#1 Wedding Dance Music Blog

What you’ll find here:

Tons of unique and modern wedding song ideas that aren’t overplayed as well as different versions of the ones that are!

Don’t allow your wedding reception to be a cookie-cutter affair!  Customize your cocktail hour and dinner music!  Dance music should be left up to the DJ as much as possible so he can “read the crowd” and switch it up as needed.  If you want to dictate a lot of the music selections, be sure to hire an ego-free DJ that will work with you to make it uniquely yours! 

Unique Grand Entrance Ideas

Our wedding grand entrance was the most exciting moment of the day.  I’m sure all brides will agree that the feeling is indescribable. 

While the grand entrance will always be extremely powerful left untouched, it’s always fun to plus it +

1)  If your dance floor is in the perfect spot in the room, have your DJ invite all of your guests out there and form two lines, or a horseshoe.  Whatever works best.  I believe that a crowd gets more energy when they are close together, so the applause will be nuts!  Your bridal party can be introduced and then join them, while you and your groom can go into the middle and do your first dance.  Talk about a GRAND moment!

2)  After your first dance is finished, your DJ can invite all of your guests out there to share in a special dance together. 

3)  Your DJ could then ask everyone to remain on the dance floor for a group pic!  Those shots are great, and there is no better way to remember every one that shared in your big day!

Timing is crucial here!  You may want to move toasts to the latter part of dinner.  I’m sure your best man and maid won’t have a problem with the extra time to down a couple of drinks!

Stay tuned for more fun ideas!  Our goal is to give our brides as many options as possible, and allow them to pick what suits them best.  No two A Bride’s DJ weddings are alike, and we plan to keep it that way!

Diana

Fun Grand Entrance Music For Halloween Weddings

It’s a fun time of year to get married, especially if you are incorporating Halloween into your theme!

Here are some cool grand entrance ideas for those weddings (ignore images if you’re sensitive to them…I’m just trying to put the full song out there):

Beetlejuice by Danny Elfman

Goblin by Profondo Rosso

Saw Theme Song by Zepp

or, on a lighter note…

The Corpse Bride

Let me know if you have anything better!  We have several brides getting married this next month that would be DYING to hear em’.  Ha ha.

  Diana

Today’s Wedding Tips!

Hello favorite brides!

I’ve made some mental notes to share some things with you after recent conversations, so here goes…

Pay attention to the little details:

1)  Lighting.  Women are more likely to dance in the dark.  For many women, it’s a REALLY big deal to get all dressed up.  They feel a bit vulnerable, and it’s important to think of their comfort.   Be sure you’ve scheduled your wedding during a time that allows for dim lighting, especially if there are a ton of windows in the banquet room you’ve chosen.

2)  Cocktail music.  Change it up!   Upbeat music IS okay during cocktails!  Your guests have listened to Frank Sinatra and Jazz at EVERY SINGLE wedding they’ve ever been to.  If you love the classics, that’s ok!  Just try and sprinkle in some modern day classy tunes as well, such as Jack Johnson, Adele, Michael Buble, etc.  If you don’t want your wedding to be JUST like every one else’s…you’ll have to make some changes.  The good news is:  Subtle and easy changes make an ENORMOUS difference!  (If you’re already A Bride’s DJ client, you know where to find some fun recommendations!)

3)  Keep em’ together.  Energy passes faster in crowds.  While things like balconies, beautiful grounds, etc. are fancy touches that WOW, be sure that your guests are all in one spot once the dancing starts.  Keep the bar in the room, if possible.

4)  Trim those dances!  I’m a sap for special dances just as much as the next girl, but let’s face it…4 minutes is a really long time to watch someone dance with their dad.  The emotional WOW happens in the first couple of minutes, doesn’t it?  Ask your DJ to fade songs out a little early. 

5)  Tickle the senses!  Ever feel like your life is groundhog day?  Go to work, get home, clean the house, wake up, do it all over again.  The last thing you want is for your guests to include your wedding in that list.  Go to work, get home, go to a wedding that is exactly what you expect.  Yikes!  Not what we’re aiming for, is it?  Use that imagination you’ve been given!  And if you don’t have one, ask us!  We’ll get you excited about the plans!

I know there were a million more things that I wanted to tell you, but that’s all I can think of for now.  Let us know if we can help! 

Diana Cusic 

A Great Wedding Idea That… Well, Isn’t So Great

This isn’t going to fall well on all ears… especially if you’ve already incorporated this into your wedding.  Allow me to apologize in advance.

Do not ask your guests to write their requests on the back of their response card.

Do the math.  If you have 200 guests and they each make a request, your DJ will have a list of 200 songs to play.  Most of their requests will be a dance song, and only about 50 dance songs can be played in a 6 hour wedding.  And you DEFINITELY DON’T WANT to get stuck with a list of 200 first dance songs!  Talk about slowin’ down the night!

So rather than ‘honoring’ your guests by allowing them to take part of your big day, you’ve now completely ignored their wishes because your DJ would never have time to get to all of their requests.  There’s nothing special in THAT. 

Besides, your non-dancers are having influence over your playlist, too. 

While the thought behind this idea is that guests will request only the songs that they will dance to, unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.  We see it time and again at weddings.  Guests walk up, anxiously request a song…and then run back to their seat to sit and enjoy it.

Alternative:  If you really dig this idea, and can’t restrain yourself…put up a list of the top wedding hits on www.surveymonkey.com and create a poll.  Allow your guests to rate their favorite DANCE SONGS, and ask your DJ to incorporate the top 10-20 rated songs into the night (depending on how long your reception is and how many requests of your own you’ll have).  You can email the list to your attendees, and watch the results with delight!  (But don’t allow write ins!)

You’ll find this list at http://www.discjockeys.com/top_200.php.  (We have our own list on our client-exclusive site, and it looks a bit different.  If you’re a client of ours, please check that out instead!)

This will allow your guests to ‘rate’ the songs they like from a list of already proven stuff, yet they won’t feel alienated when their ‘original thought’ wasn’t played on the night of your wedding.  And believe me…they will be hounding the dj for ‘their song’.  Even if their song is an awful request, they feel a sense of entitlement because they wrote it on that cute little response card and sent it by mail. 

With all of this said, we do think it’s important to honor your guests in any way possible.  Find out the first dance song for your grandparents, special aunts and uncles, etc., and ask your DJ to play it for a slow set or anniversary dance.  But be careful of how many people you ask.  If your party is thumpin’, you won’t want your DJ to slow it down TOO often.  Try to restrict the list to those closest to you. 

Good luck!

Diana

Protect Yourself From Lousy Wedding Vendors

5 quick ways that you can protect yourself when hiring wedding vendors:

1)  Ask for references FOR BRIDES AND GROOMS, and see how quickly they respond.  A busy wedding vendor will have plenty of brides and grooms to share!  We’ve found that many so-called busy wedding DJs that applied for a job…just plain ole’ dropped off the face of the earth when asked for references.  Thank God we asked!

2)  Call the references!  I know it’s uncomfortable…but it’s necessary.  This is a great way to find out if the vendor you’re about to hire meets YOUR CRITERIA. 

3)  NEVER pay your vendors off super early, unless you’re absolutely positive you’ve found a good one.  We get SEVERAL phone calls from brides searching for a DJ last minute because their DJ cancelled.  Not only are they trying to find a new DJ, but they are also stuck with the bill.  Of course, one can only hope that the DJ is going to give you your money back, but who wants to run that risk unnecessarily?  (Standard procedure is to pay off vendors 1 – 2 weeks early).

4)  It’s logical to have a decent web presence, a contract and some sort of planning tools.  If the vendor you’re thinking of using doesn’t seem to have any of these handy, or it takes awhile to receive it…consider jumping ship!  It’s a sure sign that they aren’t busy doing what you’re asking them to do… serving weddings!

5)  Make sure the deposit is ‘a fraction’ of the total price.  Quality vendors will ALWAYS ask for a deposit to secure the date, however, asking for a $500 deposit for a $700 service is totally off kilter.

I should specify that this should be the standard for services such as DJs, photographers and videographers.  There are so many types of services that you might hire, and I can’t possibly think of each one when writing this post.

Ways to Enhance Your Guest Experience

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…it is SO important for a bride to take a virtual tour through her upcoming day, and figure out ways to enhance the guest experience. Most brides spend a ton of time on the foo foo details, and little to no time on the whole ‘guest experience’ part.

Picture Disney World.  Disney World employs people called “Imagineers” who have the sole job of imagining new and creative ways to invent things that WOW people.

How can you do the same with your wedding day?  Especially with so little time on your hands?

All you need is 1 day, a clear mind (uggghhh…I know), and all of the creativity you can muster.  Here are a few questions and ideas to get your gears turning:

• What can you give your guests as they arrive to the ceremony, so they won’t be uncomfortable, or bored to tears while they wait for the BIG entrance?  How can you lighten up your program?  If allowed, why not slip a little treat in there?  Why not include a funny or sentimental story?  Or copies of programs from grandparents’ weddings?  Pictures of other relatives’ weddings?
• Are you willing to DANCE back down the aisle to a fun song?  Can you hand your guests some sort of fun gift as you greet them?  Something that says, “WE’RE GOING TO PARTY!“
• Speaking of greetings…why not have something really cool for your guest arrival to the reception?  A few signature drinks to choose from with funny or exotic names?  A funny joke on the back of the placecards?
• And I know some brides will cringe at this one…why not spray paint a few of those peg games and have them on the table for your guests?  When I say spray paint…I mean customize them to match your colors, and so they won’t look tacky…and add some bling!
• How about having your DJ say something special and/ or funny about each of your bridal party members as he introduces them?  (You script it, of course.)

Those are just a few quick ideas to get your gears turning.  What’s right for one, may not be right for all…so grab a pen and start scribbling.  Remember those brainstorming sessions you do in those boring meetings at work?  No idea is a bad one!  Just keep writing until you have nothing left.  You’ll be amazed at the ideas you’ll come up with!

Want more ideas?  Give us a call!—-Diana Cusic

3 Things To Know About Wedding DJs

There are so many secrets in the Wedding DJ Industry, and my biggest fear is that brides won’t know them until it’s too late.  Hopefully these 3 things will get your wheels turning, so if you don’t hire us, you at least know the right questions to ask when hiring the other guy!

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1)  Most Wedding DJs have VERY LITTLE wedding experience. We know…because we post to hire every day, and we find that we can call on less than 5% of the guys that write in for potential jobs.  (We require over 50 weddings, and most of our DJs have performed for over 200!)  Often times, their 15 years experience masks the fact that they’ve done less than 20 weddings.  Ask potential DJs how many weddings they’ve performed for, and how often.  Doing something a few times a year is not enough!  You wouldn’t do your job a few times a year and expect to be good at it, would you?  Also, prom, graduation party and night club experience is a far cry from what your DJ will encounter with your wedding crowd.  Someone who is familiar with the former can certainly keep the 20 year olds happy…but what about the 30, 40,  50 and even 80 year olds?!

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2)  If DJs talk more about their equipment and lights than they do about wedding coordination and finding out your unique vision, they probably don’t do many weddings.  The truth about equipment is this…less is more.  Having SOME lighting to enhance the dance floor ‘invites’ or ‘draws’ people in, whereas having LOTS of lighting can do the opposite.  Fog and bubbles are ABSOLUTE no no’s, and most halls frown down upon them anyways. Also, watch for too much talk about AMPS, extra speakers, etc.  The most common complaint from wedding guests is not being able to have a great conversation!  A wedding DJ’s goal should be to create a comfortable atmosphere that allows dancers to dance, and non-dancers to converse.  That way everyone has fun!  Which brings me to the next point…

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3)  Avoid false promises such as, “I will get everyone dancing, even those that don’t typically dance!” These are canned responses to get you to book.   If that’s the case, you’re probably hiring a guy that is going to put your shy guests in an awkward position.  Or pull your non-dancers out onto the dance floor, and, well…kind of tick them off.   Here’s the real truth…NON-DANCERS WILL NOT DANCE AT YOUR WEDDING.  They don’t want to.  They don’t like it.  So why should they?  And why should we, as brides, judge the success of our weddings by whether or not EVERY SINGLE person danced?  Because it’s the easiest way.  But realistically, this is exactly the type of thinking that causes brides to stress out at their own wedding.  If you’ve hired a guy with a ton of wedding experience, then those that want to dance, WILL!  And, even better, NONE of your guests will leave your wedding feeling embarrassed or annoyed.  In fact, more will leave saying, “This is THE BEST wedding I’ve ever been to!” Even the non-dancers!  :)

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We all know the saying, “A DJ can make or break your night”.  Unfortunately, some of you will learn the hard way because you want to outsmart the industry.  Fact:  There are good DJs and bad DJs.  Which one will you choose?

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I can only hope you’ll end up with the former.

Diana

Country Mother-Son Dance Song…WOW!

I love HER voice!  This song is a refreshing change from the traditional mother-son dance songs that you find on so many cookie-cutter lists.

Lady Antebellum w/ Jim Brickman “Never Alone”

Breathtaking Ceremony Processional Song

Eluvium “Radio Ballet”

Can’t get any more beautiful than this!  If you’re looking for unique wedding songs, stay tuned up until the big day.  We post everything from modern first dance songs to father daughter or even brother sister dance songs.   If you have an eclectic taste in music, you’ll be sure to find something here in the days to come.  Or, dig into some of our past posts.  There are almost 400 as of now, and you won’t find most of these songs on the standard web lists.

Many wedding DJs will tell you they’re not cookie-cutter, but they don’t offer you anything unique to suggest that.  Our goal is to provide you with ideas that allow you to step-outside-the-box, without having to work too hard to find them!

Wedding Song Gold Mine!

I already love Michael Franti’s song “Say Hey”, but he’s impressed me again so much with this song!  I love it when I find a song that can cross over for almost every single wedding dance or tradition!

This Michael Franti song, “Have a little faith”, is perfect for a first dance song, grand entrance song, wedding ceremony recessional song, bridal party dance song, cake cutting song, brother sister dance song, father daughter dance song, mother son dance song, etc.

Enjoy!