DJing Your Own Wedding
How and Why You Should Master Your Own Dancefloor!
Wedding Receptions are BACK! Admittedly the numbers are still limited to 30 for the time being, but there’s no avoiding what a huge step in the right direction this will be. However, with economic concerns as they are, there’s no doubt that couples will be looking to save a little bit of money where they can. So why not consider being your own Wedding DJ? If you do follow this route, there are a number of benefits you’ll receive:
You don’t have to deal with an arrogant DJ that won’t play requests
Now of course, I do not mean to tarnish all DJ’s with the same brush, as this simply wouldn’t always be the case. But, undoubtedly, there are a lot of DJ’s out there that play what they want, when they want it. Whilst the right DJ will use his, her or their experience to fuse the right balance of dancefloor anthems and personal requests, the ones that “know best” could well just play whatever they desire. By being your own Wedding DJ, you can largely avoid this risk.
Perfect your playlist
By being in control of the music for your Wedding, you can regain control of creating a playlist that works for everyone. Seeing as you know your guests better than everyone, you already have a huge head start on deciding which tracks and artists are likely to keep the dance floor filled. Here’s a few tips on how to create the perfect playlist:
Make sure the playlist is at least 50% longer than you think you need it to be
The reason for this is simple. If the dancing section of your evening is 4 hours long, there are a number of reasons why you might run out of songs prematurely. You might decide to change the genre of music if you’ve been pushing the disco vibes too hard. You may also feel that perhaps you’ve played too many songs by one artist. You may even decide that a particular request by a guest is no longer a good idea, seeing how a similar song may have gone down on the night. Imagining how guests will react to a song, and the results in practice can often be different. So be sure to have enough songs in your playlist to cover each eventuality.
Pick the Perfect Dance song
In the previous paragraph we’ve just explained how and why you need to make sure you have enough variety in your playlist. However, with the First Dance – you really don’t need to worry about whether your guests know or even enjoy the song for that matter. This moment is entirely about you – and your guests will be so swept up in the moment that their personal thoughts on the song won’t really be relevant. Pick a song that is important to the both of you, and slow enough to dance to at a relaxed pace.
Ask guests (in advance) to select one song they’d like to hear on the night
When creating your Wedding playlist, this is a hugely valuable tool in creating something for everyone. First of all, this makes everyone feel included in the process, and can guarantee that everyone has a song that they are going to get up to on the night! But equally, it also gives you some invaluable ideas on what people are looking to hear on the night. For example, if you receive 3 Michael Jackson requests, 2 from Earth, Wind & Fire and 1 from Chic – you know that 80s/Disco is going to go down pretty well with most guests.
Design exactly how you’d like your Dance Floor to look
This last point is often a little bit overlooked, if not entirely. Most DJ’s simply have a stock set of equipment that they provide, which may not even be discussed with the Bride & Groom. This could include a DJ booth, 2 speakers and a couple of dance floor lights – but if it isn’t discussed, who knows?! What if the DJ turns up with a horrid rig that’s older than half your guests?
By DJing your own Wedding, you are able to decide what will look best for your unique Reception. Here are the key things to consider:
Speakers
You will naturally need at least 2 speakers for your Wedding (and stands for them to sit on). But if the room is large, has high ceilings, or you are likely to have more than 150 guests on the night – we would recommend doubling this to 4 speakers. Only go for reputable brands like Mackie or QSC.
Subwoofers
You will also need to decide if you want to have a subwoofer (or 2) at your event. If you weren’t sure what these are, these are boxes that hide under the DJ booth, pumping massive bass into the dancefloor. If you have quite a young crowd that really like to throw some shapes, these are a great option. But if you have an older crowd, we would recommend ditching the subwoofers.
Microphones
You will need at least one microphone for speeches and announcements. Make sure it’s wireless, and that it’s made either by Shure or Sennheiser.
DJ Booth
DJ Booths are a great focal point to control your music from. Now whilst you won’t actually have a DJ there, you can still keep the laptop controlling the music behind this wonderful structure. You can also keep control of the music and microphone levels behind this station. You will just need to make it clear to guests that this is not a drinks table!
Lighting
Finally, be sure to hire enough lighting to fill the dancefloor. Our favourite package is 2 Moving Heads on Podiums (pictured below). These provide a range of patterns that move across the Dancefloor in time with the music. Simply turn on at the same time as the music and you’re good to go!
Hopefully this has provided with you some valuable insight as to how and why you should reclaim control of the dance floor at your upcoming Wedding Reception. For further info on what sort of equipment you may require, please contact Grand Technical.
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