Whether you consider yourself a music person, you must select the right music for your wedding day. A good band or a DJ can be the difference between an “okay” ceremony and one that is truly remarkable. Here are seven wedding music planning mistakes that you should avoid:
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Saying No to a Band or a DJ
If you’re into live music and have a huge budget, consider hiring a band to play your wedding music. However, if you want more of a variety of music and don’t have a large area for a band but want someone to take care of the music for you, hire a DJ with solid emcee skills.
Remember, don’t dismiss either choice just because you assume that a band is way too expensive or a DJ sounds cheesy.
Tip: Before you go ahead and hire, do some research and get recommendations from friends and your wedding venue. You can hire a band for the ceremony through cocktail/dinner and hire a DJ and emcee to work alongside the band.
This allows you to have the best of both, and the emcee can collaborate with the band on timing, special events, etc., to maximize your time.
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Starting in Silence
Your punctual guests will arrive at the venue 20–30 minutes ahead of schedule. Those minutes will seem a lot longer if they’re kept in silence. To address this, make sure your band or DJ is ready to perform 15-20 minutes before the start of the ceremony.
Tip: A strong emcee can help usher your guests to be seated and also make an “Unplugged Ceremony” announcement. This reminds your guests to silence their cell phones and asks them to be unplugged from their devices during the ceremony and wedding reception.
This allows your photographer and videographer to capture the best moments without somebody with their camera stealing the shot.
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Offending the Officiant with Your Wedding Music
If the venue of choice is a house of worship, set rules will affect your choice of wedding music. Rules include prohibiting certain secular songs, types of instruments, and even beat and tempo. Although the ceremony is yours, the venue isn’t, so respect the rules.
Tip: Speak to your officiant before booking your musicians, especially if you are having your ceremony in a church. This is rarely an issue if you do both your ceremony and reception at the same venue.
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Skipping Sound Check
Each venue is different, and each comes with its limitations in terms of the music you can have—power supply, sound amps, or other restrictions. Even if there are no regulations, it is good to talk to your venue manager about what type of music will work for the available space.
Tip: Let your band or DJ look at a venue to decide the best way to deliver the wedding music optimally. They’ll be able to perform sound checks to give everyone the best experience.
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Waiting Until the Wedding to Meet Your Musicians
Rather than sitting in the dark about how your musician’s sound lives, visit them. It will help you determine if they fit the bill, and you and your fiancé will have lots of fun. If you can talk to the performers in person, they’ll become your emcee, so make sure you know who you’re dealing with.
Tip: It is tempting to hire a club DJ you see when out dancing; however, a club DJ does not mean they are a good Wedding DJ. A Wedding DJ will be a strong emcee, understands the flow of a wedding and how to pivot if something doesn’t go quite as planned, and can also play music that will be enjoyable for you and all your guests.
A Club DJ will be able to play great club dance music but usually lacks the other vital skill sets to make this the best day ever.
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Choosing the First-Dance Song That’s Too Long
You’d probably do anything for your love, but it is not recommended to dance for 12 minutes straight for your first dance. Do a run-through of your wedding song, and you will realize how long one minute is. Remember that your guests will be watching, and you wouldn’t want them left hanging for too long.
Tip: You should take a few lessons rather than winging the dance if you’ve never danced. If you want to learn a ballad, work with your DJ to cut down the song to a shorter length or negotiate with your band to perform a shorter version.
Don’t let the length of your favorite song deter you away. The DJ can work with a predefined ending point or take a cue from you during the dance when you are ready to move on to the next event/dance. Use this tip when it comes to your father-daughter dance and mother-son dance, as well.
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Not Having a Do-Not-Play List
It is essential to have both a to-play list and a do-not-play list. If you hire a band, give them both lists early to review if they want to make suggestions. Once done, leave the wedding music playing to them.
Tip: If your to-play list is too long (over ten songs), create another list and label it a “wish list.” These songs are only to be played if the guests like them. If you can work with your DJ with these playlists, it helps maximize the songs you want to hear.
If there are songs that you want to hear at your wedding but aren’t great for dancing, these work perfectly for cocktail or dinner time. The more sing-a-long songs you have during dancing help pack the dance floor as even if they aren’t the best dancers if they know the words, that keeps them engaged.
Conclusion
It is important to be aware of people’s common mistakes when choosing wedding music for their special day so you can avoid them. With the above tips, you can have a blast at your wedding.
If you are planning your wedding in Lake Tahoe or Reno, Nevada, reach out to Epik Wedding for a free, no strings attached consultation.
