We’ve compiled our 10 Favorite Wedding Fails of all time. Here they are in GIF form:
10. Can’t tell which is worse, her pain or his embarrassment:
9. The ever-popular backflip routine for the Grand Entrance:
7 Tips for Dance Floor Song Selection
So many couples wants to know if they should do the “chicken dance” or play “YMCA”. And it’s a good question. So allow us to set you up for success. Here are seven ways to choose great music for the reception.
(1) Choose a Blend of Musical Styles – Naturally your reception will contain a slew of many different ages. A wise move is to choose songs that compliment these varying demographics so that all guests feel like they are a part of your special day. This is hard because it requires setting aside your immediate desires for those of your guests, but we promise you it’s worth it.
(2) Launch the Dance-Floor With Oldies – For the first opening dance floor set, consider starting with older songs (Beatles, Chubby Checker, 60s, Motown, Disco) to draw the older guests. This helps release the tension in the room and allows for the upcoming modern dance songs to be embraced.
(3) Use Medium to Low Songs for Cocktail Hour & Dinner Music – Non-Danceable genres like Indie Rock or swinging Crooners are suited well for the dining phase of the evening. This is where conversations are starting and people are getting comfortable. So make it easy on them so they can hear each other and dine in a classy fashion.
How Many Songs Should I Request?
As a bride and groom, you should be able to request as many songs as you want. The reason? It’s YOUR party! Some brides create a lengthy list because they’re afraid that the DJ doesn’t understand their preferences. But is it necessary to come up with a list of 50-100 dance songs for your DJ to rely on?
The short answer is, “No.”
Here’s why: when it comes to the dancing, your DJ’s primary job is to 1. Know your tastes and 2. Read the crowd. What songs are you actually dancing to at your wedding? What are your guests dancing to? What are they not dancing to? What songs is grandma tapping her feet to? This is what it means to read the crowd. If your DJ can’t do this, you might as well save some money and press play on your favorite Spotify Playlist.
The number one reason couples feel like they need to make 100-200 requests comes down to one thing– a lack of trust in their DJ.
Let’s approach this from a logistical standpoint. Over the course of 3 1/2 hours of dancing, your DJ will likely play around 60 songs. Let’s assume that you don’t want to pre-script all of the songs ahead of time. So then, what percentage of these 60 songs should be hand-selected by you and your fiancé?
In college, I’d often write a 10 page essay and my professor would always say the same thing- “This is good, but edit it down to four pages.” The process of editing was painful, but it always resulted in a better paper. This is the exact advice we give our brides and grooms.
Edit your 100 requests down to 35. It will allow for all of your “Must Plays” to be heard, but it will also give time for two more important occurrences: 1. Guest requests and 2. Time for your DJ to read the crowd.
With this said, our advice is simple:
Choose a DJ you trust, and give him or her around 35 songs that you can’t live without. Then, let him/her do the rest.
If you’re curious about what types of songs to request, see our 7 Tips for Dance Floor Song Selection to get educated in a jiffy.
End of the Wedding Season Musings
Today is Thursday, October 29, 2015. As I sit here in my office (AKA, my favorite local coffee shop) and reflect on this summer, I can’t believe it is almost over. At this point, we have one more wedding this season. It’s on Halloween at Sundance Studios. The rhythm of life for a wedding vendor is an interesting one. The best way to describe it is– inverted. When people are working, our lives are calm. There is preparation for the upcoming weekend, but there is also a chance to unwind. But, while most people are relaxing on the weekend, we are working. And working hard, to make sure every moment of somebody’s wedding day is as close to perfect as possible.
One of my favorite things about doing weddings is the connection I have with our clients on their wedding day. For about an eight hour period at every wedding we do, the bride and groom are my life’s top priority. There is nothing more important than helping them with these two things– happiness, and a lack of stress. These are inherently two different things. And if I had to choose one, I’d choose the latter. Being given to this leads to a deep connection with individuals on the biggest day of their life that is not easily reproducible. And it’s through these connections that I’ve had the privilege of some beautiful glimpses into wonderful families, friends, and lives. And this is my favorite part of the job. Meeting and knowing people. This is what makes every wedding we do so fascinating. No two weddings are ever the same because of this.
As I look back upon this summer, I think of all of the beautiful moments I had the privilege to witness this summer. We did 47 weddings this summer. A company record. But the reason that I share that number is not to brag or be boastful, but instead to relay the magnitude of the moments we had the opportunity to share in. Personally being at this many weddings was a whirlwind, but it was unforgettable. Many people ask me if I remember all of the brides and grooms we work with. My answer is always the same– when you are a part of something so meaningful with two people, you can never forget them or their story. This is why we do what we do. We plan the little details together for months leading up to the big day, and when it’s finally over there is such a sense of accomplishment and pride in seeing our mutual planning ideas come to fruition. This feeling is what we look forward to in the offseason.
So what does this all mean? It means this– we are deeply grateful and thankful to each bride and groom that we had the privilege of working with this summer. Each wedding we did this summer was a wonderful memory and we will not forget you, or your wonderful families. I look forward with great anticipation, knowing that next summer holds more incredible experiences. Sincerely, thank you for being a part of the Kaleidoscope family.