is a great way to break the ice, blend two families together and create a great memory of the best night ever.

For more information visit our website, our Facebook page & our WeddingWire.com page!

Photo courtesy of Katelyn James Photography. http://www.katelynjamesblog.com

Shoe Game Questions:

-who is the biggest flirt
-who made the first move
-who’s the better cook
-who said “I LOVE YOU” first
-who has the wackiest family
-who’s the better driver
-who’s the faster driver
-who spends the most time in front of a mirror
-who is most likely to eat desert for breakfast
-who wears the pants in the family
-who is in charge of the remote
-who spends the most time getting ready to go out
-who will be doing most of the yard work
-who’s the better kisser
-who will be the first to fall asleep tonight
-who steals the cover’s more
-who says “I love you” the most in one day
-who talks more
-who’s most likely to use up all the hot water
-who’s most likely to get lost
-who’s most likely to ask for directions
-who’s the 1st one to make up after a fight
-who’s the one that started the fight in the first place
-who’s the most likely to wake up grumpy in the morning
-who’s most likely to wake up with a hangover in the morning
-who’s most likely to be running late
-who spends more money
-Who do you love the most in the whole wide world (Last question)

Formal or informal slideshow?

Are you planning on having a slideshow at your reception? Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind.

1.) If you are putting together a formal slideshow with music, shorter is better. Your family would love to sit and look at 45 pictures of you from age 1 to 14 but your guests probably wouldn’t. Try to keep it around 8 minutes long. Remember, quality over quantity.

2.) If you are doing an informal slideshow, feel free to add as many pictures as you want. Informal slideshows can be played and looped during the entire event and folks can stand and enjoy the show for as long as they want.

3.) It’s your day but make sure you include pictures of you with your guests. Most people love it when they see they made the slideshow, they are really honored you included them. Just be sure that you don’t leave anyone out or things may get awkward!

A slideshow is another great way to make your wedding night the best night ever!