Planning Advice

Working with a Band

July 14, 2015
Planning Advice

Using a band for your reception? Should be awesome! Bands are a wonderful way to get all of your guests on the dance floor as well as reflecting your taste in music. Here are some key ideas to consider when you’re hiring a band or working with one to create a plan for your reception!

1. Their Playlist Should Match Yours

The first thing you need to consider when choosing a band is the style of music. If you love Motown, choose a band that has a lot of Motown on their list! If you dig the Sinatra era, there’s nothing better than a full band with brass to bring that distinctive sound to your dance floor. Be careful to select a band that does what you love, though – asking a great Motown band to play Sinatra all night makes the band unhappy and ultimately leads to a less fabulous party.

2. Equipment and Lighting

Bands need a lot of space, so be sure your venue has enough room for your guest tables and a dance floor plus a stage. During the hiring process, you should check with your band on whether or not they need a stage and what the dimensions are for their set up. Bands mostly have dance lights, but not so much the specialty lighting you might find through a DJ. Definitely ask up front if their set up includes lights, if that’s something you want!

3. Set Lists

While you don’t want to dictate every song for your band to play during the evening, be sure to go through their materials and highlight for the band any must play or do not play songs. Also, feel free to ask your band for set lists a few weeks prior to your wedding. That’ll give you an idea of how their transitions will go, and if they’re hitting the right blend of fast and slow for you. Finally, be sure to give the band any songs they might need to learn for special dances (first dance, father-daughter, etc.) well in advance of the wedding. That way, they have time to learn them and practice together prior to your wedding!

4. Breaks and Filler Music

Bands tend to have very specific time periods that they like to play, and it’s going to differ from band to band. Band breaks may have a large impact on your agenda for the evening, so it’s worth knowing when you hire whether they prefer certain set lengths, a particular number of breaks, dinner at a certain time, etc. That will help you decide when to cut your cake and when to keep the attention focused on the dance floor. Many bands will specify that they include a DJ to play during band breaks. Do a little digging to see if this is really an emcee and DJ that will be present, or just a playlist of recorded music that will play in the background while the band disappears. If your budget allows for it, hiring a DJ to act as emcee and keep the dance floor hopping during band breaks is a wonderful investment.

Working with a DJ

July 8, 2015
Planning Advice

Photo by Flashbox Photography

Using a DJ for your reception? Excellent choice! DJs offer you a level of flexibility that is unmatched by bands, plus a great emcee for the evening. Here are some key ideas to consider when you’re hiring a DJ or working with one to create a plan for your reception!

1. You Get What You Pay For

DJs, especially, are a vendor where we see a lot of brides hitting the low budget panic button in an effort to save a little money. If you’re at the beginning of your process, consider the following: your DJ is the single most important vendor when it comes to keeping your guests happy. The mood of your reception, the tenor of your dance party, and the attention of your guests is all dependent on having a strong emcee who can read the dance floor and give the people what they want. Also, a professional firm will have redundancies – a back up DJ in case yours is ill, extra equipment in case there’s a problem on the wedding day, and experienced support if needed.

2. Equipment

Don’t be surprised if there is an additional charge if you are having your DJ do the sound for your ceremony as well. To a great DJ, this means a second sound system, additional microphones for your officiant, readers, etc., and potentially stressful timing if there’s no coordinator to assist with your entrance.

3. Lighting

DJs have lighting! This is a super find for you, because it can minimize the number of vendors on your list. If you’re looking for colored uplighting or a monogram on your dance floor, your DJ can probably provide it. Larger, more established companies may have additional lighting options as well.

4. Make Your List and Check It Twice

It’s always helpful for a DJ to have a must play and/or a do not play list. If you can keep these fairly concise, that will give your DJ room to fill in with songs that will pull your guests out onto the dance floor. Even a short list of favorite songs from you and your partner will help your DJ pull together awesome playlists that reflect your taste.

5. Choosing the Highlights

Be sure to choose your special songs in advance, so that your DJ can have them all ready to go! At a minimum, you’ll need to choose songs for your first dance, any dances with parents (father-daughter, mother-son), and your private last dance, if you have one. Everything else – if you trust your DJ, leave those songs up to his/her discretion.

6. Friendor DJs

Your friend may know how to rock the dance floor at a club, and you may love his or her musical taste – but your friend is not a professional wedding DJ. There’s a lot more to a great wedding DJ than keeping the dance floor packed all night. Most importantly, an experienced wedding DJ can smoothly ferry your guests from event to event through well timed and precise announcements, then crank up the party when the time is right. Plus, then your friend gets to enjoy your wedding rather than working!

Alternative Ceremony Selections

June 16, 2015
Planning Advice

Photo courtesy of Bella Bee Photography

News flash – not everyone out there is a big fan of Pachelbel (gasp!). And you know what? It’s totally fine if classical music is not what you see for your ceremony! The ceremony is truly the part of the big day that should best reflect you and your partner, because it will make that moment of saying, “I do” all the more authentic for you, your family, and your guests. So what are some ways you can branch out, musically speaking?

Choose a Different Instrument

Sometimes, the same song played by an electric violin or a saxophone instead of your traditional organ or string quartet can give you exactly the vibe you want for your ceremony. This is also a great way to give a more unique sound to your church ceremony – generally, your song choices will be regulated, but the instrument itself is a little more flexible. Bagpipes sound amazing in a cathedral, and provide a unique exit for the wedding party and guests.

Find Some Songs That Are More You

Pop, rock, jazz, country… What best reflects you? If you’re using a DJ or recorded music for the ceremony, the sky is the limit on choosing your processional and recessional songs. Some couples go traditional for everyone walking in, then set the tone for the reception with a fun exit song. Some couples toss all the traditional songs out the window and go for a more modern selection. Here are some popular recorded songs we’ve seen used in the last year or so that we’ve loved:

– A Thousand Years, Christina Perri

– God Bless the Broken Road, Rascal Flatts

– Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Stevie Wonder

– I Do, Colbie Caillat

– La Vie en Rose, Louis Armstrong

– Make You Feel My Love, Adele

You can also check out these more extensive lists from A Practical Wedding‘s list of hip ceremony music.

Tap Into Cultural Traditions

Are you doing something during the ceremony that involves a cultural tradition – for example, a Celtic hand-fasting or a Navajo blessing? Weave your ceremony together by using music that honors that region or culture for the processional and recessional. Need a little inspiration on what to bring into your ceremony? Check out the articles here and here from The Knot.

Traditional Ceremony Selections

June 10, 2015
Planning Advice

If you’d like your ceremony to have a timeless, traditional feel, there are several musical pieces that will help you set the tone! For the most part, this means classical music (no words) or hymns (can be sung or played without vocal accompaniment).

Some of the selections we hear fairly often are also church appropriate (depending on the specific rules of your venue). Additionally, most of these songs are fairly versatile and can be played on a variety of instruments. Be sure to find a sample that uses your instrument of choice to ensure you love the sound – a single piano sounds very different than an organ and a choir, for example. We’ve labeled our samples below by instrument, so that you can keep track.

Canon in D, Pachelbel – Harp

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Bach – String Quartet

Air on a G String, Bach – String Quartet

Ode to Joy, Beethoven – Organ

Hornpipe from Water Music, Handel – String Quartet

Trumpet Voluntary, Clarke – Organ

The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Handel – String Quartet

Spring: Allegro from Four Seasons, Vivaldi – Piano

Bridal Chorus, Wagner (Here Comes the Bride) – String Trio

Wedding March, Mendelssohn – Piano

Photo courtesy of Joy Neville Photography

Selecting Your Ceremony Music

June 6, 2015
Planning Advice

While the ceremony is the most important piece of your wedding day, often times the music that accompanies your ceremony is overlooked and decided on last minute. Think of the music for your ceremony as the soundtrack to these amazing moments. Shouldn’t it be special? Of course, you may be restricted based on your ceremony venue, but let’s talk options!

Pre-recorded Music

Depending on your chosen venue, this could be a sound tech playing something from an iPod to a DJ setting up his sound system and playing music from his laptop. Recorded music allows you to know exactly what your selected songs will sound like, as well as allowing you to edit songs for timing, shortening and/or playing only a certain part of a song. You are limited only by what music you have and/or can purchase from iTunes. (Unless your venue restricts your music choices, but we’ll talk about that and logistics in another blog.) Quite often, couples choose this option due to cost as well if a sound system is included with their venue.

Live Music

There is nothing like professionally trained musicians performing for your ceremony! It creates a wonderful ambiance, with the mood set depending on the type of instruments and songs chosen. The most popular choice is a traditional string trio or quartet. Usually made up of a violin, viola and cello, adding in another violin for the quartet, this classic selection sets an elegant mood for your ceremony. You can make it fun and funky depending on the songs you’ve chosen. Some choose a duo or to combine strings with another instrument, such as the piano. Other classic choices are a guitarist or harpist to set the mood. Again, music choice is key, but harps are considered to be very elegant.

Want to put a spin on the traditional strings? Try out an electric violin or contemporary string ensembles, like The Violin Guy. Some other ideas we’ve seen are bagpipes for a grand entrance or exit to the ceremony, a bell or gospel choir for all or parts of a ceremony, or even a full orchestra for the ceremony. (Yes, that does cost quite a bit of money.) There are lots of options out there, even for those who want to be more alternative in their choices.

Stay tuned and in our next blog we’ll talk more about these options and how much music to select for your ceremony.

Photo provided by Phase 3 Photography

Setting the Scene: Rentals

February 17, 2015
Design Tips, Planning Advice

Sometimes, the venue you’ve chosen just doesn’t have everything you need. Rental items can make a dramatic difference in the feel of the room, whether you’re focusing on large items like lounge furniture or small items like centerpiece elements. And the great thing about rentals? They can be delivered and picked up, saving you and your family time and energy! Here are a few big impact rentals that can add some pizzazz to your ceremony or reception space.

Draping

Draping (also called pipe-and-drape) is kind of a magical thing. It can hide things! Or make things look bigger! Build little enclosures! Voila! It also looks wonderful when you add in lighting. When ordering draping, be sure to measure walls or other spaces as accurately as possible, so that the rental company brings the right amount! Also, be sure to confirm that you have enough time for set up and teardown – depending on the lengths involved, set up in particular can be time consuming. If you’re lighting your draping, make sure the schedule allows for the draping going up *first*, followed by the lighting once everything is completed.

Photo courtesy of Monica Salazar Photography

Photo courtesy of Flashbox Photography

Furniture

Furniture is kind of a broad category. You may need additional tables to supplement those provided by your venue (i.e., square tables instead of round, tall cocktail tables, etc.). You might want to switch out or cover the chairs. You may also be looking at something more dramatic, like lounge furniture. This can be a wonderful touch when you have a lounge space for the evening (usually with a separate bar). It provides a wonderful area for older folks to hang out while you and your friends crank up the party. No matter what your aesthetic – rustic, vintage, elegant, contemporary – there are sure to be rental companies with options in your area.

Photo courtesy of Flashbox Photography

Photo courtesy of Joseph Mark Photography

Ceremony Altars

Outdoor ceremonies are popular here in Dallas, but occasionally you need something a little more exciting to mark out your ceremony site. Rentals range from basic wooden arches to chuppahs to more creative backdrops, like antique doors or carefully crafted word art pieces. These can really punch up the mood of your ceremony site to better match the reception.

Photo courtesy of Katie Cassidy Photography

Photo courtesy of Absolute Photography

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