ASK THE EXPERT
ASK THE EXPERT : ENTERTAINMENT
JACK & KELLII OWNERS OF JMC EVENTS UK OFFER THEIR ADVICE FOR MAKING SURE YOUR WEDDING PARTY IS A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS I NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING MY WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT ? Entertainment is one of the most important factors of a wedding , that ’ s why it ’ s a good idea to make sure at least the music is covered before planning any extras . This can be in the form of a DJ , band , musician , or a mixture of each .
Other forms of entertainment such as a photo booth are a great idea to consider booking . Not only will it keep you and your guests occupied , but it also breaks up the day and gives an additional opportunity to capture even more fun and beautiful memories in a more relaxed environment .
WHY IS A DISCO A GREAT CHOICE FOR MY WEDDING ? A disco is a great choice as it allows you to leave the worries of building an atmosphere and keeping energy throughout the evening to an experienced professional .
An experienced DJ will take your music preferences and build them around a music set that will entertain the whole room . A DJ will tend to transition between songs leaving no awkward silences and will lift the ambience of the venue with their disco lighting and crowd interaction . The music selection with a DJ is typically much wider and more flexible than any offering from a band or musician .
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD I BOOK MY WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT ? A well-established DJ will likely be booking dates around a year in advance . That said , it will depend on the time of year and the day that you book . We find Saturdays between April-October are the most popular . If your preferred date falls into this , we recommend researching and booking as soon as you ’ ve found your perfect entertainment company . Most suppliers , including us , only require a booking fee / deposit to secure your date , with the remaining balance to be paid a few weeks or days prior to the event date .
MY VENUE HAS A SOUND LIMITER - CAN I STILL HAVE THE ENTERTAINMENT I WANT ? We understand and respect that venues with strict licensing have guidelines in place , Sound limiters are unfortunately an annoyance when it comes to entertainment , especially with live music . They are designed to cut power to an entertainer ’ s equipment if sound exceeds a certain level , which can lead to unexpected pauses in music throughout the night .
If your venue has a sound limiter , we suggest picking a DJ over a band , DJs have a lot more control at keeping the sound at a consistent level . If you are worried about venue guidelines , it is always helpful to let your entertainer know in advance that they will be dealing with a sound limiter .
I ’ M GETTING MARRIED IN A SMALL VENUE - HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY ENTERTAINMENT SUITS THE VENUE ? In this instance , it would be worth discussing this with your preferred supplier and see if they can scale their setup to fit your venue . Most event companies can shrink their equipment to squeeze into tighter gaps or recommend certain services perfect for smaller scaled venues . This is something we have become quite experienced with over the years ; we love helping clients create their perfect wedding day even with limited space .
WHICH SONGS SHOULD I MAKE SURE WE PLAY TO GET THE MOST PEOPLE ON THE DANCE FLOOR ? There are a great number of floor fillers out there , and this will depend on a few factors as every event and every crowd is different . The age range of your guests will play a big part of what gets people going as well as what style of music you prefer to hear . An experienced DJ will have a list of tunes that have filled floors throughout their previous events that they can draw from . We tend to find a happy medium of at least five ‘ floor filler ’ songs from each genre . We always read the crowd to find out what guests enjoy , branch out and return to genres that work well to keep guests dancing all night long .
I ’ M STRUGGLING TO CHOOSE A FIRST DANCE TRACK- ANY RECOMMENDATIONS ? Your first dance is likely the most important music choice you ’ ll make for the evening , and it ’ s easy to get lost in the pressure of picking that perfect track .
Truthfully , so long as it ’ s sentimental to you and your partner , it doesn ’ t matter what you pick . We ’ ve had all kinds of styles requested over the years from a slow Ed Sheehan song to an upbeat Avicii track . Your first dance is all about you and your partner in the moment .
During our pre-wedding meetings we discuss and help clients find their perfect first dance song as well as having the ability to cut or change any elements of a certain song and announce guests to join you on the dance floor during or after your first dance .
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