Reasons To Book a Professional DJ

The perception of the DJ has shifted in the modern era. With the boom of music streaming services, access to music is easier than ever. Buying equipment to play said music can be pricey, but is less complicated to set up than it used to be. With these innovations, individuals have started to use music streaming services. They buy cheap equipment to try and make a profit. Basically, everyone thinks they can DJ. To the untrained ear, they would be right. Anyone can curate a playlist and play it from their phone. But that is not what a professional DJ does. It is not just about playing a few songs and calling it a night. There is a finesse to being a professional DJ that an amateur cannot offer.

Better Crowd-work

A professional DJ knows how to please a crowd. They are the face of your wedding (other than you, of course). Public speaking and charisma are a must have for a professional DJ. Most amateur DJs do not take the time to practice their crowd-work. They are the entertainment for the evening. The responsibility of the wedding DJ is to keep the energy high and the guests engaged. Audience retention is not easy to maintain. A professional DJ will not let there be a lull in the energy.

Better Equipment

Most venues will have a sound system in place or some sort of extra equipment package. Sure, anyone could play through this system. But there is always the potential for troubleshooting or audio issues. An amateur will not know how to make a system work in a pinch. In the event the venue does not have a sound system, you definitely need a professional DJ. They will offer you packages they are familiar with. A professional DJ knows the proper system for different spaces. 

Better Sound Quality

In the same vein as better equipment, a professional DJ will know how to mix the audio for your wedding. They will know the volume the music should be at versus the microphones. The amateur DJ has a grasp of on and off. Past that, it is not very in depth. A professional DJ will make sure your audio sounds the best it can.

Better Time Management

Weddings have a lot of moving parts. An amateur DJ will not have the know-how of how long it takes to set up, when to take breaks, or when to stop. A professional DJ runs a tight ship and knows exactly when they should be transitioning. They will always transition more smoothly than an amateur would. Experience and charisma will give a professional DJ a leg up on an amateur.

Better Experience

All in all, you will have a better experience with a more experienced DJ. An amateur may be enticing since they are often less expensive. But you get what you pay for. If you value quality and peace of mind, go with the professional DJ. Your wedding is important so give yourself the DJ you deserve.

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How To Write The Perfect Speech

Making a speech at a person’s wedding is an honor. It is a chance for you to let the couple know how much they mean to you. The couple is putting their faith in you. They believe that you will speak about them in a personal and entertaining manner. All that pressure can be extremely stressful! There are dozens of examples of bad wedding speeches in movies, television, and even in real life. No one wants to give a bad speech (or hear one for that matter). Here are some tips to make sure your speech is exactly what it needs to be.

Plan Ahead

The key to writing a successful wedding speech is to start working on your speech early. Waiting until the last minute for a speech is never a good idea. Even the best improvisers struggle with speeches in the moment. Even “speaking from the heart” sounds better if it has been rehearsed. You can get a better idea of the beats and the length of your speech. The earlier you start the more you can change. You can put your best foot forward with a speech that is not a first draft.

Be Personal, Be Funny, Be Gracious 

Teetering the line of being sentimental and funny in a speech can be tough. You want to give a good anecdote without crossing a line. You want to get the guests choked up without getting uncomfortable. Choose memories that can thread that needle well. Avoid being mean for the sake of the joke. Remember that this is a celebration of love and should still be respected. In all instances, be gracious. Thank the hosts, the guests, the venue, and anyone else you feel needs a shout out. It takes a lot to put on a wedding so express your gratitude. This is also a good buffer in case you end up crossing a line. If you are concerned about a part of your speech, run it by someone. You do not want to be “that jerk” on the couple’s wedding day. 

Keep It Concise

No one likes a long speech. Keep it short and sweet. It is always better than a long winded speech.

Practice Makes Perfect

The first time you do the speech should not be at the wedding. You should practice saying it out loud to yourself as much as you can. Put the speech on your phone and run through as many chances as you get. Practice with a trusted friend. They can give you edits or help you figure out the speech’s pace. The more you practice the more prepared you will feel on the day of. That being said, you can still make mistakes on the day of. We are all human so we all will flub a word or two in our time. If you practice, it will help you recover better since you know what comes next.

Don’t Overthink It

Even though a wedding speech is a lot of responsibility, you do not have to overthink it. You are showing your support so no matter what you say you will be successful. Be encouraging and thoughtful and the rest will follow. All the guests are cheering for you to do well. No one will judge you even if you mess up. The wedding is about the couple; not about your speech. Stay calm and do your best.

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Should I Hire A Band or A DJ?

A wedding has to have music. Music is used in a variety of ways. It can get everyone on the dance floor. It can accompany the wedding party going down the aisle. It can give ambient sound while people eat and drink. Without music, weddings would sound weird. But who should be playing the music at my wedding? A band or DJ? Well, you cannot go wrong with either. It depends on what exactly you are expecting at your wedding. Weigh these pros and cons to see exactly what you need at your wedding.

The Pros of Hiring a Band

Bands give an electrifying feeling to a wedding. You can always tell when music is live. It tends to sound a little bit better when it is performed in front of you. It is a great way to promote a band you love or give business to wedding bands. Your wedding will stand out. This is especially true if everyone else you know has been using DJ services. They tend to be more self-sufficient. They set themselves up and play when they need to play.

The Cons of Hiring a Band

There is a lot of setup involved with a live band. They have their own unique equipment that will need time to set up and take down. Depending on the size of the band, they can take up a lot of room on your dance floor. Their musical stylings will likely be limited. If they are playing cover songs, they will never sound as well mixed as the original. If the band is bad or if there is a complication, you are stuck with that. There is always the potential for human error. Bands can also end up being more expensive since you are paying more individuals.

The Pros of Hiring a DJ

There is an unending list of songs that can be played. The songs will sound exactly the way you want them to sound every time. The more variety, the more moods that can be expressed. If the venue already has a sound system, the DJ will not have nearly as much setup as a band. You get a lot more bang for your buck with a DJ. DJs do not have to take as many breaks. DJs can be used for more than just music. They can emcee your wedding events as well. 

The Cons of Hiring a DJ

DJs tend to not be quite as memorable as a live band. They do not have as much of the personal touch a band might have. DJs can also take the spotlight and be more about their own self promotion. In either case, it does not benefit you and your partner. DJs can put dancing as the central focus. This is not always what a couple is looking for. A lot of people think they can DJ when you really should go with a good DJ service.

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Do’s And Don’ts of Wedding Invitations

Sending out wedding invitations should be simple. But there are more “i’s” to dot and “t’s” to cross than you might think. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts that you should check off when you send out your wedding invitations.

Do make sure all the important information about your wedding is accounted for. Before you even begin designing your invites, make sure you have all the details ironed out. Check for the important things like time, location, and any other pertinent information. This will save you a headache in the long run. If the invitation has all the correct information, you’ll get less calls and texts about them. 

Don’t leave any information out. If your venue is in an odd location, put some simple directions in the envelope with the invitation. If you are inviting a certain people in a household, include the number of people you are expecting. If you want people to check out your online registry, put the web address on the invitation. It is always better to have too much information on your invitations than not enough.

Do spend extra time making your invites look nice. Invitations are keepsakes for a lot of people. Giving them something worth keeping is worth it. It is also something they will be displaying on their refrigerator for a while. Even if they do not end up keeping it, they will have to look at it a lot. Most importantly, it is a good keepsake for you! It is a moment in your history as you embark on your journey as a couple. Take pride in yourself and your wedding invites.

Don’t wait until the last minute to get your invites ready. The sooner you begin working on them, the sooner you can get them out. Six to eight weeks before your wedding is the standard to send out invites. It takes more time than you may expect to stuff all those envelopes and get them sent out. Even if you are not stuffing envelopes yourself, it takes delivery companies a lot of time to get everything prepared and sent out.

Do double check all your addresses. You do not want a whole slew of invites sent back to you because the addresses were incorrect. It ends up being a major waste of time and postage. Making sure everything is being sent to the right place will make the process of sending out invitations easier.

Don’t misspell your guest’s names. This would seem like a no brainer, but it can end up being a slap in the face. It is an honor to be invited to a wedding. Your guests should feel respected and considered when they receive their invitation. Take the time to make sure all your guests will feel warm about coming to your wedding.

Do follow up with a few people to make sure they got their invites. Most people will tell you that they got their invite. Yet, many people will get their invite and not mention it or will not get their invite at all. To you, those seem like one in the same. Following up with a few people will help with your peace of mind. It also promotes getting early RSVPs.

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Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Let’s face it: things can go wrong on your wedding day. It’s a stressful thought since you want everything to be absolutely perfect. But the reality is you need to be prepared for those small inconveniences.

Sewing Kit

The most important thing you can have on hand is a sewing kit. Dresses get caught on things. Pants can rip. Buttons can spontaneously fly off. Keeping a sewing kit on hand will be the most handy dandy thing in your emergency kit.

Having sewing materials is not enough though. It is important to make sure you have the right color thread to match your color scheme. It would be very awkward having to patch up a white wedding dress with only red thread. Oh, and make sure you have someone who can sew. You don’t want to be standing there with thread and no one knows what to do!

First Aid Kit

Physical safety is important. In case of minor injuries, a travel sized first aid kit will come in handy. Especially make sure it has bandages, headache medicine, and any medicine you or your party may need. 

Bandages will come in handy for cuts, but will also be useful for blisters. Being on your feet for hours in fancy shoes can put a toll on your feet. Headache medicine explains itself, but be sure to make sure no one is allergic to the brand you buy. Having personal medicines on hand and labeled can ensure the safety of you and your party.

Clear Glue/Tape

Things can break or fall off. You can’t help it. Having some maximum strength, quick drying glue can make repairs easy. Think more in the realm of super glue or tacky glue.  Make sure you know how long it will take to dry and don’t get it all over yourself. If it is too broken, it is okay to not have it.

In the same way you may need glue, tape can be used in a lot of different ways. They can repair decorations or hold things in place. Making sure that the glue and tape are clear is important. You do want to make it obvious you hand to repair something on the fly. Loud colored tapes can be a clear sign that something went wrong.

Car

This will not fit in your first aid kit, but it is extremely useful. Assign someone to be the emergency driver. They can run away in a pinch to go get anything that may have been forgotten or may need to be replaced. Make sure the person assigned is not you or anyone in your party. An usher or a guest who is itching to be helpful would be your best bet.

Level Head

In any case of emergency, keep a level head. You cannot control what happens. You can only control how you react. If you make it a big deal, it can escalate very quickly. Stay calm and use your tools to fix it.

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The Most Popular Wedding Songs

Trying to figure out what songs to use at your wedding? There are millions of options when it comes to choosing the music for your wedding. But what songs scream wedding? There are those songs that have become staples at weddings. They are songs that guests would be shocked if you did not play! Here are some of the best choices of the most popular wedding songs based on when to use them at your wedding.

The Processional

The classic “Here Comes the Bride” and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” come to mind when thinking of that glorious aisle. They are the songs that people perk up to when they hear them. They will get your guests attention while also showing that you have a classy affair. 

But are those songs too old fashioned for your style? No worries, there are plenty of versions of those songs that have been modernized. Spice up your walk with an orchestral version of your favorite song to walk down the aisle. It puts your personality into your wedding and makes your entrance standout.

The Recessional

You did it! You got married! Now you have to walk all the way back down that aisle in style. You are going from the classy ceremony to the party time reception. The recessional song should reflect your excitement about getting married. It should pump up the guests for the reception.

Anything in the vein of “You Make my Dreams” by Hall and Oates, “Firework” by Katy Perry, or “Happy” by Pharell Williams help you leave with triumph. Popular  artists like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Harry Styles are great choices. They have plenty of songs to choose from. As always, choose the genre and artist that fits your style. 

The Reception

There are more moods to the reception than getting the crowd dancing. The first dance should be a beautiful, sentimental moment for you and your partner. Anything like “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra, “L.O.V.E” by Nat King Cole, “All of Me” by John Legend, or “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith are great choices. The other big moments like the cake cutting, bouquet toss, and parent dances are really up to you. They can be sentimental or silly. Showcase your personality at your wedding by choosing the songs that make you happy.

That being said, you also have to get this crowd dancing. Classic group dances that tell your guests how to dance are always a safe bet. See your guests flock to the dance floor when they hear the Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, Wobble, Cha Cha Slide, and Macarena. These songs are the great equalizers at weddings. Everyone, young and old, can jump in and have a good time. Choose songs that get everybody pumped like “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, and “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. Have a blast at your wedding and cut a rug with the ones you love.

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