Tips for Booking Wedding Entertainment

[iball]

Nine tips to help arranging your wedding entertainment. Why nine?
Well you've got enough on your plate with everything else you have to organise and you probably haven't time to read ten!
Hopefully these tips will take some of the stress out of planning your reception entertainment so that, on the day, the only hitch will be yours!

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Tip No. 1: Book Early
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Here's the first tip and it's such a simple thing that nearly
everyone forgets.......what is it?

BOOK EARLY

Like the best Venues, Limousine Companies and Event Co-ordinators the best Wedding Entertainers get booked up early, especially during the busier times of the year.

To make sure that you are not disappointed and end up with the second best in entertainment, start thinking about your Wedding Entertainers sooner rather than later.

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Tip No. 2: What sort of entertainment will you have?
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There are literally hundreds of different types of Wedding Entertainers to choose from:

Harpists
Solo Vocalists
Choirs
Caricaturists
Live Bands
Scottish Pipers
String Quartets
Comedians
Magicians
Pianists
DJs
Steel Bands
Jazz Trios
Guitar Duos

to name a few.

The choice is enormous, not only with what type of entertainment will you choose but also when will you use it?

Because there's so much choice it's important to decide on the theme for the day early on in your planning, as this could affect the type of entertainment that you're going to book.

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Tip No. 3: Where to find your Wedding Entertainer
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Apart from the obvious choices available on the web, why not try the Yellow Pages, Thomson local directory, your favourite bridal magazine, entertainment agencies, wedding planners, a referral from a friend or you may see someone you like performing in a pub or even in the street!

When you do find someone you like then get their details, contact them straight away, get a price and if it all seems reasonable, pencil in a provisional date from them.

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Tip No. 4: If Music be the Food of Love
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Choosing the right sort of musical accompaniment for your Wedding Day is always difficult, as there are so many professional musicians and varieties of music to choose from. To get an idea of how the various styles of musical accompaniment can be used then read on.

Pianists.
For sheer versatility, economy of space, working indoors or out (weather permitting) and with the excellent sound quality of modern electric pianos and synthesisers, the pianist can enhance the ceremony, the drinks reception, the wedding breakfast and the evening do. In fact every aspect of your wedding day.

String Ensembles.
A string ensemble is another good choice for your wedding. Not only can they play at your wedding ceremony, but can also perform at your reception either while the guests arrive or during the wedding breakfast, or both!

There is a vast range of music that can be played by a string ensemble from classical, baroque and romantic pieces, right up to modern pieces and popular music.

Soloists.
Soloists are becoming popular to perform treasured songs at the church or civil ceremony with plenty of opportunities for a soloist to entertain your guests. From a classically trained soprano to a more modern accompaniment, soloists can be found to suit any musical taste.

Live Bands.
The sound of a live band playing with drums, guitars, keyboards and one or more voices is totally different from playing a CD or tape at a wedding reception.
The atmosphere that a good live band can generate is much more exhilarating, plus the interaction between the band and your guests creates an evening, which will be remembered for a long time afterwards.

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Tip No. 5: Hiring a DJ
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Choosing a DJ that is right for you is perhaps more difficult than finding a live band or artist. Most evening do's will have a DJ providing music for people to dance to and making sure you hire a good professional is essential.

All too often a fantastic day can be ruined by a DJ who plays the wrong music or says the wrong thing. Remember this one person is responsible for ensuring that the best night of your life is just that!

First off it's probably wise to avoid the offer from a friend or relative who says they can 'spin some discs' on your important day. If they're good at what they do, then that's fine.. but imagine the ruined friendships or bad feeling that would ensue if he/she is just plain 'awful'?

When looking for a DJ try and see them work or see if they have any 'audition' tapes and pictures so that you can make comparisons between different people.

Talk to the DJ well before the day and let them know which music styles you want and those you definitely don't want! Also let them know of any particular songs that must be played. If they haven't got them then you can let them borrow your copy for the night or find it elsewhere.

Good DJs will be happy to discuss your requirements, either on the phone or some will even visit you at your home. If they won't then you've got to ask yourselves "are they good enough for me?"

Find out what sort of light show they have as this will have a big impact on the evening and as with live artists make sure the venue can accommodate them.
And finally a few days before the occasion or on the night give them a timetable of events so that the music will be tailored to the cake being cut, your leaving, or anything else that you may have arranged.

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Tip No. 6: What to do Next
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Once you found the artist or band you would like to book then before you do book them make sure your venue can accommodate them.

Some venues may have noise restrictions or might not be large enough to fit that 12 piece swing band in. Does the band need any special facilities that the venue can't provide?

The easiest way to answer these questions is to get the band or DJ to do the hard work for you, after all they want your business!
So why not ask the band to contact the venue and confirm that they can play there and then you can contact the venue (remember we're not leaving anything to chance here) to make sure that they have done it.
Remember to do this before you sign any contract with the entertainer(s).

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Tip No. 7: Contracts, Payments and Insurance
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Let me say this once and once only.

GET A CONTRACT

You're in the process of organising the biggest, most important day of your life. With 1001 things to arrange before the day, come the day itself you have only two things to do.

1, Be the centre of attention.
2, Enjoy yourself!

You don't want to be worrying over whether the entertainment you've booked will be reliable.

You don't want to be worrying whether the entertainment will arrive on time, or even at all.

And you don't want to be worrying whether there are any hidden costs that you might be charged.

The only way to do this is to hire a professional entertainer and get a contract.

(Sorry I said it again!).

Contracts will ensure that all parties concerned know exactly what they have to do and they don't have to be complicated.

A typical contract will, as a minimum, tell both you and the entertainer: where the venue is, what time the entertainer can start setting their equipment up, what time they should start performing, what time they should finish performing and how much the entertainer is going to charge.

The contract might stipulate that payment is in cash on the night and if it does you must ask yourself the question, hasn't this professional entertainer got a bank account?
A professional entertainer doesn't need cash on the night. If you want to give them cash then they'll be happy to take it, but a cheque will do fine.

Finally we get to the Insurance bit.
This is the entertainers insurance and not your wedding insurance.
Make sure that the entertainer that you hire has valid third party insurance, if they're a pro they will.

Hopefully it will never have to be used, but accidents do happen and if that speaker stack falls on to the table holding your wedding gifts......well.

A professional entertainer will have insurance and for your peace of mind ask them for a copy of it.

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Tip No. 8: Alternative Wedding Entertainment
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Way back in tip number 2 we had a quick look at some of the different types of entertainment that's available for a Wedding and have so far concentrated on how to choose a Musician, Band or DJ.
But what else is available?

Doves
Doves? Yes Doves. Not really entertainment but they might be just the thing you're looking for. There are a few specialist companies out there that will supply baskets of doves, which can be released as a symbol of your love for each other on your Wedding Day. Hopefully they will be well behaved as they fly off! And they do make for a great photo opportunity, so have those cameras ready.

Creche
If you know that there are going to be a lot of youngsters around then why not hire a mobile creche to supervise them. This way everyone can enjoy your day knowing that the children are having a special party all of their own. You could even have a children's entertainer, bouncy castle, or ball pool to help keep them amused.

Caricaturists
To make a unique keepsake, why not have caricatures of your guests, family and friends or even yourselves drawn on your Wedding Day. There wouldn't be time to draw everyone, so just tell the caricaturist who you would like to be drawn and let them get on with it.

Original Poem
Another alternative is to have on original poem written about yourselves. This could be presented in a scroll for posterity, with the best man reading it out so that you can share the memories with your family and friends.

Chimney Sweep
Having a Chimney Sweep attend your wedding is guaranteed to bring you good luck and makes for a great photo opportunity.

Comedian
Why not take a break during the evenings entertainment and hire a comedian.
This is another way to make your Wedding Day different. The only thing here is to choose them carefully as we don't want to offend your great aunt!

Hopefully this has given you some ideas to make your special day even more memorable.

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Tip No. 9 The Magical Wedding
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Magic is probably the only type of Wedding Entertainment where everyone gets their own personal show. With the magician being only a few inches away from the audience, your family and friends will experience feats of magic that will leave them with a long lasting memory of your Wedding Day.

Strolling Magic can be performed during those quiet moments when your guests are waiting for you to have your photos taken, as an icebreaker during a champagne drinks reception or while they are arriving for the wedding breakfast.

Close-up Magic can be performed before and during the meal to amaze and entertain and Stage Magic, when used as a short cabaret act, can become part of the evenings entertainment.

In fact there isn't a single time during your Wedding Day, apart from the ceremony itself, that you can't use Magic to help make your special day Magical.

Hiring a Magician takes up virtually no space at the Wedding venue, which means that they can be very easily integrated into your Wedding Day plans and unless they are performing on a stage, will have all of the tools of their trade in their pockets and sometimes even your guests' pockets!

There are many great magical entertainers out there and hopefully if you follow my tips about booking professional entertainers you won't go wrong in hiring a Magician.

Obviously I'd like it if you hired me to entertain at your Wedding, but I realise that you may not like my face, that I'm too far away, or would just prefer someone else.

I hope these tips have been useful, if you have any tips yourself then don't forget to post them here.

Best wishes and good luck for the future.

Ian Ball

[penny]

With all the hectic planning I am doing at the moment. I need a magician RIGHT NOW not at the reception.

Got any magic tricks to make my future mother in law vanish?

Thanks for the tips anyway it was a huge help

[sweetie]

I would like to have a band at my wedding... tell me if it is because I am getting old but I find they tend to be too loud.... The last thing I want is for people not to continue enjoying a chat because theres a loud band on.

[redman]

I suppose it depends on the size of your venue - if you have a large venue then those wanting a bit of peace can congragate at the back or in a seperate bar. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Talk to the band you have in mind I am sure others have had the same worry.

[madison]

don't do what my aunty did and leave booking the dj to her now husband. He just got a mate to do it and the only records he had were by the Specials. Not very weddingy

[Louise]

I just wanted to thank the person that posted this origionally. Very informative

[roadh]

Can I just add that when space, budgets and volume (as was the case with our wedding) you can consider hiring a duo. We found this had the all benifits a live band at the third of the cost. They also provided the disco free of charge.

[Derekpen]

Roadh,
I am glad this duo format worked for you but.........................

I would usually advise against letting the "Band" provide the "Disco" free of charge. This usually means that one of the band will play compilation CDs or tapes whilst the rest of the band take a break.

It usually means that requests are not catered for and there is no professional presentation of the music in a way that ensures everyone present gets to listen to, or dance to their favourite artists / songs.

It worked for you;Fine.
My experience is that this is an exception rather than the rule.

Live Music = great.
Good DJ = Great.
Hire the two = even better!

Fact. 85% of American Brides surveyed last year wished they had given more thought and spent more of their budget on entertainment!
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Congratulations to all our Brides and Grooms.

Many Thanks.

Derek Pengelly.

[Lynnms]

Has no-one else thought to do what I'm doing - I'm hiring a Whurlitzer Dukebox, which will contain 150 cds of our choice and is being programmed to play a random selection unless one of our guests chooses a song. So we have problem with room and get the music we want at a reasonable price.

[Derekpen]

How much is the hire fee?

Do you pay for delivery and collection?

Who gets to choose the 150 discs?

Just how much space do you think a DJ needs?
_________________
Congratulations to all our Brides and Grooms.

Many Thanks.

Derek Pengelly.

[Lynnms]

The hire fee is 350 including delivery/collection(within 100 mile radius of Northampton), a wireless microphone, lights, extra speakers and a bubble & smoke machine. Also, as they set up the day before and remove the day after the wedding, we get the dukebox all day.

H2b & I get to choose a genre or time period for the music and can even specify any particlular CDs we want included.

All of the DJ's I've seen take up more space than a dukebox and you end up with his choice of music not yours.

[Derekpen]

OK you get to choose the discs.

150 CDs [20tracks per CD?] = 3000 tunes.

Typical track time of 3mins = 20 tracks per hour.

typical party duration of Five hours = 100 tracks.

Now the missing ingredient here is TALENT.

It's not only a matter of "what" the music is that is played, but "WHEN" the music is played.

A Professional DJ or Band leader has EXPERIENCE of reading an audience and adjusting the play list according to reaction from the dance floor.

Something a Random selection can never do.

Do you want to leave to chance the jukebox getting the 100 out of 3000 tunes right. Is it most unlikely.

No. I can envisage someone will hog the selector button or worse still people will select their favourite tracks that they have not heard for years, which they may well like, but others may not appreciate.

A number of pubs and clubs have recently installed automatic, computer controlled music systems. Many are now switching them off and inviting back personality, party DJ or live bands, to enthuse the crowd and interact with guests.

A successful party is much more than just music.
_________________
Congratulations to all our Brides and Grooms.

Many Thanks.

Derek Pengelly.

[Lynnms]

If we need talent then H2bs brother-in-law is retired DJ, and has offered to DJ if we want him to.

The whole purpose of having a dukebox is for people to select the music they want to dance to or hadn't that thought crossed your mind?

Also as you rightly pointed out "A successful party is much more than just music" which is why H2B & I are not prepared to spend over 500 for some idiot to try and induce our family and friends to "get up and boggie the night away"(recently heard at friends wedding) to his choice of music.

[Derekpen]

LYNNMS WROTE

QUOTE;
a wireless microphone, lights, extra speakers and a bubble & smoke machine. END QUOTE;

It appears you want a DO-IT-YOURSELF-DISCO.

Fine, its your choice although I am sure a local Pro-DJ could have provided everything you require,a compact sound system, respect your music preferences and still benefit from his experience, all for around about the same fee.

One last point. Public Liability Insurance and effects of using smoke and bubble machines.

Smoke effecting fire alarm systems and asthma sufferers.

Bubble machines and slippery residue on dance floors.
No bubble machine manufacturer I have asked to date, will guarantee that the bubbles will not stain your wedding dress or guests' outfits!

All of the above is intended to inform and assist in the process of making value judgements based on facts.

I hope you have a great party.
_________________
Congratulations to all our Brides and Grooms.

Many Thanks.

Derek Pengelly.

[Lynnms]

Just beacuse they provide a smoke and bubble machine doesn't mean we have to use them, also I'm planning on spending too much time stood infront of either if we do use them, and I had hoped the guests wouldn't either. I was actually thinking of having the bubble machine on the grass/terrace outside not near the dance floor.

As for DIY, I'm hoping it will make our guests feel more part of the whole day if they get to not only request but actually press the buttons for the songs they want.

As for fire alarm systems, even professional DJs have been know to set them off. And as we have a couple of asthma sufferers in the family, I already know that they don't suffer any reaction to smoke machines.

Also we have got insurance which includes Public Liability Insurance.