Unforeseen Problems at Your Wedding Reception
This may be your first experience in planning a wedding reception. Having attended several hundred Kansas City wedding receptions as a Kansas City DJ, I have seen a few problems that have occurred through no fault of the bride and groom but were simply unforeseen. I thought I would jot a few items down to spare you these possible dilemmas.
1. If you are serving alcohol, especially keg beer, If possible keep the alcohol close to "action". The location of alcohol quickly becomes the focal point of the room, even more so than the newlyweds in some instances. I have seen kegs put outside or around a corner away from the reception room and what will happen is that the crowd will congregate around the beer and will not bother to come in to see any of the events such as the bride and groom dance, bouquet toss, etc. In one instance the wedding party stopped at the keg and didn't make it inside to the wedding party table.
2. I don't recommend a core of obscure music to be played. Because a wedding reception is such a mix of people of all tastes and ages, you will be sure to alienate most everyone with non dance music. They may leave because of it. A case in point - A bride and groom insisted I play Jimi Hendrix tunes. I personally love Jimi Hendrix, but not in a mixed crowd. They assured me "everyone will love it." "Everyone" turned out to be a few close friends. About half the crowd left. I have had the same scenario take place with a mixed age crowd due to too much rap/hip hop too early in the evening.
Remember a wedding reception is a dance first, not necessarily a place for "listening music". Songs that sound great in a car or home stereo may create a certain atmosphere there and won't always sound the same in a mixed crowd. Rarely is a wedding reception crowd a "young" crowd or a mix of one age. Don't forget Grandma and Grandmas, aunts and uncles. Hip Hop is better played later in the evening when the older guests have left. 50% of a wedding reception crowd is over 30 and tend to leave early so the early evening is a great time for some oldies and then hip hop later in the evening.
Even though a majority of traditional wedding music may be considered cliché or corny. It is fun, expected and it still works. The Y.M.C.A still get folks on the dance floor. A rule of thumb is that music that is common to everyone in the crowd works best.
3. The crucial song of the night will be the bride and groom's first dance. Most folks are watching and listening. Don't be afraid to pick something that is unique.
4. If you start the reception early in the afternoon, say around 3-5, it will likely be over by 8 or 9 p.m., even if you have planned it to be over at midnight. People will treat it as an afternoon event and plan another event for later that evening. 3 p.m. to 12 midnight is 9 hours and most folks will not stay at any social gathering for 9 hours.
5. Appoint someone to be "in charge". The bride will be too busy being the bride to tend to things. This is someone who can take care of minor issues and communication during the evening.
Examples:
Unlocking the Banquet Hall.
Letting the Dj know when the bride and groom have arrived.
Letting the DJ know when the buffet is ready.
Paying the DJ.
5. About 3/4 of the people you invite will attend.
This is the general order for most receptions
1. Guest will arrive. If the bride and groom will be taking pictures and will arrive much later than the guests, letting them go through the buffet may be in order. Waiting for an hour or so for the bride and groom to arrive with the sites and smell of good food can be testing.
2. Announcement of the bride and groom
3. Cutting of the cake.
4. Toast to bride and groom
5. First dance - bride and groom
6. Father/bride Mother/groom dance
7. Parents dance
8. Wedding party dance
9. Dollar Dance
10. General Dancing
11. Garter toss/Bouquet toss
Dances 5-9 are traditionally slow dances.
From my experience the crowd gets restless and sometimes even requests to pick things up. The Maid of Honor and Best Man can speed the dollar dance up by only allowing less than a minute per dance. Otherwise the dollar dance can last up to a half hour. The Best Man and Maid of Honor can help speed things up by limiting the Dollar Dance to a minute or less.
There will be 3-4 hours of upbeat tunes after the traditional dances so it is a matter of patience for the crowd.
It is your special day so do what you feel is right for you. These are just some suggestions from my own experience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Arnold
1. If you are serving alcohol, especially keg beer, If possible keep the alcohol close to "action". The location of alcohol quickly becomes the focal point of the room, even more so than the newlyweds in some instances. I have seen kegs put outside or around a corner away from the reception room and what will happen is that the crowd will congregate around the beer and will not bother to come in to see any of the events such as the bride and groom dance, bouquet toss, etc. In one instance the wedding party stopped at the keg and didn't make it inside to the wedding party table.
2. I don't recommend a core of obscure music to be played. Because a wedding reception is such a mix of people of all tastes and ages, you will be sure to alienate most everyone with non dance music. They may leave because of it. A case in point - A bride and groom insisted I play Jimi Hendrix tunes. I personally love Jimi Hendrix, but not in a mixed crowd. They assured me "everyone will love it." "Everyone" turned out to be a few close friends. About half the crowd left. I have had the same scenario take place with a mixed age crowd due to too much rap/hip hop too early in the evening.
Remember a wedding reception is a dance first, not necessarily a place for "listening music". Songs that sound great in a car or home stereo may create a certain atmosphere there and won't always sound the same in a mixed crowd. Rarely is a wedding reception crowd a "young" crowd or a mix of one age. Don't forget Grandma and Grandmas, aunts and uncles. Hip Hop is better played later in the evening when the older guests have left. 50% of a wedding reception crowd is over 30 and tend to leave early so the early evening is a great time for some oldies and then hip hop later in the evening.
Even though a majority of traditional wedding music may be considered cliché or corny. It is fun, expected and it still works. The Y.M.C.A still get folks on the dance floor. A rule of thumb is that music that is common to everyone in the crowd works best.
3. The crucial song of the night will be the bride and groom's first dance. Most folks are watching and listening. Don't be afraid to pick something that is unique.
4. If you start the reception early in the afternoon, say around 3-5, it will likely be over by 8 or 9 p.m., even if you have planned it to be over at midnight. People will treat it as an afternoon event and plan another event for later that evening. 3 p.m. to 12 midnight is 9 hours and most folks will not stay at any social gathering for 9 hours.
5. Appoint someone to be "in charge". The bride will be too busy being the bride to tend to things. This is someone who can take care of minor issues and communication during the evening.
Examples:
Unlocking the Banquet Hall.
Letting the Dj know when the bride and groom have arrived.
Letting the DJ know when the buffet is ready.
Paying the DJ.
5. About 3/4 of the people you invite will attend.
This is the general order for most receptions
1. Guest will arrive. If the bride and groom will be taking pictures and will arrive much later than the guests, letting them go through the buffet may be in order. Waiting for an hour or so for the bride and groom to arrive with the sites and smell of good food can be testing.
2. Announcement of the bride and groom
3. Cutting of the cake.
4. Toast to bride and groom
5. First dance - bride and groom
6. Father/bride Mother/groom dance
7. Parents dance
8. Wedding party dance
9. Dollar Dance
10. General Dancing
11. Garter toss/Bouquet toss
Dances 5-9 are traditionally slow dances.
From my experience the crowd gets restless and sometimes even requests to pick things up. The Maid of Honor and Best Man can speed the dollar dance up by only allowing less than a minute per dance. Otherwise the dollar dance can last up to a half hour. The Best Man and Maid of Honor can help speed things up by limiting the Dollar Dance to a minute or less.
There will be 3-4 hours of upbeat tunes after the traditional dances so it is a matter of patience for the crowd.
It is your special day so do what you feel is right for you. These are just some suggestions from my own experience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Arnold
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