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Sample Agenda Of Events
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| Reception Begins |
While the Bride, Groom and Bridal Party are finishing up with
the post-ceremony photography your guests will start making their way over to the reception. The DJ will begin
playing background music as the guests arrive, help themselves to hors d'oeuvres, and begin to socialize. |
| Grand Entrance Preparation |
Most of the receptions that we perform include the Bridal Party
Introduction. When this happens, the entire wedding party and any parents are usually announced, although occasionally
this is scaled back to introducing just the Bride and Groom. Your DJ takes his duties as an Emcee seriously, he
will take charge of lining up the wedding party for the introductions. It is also a good opportunity to double-check
the pronunciation of the names of the wedding party as your DJ lines them up. Please keep anyone that is to be
introduced from going into the reception area, otherwise it will take longer to get the introductions underway. |
| Grand Entrance Introductions |
Your guests will graciously be asked to return to their seats
at this time. The entire Bridal Party then Bride and Groom will be introduced. |
| Receiving Line |
After the bridal party has been introduced, the bride and groom
may opt to have a receiving line. In recent years, receiving lines have become less popular than they used to be
in the 70/80's. One popular option to a formal receiving line is to allow 20 to 30 minutes after the Wedding Party
Introduction for the bride and groom to mingle with their guests, and use this opportunity to thank them for coming.
This option is attractive because it doesn't force their guests to stand in a long line. |
| Best Man’s Toast |
When the champagne is ready to be served, the best man will be
brought up to the microphone with an introduction. This may be scheduled before or after dinner. The decision on
this depends greatly on personal preferences. The more formal the wedding, the more often the toast is done prior
to the meal, especially when a sit down dinner is served. In any case, the very best toasts come from the heart,
recalling sentimental moments and offering best wishes for the future. Always inform the best man in advance so
he can be well prepared. In addition to the best man, many Brides want the microphone left open for anyone else
who would like to offer a toast to the Bride and Groom. |
| Grace/Blessing Meal |
If a moment of prayer before the meal is to be included in the
agenda, a cordless microphone will be available. This is an optional event, but an important
detail for those who wish to involve their spiritual leader or devout family member in blessing the wedding reception.
Always identify the person to perform this in advance, so they are not taken by surprise when they are called upon
to perform this task! |
| Dinner / Buffet |
This is likely to take longer than you think. Allow about an hour
for either a sit-down dinner or a buffet. If you are having a buffet, we will work closely with the banquet staff
and make sure the the guests can serve themselves in a comfortable and orderly fashion. The music during dinner
is normally light background music. However, it is not uncommon for a bride to request that you play up-tempo oldies
that will get people beginning to tap their toes! |
| Cake Cutting |
We recommend that the Bride and Groom cut the cake after dinner,
prior to starting the dancing. If your guests include many older people attending the reception, cutting the cake
right after dinner allows them to take part in this important tradition should they need to leave early. Some people
also like the idea of serving the wedding cake as dessert.
An announcement will be made and attention will be directed towards the Bride & Groom as they approach the
cake. It is traditional for the Bride and Groom to feed each other the first piece of the Wedding cake. WE WILL
NOT encourage the Bride and Groom to smash the wedding cake into each others faces or make references to it over
the microphone, we do not want to be held responsible for this. |
| Bride and Groom’s First Dance |
Traditionally, the Bride and Groom share their First Dance as
Husband and Wife to lead off the dancing portion of the reception. Occasionally a bride and groom share their first
dance after the Grand Entrance but we try to direct our clients away from doing this as we want that "big
moment" of the first dance to start building the momentum on the dance floor. It doesn't make much sense to
have the first dance right after the Grand Entrance, only to mellow down into background music for the dinner hour.
Occasionally, a client will want the dancing to start immediately, because they plan to only have a light buffet
that stays open for the duration of the reception. In this event, having the first dance right away isn't a problem. |
| Parents Dance |
Once the bride and groom complete their first dance, a variety
of parents and bridal party dances may take place. The bride and her father, the groom and his mother, the wedding
party dance, etc, are all options that the client can choose. The parents of the Bride & Groom will be asked
to join them on the dance floor for their second dance. The dance floor is usually opened up to all of the bride
and grooms guests after the parents and bridal party dances have been completed, and this is where things start
to liven up! |
| Open Dancing Dancing |
Variety of music will be played for your guests dancing enjoyment.
Bride & Groom’s music requests will take priority throughout the evening. |
| Money Dance/Dollar Dance |
The dollar dance is a tradition for many families and cultures.
This optional tradition involves having the ladies line up to dance with the groom and the gentlemen lining up
to dance with the bride. We like to call this the "Money Dance" which gives each person the opportunity
to make a donation of a dollar or any amount they wish to donate. We also offer this done as a "not for money
dance". One word of caution - dollar dances take time away from open dancing for everyone. During the dollar
/ money dance only four people, at most, are dancing at any given time. We have known this dance to last for up
to 30-45 minutes. It can be difficult to get people back on the dance floor at the conclusion of the dollar/money
dance. While this is not always the case, the bride and groom should consider the pros and cons of this formality
for their reception. |
| Bouquet / Garter Toss |
Tradition holds that the bride would toss the bouquet and the
lady who caught it may be the next bride. The groom would remove the garter from the bride's leg and toss it to
the single gentlemen in the crowd. After that, the guy that caught the garter would place it on the lady that caught
the bouquet.
In recent years, brides who prefer to do things that suit their own style are abandoning a lot of wedding traditions.
Often times, the bride will toss the bouquet and the Groom will toss the garter but eliminate the garter removal.
One reason for this could be having children amongst your guests. This is all a matter of personal preferences. |
| Open Dancing Dancing |
Variety of music will be played for your guests dancing enjoyment.
Bride & Groom’s music requests will take priority throughout the evening. |
| Last Dance |
Bride and Groom Depart , A "farewell" dance by the bride
and groom is a great way to end the reception on a positive and sentimental note. During the farewell dance, invite
the guests to form a circle around the bride and groom to give them a great send-off. |
| As you can see, there are a lot of details that need to be planned,
if you want the reception to run smoothly. Helping you plan the details of your Wedding Reception is only one part
of the service we offer. In addition, our DJ is the on-site coordinator for your Wedding Reception. Our DJ will
take the responsibility of making sure that the other vendor services we are working with are informed of all the
activities before they happen. This will make a STRESS FREE Reception for you, and A GREAT PARTY for your Family
& Guests. |
