Entertainment

Tailoring your wedding music to the style and design of your wedding brings real personality to your day.

Live Music

When doing your wedding planning it can be tempting to go all-out with live entertainment. But keep in mind that your guests are at your wedding to celebrate your marriage, not to see a concert. Music style and the instruments you select will have an effect on the feel of your wedding so make sure the music you decide on fits in with the style of your wedding. For example an acoustic guitar duo will suit more casual weddings, while a five-piece band may be better suited to dancing after a sit down larger traditional wedding.

Atmosphere vs Entertainment

A vocalist will pull a lot more focus than an instrumental group so you may decided on a trio or quartet to provide atmosphere for the first hour or two of your wedding and save vocalists for later in the evening. A larger band are fantastic for larger weddings but bare in mind when doing your wedding planning that they will require a proper stage or performance area and will become more of a focal point for your guests.

If you want to keep your entertainment more low-key, think about smaller duos such as a vocalist and guitar. They are less obtrusive for smaller weddings and lend a classy touch to elegant weddings.

DJ

A good DJ can really tailor the mood of your wedding and is particularly good if you want dancing. When doing your wedding planning, talk through the different atmospheres you want to create throughout the reception and make sure you let your DJ know of any special songs you want played on the night. Everyone loves dancing so make sure you include all your guests. Dance music needs to be varied enough to give everyone, including the older guests, something they enjoy. Also if you’re after an elegant wedding, make sure your DJ doesn’t play too many clichéd songs – your guests don’t need to know the words to every song to enjoy the music.

Discuss the Details

Whatever kind of entertainment you decide on, when conducting your wedding planning it’s a good idea to meet up in the months before your wedding to sort out all the details. Things like payment, the length of time you want your band, DJ or vocalist to play, special songs you want featured, and the order of events. Also discuss when your entertainment will take their breaks and whether they will require a meal.

Choosing an MC

Whether you have a large traditional wedding or a casual wedding on the beach all wedding receptions need an MC. The role of MC requires common sense and perhaps a bit of charisma so ask a friend or family member who’s organised and comfortable in front of a crowd. Brief your MC about the order of events about two weeks out from the wedding when you have all your wedding planning done. Make sure you discuss important moments such as your arrival, the seating of guests, announcement of speeches, the cake cutting, wedding bouquet tossing, farewell circle and exit.