Last night, my wife was watching American Idol, as we watched each new contestant step on stage, you could tell they were nervous, you could see where their nerves got to them, then contestant Ben Briley stepped on stage to preform, he was confident, he owned the stage and subsequently he had the best performance of the night. In an interview he stated that the song he was preforming was one that he started every show with. He had done it before and he had done it on front of people. Just the confidence he showed during the show, made him stand out!
So this is the question? Does your confidence show? What makes you truly unique? What makes you stand out? In the world of Dj’s, just as with every other wedding vendor we follow trends. Uplighting, Monograms, photo booths and many other secondary items have become a staple among many. The problem arises when we allow ourselves to be distracted by all of the stuff we have and forget our performance. You see performance is the key. How we interact with our clients guests, and does the reception flow from one point to another, are the transitions smooth?
One of the ways to make an event unique is to look at the normal timelines. For this example we will look at weddings in the south. Most southern style wedding start with the Cocktail hour followed by the grand entrance, first dance, father daughter dance, mother son dance and then dinner. This timeline has the guests waiting, usually between 30 to 45 minutes with very little interaction happening between the wedding party and the guests. The wedding party is usually taking pictures. So how could we change up this timeline to allow the guests to be more interactive?
Cocktail Hour: Not much can be done to adjust the cocktail hour, this is a good time for the DJ to move around the reception hall and to speak to the guests, introduce themselves and get a general feel for the room.
Grand Entrance: This is a great opportunity for the Dj to interject some interaction for the benefit of the guests, you are introducing the “VIP’s” to the room but how many of the guests actually know who these people are, small one line introductions can be added here to let the guests know more about the wedding party. Example: Jessica has know our bride since the third grade and she is best known for her infectious laughter, in fact she is also know for laughing at her own jokes, Please welcome Jessica Brewer
Bride and Grooms Entrance: Again another great opportunity for the DJ to share some knowledge. How many of the guests know how we got to this point? How many of the know how the groom proposed? Even a short story about the journey to this day can become a highlight of the reception.
VIP Dances: This is where we throw the timeline to the wind, in the south these dance are always done at the start of the reception, but again we are looking at interaction, The guests did not come to hear the DJ speak, or to interact with each other, they want time with the bride and groom, so why not give it to them? The bride and groom are front and center, all the guests attention is firmly focused on them, So why not have them say thank you? Let the guests of honor welcome their guests. No matter where you go from this point, dinner or first dance, this is something the guests will remember, the fact that the bride and groom took the time to say thank you and to acknowledge them.
Take the time this week and look at your timelines, look for areas where you might be able to add guest interaction.
