Tickled Pink Brides - Orlando, Florida's Premier Wedding Planner

The Friday Five: 5 Things to Keep in Mind When Booking a DJ

Booking a DJ for the first time can be a little overwhelming for a lot of brides, so I've put together the short list of tips to keep in mind:

1. How much experience do they have? It is important to ask how many weddings they have done and how often they do them. Also have them give you an example of their MC style and how they motivate guests to dance.

2. Meet with your DJ right before the wedding.  Go over the style of music you, your fiancé and wedding guests will enjoy with your DJ. This meeting should happen anywhere from a month to a few days before your wedding. You should also have a request list or "do not play" list. Any experienced DJ should walk you through the reception, help you with song selections, and put together a schedule for each important toast, dance, etc.

3. What does their set-up look like and what type of equipment do they use?  You want to ensure their equipment is in good condition and of good quality. They should also bring backup equipment in case something fails. The equipment should be as simple and clean as possible so as not to distract from the overall aesthetic of your wedding. Be sure to request they do not advertise during your event.  Often times these items inevitably find their way into your wedding pictures and video, and ruin what is an otherwise commercial-free event. 

4. Have you played at our reception site before?  This is not a must, but a plus. Working with a DJ that has worked at the venue in the past allows them to envision where they will set up, and forsee any issues they've learned about from previous experiences there.

5. Are they insured?  This is something brides often overlook, but you should never hire a DJ without insurance. Often times a venue will require they have it so it's best to hire a DJ that has already taken the proper steps to become insured.

Have more questions about hiring a DJ or other wedding professionals?  Contact us!

Selecting Your Wedding Day Playlist

Songs played on your wedding day are special details that you will cherish forever!  From the song for your walk down the aisle to the last dance tune, every song can have a special meaning.  Of course, the best case scenario is using songs that are meaningful to you and your fiance but let's face it, sometimes a couple doesn't have a song that really stands out to them.  Sometimes the best way to make an impact and create a special wedding day moment is to choose a song that's less familiar and not overplayed.  

Try thinking about some place that you all have been together and incorporating that tune in your wedding day!  A friend of mine met her fiance at a Coldplay concert and wanted to use one of their songs in their wedding day.  Instead of having the original version play, the bride walked down the aisle to a string quartet version... it was one of my favorite wedding moments of all time!

 Listen Here! 

 

For a bride who wants to use a more current hit, Al Dee Productions just introduced us to a "Teenage Dream" cover by Boyce Avenue.  Yes, I mean the Katy Perry song! It is the most spectacular version that would be beautiful for a first dance song! Prepare to be blown away by Boyce Avenue! 

                                      "Teenage Dream" Cover Listen Here!

 There are so many great options for songs out there that haven't been done before.  To quickly find some tunes, ask your DJ to do a search for you or ask your videographer.  They are always using out-of-the-box songs in their edited wedding videos and can be a plethora of music knowledge!

Happy listening! 

Tech Tips for Simplifying Your Wedding Planning

Guest blogger Jeff Kear, who owns the online wedding planner My Wedding Workbook, has a few tips to share today about making the most of technology when planning a wedding.

When my wife and I planned our wedding a few years ago (we got married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in November 2009), we looked high and low for tools that would make planning our wedding easier. Like many couples, we both work full time and have lots going on, so finding techie timesavers was the first thing on our list when we started planning. Here are a few of the things we used that we found really useful.

First, we used the My Wedding Workbook online wedding planning system, which helped us track all our details and provided us with a really cool wedding website that also had an online RSVP page for our guests. (And for all you wedding consultants we have a version of their online wedding planner software for professionals, and we're starting work on DJ booking management software and florist software).

My wife and I always try to be environmentally conscious and wanted to make as small a carbon footprint for our wedding, so we decided to send out our invitations electronically. We used Pingg, which is an online email invitation service, to send out our invites, and for the most part it was pretty good (we chose the paid version because we didn't want ads all over our invitations and landing page).

Next, we created a unique email address for our wedding with a Gmail account. Brides (and even grooms) tend to sign up for lots of accounts on many wedding-related sites, and when you sign up you tend to get lots of email from those places. By creating a special email account for your wedding, you can collect all those wedding-related emails in one place and, best of all, shut it off when your wedding is over so you don't continue to get pummeled with all those emails from sites and vendors.

Instead of hiring a DJ or a band we went the iPod route. I would recommend this with a few reservations. First, you need to have an ear for what your guests will like. DJs and bands have an intuition about what to play when, and since you are going to create your playlists beforehand, you will need to have a sense of flow and timing when it comes to the music. Second, you should create multiple playlists with different kinds of music. This way, if the mood of your reception changes, you want music that matches the mood. Third, you should have enough music to last twice as long as your reception, ensuring that you won't run out of tunes.  Lastly, you need to have the right setup. Your venue needs to have the right equipment, and you need to put a trusted friend in charge of running the iPod. In addition, you should make sure someone at the venue can help out if you have issues with their sound system.

Finally, to offset the carbon footprint of our wedding, we bought carbon offset credits at CarbonFund.org. Hopefully this gives you a good start on how you can use technology to save time and get better organized for your big day!

Hiring Wedding Vendors: Bands & DJs

   

    Your band and/or DJ will act as an emcee for your reception, so choose wisely!  First of all, know your wedding guests and consider the type of reception you're looking for.  If you prefer lounge or cocktail-party style music to the latest dance songs, make your voice heard now!  If your goal is to be sure the dance floor is packed all night, give your DJ a sense of the music you'd like to hear, then loosen the reigns and let him or her cater to the crowd's energy throughout the night.  Below are questions you'll want to consider when meeting with a band or DJ:

• How much say do we get in our music choices?
• What is your protocol when guests request songs from our "Do Not Play" list?
• What is your DJing style?
• What will you wear to our wedding?
• What are your power requirements?
• Do you provide additional items like dance floor lighting?
• (If necessary) Are you able to play music for the ceremony?
• Are you able to provide wireless or lavalier microphones and speakers for the ceremony?
• What kind of equipment, tables, or skirting do you need for us to supply?
• How much involvement do you take on in emceeing the event?
• What is your overtime rate, should we choose to extend the reception?
• (Bands) Will you learn new music for special requests, like first dances?
• (Bands) How many breaks will you take and for how long?  What type of music will be played during your breaks?