Print Article for : Wedding And Reception Music

Your Online Guide » World Music » Keyboard Synthesizer

[W245]Wedding And Reception Music

by Kirsten Hawkins, Kir

An important decision you'll make during the course of creating your perfect wedding is that of wedding reception music. After all, what's a wedding reception without music? Do you hire a band, hire a DJ, or just throw on some tunes for everyone to dance to? The choice is all up to you from what type of music you want at your reception to how it's delivered.

One possibility that a number of people opt for is to hire a band to provide their wedding reception music. A lot of working “cover bands” (musicians that specialize in performing spot-on renditions of popular songs) are available to work wedding receptions. The cost for hiring a band varies according to the experience and popularity of the band itself. A band that is highly skilled tends to be highly sought after and therefore more expensive to hire. A live band brings a certain level of excitement to the party atmosphere of a wedding reception and your guests are sure to enjoy the interactivity that comes along with live wedding reception music.

Some couples forgo the band in favor of hiring a DJ for their wedding. The advantages of hiring a DJ as compared to a band are threefold. First of all, a DJ tends to cost much less to hire than an entire band does. In addition to the monetary savings, the DJ will have access to original recordings of popular songs. Your guests can shimmy to Baby Got Back or The Locomotion by the original artists rather than a rendition performed by an unknown singer. Additionally, the DJ will have access to a far greater number of recordings than any band is likely to have in its repertoire. For these reasons many couples enjoy hiring a DJ to supply their wedding reception music.

Another option is to simply supply the wedding reception music yourself. Armed with a computer that is equipped with a CD burner you can create CD's full of .mp3 files to play at the reception. Because of the .mp3 file compression, nearly ten hours of music can be squeezed onto one CD. You can choose exactly what songs you want, place them on the CD in the order that you like, and just pop it in to play at the reception. This is possibly the most cost effective option as it will cost very little or nothing at all to compile the CD. The downsides are that you're left with just a group of songs and no live interactivity whatsoever and you must have a specific type of CD player in order to play a disc full of .mp3 files. You will also need to provide a decent sound system unless the reception hall happens to come equipped with one.

There are a number of options available for providing music for your wedding reception. Choosing which one is right for you is merely a matter of deciding what you want and what you can afford.

The entertainment of your reception is a clutch factor in the success of your reception. If your guests leave early, then you've simply had yourself a very expensive dinner party rather than a successful wedding reception. The best way to make sure this doesn't happen to you? Spend some time and pay the extra amount to find the best entertainment in your town.

Finding the Best
Truly word of mouth has always been a key point in finding a great wedding DJ or band. There are many ways in addition to word of mouth like asking around to some professionals like a photographer or catering captain and then lastly there is your Internet search engines. It's best to glance at some peoples website. Most entertainers website will have sample music if they are a band, and if they are DJ's they will have a lot of information and perhaps photos of their past work. Meeting with the band or DJ that is going to be at your wedding is also an important factor in ensuring you have found the best.

Factoring the Size
You must take into consideration the size of the group or band and the size of your room. You don't want a cluttered stage of musicians in a small room -- this could potentially lead to some sound issues also.

How Much?
How much a band or DJ will cost is dependent on your city and state and the competitiveness of the area you live in. San Diego for example has prices ranging from $650 to $2500 for a Wedding DJ and nearly double that for a band. In the Los Angeles area the average price of a wedding DJ is $1500. With almost anything those too good to be true deals usually are!

Book Now
If you are a year ahead of your wedding and are beginning to plan, then you are doing well. Many of the best entertainers and wedding professionals in general will start booking with deposits a year in advance and even further for popular dates.

How Long Should I Book?
The average time period a DJ or band should perform is about 4 to 5 hours. It is best to set up a smaller contract amount and then pay the overage fees once they are set up and playing music. This way if the reception fizzles out a little early, you don't have to worry about paying for entertainment you and your guests didn't even receive. Having entertainment for too long can actually prolong an event that should have ended. It's probably best to have the event come to a nice ending, like a good movie or essay.

Noise Issues
This is always a DJ or band's worst fear. If there are noise restrictions at the location you are having your reception, it could mean lower volumes which means less energy and less dancing. Nothing kills a dance floor more than having someone run over and tell the DJ to turn it down every five minutes. Even worse, the bass is what tends to cause complaints and the bass is what people stay in beat with. It's best, if you want to have a reception where people are focused around the entertainment, to make sure that your reception site has little to no noise restrictions.

Arranging Your Itinerary
There are some things that you and your entertainment should talk about prior to the event:

Talking points: Most DJ's advertise themselves as being an MC or Master of Ceremonies as well as a DJ. This means they will make the appropriate announcements. On the other hand many band leaders will do this as well. You'll want someone who can run your itinerary so your reception doesn't seem like an unorganized train wreck or a five hour keg party.

Special dances: The band or DJ will have to not only be able to play the music or CD of these particular songs, but they'll have to make the right announcement and even notify people of when they are taking place (nothing is worse than a DJ calling the father/daughter dance when the dad is in the restroom).

Overall genre control: Do you want hip hop and R & B played at your wedding reception? Or do you want more of the older dance tunes in the Motown and Disco era? Maybe you want it all, but you want to start with music that the older people will appreciate and then end on some music that the younger crowd can really get their groove on to as the night progresses. You can also talk about cocktail hour and dinner music as this is the best time in the evening to customize your favorite songs. The dance hits take place later to keep the party moving and while they are fun to dance to, they might not be your favorite most heart felt songs.

Article Source : Pg. 66

About Author

Both Kirsten Hawkins & Matthew Phipps are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Kirsten Hawkins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Gifts, How to Sell on Ebay and Marriage. . Kirsten Hawkins's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.

Matthew Phipps has sinced written about articles on various topics from Shopping, Wedding Bells and Music. Matt Phipps is a who specializes as a . His company, Cho. Matthew Phipps's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.