Music is synonymous with a rocking reception. There’s nothing better than watching your guests get out on the dance floor enjoying the music the DJ has readily prepared. Planning for a DJ is a definite must and will make the biggest impact on your wedding day. Plan to spend about 10% of your wedding budget on this must-have and my right-hand person. The experienced DJ also works with your planner to keep the flow of your reception throughout the evening.
iPod or bust?
For many couples, the thought of scraping together the budget for a DJ seems like a second thought and most would like to plug in an iPod. However, the iPod only plays music, no experience, no song suggestions, and no personality, says Eric Cheroske, owner of Got You Covered. There is no way of recovering a crowd vying for different jams than preselected on your iPod. Here’s a link that Eric found on why not to use an iPod: http://www.i-newswire.com/the-ipod-wedding-disaster/32343
Get The Party Started
Plan to meet with your DJ for a wrap-up meeting at least two weeks before your wedding. This will help you review some of final song choices and review the flow of your reception. Prepare your DJ with the genre you want and don’t want played at your wedding. Expert DJ’s have the skills to match the music to your preferences and also pick other crowd pleasers you’d be happy to hear. Eric shared that he once saw the grandfather of the groom who was celebrating his 90th birthday on the same day of the wedding. The grandfather managed to “moonwalk” across the floor in front of all the guests right after he had received a birthday surprise. Stories like this should help remind you how important it is to have music to bring out the fun in your party. Every couple wants to have the wedding of the year or century! It takes a great DJ to make those memories happen.
Excellent advice and I can tell you, from the photographers perspective, music ALWAYS makes the reception more fun for the guests and provides more opportunity for great photography. When people are dancing and enjoying themselves I have the chance to shoot real emotion that captures the essence of the couple and the wedding day. Some of my favorite images are from receptions where the DJ played a great mix of music and everyone was dancing. Mood, music and lights let me expand my creativity and add a lot of impact to the album. I have photographed weddings that relied on an iPod and there are still nice, but JUST NOT THE SAME as those with someone spinning the turntables!
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