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Five Things
Wedding music	Eric Herod
The Earth's population is estimated at over six billion, and you, by divine intervention, found that one person who complements you perfectly, your soulmate. Coming off the excitement of the engagement, you are now hit by the overwhelmingly detailed planning of perhaps the most special day of your life. There is one decision that can make or break the success of your reception, possibly saving you thousands of dollars by keeping your guests entertained, or unfortunately costing you thousands if your guests leave early. This decision is what will be your entertainment. Here are five things you need to know. 1. If you are going to hire a DJ, hire a Professional Wedding DJ. Today's Disc Jockey comes in all shapes, all sizes, and most importantly all different levels of experience. You want a professional DJ with experience, charisma, and a feel for the crowd. Yours must be able to read a crowd, provide professional, experienced advice, perform quality announcements over a professional audio system, engage your guests in a variety of activities, be a music expert by knowing the right song to play at the right time, and most importantly provide you with a written contract guaranteeing services for your specified date and time. Anything less is simply too risky for the one day that you want done right. 2. Make a wish list for your reception. Write down all you envisioned for this day. What type of celebration is important to you? Do you want a party atmosphere, elegance, a dance club, and/or a jazzy feel for the evening? How about special events? What kind of traditions do you want to occur? Do you have a particular song for a specific dance? Sometimes even the best made plans go awry, but as Gloria Steinem once said, “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” 3. Meet with your DJ at least two weeks prior to your wedding. It's 3AM the day of your wedding. You wake up startled, sweating from anxiety, and remember that you didn't tell the DJ which song you want for your first dance as husband and wife. Since you didn't let your DJ know, you frantically call to no avail. Your DJ doesn't have that song, and you forgot to tell the one person who is in charge of the music. The importance of consulting with your DJ well in advance of your big day cannot be stressed enough. Consult to set the music for the dances, schedule the timeline of events, and prepare for the introductions. If your DJ does not offer a sit down consultation with you prior to the event, you might need to look elsewhere. 4. Make a “do not play” request list. Whether it is the Chicken Dance, the Electric Slide, or Boy Bands, you should always provide a list of “do not play” songs. Knowing the songs you do not want will provide your DJ an understanding of the theme for your reception. Besides a pronunciation guide for the names of your wedding party, the “do not play” list is perhaps the most important list you can provide. Just remember, some of those line dances you swear you don't want are some of the most popular songs to play at a reception, simply because they pack the floor and get people dancing. 5. Ask your DJ for advice. You may not realize it, but your Professional Wedding DJ can be your most trusted source for an unbiased perspective. An experienced one will provide suggestions for specific dances, traditional and non-traditional events, games, planning the timeline for the reception, and coordinating the reception with your photographer, videographer, and caterers. Make sure you use that experience to your advantage. Their ideas could turn your reception from an ordinary one, to the party you and your guests will never forget. Eric Herod is a DJ/Owner of Erock Entertainment [http://erockentertainment.net, djerock@erockentertainment.net, (919) 801-0295
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