How to Plan Wedding Entertainment Right
The worst thing you can do to one of the most beautiful days of your life is to treat the entertainment as an afterthought. If you’re wondering how to plan wedding entertainment when planning your wedding, the first thing you need to understand is that the entertainment isn’t just background noise. It sets the pace and it sets the mood. It’s the thing that’ll make your wedding reception memorable or forgettable. Bands like Metro Music Club and Liquid Blue make dull weddings unforgettable.
When guests attend a premium wedding, they will remember the feeling they had when the band kicked in and the dance floor filled up. They’ll remember the atmosphere and the energy. The only way you can achieve this is by putting thought and planning into your entertainment, as well as the rest of the wedding.
How to Plan Wedding Entertainment With the Guest Experience in Mind
I think the most important thing when trying to decide what type of entertainment you want for your celebration is to consider what you want the experience to be like for your guests (and yourselves!) during the cocktail hour/reception/dance portions.
Now, for a ceremony, you need to be elegant, classy, and know when to play and when NOT to play. Cocktail Hours require a classy, cocktail-type sound. The reception… the reception, my friend, is where you show what you’ve got. The reception is where you need to bring it home. That’s when you show your versatility and your ability to entertain.
This is exactly why hiring only one band for the entire wedding isn’t always the best option. Hire a string quartet for the ceremony, a jazz band for cocktail hour (classy and upscale), and then an upbeat live wedding band with great singers and a great song list for the reception. Live music for the reception really can take a wedding from ordinary to amazing.
This is also where we’ve seen couples make a mistake. While it’s important to choose something that you like, the music at your wedding should represent not only yourselves but also your guests. If you’re having guests of multiple generations, then make sure that the band you choose can seamlessly blend classic hits with modern hits.
Emerald Electric String Quartet:
Start With the Moments that Matter Most
The first thing you need to do is break down the wedding into its components and what type of act fits for each section. Processional, recessional, cocktail hour transition, cocktail hour, grand entrance, first dance, dance with parents, meal, free dancing, send off. All of these call for very different acts.
Key Wedding Entertainment Moments to Plan
- Ceremony processional: This is the song (or songs) that will get emotions flowing and faces smiling when the wedding party walks in. This can either be instrumental or with words, but usually is slow-paced and romantic.
- For the recessional of a wedding ceremony: This provides the first bit of celebration at the end of the ceremony and when the couple first walks back down the aisle as a newly married couple.
- Cocktail hour: This is to keep things classy, social and welcoming. It allows people to mingle and get the party started in a nice way. I like to think it sets a tone for the party in a way (i.e. if you serve alcoholic drinks at the cocktail hour, things are more likely to get rowdy!).
- Grand entrance: The big entrance to a reception is a big deal and the announcement of the wedding helps to raise the energy in the room and gets the party started!
- First dance: This is such an important and special moment for the couple, so let them have the floor to themselves (and their wedding party if they desire). It’s a great way for people you may not get a chance to talk to individually to see the couple in the spotlight and toast to them.
- Parent dances: These are a great way to add some emotion to the night. It’s traditional and a great way for people to dance with parents, siblings, friends, etc. It also adds a personal connection to the night as you watch other couples dance.
- Dinner music: The most elegant type of music. It’s in the background, not interfering with conversation or anything, but adds a nice touch to the ambiance. It’s the type of music you hear in nice restaurants.
- Open dancing: This is how you turn a reception into a celebration! A party has energy and momentum and nothing gets the energy and momentum going like open dancing! Not everyone is a dancer, but everyone can get up and move around for a bit.
- Final song or sendoff song: This is the last song of the night and its purpose is to send people home with a bang! You want people leaving your party/concert/show/etc. and thinking wow that was a great way to end the night!
It’s why having a planned set is so much more important than just playing whatever. The DJs that fill the dance floor aren’t always the best technical musicians, but they almost always have the best pace. You don’t want to burn the energy too early, you don’t want dinner to be too long, or have/clunky paced transitions.
This is why it’s important to hire experienced wedding entertainment! Our bands know how to craft that emotional journey. They know when to slow it down and be classy, when to push it to the limit and when to just play some party music and go for the jugular!
Choosing the Right Type of Wedding Entertainment
I think the most important thing to take away from this is that there isn’t a right answer for all weddings. There is only a right answer for YOUR wedding, based on your guests, your venue, your style, etc.
If you want the reception to be incredible, live music usually creates the biggest impact, so the most important thing is to get a great live band. A good band doesn’t just play good music, they know how to command the room and how to get a crowd excited in a way that music from speakers just simply can’t do. They’ll make your grand entrance and last dance incredible.
For those looking at a more involved entertainment option for their wedding, it’s great to mix it up. Have a live group for the ceremony, another group to play during cocktail hour, and then a killer dance band for the reception. This can really tie a wedding together and make it feel special.
There are trade-offs. A big band with some production enhancements (lighting, video, etc.) can be spectacular, but requires more space and costs more. A small group can be intimate and sophisticated, but won’t provide the visual and musical impact that you might want for a big ballroom reception. Part of being a good planner is knowing what your priority is.
Budget for Impact, Not Just Coverage
The biggest mistake that couples make when setting their budget for wedding entertainment is that they’re thinking of it as hiring someone to fill some time. Premium wedding entertainment is not about filling time, but about achieving an outcome.
If your dream is to have a high-energy experience where everyone dances all night, the MC’ing is world-class, everything about the band is slick and professional, and the music seems custom to your audience… that experience is going to cost some serious dollars. Elite bands have experienced players, better singers, better flow, and everything is smoother and more reliable.
This doesn’t mean that you have to get the biggest act for your wedding. What it does mean is that you need to invest in entertainment if it’s important to you. If you value the experience for your guests, then you need to make sure you’re investing in entertainment.
With upscale weddings, that’s the way to go. Spend more money on the entertainment portion and less money on the fringes that people won’t notice or care about. Nobody is going to remember the charger plates. Everybody remembers that the dance floor was packed all night long.
Ask Smarter Questions Before You Book
It’s not just about who has the slickest website, the best looking album or CD, or the most professional website – you need to really know what the act will be like on the day, at a wedding, with your guests.
Ask about transitions, how they make announcements, how they handle changes in timing, etc. Can they do custom first dances or special songs? How do they approach creating a set list that works for patrons of all ages? What does the package include (sound, lighting, travel, number of people for set up, etc.)?
Most importantly, ask if they have experience doing weddings specifically. Corporate events, clubs and public concerts are very different from weddings. Weddings require a level of precision, flexibility, professionalism and ability to bring support to happy/emotional moments as well as dance floor moments.
This is where having a premium agency model makes things easier for you. You don’t have to do the legwork. Wedding Music Bands only works with the best of the best that are used to working with premium clients and how to go the extra mile for them. Things like this save you time as a planner.
Match the Entertainment to the Room
Just because a band might be great doesn’t mean they’re right for your wedding. The size of the venue, the acoustics, the amount of guests, restrictions on the type of production they can bring, etc., all of these things need to be taken into account when trying to find the best band for the venue.
Maybe it’s at a big, fancy resort that has room for a large band + extra lighting + a big stage. Maybe the venue is small and you need to be more compact and quiet, but still fun! Maybe you’re getting married outside, so there are a bunch of other issues to worry about (sound, rain plan, electricity, etc).
This is why you should be having conversations when planning your entertainment with the planner, with the venue, with the production team. When you have all of those conversations and are crafting the best night by combining all the pieces and understanding how the room works, that’s when you get the best product.
Personalize Without Overcomplicating
That’s the beauty of wedding entertainment. You can really customize it to make it special and memorable. Some couples try to micro manage what they want and what they don’t, but there’s a fine line between personalization and being too involved.
Have a few songs that are important to you. Give them a short list of songs you really want played, a very short list (no more than like 3) of songs you do NOT want played, and some genres that your guests will like. If you want a specific arrangement of a song for your first dance, or have some sort of cultural thing you do with music, let them know upfront.
Then get out of the way and let the professionals do what they’re best at. The best performers out there are live ones that can adjust and change on the fly depending on the crowd. Having a set list can actually hurt your party if it doesn’t fit the crowd. The best wedding entertainment is tailored to you, but still adjusts on the fly.
Timing Matters as Much as Talent
People under realize that even if you have the best band in the world, it doesn’t matter if the timeline for the night is wrong – if there’s too much dead time, or toasts take too long, or there’s too much cutting in on people dancing – it will kill the vibe in the room.
The most important part of having a good entertainment schedule is to not kill the party. This means toasts should be short. Formal dances should be spaced apart to give them importance. You don’t want to keep clearing the dance floor as the party gets in full swing for stuff.
If you’re having a reception and that’s the main part of your wedding, then plan accordingly! With a smart wedding planner and a good entertainment team you can structure the night so that it’s elegant and beautiful and exciting from the very first note till the very last song!
How to Plan Wedding Entertainment for a Luxury Feel
That’s the thing with luxury and luxury services. It’s not just paying more money. It’s about giving your guests a seamless experience. You want your guests to feel like you’ve pulled this celebration off perfectly. They should think that you haven’t had to put any effort at all into it.
In entertainment terms, that means you select musicians who have a great presence, who look great, who can be as slick or as rowdy as you need them to be. You also add some extra things that just take everything to the next level – whether that’s extra lights, horn section, multiple bands through the event (big dance band, small combo, etc).
Where couples and wedding planners want entertainment to be a talking point of their wedding rather than just another element of the day, then this is where the expertise comes in. Wedding Music Bands specializes in this kind of experience – premium acts and great advice with a concierge service to ensure you have the wedding of your dreams with a packed dance floor and no hassle.
It’s like being a good host and having a good party. You want your guests to be entertained, you want there to be a buzz in the room, you want the flow of the evening to make sense and be engaging. Having a good plan for entertainment is a big part in making your wedding run well, not just look good!
Frequently Asked Questions About Wedding Entertainment Planning
How early in advance should you book entertainment for your wedding?
You should book us as early as possible! The best wedding bands and wedding entertainment book up very early, especially for popular wedding dates and expensive venues. If you’re looking to hire a premium live wedding band or a specialist wedding dance band for your wedding, you really should book as early as possible.
Do you want different music for each part of the ceremony/reception?
Some people like to have different music for the ceremony, different for cocktail hour (if you’re having that), and then different for the reception. It’s often a really nice touch to change up the music throughout the day.
Having a separate band or musicians for the ceremony, and even the cocktail hour, then the dance band at the reception, can really make everything feel more sophisticated and thought out. Wedding Music Bands offers internationally-acclaimed live bands that not only ensure that your reception dance floor is full, but can also use individual musicians from the band for your ceremony and cocktail hour parties.
We want to provide the best experience for our guests; how do we know what type of entertainment is right for us?
What are you planning? Who are your guests? Where are you having it? How long will it last? Are you planning a certain vibe? If you have guests of many generations, we would suggest someone who has a broad range of songs and who can transition well from old to new hits, as well as slow to dancing songs.
What makes wedding entertainment feel more luxurious?
Luxury wedding entertainment bands tend to be more professional, have better vocalists, better presence, don’t have dead time, have better sound and lighting (that aren’t obnoxious), and are more used to performing at luxury weddings, and know how to represent themselves accordingly. It can make a wedding feel more “upscale.
