Music Planning

It’s a wonderful time to be engaged and plan a wedding. Thanks to all of today’s available choices for everything you see and hear, you are guaranteed to be able to find your perfect fit for your perfect day.

It all starts with the ceremony. Couples are now booking live music for the most important moment of the day – the moment when you said “I do”. It’s a romantic moment, and the highlight of the day that everyone has come from near and far to share with you; it is a special time and deserves to be memorable. From a classically trained pianist or a flamenco guitarist to a bagpiper, trio or quartet; the time when you meet to say your vows should be one that you spend the most time planning because it’s the moment that will change the rest of your lives.

As your guests arrive for the ceremony, they should enjoy music that sets the tone for the day. From the live music options, to classical music or upbeat songs chosen by your disc jockey; the music your guests hear before the ceremony is an expression of your personalities and should be chosen carefully. The minister’s words should be carefully selected, and the readings or performance throughout the ceremony should be properly amplified so everyone can experience the ceremony as you do. Without the proper microphones and sound, your guests will be sitting through a silent movie. It doesn’t take much for every guest in every row from the front to the back to hear clearly. A lapel microphone on the minister is strongly recommended, even when the minister says he or she will speak up, because the minister never speaks loudly enough for all the guests to hear when he or she is directly talking to you – which will be most of the time. A lapel microphone on the groom is also suggested to pick up both voices when it comes time to say your vows and a hand held microphone is recommended for your readers or singers.

Following the ceremony, it will be time for cocktails. Depending on the time of the ceremony, cocktails could be one hour, or even up to three hours. The longer the cocktail time, the more you should consider entertaining the guests since you will be off with your photographer to have your photos taken. You could have your disc jockey play toe tapping lounge style music featuring Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall and Michael Buble to pass the time or bring in the very popular photo booth.

Next, it’s time for dinner. In advance of the wedding day, you will need to decide who will be your master of ceremonies (MC). This is an important role, as a good MC should have people laughing and keep them entertained, and he or she will work with your venue or caterer to execute all the tasks that you have assigned to that person; including the fun kissing game. These days, the trend is to go with a professional MC rather than a family member. These individuals are entertaining people with experience on the microphone and they keep your reception fun and on schedule while allowing your family members and friends to enjoy your special day.

One of the first tasks of the MC will be to announce the bridal party into the room for their “grand entrance”. You will need to decide whether it’s something simple that your MC and DJ can do on the spot, or if it’s a more informative grand entrance that you will want pre-recorded with the music timed perfectly to the announcement of the names. With a pre-recorded grand entrance, which has become very popular, you can choose a song for every couple, give a brief description of the bridal party and pump the guests right up.

Next is the kissing game. Most venues don’t want you clanging their glasses anymore and it’s been done so many times that it’s no longer unique. There are so many ideas available to rent, from kissing dice and cubes, to putting greens and the highly popular wedding wheel. You can also always have your guests sing love songs.

Following the dinner, there will be speeches and a possibly a video. Will your speeches be performed at the hall’s standard podium or will you choose the more modern clear podium that many couples are choosing today? When it’s time to hit the dance floor, will it be the standard dance floor or will you choose a dance floor that is more unique – one that is white or one that lights up? For your video, will it play in the background during dinner or will it be the focal point to the evening? When it comes to video equipment, some couples choose to borrow the items from work or a friend. The equipment is very expensive and can sometimes be difficult to operate. It is recommended that you rent it rather than borrow it because the company you rent it from will see that it is set up properly and be working for you when you need it; and you will sleep easier knowing you are not responsible with bringing it to and from the venue. 

As for the room décor, we strongly recommend you rent lights for the walls and corners to spice up your room with colour and brighten up the dark areas. Now called “up-lighting”, lights along the floor that point up will change the entire look of the hall and transform the room. The colours can compliment your colours, or be a nice accent. Your name in lights is easy to do with a gobo. You purchase your gobo then provide it to the company to place in a fixture which shines your name in lights. This is highly recommended when you have a hall that has large carpeted walls. 

In the end, when it comes to your wedding, it all depends on your peace of mind and the overall experience you want yourselves and your guests to take away with you from that special day.

Article Provided by: Quality Entertainment