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Ceremony FAQs

Here is a typical ceremony that we see most often.

First - Seating of guests. We see about ten to fifteen minutes of seating music (sometimes more) and sets the mood for the upcoming ceremony. The music can be whatever you like from romantic love songs to music that is special to you. Granted...you may love Pantera and Black Label Society, but lets try and save those for later. A ceremony should be a little more "solemn" although that doesn't mean totally stuffy. Discuss it with your DJ or music performer. They'll have good suggestions.

Second - What do you want for your bridal party to walk down the isle to. Do you want the groomsman to escort the bridesmaids or do they walk in with the pastor and the groom?

We see about 50/50. Some with groom, some with bridesmaids. No real right or wrong.

Third - it's now Your Turn. Is there a special song for you and your groom? again...let's not get too carried away. You don't want grandma to fall out of her chair with metal. (unless you really want her to) Also, You will only be walking for 15 to 30 seconds, in most cases, and then you'll be ready to be handed off to the groom. If your song has a long intro, you won't get to the "meaning" of the song before you get up to the front. Something to think about.

Next - Is there going to be some special reading? Maybe a candlelighting ceremony. Maybe a sand ceremony. Wine exchange.

Maybe you have a special song or performer that will play something during this time. You really don't want dead silence here. Even if it something very soft in the background...it won't be awkward silence.

The Kiss - You have just sealed the ceremony with a kiss and the officiant has turned you to face your guests. He introduces the new Mr. & Mrs., now it's time to walk down the isle for the recessional. Again, this can be a special song for the two of you or a traditional recessional song. It will usually play all the way through as you and your attendends leave.

In a lot of cases, the DJ will play a couple more songs as your guests filter out into the reception area. (if he/she is in a close location to the reception) otherwise they may pack up right after the ceremony so they may head to the reception location to start the cocktail music and start setting the mood for the evening.

discuss everthing on your mind with your entertainer. All of the good ones have done this many times before and can be a great resource if you don't know what to do. They can help guide you.

Reception FAQs

Cocktail music has been playing while you finish up your photos and your guests have been mingling. It's now time to get their attention to announce the two of you into the room. Are you going to announce the entire bridal party or just you two?

Do you have a special song here? Again...something that is perfect for "the two of you" or just something soft and romantic or a "lets get ready to rumble" type of intro. It's all up to you.

Do you want to take the mike and thank your guests for being able to attend your celebration of marriage or do you want to grab a beverage and mingle (you'll want to grab something to drink, you'll probably be dry after all those photos).

Time to have everyone take their seats for dinner. Is there a blessing? Will it be served or buffet? Your DJ/MC will announce how tables will be released in the event of buffet. Time for dinner music. Usually it is some type of smooth jazz intrumental as you don't want vocals competing against table conversations; but, music should be low enough in volume that it isn't hard to talk across the table.

Time for toast and cake. How many will be giving toasts? Do you have a special song for cutting of the cake? Something fun or another romantic soft background song, your choice.

First dance time. be aware of the length of your song. A three and a half minute song seems like forever when you are the only two on the dance floor. Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" is a great song, but do you really want to dance the entire seven minutes (has happened before)?

Are you going to have a Bridal Party dance? Most of the time, we don't see this as the attendents who walked down the aisle are not "with" that person and are awkward in dancing together while their dates sit and watch. We reccomend a dance for them later and they can dance with whomever they choose.

Mother/Son, Father/Daughter dance. Seperate or combined? No right or wrong here.

Time to have open dancing. We often see about an hour of dancing before the garter/bouguet toss. We see more and more that don't . Your choice.

More open dancing until it's time to thank everyone for attending and give the closing salutations.

This is a sample guide as to a normal evening flow, but you can change it to fit whatever style you like. Make it personal. Make it yours.

General FAQs

Centerpieces

Centerpieces can be lovely things, the problem is, when they get so tall or so wide that your guests can't see who they are talking to on the other side of the table. A lot of times....these arrangements get moved off the table thereby changing the look you wanted for your reception. Don't spend a fortune on large displays that will disrupt the table conversations by guest having to "peek" around them.

DJ Equipment

I don't normally talk about what I use but for this section, I'll just say, ask the DJs you are interviewing with for a photo of their setup. Is it clean looking? Does there appear to be any tripping hazards? Is his/her setup huge? The reason I ask is because during your formal dances, (first dance, father-daughter, mother-son) your photographer is going to be shooting a lot of pictures, and what is in the background is going to make a difference in how your final photos will look. A good photographer will aready work around this but sometimes "that shot" is going to come when you might be standing right in front of a speaker with a big JBL logo, or some other "big box" in the background. Not that other brands are neccessarily better or worse, just look at how well it goes with your decor.

Do you want this.....

. twin_owls Or this? set_up_2

Lighting

Here again, what is the mood you are trying to set. A cozy intimate low light reception? A more energetic limited lighting setup but not so as to "steal the show" from you? Or, An all out club style event with many moving lights and a club type atmosphere?

We see a lot of clients that want no lights at all, some want very limited lighting and rarely do we see club lights. It all depends on what mood you want to create.

Along with "mood", there is something called "uplighting". This is where colored lights are placed around the room to give soft "color" to the walls and ceiling edges. You may choose any color imaginable and can be set up to your bridal colors easily and adds a soft elegence to your reception. Fees for single color uplighting is minimal as once the color is set, they don't have to be touched the rest of the evening. LED uplighting is a lot cooler and will not burn your guests that might touch one of the fixtures. The older bulb type can get VERY hot and should be kept away from tooling, fabric and your guests.

Uplighting can also be set up as club style lighting and change colors during dancing, making the whole room a dance of color. The fees for this type of lighting is not cheap as it consists of a lot of extra lighting, cabling and control programing. Check with your DJ for pricing.

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Tips From a Planner On Hiring Your DJ...

rebecca-druckenmiller

Guest Blog by Rebecca Druckenmiller

"Hey DJ just play that song, keep me dancing... all night long"-Tips from a planner on hiring your DJ...

It's what we all want from our DJ at our wedding. We want our guests to have a blast and dance the night away. An experienced DJ will do that for you, you just have to find the right one for you! As an associate planner with Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants, we're always guiding our brides in the right direction when hiring their wedding professionals so I'm happy to pass along some tips and hints you'll want to consider when hiring a DJ...

Timing - Don't leave hiring your DJ until the last minute. Really awesome DJs can get booked up quickly so make sure it's not the last thing you're booking. Book them shortly after finalizing your wedding date, ceremony and reception venue.

Unique Style - Every DJ has his/her own, unique style. Just because Aunt Peggy was thrilled with her daughter's DJ and recommends him to you doesn't mean you should automatically book. It's great to take recommendations from friends and family but always remember to meet with the DJ because you may find that your personalities or taste in music just doesn't mesh.

Specialization and Variety - Make sure your DJ specializes in the type of event you are throwing (wedding, bar mitzvah etc.). Weddings are unique events and will require knowledge as to the flow of the event and audience expectations. It's okay if they do other events as well but you really don't want your wedding to be the first that your DJ has done. An experienced DJ will know how your wedding will flow and how to keep your guests dancing all night! Also, when meeting with your DJ, check that he/she has a variety of music. Just like weddings are unique, each audience will have different tastes in music. You want your DJ to have a variety of music to play to appease all generations and music tastes at your reception.

Professionalism - Take note of how your DJ presents himself when you meet to discuss your event. You want to be hiring a professional so make sure he/she is acting like one. Also, if he/she is unresponsive when contacted with questions prior to booking then consider this a red flag.

Reasonable Expectations - I must defend our professional partners though and insist that you have reasonable expectations. Don't expect to send an email on a Friday night and hear back by Saturday morning. Most DJs will have events Friday and Saturday nights and many times Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well, so they may not even get to reading your emails until Tuesday as most wedding professionals consider Monday their "weekend" day off. Try calling before 2 on Friday, and try to stay away from calling around noon. LOTS of brides call during their lunch hour so you may not get in touch with your DJ.

DO YOUR RESEARCH! - Most entertainment companies will have showcases for you to attend and hear first hand how they will perform at your wedding. In addition to taking recommendations from friends and family, try to attend a showcase before hiring your DJ and also consider asking for references. It never hurts to follow up with any of their previous clients to ensure that you'll get what you pay for.

I hope this helps you in your search for your DJ! And of course, if all else fails a great wedding consultant will know plenty of AMAZING wedding professionals so don't hesitate to call us, (sorry for the shameless self promotion!)

Good Luck and Happy Planning!

Rebecca Druckenmiller
Associate Planner with Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants
www.qohweddings.com

Rebecca Druckenmiller is a wedding planner with The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants, her mentor Mark Kingsdorf is one of only 50 Master Bridal Consultants in the world (and the only one in the greater Philadelphia area)....