Ten Suggestions To Improve Your St. Louis Reception
- Do not try to control every detail of your reception music.
Some brides (and grooms) get so bogged down with trying to choose every last song for their reception, or otherwise worry themselves sick over every last detail, that they forget that a wedding reception is about relaxing and having fun. Try to relax and enjoy yourself, knowing that a professional is attending to your guests' entertainment needs. Remember it is YOUR mood and YOUR approach to the evening that your guests will notice.
- Remember, your musical tastes may differ from your guests.
This is one of the most common challenges we encounter as entertainers. Although you may think
kickin' it to hardcore rap music all night is the way to go, a majority of your guests may think otherwise.
***You will end up with an empty dance floor, and a boring reception if you
do not take the musical tastes of a majority of your guests into consideration.
- Hire a professional photographer and/or videographer.
The best photographers and videographers know how to capture your event without intruding
on your event. How many times have you seen wedding receptions turn into nothing but a series of posing
for pictures, and trying to create special photo moments, instead of just letting them happen?
Also, true professional videographers use high quality cameras that are able to capture video in extremely
low light conditions. Lesser experienced and skilled videographers often bring bright flood lights to your reception. These obnoxiously bright lights not only wash out dance lights, but your guests do not appreciate a bright light in their faces while they are trying to enjoy themselves, and may instead justchoose not to dance.
- DO actively participate in planning.
If you are depending on others to tell others what you want for your reception, you will likely be disappointed. It only takes a few minutes to make your wishes and expectations known to your DJ, Caterer, etc. Take time to fill out your event planners and itineraries carefully and accurately. It will save you much grief, and make sure your event goes as planned.
- Do not devote TOO much time to special dances.
Imagine you are a guest at the wedding of a friend or relative. You have just eaten dinner and had a few cocktails and you would now like to share a romantic moment on the dance floor, or get up and move to some great dance music. But the bride has chosen a six minute song for her first dance, another five minute song for the bridal party dance, a five minute song for the father/bride dance, another long song for the mother/groom dance, then you have Aunt/Uncle dances, grandparent dances, and on and on.You've all been to those wedding receptions before. By this time all of the energy created in the room has deflated and your guests are inattentive, or asleep. This is not an uncommon occurance at St. Louis wedding receptions. We understand how important these family dances are, and no wedding reception should be without such nostalgic moments. We work closely with your other vendors, especially your photographer and videographer to provide the very best backdrop for your memories.
Use the following guidelines to hold your guests' interest without sacrificing your special family moments:
- If you are torn between one song and another for your first dance, choose the shorter song.
- Consider combining the bridal party dance with the first dance by having them join you on the dance floor.
- Try to eliminate any special dances that you can without offending anyone. Talk to them. Make sure they even want to participate in the dances. Often we have found that many family members are just as happy without the attention.
- Consider staggering the special dances throughout the evening to keep
your reception moving and let the special moments just happen on their own without
trying to micro-manage sentimentality. Trying to force nostalgia rarely works, and
overly contrived receptions can come across as "cheesy" and strained.
- ***Choose shorter rather than longer songs for special dances.
- Discuss your lighting needs with your venue before your event.
One of the most important aspects of creating an environment that will be conducive to a successful wedding reception is management of the ambient lighting within your reception hall. Speak with the manager of your venue beforehand and make sure they are able to provide the necessary lighting for your reception. If you are using candles on tables or elsewhere, you will want dim lighting available for maximum effect. You are also paying for a professional intelligent light show. Making sure the house lights are sufficiently dimmed before dancing begins is a very important aspect of our lighting presentation.
- Always locate the DJ booth directly next to the dance floor.
This is another common error that can spell doom for your celebration. Our DJs need
to be able to interact directly with the dancing crowd. Announcements are always most
effectively made from the center of the dance floor. Placing guests between the DJ booth and
the dance floor draws the focus away from the dancing area and often means that the
dance celebration is ignored, and you end up with an empty dance floor and a bored crowd.
- The bride and groom should set the example for guests.
We have found that guests at wedding receptions take their cues from the bride and groom. If the bride and groom sit back at the head table and chat, guests are less likely to get up and make their way to the dance floor. If you want a full robust dance floor at your reception, you should lead the way! When your guests see the two of you dancing and having a great time they will quickly join you on the dance floor.
- Include some audience participation songs in your play list.
Some couples will request that we not play some of the traditional audience participation songs typically played at St. Louis wedding receptions. They believe that the songs are cliche and want to make their reception fresh and "hip." The problem with this is that many of your guests will ONLY dance to traditional reception songs like Y.M.C.A., The Cha-Cha Slide, Electric Slide, or The Chicken Dance, and they expect to hear them. People of all ages love these traditional dances and the candid shot of Uncle Henry 'getting his groove on' may just become a treasured family heirloom.
- Allow plenty of room for your DJ's sound and lighting equipment.
Nothing looks less professional or less elegant than having your DJ, and his equipment crammed into a corner of the room. Big Kat Entertainment does not use folding tables to set up. We will not require any tables or other equipment from your venue for our use. We bring a portable, quality constructed, custom DJ booth to compliment any room decor. We will require at least a 10' x 6' area to comfortably construct our booth.
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