The venue is booked, the dress has been chosen and as Han Solo once said “This is where the fun begins”
There is so much to think about for your BIG DAY and besides choosing a great videographer to make sure all the sights and sounds of your wedding are covered (BIG WINK), one of the most memorable bookings you will make is your entertainment! One worry that anyone organizing any event is, are their guests going to enjoy themselves? Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, corporate event or wedding, you want to see big smiles, laughter, singing and cheering and this is what we are going to concentrate on in today’s blog.
Let’s start with DJ’s
We are always keen to get to know our Brides & Grooms before the wedding because we can be there for up to 12 hours on a shoot and we want them to be comfortable having us around, the same goes with the photographer and your DJ. You have given responsibility to 1 person (sometimes more) to entertain your guests for an entire evening and that’s not easy. When you pick a DJ, pick one with personality and style,this person has to please that guest who likes The Killers but can’t stand Take That, the guest who insists the brides choice of music is rubbish and wants a little more 90’s House. A DJ is almost like your personal assistant for the dance floor, get to know them well and they’ll mix (no pun intended) really well with your family and friends and create an awesome party.
A good place to start is with DFC who you can see in the video below or ‘multi award-winning’ Andy Murphy DJ (he will hate me saying that)
Here you can see a short ‘Day in the Life’ from a DFC wedding
Here you can see some great DJ & guest interaction from the guys mentioned above.
Wedding Singers
Most of the wedding singers we have worked with over the years have also taken a role as host for the day which works really well and ensures a smooth running of your reception and meal. One of our favourite singers in the North West is Paul Guard who you can see in action below.
Great wedding singers such as Paul, Howard Wing, Alex Birtwell (below) and Wayne Farrow can really transform your wedding reception into an amazing party, guests will be dancing on chairs, throwing napkins in the air and dancing The Conga even before dessert is served.
DFC who we mentioned earlier and agencies such as Love Music , Bandtube & Six15 Events can also provide you with many different types of musical acts, below you can see a short video from a gig we shot with The Rush who are one of the biggest weddings bands in the North West
Here is a quick clip from a wedding we shot with The Rush, WE LOVE the Sax on this one!
The Bride decides to join Gavin on the microphone, PRICELESS!
We mentioned earlier that it’s a good idea to get to know some of your wedding team and the same applies to your band. Take at least one night out with friends and see them at one of their gigs, you will have a great night and it will make you and your friends even more excited for the dance floor, we visited The Deadbeats at one of their amazing sets in the summer and had an absolute blast.
Here is a short video from one of the DFC open nights which showcased their acts to future Brides & Grooms
There are also the solo artists who can provide a romantic atmosphere during the ceremony or early drinks reception like Liz Hendry or Piano Daisy who we recently filmed below.
Laura James who just sounds frickin awesome!!!
and Al Sax who is perfect for an evening reception.
Magicians
MAGIC IS BACK!
Every wedding were there is a magician, we know there are going to be plenty of gasps, shocked faces and laughter from all who are involved. A modern magician such as Jason Rea, Sam Fitton, Chris Hurst or Darren Robinson bring a lot of comedy into their act and it is genuinely so good to watch the guest reactions as the illusions are happening.
A great time for magic is during the early drinks reception or as your guests arrive for the evening party.
There is so much to choose from when looking for wedding entertainment, photobooths, casino tables, dancers, live acts, party games and so on, we even had a dance booth ourselves for 1 wedding which you can see below.
Decide what would make your wedding into awesome day that no one will forget, speak to the people you are booking and let them know what you would like from them, they will appreciate the input from you. From personal experience, when we leave a wedding during a loud and mad party we know it has been an amazing day and we have captured terrific footage of you and your guests having the time of your life.
Finally, here are 2 examples from weddings we have shot this year, both featuring entertainment which guaranteed a packed dance floor and happy guests!
P-A-R-T-Y
… first time was 8 years ago and our first little girl was 6 months old in a little restaurant called the old town house, he got the staff to bring out the ring after our food in a little basket and it wasn’t till he got down on one knee that i realized why he kept going the toilet, bless him he was that nervous and emotional he didn’t even ask me to marry him he just said “I love you so much and you mean the world to me and I said yeah and he put the ring on, still don’t know what I said yes to that first time xxx
… I thought he was doing a runner so I threw my ring and it got lost in the grass, poor sod, he was only getting his cigarettes. 3 months later my neighbor found it in his lawn mower, mowed it and broke it. On NYE we had a get together with friends where he proposed again bless him and gave me a new ring and this time he actually said “will you marry me and make me the happiest man ever” I obviously said yes and we celebrated the new year with family and friends bless him!
