For those of you who are new to our blog, we feature everything you would need to know in planning a successful wedding, today.
www.TheDJservice.com/blog – is a great wedding planning blog with song lists, decoration & food ideas, theme party checklists, and local wedding venue reviews in Upstate New York… by DJ Kenny Casanova
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.
HERE IS A LIST OF WEDDING VOWS USED ALL AROUND THE WORLD
Planning a wedding ceremony near Albany or Saratoga Springs maybe? No matter what part of the world you are from, here is a list of different denominational wedding vows from various different belief systems & cultures, everywhere.
If you are interested in finding a “Denominational Wedding Vow” that means something to you for your special day, below is a list of different denominational wedding vows from various different belief systems & cultures.
Also, if you are interested also in booking a wedding DJ in or around Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Hudson, Saratoga, Lake George and the general Upstate area, call 518-506-3305. Thanks!
Baptist Vows – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), and before God and these witnesses I promise to be a faithful and true (husband/wife).
Episcopal Vows 1 – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my wedded (husband/wife), to have an to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ’til death do us part, according to God’s ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my troth.
Episcopal Vows 2- (Name), I vow to be your faithful (husband/wife), understanding that marriage is a lifelong union, and not to be entered into lightly, for the purpose of mutual fellowship, encouragement and understanding; for the procreation of children and their physical and spiritual nurture. I hereby give myself to you in this cause, with my sacred vow before God.
Episcopal Vows 3 – In the Name of God, I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.
Hindu Wedding Vows (7) –
Lutheran Vows 1 – I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), and pledge thee my troth, so long as ye both shall live.
Lutheran Vows 2 – I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), and these things I promise you: I will be faithful to you and honest with you; I will respect, trust, help and care for you; I will share my life with you; I will forgive you as we have been forgiven; and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God; through the best and the worst of what is to come as long as we live.
Lutheran Vows 3 – I, (Name), our miracle lies in the path we have chosen together. I enter into this marriage with you knowing that the true magic of love is not to avoid changes, but to navigate them successfully. Let us commit until death parts us.
Methodist Vows 1 – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
Methodist Vows 2 – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my wedded (husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
Methodist Vows 3 – I, (Name), ask you, (Name), to be my (husband/wife), as my friend and my love. On this day I affirm the relationship we have enjoyed, looking to the future to deepen and strengthen it. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. Together we will dream, will stumble but restore each other, we will share all things, serving each other and our fellow humanity. I will cherish and respect you, comfort and encourage you, be open with you, and stay with you as long as we both shall live, both freed and bound by our love.
Presbyterian Vows – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my wedded (husband/wife), and I do promise and covenant, before God and these witnesses, to be thy loving and faithful (husband/wife); in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.
Quaker Vows 1 – In the presence of God and these our Friends, I, (Name), take thee to be my (husband/wife), promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful (husband/wife) as long as we both shall live.
Quaker Vows 2 – On this the Day, Month, in the year of our Lord, Year XXXX A.D., (Name) and (Name), appeared together, and (Husband Name) taking (Wife Name) by the hand, did, on this solemn and joyous occasion, declare that he took (Wife Name) to be his wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband; and then, in the same assembly, (Wife Name), did in like manner declare that she took (Husband Name) to be her husband, promising with Divine assistance, to be unto him a loving and faithful wife. And moreover they, (Husband Name) and (Wife Name), did, as further confirmation thereof, then and there, to this certificate set their hands. (Husband Name; Wife Name) And we, having been present at the marriage, have as witnesses hereunto set our hands
Quaker Vows 3 – Whereas (Husband Name) of (Home City and State), son of (Father Name) and (Mother Name), and (Wife Name) of (Home City and State), daughter of (Father Name) and (Mother Name), having declared their intentions of marriage with each other to the (Meeting House Name) monthly meeting of the Religious Society of Friends held at (Town and State of Meetinghouse), their proposed marriage was allowed by that Meeting.
Roman Catholic Wedding Vows 1 – I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my (husband/wife). I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. Bride: I pledge, in honesty and sincerity, to be for you an obedient and faithful wife. Groom: I pledge, in honesty and sincerity, to be for you an obedient and faithful husband.
Roman Catholic Wedding Vows 2 – I, (Name), take you, (Name), for my (husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Zion Vows – I, (Name), take thee, (Name), to be my wedded (husband/wife). To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. According to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
Karaoke at your wedding can be fun, but it can also be dangerous! As some of you true-believer people may recall, Spiderman once said, “with great power comes resposibility.” If you are considering adding a little karaoke to your wedding for a fun activity, realize that you really should also set some guidelines so things don’t get out of hand.
Voice is power. Handing a microphone over at your wedding to anyone is giving someone the power on your special day. If you lose power at your own wedding, it may not turn out in the end exactly as you had planned.
Therefore, with that being said and not trying to come off as a total buzzkill, know that you can have karaoke at your wedding, but it really works best when you spoon-feed the audience only in little bits. If you are going the karaoke route for your wedding, just keep in mind that you need to control it, and just do a little bit here and there, or it could spin out of hand and become, “Uncle Jimmy’s Drunken Karaoke Concert,” rather than what you had dreamed of for your wedding night.
To avoid giving away your entire wedding reception to karaoke-hungry mic-hogging people who want to sing “Love Shack” and “Paradise By The Dashboard Light,” create a few simple rules that you can live by and everything should be alright.
I dj’ed a karaoke marathon wedding once at The Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY, and also went to one in Albany at The Elks that had a few karaoke mishaps because the bride said, “anything goes.” Since then, I make sure to mention the following guidelines to anyone I hear is thinking about having karaoke at their wedding.
1) SET A TIME LIMIT – Let the DJ know you only want karaoke at the very end, maybe the last hour perhaps, so that it doesn’t scare away guests who do not like it, and it doesn’t overpower the whole night.
2) ONE SONG ONLY – If you have a load of people who want to sing but only limited time, you can control the onslaught of karaoke requests from taking over the whole night, maybe by making a “fairness rule” that a person can only sing once.
3) NO DIRTY SONGS – A wedding typically has people of all moral walks in attendence. Therefore, don’t allow your DJ to accept songs with suggestive lyrics, and you won’t upset certain other people at your party. Grandma my not want to hear, “Shake That @$$!”
4) THE BANNING OF CERTAIN GUESTS – This idea would be good, but it usually doesn’t work without hurting someone’s feelings, and the last thing you want to do is to offend a person who may have a few drinks in them. If you really don’t want certain people to sing, you may not want to do karaoke at your wedding. It is very difficult and seemingly unfair to turn someone down who would like to join in on the fun.
5) FLIP THE KILL SWTCH – If it is starting to suck, end it right away. Limit young children who can’t read fast enough, or drunk people who drone on out of tune by having the DJ switch right back to dancing at the end of a terrible vomit-inducing track. This will keep the guests around who put in earplugs.
Stay strong, home boy. Following a few simple rules like these could allow for just enough karaoke flavor to your wedding to actually add something to your special night, rather than to take away from it. Good luck!!!
Always your wedding around a chance of rain!Avoid Wedding Disasters Top 10 List
There are many little things that can throw your wedding off and perhaps classify it under a “Wedding Disaster” category. However, a number of these things can be avoided with no cost at all to the bride and groom. Here is a list of things to remember when you are planning your wedding, to avoid your own wedding disaster.
1) Avoid placing your wedding date on a holiday – selecting a holiday or special day for your wedding date creates a built in competition quandary for many guests. When brides and grooms choose these type of dates, they often find from their attendance that their top priority, their wedding, is not also everyone’s #1 priority, at the same time. Making your guest choose between your special day and their special traditions does not always work out in your favor.
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.
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.
4) Try and always plan for Saturday Night Weddings – Fridays people sometimes have to work and Sundays people have no day to recover/travel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
9) Create a “Do Not Playlist” for your DJ – This will ensure there are no surprises.
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.
