Avoid these common mistakes and your wedding day will be much more enjoyable for both you and your guests …
1. Not Having a Please Play and Do Not Play List
If you are hiring a professional entertainer, they will have had enough experience to have a good idea of what songs to play based on the skill of “reading the crowd”, however you will also want to supplement that by having a “Please Play” and “Do Not Play” list.
Even the best of DJs who can read a crowd like they are some sort of mind-reading superhuman can still drop the occasional song that is usually a dance floor filler that you personally hate. It happens!
But if you didn’t let the DJ know that you really hate a specific song with a passion, (and it is a song that is really popular), then that really is on you and not the DJ.
By providing a short list of songs and/or artists that you really hate (or brings back bad memories), you are equipping your DJ to politely refuse to play that song if it is requested by guests.
Similarly, providing a “please play” list, does not mean the DJ will just play from that list exclusively, but does mean that he/she has a list of songs to play from and sprinkle in where they are appropriate.
2. Not Playing Songs For Your Guests
It’s great if you have songs that you and your partner love, but if your taste in music is a little alternative to what is popular and mainstream, your guests will probably not know any of the songs.
It’s good to pepper the night with some of your personal taste of music, but not too much. If guests don’t hear some old favourites and well known classics they will quickly get bored. Bored guests leave and your night will come to a grinding halt probably not long after dinner as all your guests decide it is better to leave than sit though another hour or two of music they don’t know.
3. Not Switching Genres
If you love a particular genre of music (rock, rap, hip-hop, country, jazz …) that is fantastic, but don’t stick to it all night. Similar to the point before, you might LOVE a particular genre and can’t understand people who don’t share your passion, but the truth is, not everyone likes the same genre.
Again, if people don’t hear something from a genre they like, they will leave and your night will end much earlier than expected.
A good wedding music experience will cross many genres when suitable so that all guests are catered for and all have heard a few songs that gets their toes tapping and feet moving on the dance floor.
4. Choosing Songs with Bad Lyrics
No, we are not just talking about swearing. (Although, its preferable to not have music with swearing in it as it could upset some people … it also “cheapens” your event when there are songs with a lot of swearing). We are also talking about actually understanding and listening to the lyrics of your key songs.
We are surprised how many times people will pick a song because it sounds nice melodically, however lyrically is a break up song. Of course, we give our couples the heads up that it is a break up song and ask if they are sure. Most just hadn’t taken the time to listen to or interpret the lyrics so usually choose to change.
5. Not Trusting Your DJ
If you did your research upfront before hiring your DJ, then you shouldn’t have to worry about micro-managing what they are going to play. You should have chosen someone that you trust. Someone that has taken the time to meet you and talk about your day. Someone that, after meeting feel they really “get you”.
If you didn’t get that feeling, or worse still didn’t even MEET the DJ, then we can understand why you might want to micro-manage the music as you didn’t get that connection to put your mind at ease.
If that’s the case, ask to meet them again. Worse case, find a new DJ that you do trust to take care of the music for you without you stressing they are going to play something horribly wrong.
(Trust us, there are definitely DJs we have heard about that have not only played completely inappropriate music over dinner, but at a loud volume so guests couldn’t talk AND had their flashing lights and smoke machine going … over DINNER!)
6. Thinking Your Entertainment Is Only For The Dance Floor
Many people who hire entertainment for their wedding think instantly of a packed dance floor as the bar to measure the success of their entertainment experience by. If the dance floor is packed, that is a good entertainment experience, but if the dance floor is empty that is a bad entertainment experience.
Well … there is a little more to it than that.
Yes, it’s always great to get the dance floor packed at the end of the night, but entertainment is not just at the end of the night. Your entertainment experience for your wedding day started from the moment your first guest arrived to the ceremony area.
People are creatures of wanting to (and at a wedding expecting to) be entertained. Entertained does not mean always though dancing.
Are your guests arriving to your ceremony and there is absolute silence, creating a clinical atmosphere with no warmth? Add some beautiful soft piano music or strings in the background and the atmosphere changes to become much more classy, warm and welcoming.
Even this one small aspect is using an entertainment element to change the feel dramatically, even though it is almost subliminal to the guest.
The rest of the day is similar, there are opportunities to elevate every element of the day to create something multitudes better than the “standard”.
Some elements will be almost sublime (as in the ceremony example), others will be much more noticeable, but consider at every point of your day what are the guests being entertained by and how could you make it better?
At the end of the night, your guests should leave your wedding saying they had a great time (even if they never stepped on the dance floor once!). This is where quality entertainment comes in.
7. Not Meeting Your Entertainer
We touched on this before, but it is critical to meet your entertainer before you fork over your hard earned money to this person.
If you don’t meet the person that is responsible for such a critical part of your day, you would have reason to worry before the day.
Your entertainer is the element that is responsible for giving your guests a “good time”. (Which is what most couples say is their biggest desire for the day).
If you didn’t meet him/her, what makes you sure this is the right person?
You should meet all your wedding suppliers, and especially those that will be actively a part of your wedding.
You should have a positive feeling following meeting your entertainer that you are in “good hands” and not have a feeling that they don’t know what they are doing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we know you have so much to plan when it comes to having a wedding. There are SO many elements to pull together. Just remember that one of the most common things we get told couples want for their wedding day is for “everyone to have a good time”.
Take time to consider how much of an impact on your outcome entertainment plays for your wedding.
Warmly,
Nik Reeds
NikNat Entertainment is a multi-award winning wedding entertainment service based on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.
