A great wedding DJ does more than just play music at your small wedding — they host and emcee your event and keep things moving along on your timeline. But… is this worth the money when you’re having a small wedding with under 25 people?
The answer to this depends on what you’re envisioning for your big day. Let’s run through the typical events that occur during the wedding. We’ll help provide some insight on different wedding day scenarios to get you thinking about how you picture your big day.
1. The Wedding Ceremony
First, let’s start with the wedding ceremony. This is the big moment where you two finally say “I Do” then exchange big wet kisses 😘. But before all of that, picture your wedding ceremony with empty seats. As your guests arrive at the wedding ceremony location and make their way to their chairs, are they walking with silence as their background; will there be music playing to set the mood for the wedding festivities?
Another thing to think about is the music for the moment you walk down the aisle. Do you hear music as you envision yourself walking down the aisle towards your new spouse? How about the recessional song, the song that plays as you make your way back down the aisle as newlyweds? Silence can be deafening for momentous occasions like this.
Now let’s move on to what’s next on the timeline: Sunset photos & cocktail hour
2. Sunset Photos & Cocktail Hour
Typically after the ceremony has concluded, that’s when our couples go off with the photographer to capture some beautiful sunset photos. This is also when your wedding DJ and host makes an announcement to the guests that cocktail hour has begun and points out special features of the wedding reception such reminding guests to sign the guestbook, or encouraging guests to capture some photos in the photo booth. During cocktail hour is when a special mix of music is played to get the guests in the mood to celebrate your love.
Can you imagine a time where you went to a cocktail hour where there wasn’t any music playing in the background? How did that feel? Is that the feeling you’re envisioning for your wedding?
3. The Wedding Reception
The wedding reception is the most fun part of the wedding day. Even with small weddings, couples are still opting to have the full list of specialty events such as the grand entrance, first dance, mother-son/father-daughter/parent-child dance, toasts, cake cutting along with the bouquet and garter toss. With all those events on the timeline, you will definitely need a DJ that can maneuver the crowd.
Aside from the music aspect of things, the wedding DJ hypes up the crowd and gets them energized and ready for your grand entrance. They’ll also advise guests of the upcoming events and when it would be a good time to take a bathroom break so no one misses your first dance.
But what if your small wedding doesn’t have all those events? Some of our couples have chosen to have a celebratory dinner after their wedding ceremony with few events such as the first dance and only the parent dances. Having a wedding DJ may seem like overkill but trusting the music for your wedding ceremony and reception to a special wedding attendee like your brother-in-law could also work. But with a limited guest list, everyone attending is incredibly special so give them the opportunity to be present with you as you two celebrate your love.
4. The DIY Route: Renting Equipment
While renting equipment is an option for amplifying your vows and getting music into your venue, you’ll need someone to be in charge of the music and equipment. As mentioned earlier, you can have your brother-in-law step in to help, but if they don’t know what they’re doing, this could mean awkward silent moments throughout your wedding day. Hiring a professional for your wedding day can alleviate some of the stress that going DIY brings. There is peace-of-mind that you get when you know that the music and equipment is being taken care of.
A great wedding DJ knows how to read the crowd and know whether they need to slow down or speed things up to keep with the flow of the timeline. A wedding day should be about celebrating your love with all your favorite people and our Epik wedding DJ’s will help you achieve that.
What’s a small wedding like with the Epik Weddings team? Take a peek at this wedding trailer to find out!
Want to learn more about our wedding DJ packages? Click here for no-strings-attached consultation.
