The ‘wedding bit’ is done, you’ve tied the knot – Congratulations!

All that hard work over the last 6-18 months of planning your big day, it’s time to let your hair down and party.  The truth is that your guests, friends and family will want to be where you are, so if your ‘propping up the bar people’ then it’s likely that your guests will be with you.  If it’s a hot evening and your outside, guess where your friends will be?  Same with if your both smokers or if you’re not dancers…

…so imagine what happens when you choose the right venue, allow for the hot weather (aircon) and you spend the whole night partying away on the dance floor – your guests will be right there with you making your wedding party a night to remember.

You’ve met your DJ a few times to discuss how your party is going to rock, right?  You’ve helped create playlists and special ‘spotlight moments’ from your first dance to edited tracks and dance routines through to lighting and fancy effects!

But how do make sure that your party exceeds your expectations?

 

Here’s my Top Hints to help you throw that EPIC party…

Planning
Epic parties don’t just happen; you’ve planned them with a great team that you’ve hand selected!  Make sure you have a timeline of what’s happening and when.

Timeline
Your wedding or party is likely to be a time when friends and family haven’t seen each other for a while, they’ll want to catch up so booking your DJ and pumping the music up to an ear blasting level early on is just going to upset your guests and you’ll find they’ll leave the room, go outside or somewhere where the level is more acceptable.  I’d suggest playing some laid-back beats or groove to get your night started, this will allow everyone to catch up, enjoy the canapés and drinks and get in the mood to party with you later. Plan those ‘spotlight moments’ – your cake cutting, first dance, special dance with parents and the final track your going to play to end on a high.

I’m not saying that you have to tick them all off, but at least discuss the merits of each one with your DJ and see if they will suit your event

Location, Location, Location
Truth is that your guests want to party with you, think location of the venue, parking, hotel rooms.  Guests will want to stay a while and its likely alcohol will be involved so there is no point in having a venue in the middle of nowhere with no taxi service or hotel rooms.  If it’s baking hot in the middle of summer, grab a venue that has air conditioning unless of course you’re in an old castle with solid walls where it will be cool enough inside.

Bar
You maybe held to a list of drinks from your venue but if you have full control, be bold – try some craft beers and amazing cocktails, 2-3 cocktails made really well will be better than a bookful of cocktails made with no love or passion.

If you have a mixologist onsite then run a little masterclass on how to make the drinks – it makes for fabulous photos and memories.

Dance floor
The first dance is done and it’s time to start that EPIC party! Where is the party at? I always tell my couples that the party will be where you are!

If your party people and you’re on the dance floor then your guests, friends and family will be there too.

The Playlist
Music is personal but remember that you need to cater for everyone that you’ve invited.  If your into Rock or Head-banging Dance and are self-indulgent then you won’t have an EPIC party unless it’s just you at the party but then save the money and rock out at home!

You know your guests, you know what you listened to at school, at work, out clubbing – chat with your DJ.  Build a list between you and let the DJ do his/her bit – they’ve often been at it a long time and know what will work when so please don’t tie them down to a list of tracks played in an order you think will work months in advance of your party.  Allow your DJ some freedom, take requests – it all adds to the EPIC element.  I always suggest, pick 10 songs on a ‘Must Play List’ each, 10 songs on a ‘Play if Possible List’ each.

This guarantees you get around 2 hours of what you both want and allows the DJ a few hours to work the dance floor.  On the flip side to the above, create a ‘Don’t You Dare List’, that maybe contains tracks or artists you don’t like or remind you of a past that you don’t want on your Wedding Day.

You could also think about creating a ‘WhatsApp’ or Facebook Group – get your DJ to introduce themselves ahead of time and start interacting with your guests – getting requests into the group beforehand gives you ideas to build your list and also allows your DJ to think about other tracks that could add that magic to the floor.

Lighting & Effects & Booths
Super important to look at lighting, it adds that magic and wow factor to any event.  Does your DJ use the mode that I refer to and ‘Spin & Puke’ – Sound to Light lighting is awful in my opinion, ensure that your booked artist uses DMX or computer-controlled lighting.  Up-lighting is beautiful for a wedding but in pink all day and all night in static mode?  Imagine the day is pink and the evening comes alive with wall wash colour changes and the big drop in tracks allows for a strobe effect.  The same with Moving Heads, Pinspot the cake, Light a mirror ball for your first dance – you get the idea.

Add effects for that extra #wow factor – Dry Ice, Indoor Sparkular Fountains and that fun photo booth – it all adds to that EPIC element.

Hopefully this will help you to plan that EPIC Party, if you need anymore help then I’m only a phone call away.
Steve