Wedding Tips (What to expect from your DJ)

The sequence of events for your wedding is entirely up to you. The normal sequence is as follows.

1) THE ENTRY
There are two main variations to this, casual and formal. The casual approach is where the bride, groom and party simply arrive and start mingling with their guests. The formal entry is where the guests will be asked to stand. The grand entry will then begin with introduction of each member of the wedding party ending with the introduction of the bride and groom. As the wedding party is introduced and applauded by the guests, they will then take there places at the head of the table. This is usually announced by the MC or a family member.

2) DINNER AND SPEECHES
The speeches are normally made at the end of the meal, but if time is running short a good option is to have them in between courses. A lot of weddings run behind schedule, that leaves less time for dancing later in the night. It is also a good idea to get the photographer to take a photograph of the bridal party at the table before it is cluttered with cutlery.
The toasts and speeches are usually announced by the MC in the following order.

Toast to the bride and groom - made by a close friend who gives a short speech and proposes the toast.
Response - from the groom
Toast to the bridesmaids - made by the groom, who says his speech and proposes the toast.
Response - from the best man on behalf of the bridesmaids.
Toast to the parents - made by a close family friend
Response - from the father of the bride then the father of the groom
Telegrams - read by the best man and groomsman

3) CUTTING OF THE CAKE/ WEDDING WALTZ
About 30 minutes after everyone has finished eating, the cutting of the cake takes place. This is immediately followed by the bridal waltz. The bridal party is then asked to join them on the dance floor followed by the immediate family. The guests are then asked to join them on the dance floor. Other traditional dances include the father bride dance and the mother and groom dance. This is usually co-ordinated by the MC or the disc jockey.

4) BOUQUET AND GARTER
The bouquet and garter can be done at any stage of the night but are usually done towards the end of the evening. I will position the bride with her bouquet in the centre of the floor and ask for all single females to form a group behind her. I will then ask the guests to join in on the count of three. The bride tosses her bouquet over her shoulder to the ladies. Tradition has it that the person that catches it will be the next to marry.

A chair is then brought out to the bride for her to sit on while her garter is removed by her husband. I then invite all the single men to form a group behind the bride as the single women did for the bouquet toss. Once everyone is in place, I start an appropriate musical selection at which time the groom carefully removes the garter from his wife’s leg and flings it over his back to the waiting men. Likewise, tradition has it that the single man who catches it will be the next to marry.(I have some very funny variations to this, if you would like, let me know beforehand) this is usually co-ordinated by the DJ.

5) THE FAREWELL
There are several variations to this, one of which includes going from table to table saying goodbye to your guests. For the more traditional ending I will ask all the guests to form a large circle on the dance floor. You can then say goodbye to your guests with the bride going one direction and the groom the other. While in the back ground the traditional auld lang syne will be playing or any song of your choice. Another variation of this is to form a large archway from one end of the room to the exit door and walk through to say goodbye to your guests. For the adventurous you could run through the archway to make a grand exit.

6) THE ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere is an area that is seldom thought of ahead of time. It is not an item that will ruin your reception, but it is certainly an item that is worthy of your attention and certainly enhances the dancing. The easiest and most inexpensive way to create an atmosphere is with candles on each table with dimmed lights. They create a very pleasant dancing and party atmosphere, along with my DJ lights you have the look just right for dancing. For those adventurous couples I have a selection of games that can be played guaranteed to get guests involved.