First Wedding - Tips?

[IrishBlaggard]

i know ive seen some treads on this kinda issue before, but IMHO its good to see new treads on things like this, as its always good to see and share tips and tricks of the trade, even if it can lead to some heated debate from time to time, each to there own, different strokes for different folks and all that jazz...

some very good posts and points made in the tread

[sobi]

I can see that, but I guess it depends on the crowd.

Even when I used to listen to my funkmaster flex mixes, I used to get annoyed with the fact that he would talk all the time. When I listened to jungle, it was kind of hit or miss whether I wanted to hear the MC jibber jabber...But you're right, sometimes it helps.

I think you're missing the mark a little. If the DJ is doing anything even close to the examples above, I'd want no part of it. I guess details would help get my point across. During the dinner (between courses, and timed perfectly), he
started a table game that everyone loved, as it had a bit of a twist that made everyone laugh. At various other parts between songs, he personalized some things and to some extent, brought other people into the importance of a song to us/other people. He did it in a way that really added to the night, but kept it classy and didn't go overboard with it. He broke the mold of a cheesey wedding DJ, and a big part of it was working the crowd as the Master of Ceremonies.

[Teabagged.by.Jester]

Personally i have done enough weddings to last me a life time. Heres what i have learned.

- Most weddings eventually train wreck.

Agreed.

[souldancer]

Go to the djtutor site, loads of video footage that will help you, Brian s redd and the australian guy did lots of tutorials on this theme.

Ask the bride and groom their age, college time made most of the time the most of impact on them. So search the hits around that period.

Have a good finish for the evening, I let the bride and groom get together and let all family and friends come stand around the couple. Choose a good sentimental, can be uptempo song. And let the crowd give them a big hug and a positive feeling to start of the wedding.

And yes work the microphone, but don't over do it.

Give yourself some space with their request list, tell them that you respect their choice, but you are the dj, Their not and their request list can have a negative outcome, you still need to read the crowd. Of course do this subtle, you don't wanna offend their music choice, make sure you have their requested music, But be yourself as well.

http://www.totalmusicdj.com/Top200weddingSongs.htm

i think this list is orientated for the usa market, but it could give some inside what other mobile dj have seen what worked.

Mobile and club dj'ing are two different worlds, as a mobile dj you are a bit like a whore, you're their for their pleasure not yours.

[jimsa]

I've been doing wedding stuff for just over a year now, started working with a friend of my brother's. (I thought that the natural progression towards club dj'ness was by starting at weddings, i'm not so sure anymore...)

Anyhow, most of what you need to know has already been said. What was hard for me to wrap my head around at first is the fact that you have to play for such a varying audience. So when selecting music, you really should try and be as inclusive as possible. I remember the first few times I played out, there were just some crazy non-top40 tunes I wanted to play, and in my head I was like "These songs go so hard... ANYONE would dance to it". Nah b, people don't like what they don't know. haha so yea, remember that, as much as you want to drop that crazy track you just found, reconsider.

Also, be prepared for requests. I'd say most of the time, people are terrible at making requests. Sometimes it's a good song, but just not the right time. Remember to be courteous. If anything my usual go to phrase is "Oh for sure, I'll definitely try to fit that in!" Most of the time I don't... haha, some requests just flat out suck. Obviously though if it's the bride/groom/their immediate family making a request, no matter how weird it is, you're probably better off doing it.

The peeps are right when they say mixing doesn't really matter (it matters to an extent, obviously mix when you can, but for some older songs it's like whut and unless you get club edits for top 40, you'll encounter some not very mixable tunes). Your technical skill will go over most people's heads. I don't ever use dvs for weddings, cause i'm convinced no one will care about me scratching here and there and the hassle isn't worth it (am I wrong about this?). Song selection is your most important thing! That's all I've got to say. Oh yea, be real nice to the people working the house that night ie. servers, bar tenders, event planner etc. They'll be more likely to take care of you (ie. grab you a drink, food heheh).

You've got a solid like... two months. Build up your musical repertoire. While I kind of agree with the guy that said you should back out, I trust that you know what you are doing and are confident in your skill. Playing outside the bedroom is significantly different from the bedroom. If you are used to one ear monitoring in your bedroom, unless you also have a monitor at your gig, you'll want to get used to hearing everything through your headphones ( at least this was the case for me). Good luck with the gig, prepare well! cheers

[rdej47]

Hey tokenasianguy, love your insight on weddings. I was wondering if you could help me compile a information sheet for weddings. I've paired up with the wine bar that I use work at cause they host a lot of weddings in their private room (120 standing). I just proposed that they offer my services as part of their wedding package and in return my old catering manager gets commission off every event she books. What would be good info to get from groups before they come into the venue?