Plan Your Wedding Well So you Have A Full House in Attendance All Night Long
Top 10 Wedding Planning Advice Tip List for Weddings in Albany, NY, or around the world.
If you are planning a wedding around Albany, NY, or anywhere else in the world, this “Top 10 Wedding Planning Advice Tip List” is one that can help. There are a number of tricks you can do when planning a wedding that cost absolutely nothing, in order to bring great success to your special day.
Along with the tips, our DJ Kenny Casanova has provided commentary for each point, explaining some failures he has witnessed in the Albany, NY Capital Region area that could have been avoided with some simple planning.
1) Avoid placing your wedding date on a holiday – this creates a built in competition quandary for your guests and you may find that your wedding is not everyone’s #1 priority.
Kenny Says…
“I was the disc jockey for a wedding at Malozzi’s in Schenectady, NY once on an actual Halloween night, October 31st. It was really great fun with the Halloween theme and a lot of the people got into the spirit in costumes, but there was a big problem with the selection of the actual date. Two of the grooms good friends could not make it to the reception, because they had children that they wanted to go out for trick-or-treating. The other issue was that the wedding reception was NO CHILDREN, so that it put some adults into a position where they had to pick friends over family. In some cases, family won and they didn’t attend the wedding.”
2) Give plenty of time for the invitation – Some people see that up to 6 months before the event is a good heads up time to RSVP. Others say even more time is essential to the success of your guest list attendance.
…says Kenny
“For my own wedding at Birch Hill in the Kinderhook / Schodack area, we had a great turn out. However, about a few weeks before the wedding reception, a cancelation came in after we finalized our numbers and we couldn’t find anyone within that time frame to fill the seats. It’s tough these days to expect people to be able to make it to an event with very little notice.”
3) Don’t force your lifestyle on your guests – If you are vegetarian or vegan, it may not be a good idea to only offer these dishes at your wedding. A good host tries to accomodate their guests desires in order to make them happy, not force something on them. This goes for food as well as music selection.
“If you have ever been to a wedding where the DJ is playing weird music you hate off the bride’s playlist, you know exactly what I mean. I was the DJ at The Edison Club in Rexford, NY once, off Grooms Road passed Clifton Park, and the guests were about ready to kill the bride for wanting death metal as her music of choice for the evening. As much as you may not like it, think mainstream appeal and you as a host will typically keep everyone happy. ”
4) Try and always plan for Saturday Night Weddings – Fridays people sometimes have to work and Sundays people have no day to recover/travel.
…says Kenny
“I recently had a Sunday night wedding at the Glens Sanders Mansion in Scotia, NY that ended at 11:00 pm. Many people left early so that they could get home at a reasonable hour because they had to work the next day. This meant people drank less, danced less and missed the cake cutting and some fun activities later on.”
5) Keep the invite list numbers as low as possible – Don’t invite just anyone. Your biggest expense is usually your venue/catering. Keeping your numbers down can save hundreds of dollars with only a handful of guests.
“A huge wedding at Crystal Cove in Averill Park, NY that I was the DJ for had a bride in tears because of the turn out. It seemed that something happened where a bunch of people from work that she only invited out of courtesy no-showed. She learned that they decided to go to CountryFest at Spac in Saratoga Springs, in stead, subsequently costingher about $1,200.”
6) Seat older people away from the DJ – Even if Grandma has a hearing aid and can’t hear well, she sure will hear the DJ if she is placed right by the speakers. She will also want the music turned down to practically nothing.
…says Kenny
“I was the DJ for a wedding at The State Room in Albany, NY. For whatever reason, a table was very close to the DJ booth, probably due to overbooking the hall’s capacity. All night, an old woman would give me dirty looks and complain to me that the music was too loud; even during dinner. However, the bride kept coming by and asking me to turn it up.”
7) Have Back Up Plan for outside weddings – whether it is the ceremony or the reception, have a back up plan in case it rains.
“We did a wedding reception once right near The Century House in Latham, NY where I bet they wished they had booked The Century House. Trying to save money, they decided against a tent and a huge rain storm hit. Despite making the best of it, moving the party inside was difficult and cramped.”
8 ) Be careful of allowing your photographer to overshoot – While you may like many photos as possible, shooting too many is pointless and will only make you miss your reception. Signs of Overshooting could include running longer than 45 minutes during cocktail hour, or being pulled out during the dance time of your reception.
…says Kenny
“One time at a wedding at The Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY, the photographer hept pulling the bride and groom out of their reception after dinner to take some more shots. As a result, the bride and groom missed a whole lot of the dance time and they were not happy, when the hall was ready to close up on their contracted time.”
9) Create a “Do Not Playlist” for your DJ – This will ensure there are no surprises.
“At a wedding I went to as a guest recently at The Elks Club in Clifton Park, NY, the DJ played the dreaded Chicken Dance, and a bunch of cheesy non-relevent 80’s love song music that the younger couple did not recognize. If they had specified what they didn’t like, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. (BTW – here is a list of 100 modern first dance & slow wedding songs from our site to help with keeping your wedding from sounding like the Delilah Show.)”
10) Do “The Cake Cutting” as late as possible – While the hall may push for the cake cutting immediately after dinner, remember, many people leave right after the cake. The cake cutting also can slow down the flow, when you are trying to get people to dance.
…says Kenny
“One time at Michaels Banquet House in Latham, NY, they decided to do the cake right after dinner to try and speed things up. However, after doing so, they lost a huge population of their guest attendance with two hours left. Know this; The cake is a good time for people to sneak out. ”
518-506-3305. Affordable Wedding DJs in Cohoes, NY with a huge library of new music & classics. Plus Digital Photography & Lights.
Scratching your head? Do you have a planning-nightmare of wedding or event coming up at, say, The Best Western Albany Airport Inn, The Century House or Michael’s Banquet House, just down the road from Latham Farms and Guptill’s World Famous Rollerskate Rink (where I love to buy my ice cream in the summer)? Do you think that you need “The Ver Best” in music entertainment and disc jockey services for your party in Colonie, New York, due to the crazy guests that you are inviting ???
Why settle for the rest of the cheesy Las Vegas-style gray bearded has-been disc jockeys? DJ Kenny Casanova is “The Bee’s Knees of all DJs and Emcees” & DJ Maria is the area’s #1 female DJs!
As a wedding and party specialist, DJ Kenny Casanova and TheDJservice.com brings to you:
•200,000 song library
•Music Video Package
•Professional Gear Bose L1 Stick & Peavey
•Digital Slideshow Projection
•DJ/MC experience since 1996
DJ Kenny Casanova, slightly insane, but always the main Cohoes NY Wedding DJ
•Voted Capital Region #1 Karaoke DJ
•Radio Personality Experience
•Ring Announcer Experience: WWF / WWE
•Sports Broadcasting Experience
•Karaoke & with huge track library
•Huge Laser Show
•Professional Photography “The DJ Cam”
•Interactive events, dances, & activities
•Very affordable prices!!!
Drop us a line at 518-506-3305, or email us at ken@thedjservice.com. Providing affordable fun, experience, and great music for your special occasion!
LOCAL POINTS IN COHOES – If you live by or are looking to set up a party/celebration near the Mohawk River or the Hudson River, over by the Cohoes Falls, the Mohawk Nation, sight of the Van Schaick Island and Schaick Mansion is located, Simmons Island, to the north by Saratoga Countyor Rensselaer County to the east, by Albany County, the town of Colonie, the town and village of Green Island, Rensselaer County, and the neighboring city of Troy’s Lansingburg neighborhood, the town of Waterford’s hamlet of Northside, by the bridge connecting Cohoes to Waterford, or even by the 112th Street Bridge connecting Van Schaick Island to Troy, NY, …then we may be the right choice for you!
Mixing up your wedding playlist to create an E”motional Roller Coaster” is the way to go.
HOW TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE SONG LIST
For everything from movies to circus acts, music really sets the mood. However, mixing up the moods you want to help create can do wonders for the overall feel of your event, in the end.
One of the first questions I ask brides and grooms before planning a play list is, “what kind of atmosphere are you trying to set during this time in the reception?”
It is really important to set lots of different atmospheres and manipulate many different emotions at a wedding, if you really want it to stand out and feel special. You don’t really want to stay in one “mood” for any extended periods of time. Therefore, no segment of a wedding should be all fast, all slow, or even all serious for a long time. To make your wedding feel like one of the best ever, it’s all about mixing it up.
“If you really want to keep your wedding guests fully engaged and make a long-lasting impression, you have to appeal to all their senses, and all of their emotions.”
Before we talk about planing the best wedding playlist, let’s look at another form of entertainment that focuses on mixing up emotions; the film world.
When you go to Regal Cinema in The Crossgates Mall in Guilderland , NY and sit down with your over-priced soda & your garbage can full of butter and popcorn, isn’t the whole point of making a trip to the movie theater to be emotionally manipulated? The whole point of going to the movies is to have someone tell you a story that makes you laugh or cry, and perhaps, an experience that you will remember for years to come?
Walt Disney knew that in order to make a really good movie, you had to make people cry as well as laugh.
Walt Disney once said, ” … for every laugh, there should be a tear.” Mickey Mouse’s always wanted fans on an emotional roller coaster ride whenever they went to the movies.
Walt Disney always made sure that his films had scenes that deliberately went out their way to make the audience cry; The death of Bambi’s mother… Snow White’s funeral scene… Pinocchio appearing to have died… Cinderella having her dress destroyed and losing all hope of going to the Ball….
Even the old time southern Baptist tent meeting ministers realized that chopping up the emotions was the way to go. By offering quick “mood jumps” from fast hymns into slower tear-jerking testimonials, it was always clear that people felt they were really attending something special, after looking at the offering plates at the end of the night.
In today’s high impact, fast moving, MTV-style-edited, attention-deficit disordered world, you have to constantly change things up to keep your audience. This is even more so when your audience is a vastly-varied demographic like wedding guests tend to be.
For my weddings in the Albany, Troy, Schenectady, NY area, I try and follow this same psychology to create the same results. I want the people attending the wedding to feel like they are experiencing something special. Therefore, coming out of a coctail hour with an acoustic blend including lounge, jazz, soft rock, country and reggae, I like to bump into a high-energy introduction, then drop it right back down into a touching classy ballad first dance. Immediately after that, I recommend playing something lighter or nostalgic before the toast, then transition over to a fun party mix for dinner with one-hit wonders, throwbacks, sing-alongs and good tunes that are tougher to dance to while people eat. After dinner, I introduce the dance segment with a mix of todays hits and all your favorite classics.
When putting together your wedding music playlist, or any party for that matter, keep mood-mixing in mind. Chopping up the desired atmospheres with an emotional roller coaster playlist is a great way to really touch all of the bases. Mixing up everything in the end will really make your night feel special and memorable.
518-506-3305. Affordable Wedding DJs in Mechanicville, NY with a huge library of new music & classics. Plus Digital Photography & Lights.
Worried about what to do, and who to bring in for the special day? Do you have a wedding or event coming up at, say, The Liberty RIdge Farm in Schaghticoke NY and want everything to come off just right?
Do you feel you need quality in music entertainment and disc jockey services for your wedding reception in Mechanicville, New York, due to the foot-tapping and dancing nature of the crazy guests that you are inviting ???
Why settle for the rest of the smarmy gray bearded has-been disc jockeys who love to rock out to the dreaded Chicken Dance? DJ Kenny Casanova is “The Bee’s Knees of DJs and Emcees” & DJ Maria is the area’s #1 female DJs!
#1 Mechanicville NY Wedding DJ
As a wedding and party specialist, we, TheDJservice.com brings to you:
•200,000 song library
•Music Video Package
•Professional Gear Bose L1 Stick & Peavey
•Digital Slideshow Projection
•DJ/MC experience since 1996
•Radio Personality Experience
•Ring Announcer Experience: WWF / WWE
•Huge Laser Show
•Professional Photography “The DJ Cam”
•Interactive events, dances, & activities
•Sports Broadcasting Experience
•Karaoke & with huge track library
•Very affordable prices!!!
CONTACT US !
Do you need more information on how to book DJ Kenny Casanova, DJ Maria or our other fine disc jockies for your wedding or special event?
Drop us a line at 518-506-3305, or email us at ken@thedjservice.com – where we are always providing affordable fun, experience, and great music for your special occasion!
DJ Kenny Casanova is Albany’s alternative to affordable wedding DJs
#1 DJ FOR ALBANY WEDDINGS
(518) 506-3305. Affordable Wedding DJs in Albany, NY with a massive library of new music & classics. Plus, now Digital Photography & Laser Lights.
Do you have an Albany NY Wedding coming up and have been to a number of weddings in the area that were not so good? Do you need top quality in music entertainment and disc jockey services for your party in Albany, New York, at very affordable rates and know that the DJ can “make or break a wedding” more than anybody else? If you know this, then consider us for your Albany NY Wedding. We are not your average Jerry Garcia body-double djs who only play 80’s wedding hits like “Celebrate” and “The Chicken Dance”…
TOP HITS & GREAT CLASSICS: DJ Kenny Casanova & DJ Maria will rock your party with a great blend of today’s hits and all your favorite classics. Let us show you why Kenny Casanova is “The Bee’s Knees of all DJs and Emcees”, and DJ Maria is the Capital District’s #1 female wedding DJ!
As a wedding and party specialist, DJ Kenny Casanova and TheDJservice.com brings to you:
DJ Kenny Casanova – Albany Wedding DJ
•Very affordable prices!!!
•Professional Gear Bose L1 Stick & Peavey
•Digital Slideshow Projection
•DJ/MC experience since 1996
•200,000 song library
•Music Video Package
•Karaoke & with huge track library
•Huge Laser Show
•Professional Photography “The DJ Cam”
•Interactive events, dances, & activities
•Voted Capital Region #1 Karaoke DJ
•Radio Personality Experience
•Ring Announcer Experience: WWF / WWE
•Sports Broadcasting Experience
LOCAL ALBANY COUNTY SERVICES: If you are looking for an affordable & experienced DJ for your wedding reception or party with countless local venue hall relationships, our local Albany County office serves customers from Albany, Alcove, Altamont, Berne, Bethlehem, Clarksville, Coeymans, Coeymans, Hollow, Cohoes, Colonie, Delmar, East, Berne, Feura Bush, Glenmont, Green Island, Guilderland, Guilderland Center, Knox, Latham, Loudonville, McKownville, Medusa, Menands, New Scotland, Newtonville, Preston Hollow, Ravena, Rensselaerville, Roessleville, Selkirk, Slingerlands, South Bethlehem Voorheesville, Watervliet, and Westerlo, all on a regular basis for music entertainment disc jockey mobile DJ services.
CONTACT US TODAY
Please phone or text at 518-506-3305, or justemail at ken@thedjservice.com. Also check out www.theDJservice.com for more information!
Affordable Latham NY Wedding DJ518-506-3305. Affordable Wedding DJs in Latham, NY. Huge library of new music & classics. Digital Photography & Lights.
Party planning got you down? Ids there a big wedding reception in your future at, say, Hotel Indigo, The Century House or Michael’s Banquet House, or The Best Western Albany Airport Inn, just down the road from Latham Farms and Guptill’s World Famous Rollerskate Rink (where I love to buy my ice cream in the summer)? Do you think that you need “The Ver Best” in music entertainment and disc jockey services for your party in Latham, New York, due to the crazy guests that you are inviting ???
Why settle for a lame old santa-bearded disc jockey who only wants to play “We are Family” and “The Chicken Dance”? DJ Kenny Casanova can proove to you why he is “The Bee’s Knees of all DJs and Emcees” & why DJ Maria is the Capital District’s #1 female wedding DJ!
As a wedding and party specialist, DJ Kenny Casanova and TheDJservice.com brings to you:
•200,000 song library
•Music Video Package
•Professional Gear Bose L1 Stick & Peavey
•Digital Slideshow Projection
•DJ/MC experience since 1996 DJ Kenny Casanova is your Affordable Latham NY Wedding DJ Alternative•Voted Capital Region #1 wedding DJ
•Radio Personality Experience
•Ring Announcer Experience: WWF / WWE
•Sports Broadcasting Experience
•Karaoke & with huge track library
•Huge Laser Show
•Professional Photography “The DJ Cam”
•Interactive events, dances, & activities
•Very affordable prices!!!
Call us a line at 518-506-3305, or email us at ken@thedjservice.com. We will give you information on how we provide affordable fun, experience, and great music for your special occasion!
