Interview With DJ About Wedding Music

Chantale Pitts: I’d like to welcome Rob Salvati of the Music Man DJ Service to our show today. Welcome, Rob.

Rob Salvati: Hi, how’s it going?

Chantale: Good. Our topic is selecting music, from the ceremony to the reception afterward. You think it’s a key element in a wedding for setting a nice atmosphere.

Receptions normally start off with that very special first dance. What other special dances occur during receptions that requires the couple to select music?

Rob: It’s usually optional, but couples can select songs for a father/daughter dance, a mother/son dance, the wedding party dance, cake cutting, bouquet and garter, and the last song of the night. It isn’t uncommon these days for people to combine some of the dances to get to the dancing portion of the night.

I’ve also seen the first dance occur after the wedding party’s been called to the head table, right before dinner. That’s something that I like to suggest, because the photographers will be ready. You already have everyone’s attention, and it gets through some of the formal dances quicker to keep the party moving.

Chantale: Oh, that’s a great idea. I’ve never heard of that. That would be a wonderful option.

Now, the first song is an important dance, and obviously each year I’m sure there’s a key new hit song that makes brides and grooms choose their special dance, but is there a classic song that’s been popular over the years that you recommend to couples?

Rob: When it comes to the first dance and other formal dances, I think that this is the best time to pick a special song that’s important to you, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a song that everyone at the wedding needs to know as a chart topper, or even needs to know at all. If it’s unique, people are going to remember the song as your wedding song and not everyone else’s wedding song as well.

This year I had one couple who selected all their songs using a Beatles themed wedding. I thought that was interesting because they personalized their songs. The formal dances are the only dances that don’t require the DJ to fill the dance floor. When a couple tries to pick the new hit songs, I find around 75% of the weddings to have the same special songs. That’s why it’s important to have a unique song, I find.

Chantale: That’s good advice. Really good advice.

Everyone’s preference in music is different. The bride may love rap. The groom is a country boy, but Mom and Dad are fans of jazz or classical. How can you accommodate everyone’s taste at a wedding?

Rob: I think that’s one of the hardest things for a DJ to do at such a diverse event like a wedding. It just takes experience for a DJ to build up a collection of music that works for all ages. There are certain patterns a DJ can follow, such as five fast songs, two slow songs, or also using three songs from a genre at a time. It’s just a matter of feeling out the crowd and figuring out what type of music the majority of the people are into, and also picking the most popular songs from different genres and singers.

The best practice is to have the most popular music for multiple genres. The DJ should also be knowledgeable in the history of music throughout the years, and also current fads in pop culture.

The most important thing for a DJ at a wedding is to keep the music upbeat and keep the crowd interested.

Chantale: Good idea. OK.

Sometimes couples may know the artist or maybe just key phrases in a song that they want. Can you offer tips for where couples can go to find the names of songs?

Rob: The best place to go for accurate song names would be an official music site, such as Billboard.com, which has the top Billboard every month for all styles of music. Even just a local music store, like H and B can give you some good song ideas. DJ’s and wedding sites are also good for song names, with accuracy.

I have a searchable list on my web site at MusicManDJ.ca. You can usually find formal dance suggestions, as well as which songs will help a couple pick their formal dance songs. I find that a DJ usually knows which song a person’s talking about, even if they only know some of the lyrics, so that’s usually not an issue when selecting songs.

Chantale: Good. I guess a knowledgeable DJ really helps out with that.

Rob: Right.

Chantale: How involved should a bride and groom be in selecting the music for their reception? Should they be selecting every song, from start to finish, for the night, or giving only a few must haves and must never play songs to the DJ?

Rob: I would definitely say that they should limit their song selection to no more than five or ten songs. That’s really important because you have to remember that the DJ you’re hiring does this for a living, so he understands the crowd reaction and what songs to play to get the best results.

When a bride and groom select the majority of the songs for the night, they’re basically doing the job of the DJ, and I usually find that the songs the DJ picks will always get better results for the amount of people dancing. Another thing that isn’t always realized is that a standard wedding usually only fits 60-80 songs for the dancing portion of the night, so a request list tends to fill up pretty quickly.

I would suggest a “Must Play” list and a “Do Not Play” list. You can make the “Do Not Play” list larger if you prefer, as long as you give the DJ some flexibility in what to play. Another good idea is to give an artist name that your family may enjoy to help the DJ read the crowd.

Chantale: Good idea. That DJ’s always that main player, that expertise you’re looking for.

So, how far in advance should you book a DJ?

Rob: Normally, people will book between six months to a year before their weddings. I would suggest something within that timeframe. Anything sooner and you may have trouble finding a good DJ for your wedding, just because of the fact that weddings are a limited business.

Normally, people only get married on Saturdays, and often in the spring or summer. So that puts wedding DJ’s in high demand, because there are usually not enough professionals to go around come June or July.

On top of that, wedding planning can be a full time job. Couples don’t realize all the work involved until they experience it themselves. So, you always want to give yourself enough time because just a few months isn’t enough time to plan a wedding if you also have a full time job and you’re in the moving process, as most couples are who get married.

Chantale: Right. Great advice.

Now, what other advice can you offer for couples looking for a DJ. What quality does a good DJ have?

Rob: The best qualities to look for in a DJ, without having heard them play before, are how they present themselves, I would say. Usually a website is the first indication to tell how serious the DJ takes his business, and how organized the business is before even meeting with the DJ. You can tell how much work is involved when you look at their site. If the site’s incomplete or not working it may also say something about the business.

On top of that, other important facts to consider are how knowledgeable the DJ is regarding different styles of music. The DJ should be outgoing, well spoken, and able to read the crowd. You should make sure they’re using professional grade equipment, and that they have a large selection of purchased music.

Response time is important as well, because it indicates how the DJ will handle your event when it comes to your actual event time. Those would be the most important things to look for, I find.

Chantale: Thank you, Rob. I think you’ve given everyone good guidelines that they can follow in selecting music for their special day. Best of luck in your wedding venues this year with the Music Man DJ Service.

Rob: Thank you very much.

Chantale: Thank you, Rob. Bye-bye.

Rob: Take care.

~~~~~~~~~

Source: This interview was conducted by MyDreamWedding.ca, The host for this interview about “Selecting the Music” was Chantale Pitts. Their guest was Rob Salvati of “The Music Man DJ Service”. A special thanks goes out to My Style Wedding 3D wedding planning software for sponsoring this wonderful event.

MyDreamWedding.ca is Canada’s premier wedding blog about unique wedding ideas.

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What Are Your Options For Meal Service?

When you are having a sit-down meal, you have some choices in how you want the food served.  Each choice has a different cost, so when you interviewing your facility or caterer, be sure to discuss these options.

Plated service means that your meal is plated ahead of time, and the plate is served to your guests with the food already put on it.

English service, sometimes referred to as home-style service, is similar to a home meal—plates or bowls of potatoes, vegetables, meatballs or whatever you are serving is placed on the table, and the guests help themselves from those bowls and plates.

Russian service is when food is cut into portions, and reassembled to appear whole, placed on a platter and then served to the guests. The wait staff serve portions to the guests from the platters of food.

French service is when the food is partially cooked in the kitchen, and then wait staff will bring a cart to a table to finish cooking the food in front of the guests.  The wait staff will offer the cooked food to the guests who will help themselves from the service plate.  This type of service requires a large number of trained staff, and the cost is high.  This type of service can be flamboyant—think flaming desserts—and is more common with small dinner receptions.  Not all facilities have the trained staff for this type of service.

Buffet service is well known.  It has one or more large tables with the food, and guests line up and serve themselves.  Sometimes there are cold food buffets, hot food buffets, and dessert buffets—to name the most common ones.  Cocktail receptions sometimes use a variety of buffet food stations, each serving specific dishes, and guests move from one station to another.

Since food and music and the two things your guests will remember the most from your wedding, you might consider a unique service style if your budget allows for it.  These are the typical food service styles—although many facilities and caterers have their own unique styles—often combining these traditional styles.

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Tips On Using Your Credit Card For Wedding Shopping

Weddings are costly and you will be spending tens of thousands of dollars in the year leading up to your wedding day. Keeping track of the money you are going to spend is important. We recommend that you have a separate credit card for your wedding, which will make tracking all your wedding expenses easy. In addition, many credit cards have all kinds of built-in insurance coverage for purchases, deposits, car rentals, etc., that might come in very handy if you experience problems with a vendor.

For example, if you paid a cash deposit for your wedding flower order, and find that 2 months before the wedding, the florist goes out of business, you will probably never get your money back—unless you are successful in small claims court. That’s a hassle you don’t need! If you paid your deposit for your wedding flower order by credit card, depending upon the credit card you have, you can get your entire deposit back because you have not actually received any product yet.

Many credit cards will reimburse money for items you purchase with the credit card that break, are ruined, or are destroyed before you get it home. Imagine you purchased a $1000 wedding dress, and on the way home a gust of wind blows your beautiful wedding dress right onto a freshly tarred street and it is ruined! If you purchased by cash, well, the problem is yours. If you purchase with a credit card that has the insurance built into it, you could get that money reimbursed so you can get a new gown. Or, if you have wedding insurance, it could be covered by that insurance.

So, whether you opt for wedding insurance, or a credit card with good coverage, the choice is yours—although wedding insurance is much more comprehensive. But a lot depends upon your needs and the complexity of your wedding plans.

Here is another tip. Most couples spend some time saving for their wedding. The suggestion we have is to put your wedding savings as a deposit on your wedding credit card. Get yourself a nice, healthy positive balance of money in your credit card account before you start spending. Not only is this a great way to save for your wedding, but you will know exactly what you have in your budget at all times—and you’ll know if you go over your budget!

A good credit card with coverage for lost deposits, breakage, and so forth will give you peace of mind. Shop around and check out your options. The thought of yet another credit card might have you shaking your head—-but consider using it to deposit your savings and to protect your deposits and purchases along the way. It is a tool that is very valuable if used the right way.

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How To Save Money On Alcohol In Your Reception

Alcohol is one of the largest expenses of your reception.  Providing your own liquor can save you up to 50% of your alcohol bill.  Even if the alcohol is being provided by your reception site, there are always ways to reduce costs.

Here are our favourite cost saving tips for the bar bill:

Use bar brands, not premium brands of liquor—they are less expensive and no one will notice.

Limit the hours your bar is open.  For example, open during cocktail hour, closed over dinner since the guests will have wine, and opened after the dancing starts.

Close the bar one hour before the reception ends, and serve coffee, tea and soft drinks instead of alcohol.

If you are having hors d’ouevres or a dessert buffet later in the evening, close the bar and have coffee/tea from that point on.

Hire a real bartender to work the bar—your cousin who is working the bar might pour larger drinks and negate any savings you might otherwise have by arranging your own bar service.

When having an open bar, arrange with the provider to keep the bar open until a certain dollar amount is reached, and then close it down and serve tea/coffee and soft drinks.

Serve a signature drink only—say a specific cocktail—along with soft drinks, coffee and tea.  This saves a lot of money on your overall liquor bill, and is a fun way to express yourself.

If the bar service is charged by the bottle, or if you are paying corkage fees for the liquor you bring in, you might consider larger bottles of alcohol like a magnum of wine, or a keg of beer.

If your site is charging a flat rate per guest for alcohol, ask them to subtract the number of children expected from your overall total.

The SmartBride™ video called The No Alcohol Option has many ideas for interesting options to having an open bar.

There is no rule that says you need to serve alcohol at a wedding reception.  Etiquette demands two bottles of wine at dinner, but after that, there are no rules.  What you choose to provide to your guests is up to you.

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What Are Your Options For The Reception Site

Choice #1 is a reception site that includes all food and beverage services, which we will call the “all inclusive option”. On the plus side of the ‘all inclusive’, you get a price per person that includes the facility, food, tables, silverware, china, linens, liquor service, etc. You don’t have to worry about getting appropriate licenses, or all the work with arranging caterers, liquor service, etc. On the down side, you will be limited to the type of china and linens they can provide, and the menu choices they can provide. Facilities that typically have this type of service are hotels, restaurants, clubs, etc.

You will have to check with this type of facility to see if the restrictions really do exist—the competition for wedding business has made many hotels much more responsive to the unique needs of brides. Many hotels (for an additional cost, of course) will bring in colour linens or create special menu items for you. That is why we have the checklist so you can ask the questions that are important to what you want to create for your wedding.

Choice #2 is a reception site, like a community hall, that has kitchen facilities for the caterer that you hire. We will call this option the ‘rental option’ because you will rent the facility, which provides tables, chairs, china, silverware, linens, bar stations, etc. If you choose this option, you will have to hire a caterer, arrange for a liquor license, and hire someone to purchase the liquor and oversee the running of the bar (unless the caterer will do it).

Click here to read more about “Reception Site Options” or sign up to become a member to view the videos, download the wedding planning checklists, join in our coaching calls, or share in the members’ forum. See you inside!

The Marriage License

The number one thing you need to get right when planning your wedding, is getting your marriage license! If that gets screwed up, you have no wedding. So here is some interesting information that you should be aware of…..

In Canada, there are few requirements for getting married. You need a marriage license, someone authorized to perform the ceremony, and two witnesses. Medical tests are not needed to get married anywhere in Canada.

Let’s first talk about the marriage license. Every province has different requirements for obtaining a marriage license. In some provinces, the couple need to go together to get their marriage license. In other provinces, the bride or groom can go to get the marriage license without their partner present.

Provincial requirements to obtain a marriage license vary, but can include:

• proof of age or birth certificate
• proof of divorce
• photo identification
• proof of death of a previous spouse
• date of marriage and who is going to perform it
• immigration documents
• social insurance number
• full names and place of birth for both sets of parents

When supplying a proof of divorce, some provinces need ‘certified final proof’ or ‘certified final divorce papers’. Often these need to be original copies, and if you don’t have original copies it can take up to 2 months to get a court certified copy. If you have been divorced outside of Canada, some provinces require a letter from a lawyer that says they are eligible to be married in that province.

Proof of death of a previous spouse is usually a death certificate, but some provinces allow a newspaper clipping.

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A Simple System To Keep Records

If it is your style to be informal, and you don’t want an engagement party, then it is perfectly acceptable to ‘just tell people’. But what happens if you tell one friend, and you forget to tell another friend and they hear it from someone else. It could create hurt feelings—even if you meant to tell them. So you need to make your first list—called an Engagement Notification List. It will also make things easier for you later on in the wedding planning process because it will become the basis of your guest list.

So what will be on this list? It will be a list of everyone that you want to make sure to tell of your engagement. The SmartBride Checklist called The Engagement Notification List is where you will start. Print off as many copies as you need to make your lists. Both bride and groom should list everyone they can think of that they want to notify, and the notification list also gives you a place to indicate how you think they should be notified—through an engagement party, through a personal visit, through a phone call, or through a letter or email. Remember, if you have an engagement party, those who are invited must be invited to the wedding.

Making the list may seem unimportant, but it IS important to make sure you don’t forget anyone and create hard feelings. In addition, this list will become your starting point for your wedding guest list.

Click here to read more about “The Ultimate Record Keeping System” or sign up to become a member to view the videos, download the wedding planning checklists, join in our coaching calls, or share in the members’ forum. See you inside!

Announcing Your Engagement

You might be thinking—“I never knew that preparing to announce our engagement was necessary. I thought I would just tell people.” Well, if it is your style to be informal, and you don’t want an engagement party, then it is perfectly acceptable to ‘just tell people’.

But what happens if you tell one friend, and you forget to tell another friend and they hear it from someone else. It could create hurt feelings—even if you meant to tell them. So you need to make your first list—called an Engagement Notification List. It will also make things easier for you later on in the wedding planning process because it will become the basis of your guest list.

So what will be on this list? It will be a list of everyone that you want to make sure to tell of your engagement. The SmartBride Checklist called The Engagement Notification List is where you will start. Print off as many copies as you need to make your lists. Both bride and groom should list everyone they can think of that they want to notify, and the notification list also gives you a place to indicate how you think they should be notified—through an engagement party, through a personal visit, through a phone call, or through a letter or email. Remember, if you have an engagement party, those who are invited must be invited to the wedding.

Making the list may seem unimportant, but it IS important to make sure you don’t forget anyone and create hard feelings. In addition, this list will become your starting point for your wedding guest list.

Click here to read more about “Preparing To Announce Your Engagement” or sign up to become a member to view the videos, download the wedding planning checklists, join in our coaching calls, or share in the members’ forum. See you inside!

Wedding Planning Timeline – Overview

Simplified Wedding Planning Schedule

FREE:  download a .pdf version of our Simplified Wedding Planning Schedule

10 months before wedding
□  Pick wedding theme/style
□  Plan budget
□  Make tentative guest list
□  Set wedding date & time
□  Book ceremony & reception location
□  Select members of wedding party

9 months before wedding
□  Pick wedding colours
□  Book DJ/Band & ceremony musicians
□  Book wedding day transportation
□  Book photographer and videographer
□  Book florist
□  Meet with ceremony officiant

8 months before wedding
□  Select bridal gown
□  Select bridesmaids’ dresses

7 months before wedding
□  Save-the-date cards need to go out to out-of-town guests
□  Any guests coming from countries where Visas are required will need an invitation

6 months before wedding
□  Register gift choices
□  Finalize guest list
□  Order wedding invitations
□  Plan hotel and transportation for out-of-town guests
□  Order wedding cake

5 months before wedding
□  Wedding-night hotel suite for bride and groom
□  Plan honeymoon
□  Select and order wedding favours

4 months before wedding
□  Order groom’s attire
□  Select groomsmen’s attire
□  Send out-of-town guests invitations
□  Select wedding bands

3 months before wedding
□  Send out invitations to in-town guests
□  Finalize and book menu for rehearsal dinner
□  Finalize menu for reception

2 months before wedding
□  Purchase gifts for wedding party & parents
□  Plan reception seating
□  Plan itinerary for out-of-town guests
□  Finalize arrangements with DJ/Band, Ceremony Musicians, Florist, Cake Baker, Photographer and Videographer
□  Confirm times with ceremony and reception sites

3 wks before wedding
□  Call guests who have not responded
□  Get marriage license
□  Get name-change forms (if needed)
□  Confirm all hotel accommodations

1-2 wks before wedding
□  Have rehearsal & dinner
□  Have bridesmaid’s lunch
□  Have groomsmen’s’ day out
□  Confirm wedding day transportation
□  Confirm guest count with caterer
□  Confirm time and location with Officiant, Florist, Cake baker, Photographer, DJ/Band, and Videographer

Wedding Planning Made Easy

Today’s bride has access to hundreds of wedding websites with lots of different information but the challenge is to find what you are looking for—or to even know what you are looking for.  With an average wedding taking 250 hours to plan, today’s bride has the challenge to find the time to research all her wedding planning options.

At TheBridalCoach, we have gathered all the information in one place to make it easier for the modern bride to streamline the wedding planning process.  Through the use of short videos, task lists, and check lists, we have everything in one place to make it easy.  Specific questions about your wedding plans can be aired daily in our members only forum, or at our weekly coaching call with one of our certified wedding planners.

Planning a wedding is not a hard thing to do, but it does take lots of time to get all the details just right.  We start with defining the wedding vision which is often where a bride and groom get stuck—whose vision will you follow?  Through our Wedding Vision Action List, both the bride and groom are guided through their many choices, and shown how to decide on a shared vision.  Sharing the vision is the first of many unified steps you will make as a couple as you plan your wedding together.  Our unique Action Plans help the couple work together to achieve their wedding dreams.

The Bridal Coach membership site has short instructional videos which outline your many options at each step of the wedding planning process.  This is followed by action lists, and checklists that cut through all the information to just get the job done.  Our cost-cutting video series informs the couple with less expensive options at each step of the wedding planning process.  Whether you are looking for the correct wording for an engagement announcement or a wedding invitation, or whether you want a solution to the high cost of a sit-down dinner reception, we have all your options in one place.

Our team of wedding planners are all certified with the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada.  They are available in our members only forum to answer your questions, on our weekly coaching call, and for personal coaching if you choose that option.

Our goal is to make the wedding planning process fun, quick and easy—and our community of brides and wedding planners makes planning your wedding that much easier.  See you inside!

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