The question is popped, the ring is on, stars are in your eyes...but now what? With so many tasks to take care of and details to arrange, planning a wedding can seem overwhelming. We've compiled a top 5 list of must have talking points with your wedding DJ!
TO MC OR NOT TO MC
The master of ceremonies (also known as emcee) is one of the most important roles in a wedding celebration. Think of your emcee as the host, director, and point person for the evening, making announcements and ensuring that your guests are aware of what's going on and what's next.
Having your experienced wedding DJ serve as emcee ensures your special day proceeds smoothly. Your guests are more likely to follow directions from an experienced wedding DJ and emcee. They will also look to your DJ (instead of you or your new spouse) for information, so you can focus on enjoying every minute as newlyweds.
Tip – Ask your DJ about their style of emceeing to ensure it’s the right fit for you!
SPEAKING NOTES
Now that you have established your DJ as your Emcee, it is important to establish the speaking notes for your wedding. This should include wedding party introductions, dinner/snack/cake announcements, speeches, special dances, shuttle bus/taxi announcements, etc. You should also include how you wish to have yourselves introduced throughout the evening (e.g. Mr & Mrs, first names only, the bride and groom).
Tip – Give your DJ a phonetic spelling of the names of the entire wedding party, especially if there any unusual names (first and/or last) in the mix!
WHAT TO PLAY & FOR HOW LONG
Now that you've covered the talking points, it's time to pick your music! You'll want to work with your DJ to find songs for the major moments, like the wedding party introduction, first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dance, cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss, and the first and last songs of the party. You may also want to customize the music for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner. Your wedding DJ can be a great source of advice if you’re struggling to pick songs for any of your special dances. An experienced DJ has seen first-hand which songs work and which don’t, and is up-to-date on the newest tunes.
Timing for your songs is also critical! For example, will you and your partner dance the full five minutes or do you want your DJ to fade the song out at the three-minute mark? Many wedding DJs are skilled at creating mashups, remixes, and adjusting song lengths to fit your needs—just ask!
YOUR "PLAY" & "DO NOT PLAY" LISTS
The play list gives your DJ a sense of what songs, artists, or genres to play, and helps set the mood of the event. When submitting your list of songs you’d like to hear, it is encourage to provide some context to your selection. For example, “Get Low' was our high school anthem and will get my friends on the dance floor," or "my dad just loves Journey so he'll get a kick out of anything by them."
Tip – In a typically wedding reception dance, a DJ will play 75 to 100 songs.
A “Do Not Play” list is even more important than your playlist, especially if your DJ is given the go ahead to take requests from guests. Don’t hesitate to list anything you hate as off the table, even if they are considered “crowd favorites”. Your list can include songs, artists, genre, and language (e.g. dirty words).
Tip – Add a song request section to your invitation, so that you may filter any songs you don’t wish to have played at your wedding!
TIMELINE
While your wedding planner, venue and/or photographer will likely take the lead on creating your wedding-day timeline, an experienced DJ will have valuable input, since they know how long certain parts of the reception will take. Your wedding DJ is responsible for executing and enforcing the timeline during your reception. If they are also acting as your emcee, they will ensure that events occur on time and adjusting accordingly with any hold ups or delays.
Things may go wrong on your wedding day, but a good wedding DJ is pros at getting things back on track. For example, your dad is in the restroom when he’s supposed to be giving his toast. Your DJ can cover until he’s available. Your guests won’t notice any potentially-awkward mishaps when a pro wedding DJ/emcee (and an experienced wedding coordinator!) is at the helm.
Tip – Teamwork makes the dream work. Share with your vendors who you’ve hired for your wedding, so that they may coordinate a few finer details between themselves before your big day!
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