Wedding receptions each have their own energy.  Some call it the vibe or atmosphere.  Whatever it is, it is the way the event makes you and your guests feel while you are there and how you remember the day after it has happened.  Most of the time it is not possible to know what the vibe will be at an event before you get there, but last month at the wedding of Lindsay & Jon, I knew we were in for a great time.

A wedding reception that happens in the late afternoon or evening should be handled differently than one that happens at night.  People are less inclined to dance and “party” during the day than they do at night.  If alcohol is served, there is usually less consumed during the daytime events than at night (not always!).  And people often have something else to do or somewhere else to go after a daytime wedding reception.  So all of these things should be in the mind of a wedding disc jockey when planning the flow of a daytime wedding event.  Often times, daytime events are scheduled that way in order to get special pricing discounts for price-sensitive couples.  In the case of Lindsay & Jon’s wedding, we did some fun stuff, talked a lot in advance and planned accordingly.

Lindsay had a fantastic display that incorporated a vintage wedding dress from her family.  Also, in lieu of a standard guest book, she had an awesome Wish Tree that guests could write a special message on and hang ornament-style in the tree.

Color-wash lights were used in the room to enhance the decor even though the room was the brightly & naturally lit fellowship hall at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Richardson.

When planning her event, Lindsay and I talked a lot about music selection.  Wants and don’t-wants.  Specific songs and artists that they would like to hear and, ofcourse, special dances.  I even created a special music edit in my studio to make their grand entrance truly one-of-a-kind.

But even the best songs ever written will not always succeed in getting guests up to dance during the middle of the afternoon – so what’s a DJ to do?  The fear of having an obnoxious, over-bearing DJ is often expressed to me by my brides, so I am always careful when putting together events that encourage and engage the guests at a wedding reception.  I never want to embarrass a guest or have fun at someone else’s expense.  So we have special music tools that can be used to gently encourage dancing and celebrating such as an anniversary dance or couples dances.  We even can help the guests get to know their newlywed couple better by playing a wedding Question & Answer game.

All of these options are discussed in advance and used only when appropriate.  Then as guests feel more comfortable in the party atmosphere of the afternoon, the formalities melt away and the smiles come out.  People loosen-up and start to wiggle in their seats.  Then when the right song is played, people can’t help but get up out of their seats and dance – even when all the lights are on at five o’clock in the afternoon!

Soon enough it was time for a bouquet & garter toss followed soon after by the last songs of the afternoon and another special, wonderful first night together for a happy couple…