12.1 Introduction

Wedding entertainment can be a big source of anxiety for couples, and quite rightly so!

It’s often quite costly; they want to know that the entertainment they choose will meet their expectations, and they want to make sure the guests are happy.

12.2 Wedding entertainment doesn’t have to be continuous

Contrary to popular belief, wedding entertainment doesn’t have to be continuous.

Guests love to socialise, and that isn’t always possible when there’s music blaring out or if an entertainer is grappling for attention.

As a wedding planner, you need to help the couple identify when they would like the wedding entertainment to start.

In many cases, this is simple: couples will want the music to begin after the wedding breakfast. Some may take an alternative approach, such as having entertainment areas the guests can dip in and out of.

Either way, establishing when they would like their guests to be entertained should come before figuring out how they would like their guests to be entertained.

12.3 Finding the right kind of wedding entertainment

In an ideal world, couples would have the same musical and entertainment tastes and that would be the end of it.

However, it’s rare that this is the case, so you need to be prepared to help them find a compromise.

Finding a compromise between musical tastes means finding bands and DJs that are willing and able to diversify. Don’t skimp on your research here. The internet can be a sea of lies when it comes to reviews, especially if said reviews are ‘testimonials’ on the band’s website.

It’s your job to ask bands and other musicians to send tapes, give evidence of previous gigs, and so on and so forth.

You can then gather this information and present it to the couple so they can determine whether the band meets their needs.

FACT

When asked, 78% of guests say the thing that they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment

Source: rateddjs.co.uk

12.5 Keeping the kids entertained

Here’s another contentious element of weddings: children.

Some couples may choose not to invite them, and that’s their choice to make. Others may prize the presence of children on their big day. If this is the case, consider some of the ideas below to help keep the kids entertained and happy.

The ideas below are all great, but keep in mind that you will not want to have too many entertainment options either.

Choose the ones that you think are suitable for your client’s reception.

Hire a Professional Entertainer

Children can be easily amused if you hire a professional performer.

Some ideas include hiring a clown, comedian, fake tattoo painter, fortune teller, impersonator (such as Batman, Elsa from Frozen, or Mickey Mouse), magician, hypnotist, and many more. You can easily find suitable performers from local vendors and party planning companies. This way the children will be able to leave with a memorable and fun experience, while parents can relax and enjoy the reception.

Create a Café

Teenagers are usually much better behaved compared to their younger siblings, but a wedding reception can be rather boring for them to sit through, especially if they do not know many of the adults involved personally.

If you know that several teenagers will be joining in the festivities, consider creating a small café for them. Set off an area with tables and chairs as well as teas and other drinks. You can include board games and currently popular music. Then, make sure that you assign one member of the staff to help watch over the café. This way, the teenagers will be able to have their own fun while they interact with each other. Plus, they will feel much better knowing that someone kept their interests in mind as well.

Designate a Sports Area

If you are at a country club or a hotel, you may be able to use an area as a sports centre.

With some Ping-Pong tables, air hockey, jump ropes, and other sport balls, children will be active and entertained as they have fun with each other. Just make sure that you have a few staff members constantly chaperoning for this area.

Include an Arts and Craft Area

If you are indoors, you can transform one room into an arts-and-crafts centre. Make sure that it is supplied with crayons, colour pencils, and markers. Have beads available so that they can make necklaces and bracelets. Include colour sand for sand art. Hire someone to watch over and keep the children company. Most likely they will be too entertained to be much trouble.

Go on a Nature Trek

If your clients are going to be having a wedding outdoors, you might be able to hire someone to take the children on a nature trek.

Depending on when and where the wedding is, the person can help introduce the children to plants and animals nearby. You can even make a game out of it and ask them to carry lists, so that they can check off what they have seen. Not only will this be an educational experience, but children will have fun moving around and discovering rather than staying in one place.

Make Them Movie Stars

If you are able to, hire another staff member that knows how to use technology or make videos. Make sure to include plenty of props and decorations in an empty room as well as background music that they can use. Then, tell them to make a video that will be shown at the end of the reception. They can make up a simple story before rehearsing and recording. This will be amusing for adults to watch and unique for the children who participate.

12.6 Communicating with the entertainer prior to the wedding

Entertainers are creative by their very nature.

And so are soon-to-be wed couples for that matter. Few couples will want to dictate exactly what an entertainer should and shouldn’t be doing on their big day. Some, however, will have an idea of what they want to happen.

Before you first book the entertainer, sit down with the couple and draw up a list of what they expect. For some, it might be a specific song. Others might expect a comedian to throw in a particular joke.

Whatever it is, you need to dig out that little special something and make sure it’s included. Most entertainers will oblige, and if they don’t, then they’re not the right people for your couple!

12.7 Making sure the logistics are right

Before finalising the entertainment, make sure the logistics are okay.

Not all venues can accommodate all kinds of entertainment. Some may have sound restrictions, possibly due to other guests. Others might not be able to meet the space requirements. To ensure that none of this is an issue, ask the entertainment what it is they need, create a checklist, and then speak to the venue.

This is another reason for booking your venue early on: you avoid nasty surprises, like the entertainment turning up and not being able to do their job.

12.8 Budget fairly

Most guests will spend about two hours paying attention to their wedding entertainers.

The majority of entertainers can spend as much as 10 hours doing their thing. Therefore, you need to be fair when you budget. Consider how much effort the entertainers have to put in, how many of them there are, and how hard they’re going to work.

12.9 How to Find the Right Band

Here are a few tips that you should keep in mind when deciding on the right band for a wedding.

Choose for Your Audience, Not Yourself

When you are planning a wedding, your own interests should not be the main deciding force. The aim of musical entertainment is to entertain the audience as a whole. If your audience is into classical music, hiring a rock band would be inappropriate. An important step during your wedding planning would be to investigate the audience. What is their taste in music? What will captivate them and hold their interest? You want to make sure that the audience enjoys the performance they receive on the day of the wedding.

Evaluate the Band’s Level of Experience

Playing for a wedding is very different than entertaining at other venues. You will want to find out how long the band has been working together. Have they worked with large audiences before? Did any of the band members play for another group in the past? What venues have they played at?

A band can be exceptionally talented musically, but still be the wrong choice for your wedding. You will want to find a band that can judge situations and understand how to get the audience excited and involved. The best type of band is one that understands how to work a crowd and get them to let loose. You want your audience to dance and have fun instead of watching from the sidelines. This ability only comes with extensive experience, so make sure you verify that your musicians know what they are doing.

Ask for Specific References and Recommendations

Because bands often get asked for references, the band that you are interested in probably has plenty to provide you. However, your aim is to discover if the band is a right fit for your audience in particular. To make sure that they are the right fit, you will want to ask for specific references from people that are similar to your audience. See if a similar group of people enjoyed the performance as much as they should have.

Consider the Types of Songs You Want the Band to Play

Some bands are very obstinate when it comes to deciding the songs they play. Find out whether the couple or the audience will have specific songs that are dear and meaningful to them that they will want to request. Make sure that the band you are considering will be willing to play these songs. You will be surprised to hear that some bands will refuse to play certain songs, simply because it goes against their musical style.

Make a list of the songs that the audience will want to hear on the day of the wedding and discuss them with the band leader. A majority of bands will be willing to learn requested songs for your wedding event. If you are only asking for 1 or 2 songs, they might even throw them in, free of charge. However, if you have a detailed list of over 5 songs, be prepared to pay an additional fee. Keep in mind that paying extra is reasonable in this case, as the band will need to spend a large portion of time learning and rehearsing these songs.

Discover the Backups

Accidents and problems occur all the time throughout the year. The singer could lose his voice on the week of the wedding or a member could have a family emergency. Bands need to be booked months in advance for weddings, and by the time your wedding rolls around, members might have left the group already. You need to know that the band’s replacements are just as skilled as the main, original group. Make sure that they already have backups planned. If the band tells you that they do not need backups, it is time for you to start looking elsewhere. Remember – something can always go wrong. Plan ahead. Even if they do have backups, make sure that you have a backup band as well.

Talk with the Bandleader

Many bands have agents, and while you may talk to the agent to seal the deal, make sure you talk to the bandleader about performance specifics. This will help you to make sure that the wedding performance is stellar when the day comes.

Attend a Performance

Nothing beats seeing the real deal, and while you may have already done your research by listening to recordings, it tells you nothing about how the band performs live. Make sure you attend one to check their stage presence and if they interact well with the audience.

Have a Detailed Contract

Likely, the band will already have a contract ready for you, but if not, make sure that a detailed one is written up. The contract must include at least the time and location of the performance, the number of musicians, who is providing sound and lighting equipment, time of setup, dress code, audience size, free food and drink for the band, time and amount of the deposit to be made, time and amount of the final payment, a list of the requested songs, the replacement band, and the right to direct communication with the bandleader. Make sure that you have everything that you want detailed in the contract to avoid mishaps.

12.10 Choosing the Right MC for Your Client’s Wedding

To ensure a wedding’s success, you will need to have a Master of Ceremonies, commonly known as an MC.

Without an MC, your wedding will be left vulnerable to all types of potential disaster, which is certainly not desirable for your client’s big day.

However, there are many factors to consider when you are trying to choose the appropriate MC for a wedding. For example, should you hire a professional or let your clients enlist the help of a friend?

Here are a few steps that you will need to take in order to find the right MC.

Decide If You Want a Personal or Professional MC

The MC at a wedding is responsible for making sure that everything runs smoothly.

Responsibilities often include the following:

• Introducing people of interest (e.g. guests, family members, or bridal party)
• Watching the time and keeping everything on schedule
• Facilitating and introducing entertainment activities
• Ensuring that nothing goes wrong and taking care of unforeseen incidents

Your clients asking a friend or family member to act as the MC for your wedding can be very meaningful, for both the couple and the person. However, compared to a professional MC, he or she will be rather inexperienced when it comes to running events.

Also remember that as your MC, your friend will be unable to participate as a guest, which may mean that they will miss out on some fun. It is a unique and memorable experience, however, and it will continue to carry significance for the person even years after the wedding has ended.

Here are a few things that you will need to consider when deciding between a friend and a professional.

Formality

Are you the type of person that needs everything to run exactly as it should? Or are you a little more lenient when it comes to ceremonies and tradition? If you do not mind your wedding being a little more relaxed, it would not be as much of an issue to have your friend act as your MC, especially if your wedding is a smaller event. However, if you need everything to go perfectly and exactly as planned, hiring a professional MC would be a better idea.

Cost

Hiring a professional MC is not cheap. The most cost-efficient option would be to ask a close individual to be your MC – free of charge. Factor this into your wedding budget as you make your choice.

Personalisation

Someone that knows the happy couple very well will be able to provide a more personal and unique experience. For example, a friend would be able to tell interesting memories and stories from the past. He would be able to describe the couple’s personalities as well as interact with the guests on a more personal basis.

Understandably, a professional MC will not be able to personalise his words as well as a friend can. However, you can rest assured that his words have probably been tested on plenty of weddings before, which helps to prevent unwanted blunders as well as awkward jokes.

Check for Stage Presence

Your MC will need to be able to interact well with the audience.

You will need to choose someone who is easy-going rather than uptight and is comfortable with speaking in front of large crowds. The MC will need to be able to read the audience’s mood and understand what the audience wants.

If you are hiring an MC, consider how you feel as you talk with them. Is he/she engaging and interesting? Does he/she seem confident?

Make sure you follow up on references. Check with the other people that he/she has been an MC for as well, and see what their thoughts are.

Verify Responsibility

You will need to make sure that the person you select to be your MC is incredibly responsible.

If you know the person personally, you will likely already know whether the person is a good choice or not when it comes to this. For professional MCs that you hire, even if the person is incredibly witty and is amazing at interacting with crowds, none of it will matter if they are easily sidetracked and choose to have fun at the wedding instead. Again, you will need to rely on references.

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