By Michael P. Tucker
All the planning is now behind you. You've made the walk down the aisle, proclaimed your love, and exchanged wedding bands. Congratulations, you are now man and wife. Now it's time to kick back, unwind, forget all the stress and celebrate.
First, the photographer may want to take a few more pictures at the church or wedding site. After that it's off to be greeted by family and friends who have come together for your wedding day. Don't be surprised to receive an enthusiastic welcome as I announce you and your wedding party into the room for your grand entrance. It's one of the things I enjoy most. And for the next few hours it is my job to lead the festivities, play the music that is important to you and your guests, and keep the reception running smoothly.
Music is in fact the most important and memorable part of your reception. Reception guests seldom remember the meal or even the cake, but they almost always remember the music, especially when the DJ did a great job.
The main reason wedding couples choose myself as their DJ is that the selection of music I can play spans across all ages and tastes. But aside from music, I will also act as your Master Of Ceremonies to help maintain the proper flow during the reception. I will coordinate with your room captain and your photographer to get all the right pictures for your wedding album. So while you may be thinking of hiring me for your DJ just for the music, remember we will consult throughout your planning process, to discuss the desired order of events, such as the cutting of the wedding cake, the toast, and the bouquet and garter toss. Also planning how you would like your introductions to flow and certainly go over pronunciations of names.
Having me as your DJ you can trust me to handle all the MC duties, but where I really shine is when it comes to knowing what music will get the crowd on the dance floor. As a general rule the guests will not dance until after the bride and groom have had their first dance. This may be followed by a dance for the bride and father and for the groom and his mother in between your dinner courses . If other special dances are in order, they would be done next. In most cases, I will kick off the dance portion of your reception right after the meal. This gets the guests up and on the dance floor so that they won't begin to feel left out. Other festivities such as bouguet and garter toss can take place at appropriate times during the reception.
Proper planning for your reception should also include me a guideline of the types of music (Alternative/Modern Rock, Ballads, Big Band/Swing, Club/Disco, R & B, Country, Oldies, Rock] that you want to be played. Keep in mind that you want all of your guests to be satisfied, I will make sure that I'm prepared with a wide variety of music to suit all tastes. Just remember that your wedding day is a time to celebrate, so enjoy yourselfs and dance, dance, dance!