Beyond the Wedding dress Entertainment makes the night!

More than a great time, make your event spectacular with advice regarding Wedding and event planning specifically focusing on DJ's, Emcee's and Live Bands.
I will give you an opportunity to see your day through the eyes of a professional DJ/Entertainer and Event Coordinator to help you achieve a Spectacular event. Before you plan the biggest day of your life, you will want to stop here and get some great advice. Most of us only get married once...and since you've never done this before, I'll be glad to help with great content and links to sites with fantastic vendors to make your day come alive!

After your engagement and all the excitement, most brides start their search for the ultimate wedding dress. Among all the magazines, TV shows and visits to bridal botiques, you can be easily overwhelmed. This doesn't even begin to touch the mountains of information from the bridal shows or local wedding showcase.
Your stop here was the right choice in taking a moment to seek some advice, plan and execute!

Advice Rule#1- Stick with the professionals!

This may seem like a trivial piece of information, but entrusting the biggest day of your life to "friends" can often lead to disaster.
Friends are great, but they should be celebrating with you. On your wedding day there needs to be a greater accountability by a dedicated vendor to fulfill the service. There's no need to ruin a lifelong friendship by the misconception of details or earlier promises made that are ultimately not met. This is especially true in the area of entertainment.

Within the content of this lens you will see that good Wedding entertainment can actually be very affordable compared to all the other expenses of the day. There are many entertainment horror stories, likewise there are numerous talented DJ's and Musicians.
I invite you to visit YouTube through this lens and search "Worst Wedding DJ Ever". There is an etiquette that is kept in special events like a wedding and I hope that exploring some of these videos will open your eyes to the way you plan the biggest day of your life.

Entertainment can make or break your night.! There are many things that your guests may enjoy about your wedding but they will always remember if they had a good time!

Rule # 2 - Your Wedding day is made in the details. This day is about your style and personality! Each vendor should be able to meet your expectations or give you creative ideas to make your day special...but don't forget the entertainment. Entertainment has the greatest impact of all the details in the wedding day ,especially in the personality and organization of the DJ/MC and the atmosphere he or she creates with music and lighting.

My goal in Rule number two is to show you how good vendors will remove stress and make your day exciting and memorable as well as
help you plan with ease.

As an entertainer I can tell you that paying $200 for your "friend" at the local bar to "DJ" your Wedding will probably be a crash and burn situation. (Unfortunately this is how some people plan their Wedding.) It is unlikely that he will have the skill to direct all the events from the grand introduction , cake cutting etc...let alone the special dances and traditions and cultural events that most Weddings have.

A good entertainer will typically have one or two face to face meetings and good communication by email or phone in the months and days
leading up to the Wedding.

While your searching these are some basic questions you will want to ask as well as information you need to have while making an entertainment decision.

This list is brief, but finding the right vendor begins with the first question they ask:

WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU?

*A Brochure Stating the services offered: DJ-MC / Lighting / Decor / AV Services / Rental
* Pricing Sheet (Most DJ services have seasonal pricing or Wedding specials at Bridal Shows)
* Is the deposit refundable and for how long (15 to 30 days is typical)
* Do you have referrals? and are they on The Knot or any other Wedding Website?
*Have you ever been to my Venue?
*Do you have pictures of my Venue? (most services that offer lighting can show pictures giving you design ideas)
*Do you Take Visa/Mastercard etc..
*What is included with your package and for what size crowd?
*How extensive is your music library?
*Do I get to pick my own music?
*What is your rate per hour?
*Can I request a specific DJ?
*Do you have a website?
*Are your DJ's trained?
*Do you work with my other vendors?

When planning your wedding its ok to dream big and plan as though you have a $80,000 or $100,000 dollar budget. Then realistically see what can be done. As an example... This reminds me of a TV show with two brothers that show a couple a house that is usually about $200,000 to $300,000 over their budget. Ultimately, the brothers are able to find a house, negotiate the price, renovate and sacrifice to meet all the couples needs. The good news is you can do the same! From the bridesmaids dresses, flowers, photography and more.
Like a house, a wedding is an investment. If you buy cheap you get cheap, if you buy quality you get quality and memories that last a lifetime.

So as not to lose the focus on the wedding entertainment, my first advice would be to think of your wedding in reverse and the things that make the day memorable. What is your vision? Is it a themed wedding such as a Vegas or 1930's gangster theme? Or what about a big band era theme or a New York Disco club...Or just simple and elegant... Maybe you prefer a cultural theme like Irish with Irish music and traditional Irish fare for cocktails. The right "DJ" or lighting company can bring these things to life not just with the music, but lighting to create the mood and an assortment of other special events coordinated with your other vendors.

Since were looking in reverse think of the night this way:

People are out on the dance floor having a great time, Mom & Dad are even out on the floor doing line dances all your coworkers and college friends are joining in on the fun to the music that you have custom picked. The lighting on the dance floor is adding energy to the crowd and the decor lighting around the room sets an ambiance from the centerpieces on the table splashing color all around creating an atmosphere that is unique to your style and personality!

Earlier, dinner is equalled to a romantic setting featuring the great itialian music of your family " at a conversational level", followed by a spectacular cake cutting and those fantastic Italian desserts. Your toast will have left your guests either laughing or in tears sharing the the joy of raising their glass to wish you long life. And to begin the reception the perfect song is played energizing the crowd , the guests rise and cheer to your grand entrance of the new Mr. & Mrs. while confetti and streamers shower you creating the fun atmosphere of your style and personality.

So the point of looking at this in reverse is to help you see that just these few elements play a significant role in the night. In between these events your entertainer is in constant communication with the caterer, photographer, videographer and any other vendor to make sure all the special moments aren't missed. I'll say this again that your big day is made in the details! More to come!