Don't Place Your Wedding On A Holiday

Face it. Aside from your one Uncle Jerry who farts a lot, and the one cousin Sarah who gets extremely drunk even at communion, for the most part, you really want your all of your friends and family to be able to make to your special day. However, there is one mistake that a lot of party planners seem to make when selecting when the day should take place... AND THAT IS PUTTING THE DATE ON A HOLIDAY.

When you are picking a date to throw a big event like a wedding, one you should approach things with a good business mind. That means, KNOW YOUR COMPETITION.

Yes, at first, itseems like a novel idea; getting married on Christmas Eve, or The Fourth of July, perhaps. Your guests already have off, and it is fun be able to say we are getting married on New Years Eve, or something. However, placing your special day on a date where your guests may already have plans/yearly traditions is usually a really bad idea.

For one, holiday choices sometimes can make some very important people in your lives have to pick between attending either their yearly plan/tradition, or attending your function. This can upset your guests or even you when you see what their decision is. It is a bad position to put people in on both sides. An easy way out of this stress is to pick a day when nothing seems to be happening.

Another reason chosing a holiday for your special day is often not a good idea is you may loose some of the fun people who might have attended that are not all that close to you. That can mean less people you haven't seen in a long time, or even worse, less of a good time overall.

So when selecting a date, think twice before choosing that holiday for your big special day. If you create competion for your event by choosing a bad day from the start, you are only setting yourself up for potential heartache.

DJ Placement at Your Wedding

I recently had a venue coordinator bring me into the room of a very well-known local wedding reception venue over in Albany, NY. The room was beautiful, as always, with a big dance floor, completely surrounded by nicely decorated tables. The food, the decor and everything was perfect except for the placement of one thing...

Poor Placement of The DJ table.

They had allowed for the only space for the DJ booth table to be about 75 feet away, off in the distance in the corner of the room.

"Uggghhhhh!" I thought. "Is there anywhere else I can set up?" I asked her a few questions and didn't like the answer.

She said, “That’s where we ALWAYS put the DJ.”

“If the wedding party has a band, do you put them in the same place?” I asked.

“Well, not really. We usually put them right next to the dance floor.”

There is also a very popular wedding hall in the Schenectady, NY area that likes to put the DJ way up high on a balcony. This too, in a manner of words, SUCKS!

Just a tip; treat the DJ as your entertainmant for the night, as you would any other performer that interacts with your crowd. It really is best to have what ever entertainment that you choose to provide for your guests very close to the dance floor. This is important for a number of reasons.

Here is a list of things to think about when making your seating plan and placing your entertainment spotlight for the night:

1) DO NOT PUT GUESTS/TABLES IN FRONT OF THE DJ - First off, the sound quality will be terrible. Obstacles will hinder the sound from reaching the dance floor properly. Also, the guests sitting in front of the DJ booth will be blasted by sound all night.

2)IS THE ENTERTAINMENT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE DANCE FLOOR? - No matter what your hall says, the entertainment should ALWAYS be right near the dance floor, period. A wedding venue knows food, and knows how to treat their guests, but they are not entertainers.

3) CAN THE ENTERTAINMENT BE SEEN BY ALL? - The DJ or band often makes announcements. You don’t want your guests wondering where this mystery voice is coming from like a blue light special announcement at K-mart.

4) CAN THE CROWD CONNECT WITH THE DJ / BAND ? - It is very important for the DJ, much like a band, to connect with the crowd. Seeing what is working and what is not is a huge part of being a mobile disc jockey.

5) WILL PEOPLE BE ABLE TO INTERACT EASILY? - If the DJ / nad is far away, requests become very difficult, or sometimes almost impossible.

In a big hall, it is impossible to do a 75 feet corner set up, facing the back of your guests with tables in front of you. Also a balcony set up, doesn't work well for a mobile DJ. (Balcon DJ booths only work in night clubs because the place is hard wired with smaller speakers everywhere to reach the dead spots.)

BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF A BAD WEDDING HALL LAYOUT:





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Overall, in a wedding reception setting, your DJ/MC placement is critical. Do not let the hall put your entertainment in a closet.

Remember, when it comes to dancing, "The King of Dirty Dancing" Patrick Swayze once said, "Nobody puts the DJ in the corner," ...or something like that. Keep this in mind when laying out the seating charts.


...www.theDJservice.com

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Wedding Worksheets - a must for success.

When you plan a wedding, many people end up being in charge of many different aspects of the night. It may sound simple, but it is important to communicate well, in order to get what you want. One way you can really get your points across is by mapping everything out on paper so your expectations and wishes are clearly understood and met.

When you go about hiring a wedding professional like a disk jockey, a professional photographer, or even your caterer, you should always ask if they have a planning worksheet. Most often, the vendor has their own custom document that will help you be prepared for your wedding day. Using the vendor's own custom worksheet will better help them understand what you want in their own recognizable format, perhaps collecting everything aver a few pages. This erases confusion and helps the vendor know exactly what you are looking for.

Wedding worksheets really do help you get prepared for your wedding day. A good worksheet will help you also to better understand how most traditional weddings (and even many non-traditional ones) will look in an outline form.

Using worksheets will help you make sure, in the long run, that you will not overlook anything on the hectic, special day when you get married.

Whether or not you are using a custom vendor worksheet, or just downloading one online, there are FOUR very important aspects that you will want to keep in mind when filling out your disk jockey worksheet:

1) SETTING THE TONE – Some people want class. Others want an all out party. Many people want their reception to fall somewhere in between. A good worksheet will ask you what kind of feel you are trying to acheive, and when you will want that tone met over the course of the evening.

2) CREATING A MUSIC PLAYLIST – Your wedding is your special day , therefore you really should be the one to decide how you want it to feel. Music will set the atmosphere. Getting some of your ideas down onto paper will better help to create the feel you are hoping for. While you should not attempt to write every song down that you would want to hear, providing ten or twenty might give your DJ a good idea of what you like, while giving them the room to read the crowd.

3) THE DO NOT PLAY LIST – This is very important, but quite often forgotten in the mix. You should always take the time to write down the few songs you absolutely do not like, so that there are no surprizes on your special day. Although I hate playing "The Chicken Dance," for example, some older DJ’s absolutely love it! If you failed to add this song to your worksheet as a “DON'T PLAY,” you may end up thinking your DJ clucked everything up in the end, while you watch good 'ole grandma flap her wings.

4) ACTIVITY OPTIONS – There are so many wedding activity options that you can rock at your wedding. A good worksheet will have them listed so you can easily cross off or circle the ones you want.

If you would like to check out my latest worksheet, email me a request at ken@theDJservice.com and I can email you over one.


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My Pirate Wedding Report

Hey party people! DJ Kenny Casanova here, with my OWN wedding report on The DJ Kenny Casanova & Maria DJ Pirate Wedding Extravaganza.

A lot of local people from Albany, Troy and Schenectady browse my blog here at TroyRecord.com for great wedding tips and planning ideas, based on succesful weddings I have attended. Therefore, it is ironic now that I can share some fun things from my actual wedding.



As I stated in previous posts, we practiced what we preach. If you have the guts, "Theme weddings make for a better time!" ...We had a theme wedding ourselves, so that our special day would stick out and be memorable. Being a wedding DJ that has a few weddings a week, we had to go with something different so it would stay in our minds forever. My wife chose PIRATE and it was awesome!


CELEBRITY EMCEE - We brought in the most pirate-like celebrity we could think of; Glens Falls native former WWE United States Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan to emcee the event and mingle. Hoooo! He was great!!! Everyone loved him and he fit the bill perfectly!


CENTERPIECES - Our centerpieces were treasure chests with mardi gras beads, gold coins and large crystal gems. Here, we did not skimp on contents and also did not use any cartoony-like happy meal-like prize inserts, which would have been easy to do. The key to decorating for a fancy pirate wedding was that we tried our best to make everything look legit and as real as possible, so it didn't look like a kid's pirate birthday. Using higher quality decorations made everything feel more classy ...or at least as classy as a pirate shindig can be!

FLAGS - We hung 17 different jolly roger pirate flags up in each window bay of Birch Hill's big reception hall. (With them all being slightly different, this helped things feel more real and made things more interesting to the eye. It was way more cool to see the little variations to each flag than to quickly browse over the same print over and over again of the same skull & crossbones. There are actually many different pirate flags out there, and if you look online, you can find full real 3 x 5 foot flags for $5-$10 a piece, that may not be all that weather-sound, but perfect for the short-term; an indoor reception like ours.

FOOD - We had buffet style thick carved prime rib, lobster penne, and chicken marsella.






CAKES - Arrrghhh! Yes matey! We had two cakes; one custom pirate wedding tower by yummy local wedding cake favorite Cocodots, and a surprizing groom's cake by my own sister that was peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cake and topped with crushed reeses everything! (My favorite!) I actually fed a piece of this to my best man, the same as you feed one to your bride, in full pie-face tradition.

PHOTO MAGNET PHOTO-SHOOT - We had a green screen magnet shoot so that people could bring home high quality magnets to put on their refridgerators of the night, featuring fun with all their friends. These keepsakes were great because the photographer would change the background on the spot to match costumes and our theme. And, the sharp full color quality was also unbelievable! This extra fun was provided by Holmes Photography in the Albany, NY area.

In case you might want to walk the plank yourself at your own wedding, here are some of our guests pictures to hold you over, as the professional shots by Manny at Affordable Photography are not quite done yet.

There will be more to come soon, on how to actually plan a great pirate wedding, once we go through all the pictures.

In the meantime, we have more of our guests shots at www.kenmariapiratewedding.shutterfly.com

Our Pirate Wedding is Coming...

Most of what I write here ends up being a lot of ideas for people planning weddings. The reason this ends up happening is I end up DJ'ing one or two weddings a week, and the events become easy content for my DJ blog. It is a no brainer.

Anyhow, I just wanted to let the readers know that I practice what I preach; Theme Weddings are one of the best ways to really make your wedding memorable.

About a year ago, I wrote a blog about how I would plan a "pirate wedding." The way I write my wedding theme blogs are I either go to a wedding that has an awesome theme and absolutely have to share what I saw, or I do a bunch of research up on an idea and write. In the case of my pirate blog, I had gone to my nephew's birthday party which had a pirate theme, due to his love of The Pirates of The Carribean movie franchise. Then I got to thinking how it would be interesting to take some of the fun birthday party ideas and work them into a wedding that afforded a bigger budget to the theme.

Before posting it, my fiancee read it and told me I shouldn't put it out there for everyone to read.

"Why?" I asked. "Is it not realistic? Do you think nobody will want to do it?"

"Not at all," she replied. "I want it for our wedding."

(This is why I am marrying her!)

Anyhow, we have had an absolute blast planning for our own special day.

Here are some shots of the best man, Marty Carbone (who also has a blog here) and myself, with the costumes that didn't quite make the cut:




And... Here is the gigantic decoration pile in sotrage waiting for the big day, along with a bit of an idea of what a centerpiece might look like:

Wedding Theme List - Theme Ideas for your wedding reception

Below is a great list of possible themes for your wedding. Why have a theme? Everyone wants their wedding to stick out and be one that people will remember for a lifetime. Adding a wedding theme where guests participate in some different kind of way or actually dress the part can be a way to really make this happen.

As a DJ who specializes in wild and fun modern weddings, who readily thumbs his nose at tired traditions like the dreaded chicken dance, I have recently become one of the area's leading choices for "theme weddings." It is quickly becoming my specialty, though I did not plan it that way. Anyhow, it is a nifty little niche. With my past experience in the entertainment field, as well as being an aspiring fiction author, my creative side does well with theme weddings.

I cannot stress that a theme wedding brings everything together AND brings everyone together. Every element becomes so much easier and fun to put together.

I have a number of blogs with some great ideas now available, but thought it might be a good idea to give people a general idea of what kind of themes are out there. (Brides, you may want to really look at this list if want to get the groom more involved in the planning of your special day. I have noticed that when a theme has been added, grooms buy into the planning even more.)

Do I practice what I preach? YES!!! Stay tuned for my own pirate theme wedding pictures in May... For now, here is a growing list of wedding themes that I have come across and been a part of:

Awesomized 80's / 1980s
African Theme
Australian Wedding
Asian Fusion / Japanese & Chinese
Beach
Butterfly Theme
Carribean Theme
Country Theme
Cinderella
Christmas
Daisey Theme
Disney Theme / Mickey Mouse / Magical Kingdom
Easter Theme
Elvis
Ethnic Theme
Fairy Tale theme
Fall Theme
Fifties / 1950s
Garden / Flowers Theme
Goth / Gothic / Dark Theme
Halloween
Hawaiin / Island Theme
Heavy Metal
Hippie / Grateful Dead / 1960s
Irish / Celtic
Italian
International (many nations represented, or specific regions)
Japanese
Jewish
Mardi Gras Theme
Masquerade Theme
Medieval / Renaissance
Military Theme
Pirate
Rose Theme
Royalty Theme
Sci Fi / Space
Star Trek or Star Wars
Sound of Music
Superhero Theme
Under the Sea / Ocean /nautical
Vegas / Rat Pack
Valentines / Hearts
Victorian Theme
Western / Old West / Cowboy
Winter Wonderland

A few of these wedding themes above are hyperlinks to other blog entries, specifically about the theme. For more wedding theme ideas, check out our other blogs at www.thedjservice.com/blog

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(PHOTO CREDIT: http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2009/1/0/star-wars-wedding-pic-mike-walker-m-and-y-973806144.jpg )

A WHITE WEDDING? - Snow Changes Wedding Dates Nationwide

This time of year, people start to plan their weddings. As you know, some common places they like to hold their receptions often include high end golf clubs and ski resorts, like Jiminey Peak. With all the snow we are getting this year, it seems as if some of the planning has been put off, for fear of the weather. Therefore, I expect to see more weddings being scheduled for later in the year, than usual.

However, if you are a Capital District bride or groom, you can still count your lucky stars. If you were in Lake Tahoe, California right now, your wedding season might be skipped altogether! Snow on your wedding day is usually considered to be a sign of fertility and prosperity, but in this case, it is just plain ridiculous!




Yes. That is what 31 feet of snow looks like on the ground. This crazy picture is not Alaska, or the North Pole. This JPG was recently taken outside Tahoe Donner Ski Resort in California, where they have lots of weddings yearly, just like Jiminey Peak.

The Weather Channel has reported that the Tahoe area, a popular destination for many weddings, is in rough shape. It has received over 50 feet, that's 600 inches of snow this season alone. Different storms recently dumped over 100 inches each, in only the span of few days.

Can you imagine driving up to a wedding like this?

Now that's a white wedding.

DJ Kenny Casanova
www.TheDJservice.com

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Top Ten Wedding Disaster List ...Put to Music

There are so many problems that can occur at a wedding, but as the song goes, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Having a back up plan, or thinking about solutions to the problems that could occur are the keys to acheiving "The Perfect Wedding." If you plan your wedding with these problems in mind, as Bob Marley once said, "Every little thing's gonna be all right." Here is my Wedding Disaster playlist from TheDJservice.com:


1. Plan out your ceremony and you can… “Have The Time of Your Life” - Greenday
The Ceremony is the most important thing, overall and is often forgotten about. After all, the wedding reception is really just the celebration of having just had the ceremony. Spend a little time putting things together to make it memorable.

2. Be careful not to waste all of your … “Money” – The O’Jays
“Do we really need an award-winning classical violinist in by the coat room?”… “Do we really want a centerpeice in the bathroom?”… The dreaded Wedding Industry is a big money maker and a huge money taker. It is soooooo easy to get caught up in all the frills and extra options when you are planning wand request the very best of everything. This can get very costly, if you don’t pay attention to the little costs.

3. “Just The Two of Us” – Will Smith
Your wedding as a whole should be symbolic. Make sure your wedding is a reflection of both of you; the bride and a groom. Sometimes we forget to put in the personal likes and dislikes that make the event special. In the end, everyone should have some of the traditional wedding to make them happy, but also a mixed in balance of things that are important to the newlyweds.

4. “I need Somebody to, HELP, not just anybody.” – The Beatles
Two people are important for the success of your special day; the minister/officiant and the Disc Jockey/band leader. It is your duty to really know who is running the show. This means if you bring in a boring officiant for your wedding ceremony, your ceremony will be boring. Also, if you hire a bad band, people will have a bad time. Book a lame DJ and get lame stuff like chicken dances and YMCA, that is, if you dare consider the Village People to be "lame."

5. “Lose My Mind” - DMX
Don’t "Lose Yourself" as Eminem would say. It is easy-squeezey to get all stressed out and sweat the little things. Afterall, there are a ton of different components to a wedding where anything could go wrong. Odds are something will. If something doesn’t go exactly as planned, take a deep breath and move on. No one will care. Sometomes it makes things even more memorable. We are all human!

6. “More Money, More Problems” – The Notorious BIG, Biggie Smalls
If you let them, the wedding professionals, caterers, and even your guests can end up costing you a an arm and a leg and a fortune. Figure out exactly want to spend and stick to it!

7. “I’m Here For The Party” – Gretchen Wilson
It is never a good practice to "get your Ke$ha on" and go get plastered the night before your wedding. The funny thing is, it happens all the time. Think about it though. You are probably dropping thousands of dollars on your wedding. Do you really really want to be hung over on your special day? Words of wisdom: If a bachelor / bachelorette party is set up for the night before, be careful you don’t spoil things for the day after.

8. Be a great host and always think of… “Everybody” – Backstreet Boys
While it is your “special day,” the wedding reception will only be fun for everyone if you include everyone. That means perhaps playing some music you may not particularly like, or allowing something to happen for the good of the whole that you may not be particularly fond of.

9. “It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right” – Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
It is hard to remember that there are two people, when planning a wedding. Quite often, the bride has been thinking about this day her whole life and totally takes over. Ladies, if you want the groom to enjoy himself, let him have a little fun in the planning as well.

10. “Singing in The Rain” – Gene Kelly
Make sure to have yourself a back up plan for every single individual thing that could go wrong. People are optimistic at heart and often think, bad stuff like these things could never ever happen to me. Howeverthey are the same ones who end up with ketchup all over the bride's wedding dress. If you don’t keep this in mind, all your people could be stuck out in a rainstorm.


(PICTURE CREDIT: http://www.getmarried.com/wedding-blog/2009/08/12/wedding-cake-disasters/)

Karaoke at Your Wedding - Things to Think About

If you have a wedding coming up, you want it to be memorable. There are many different things you can do to make this happen, however, if you are looking at karaoke there are many things to think about.

If you are considering karaoke as an option for your wedding reception because your DJ offers it, you are most likely the type of bride and groom that really want a party-feel and really want your guests to have fun. You probably want to start of your marriage with something memorable. However, as Spidey once said, "with karaoke comes great responsibility." (- Or something like that.)

First off, if karaoke is you key attraction and agreed on by both the bride and groom, make sure your DJ has karaoke experience. This means a regular karaoke gig, with somekind of buzz, locally. While it is hard to exactly explain what it is that makes a DJ good at karaoke, in the eyes of his or her karaoke patrons, it probably has to with a combination of personality, organization and fast pacing.

Personality. It is something your karaoke DJ either has, or doesn't have. There are no lessons for this attribute. You cannot learn this. The only way to really judge this, however is to see them in living color. Ask to see them playing karaoke music at a public venue. The reason they may also get booked for a lot of weddings and sweet 16 birthday parties is by having potential customers come to public gigs and test them first. If they invite you, do it! You can see them in action, unannounced, uncensored and unknown. Then you can judge for yourself, without watching an edited video of only their best moments.

How do you know, if what you are seeing will translate well for you? They should be funny and fun and keep the party going, but not a spotlight hog themselves. (Some karaoke DJ's are unbooked musicians looking for an outlet to shine. Your wedding is not the place for this.) You don't need them to get on the mic and attempt stand up comedy. Your guests want to hear music, not speeches, but a little bit of quick mic work in the appropriate places after or before a strategic song can be classic. They should mix party DJ success with their karaoke, then they will do a great job at both for your reception.

Timing is everything. No dead air, is important. When it happens - PEOPLE CRINGE! Have you ever been on a dance floor and there is a space between songs? What do the dancers do? They either freeze and stand there like deer in headlights, or go and sit back in their seats. BOTH OF THESE OUTCOMES ARE NOT GOOD! Watch the DJ try their hardest to keep everything moving and leave no room to sleep for the karaoke audience.

Once you have chosen the right DJ who also has karaoke, consider these precautions.

1) SCHEDULED KARAOKE TIME - Timing is everything! I recommend only the last hour of the event, so your wedding reception does not become a karaoke concert. Not everyone likes karaoke, so limit it to either scheduled performances by a few key players, or open up say the very last hour. If you open it up for the entire reception, it will not be special and will become more annoying than anything else.

2) SET LIMITS - Do not allow multiple songs by one guest. Maybe one or two, but you do not want your wedding reception to become a crazy huge karaoke jam staring only one or two key players.

3) SCAN SONG SELECTION - Make sure your DJ runs all the songs by you, if they could be considered questionable. Some songs out there have ridiculous amounts of adult content and just are not right for a wedding. (HINT - if there is cursing, or a song by the 2 Live Crew, beware!)

So that's it. Karaoke can really be a blast, but be careful. If you are, it can really add to the final flavor and make it a great night for everyone!

Outdoor Wedding Advice

Man alive! The past two years, as a wedding DJ, I have seen some pretty rainy outdoor weddings. While an outdoor wedding can be totally awesome, when the weather does not cooperate, it can be a disaster if you do not have some planning, in order.

1. Dress for the elements. Choose fabrics that ensure comfort on the big day. Think about the later hours of the event as well. Will you need to be warm at any point? Will it maybe get to warm, after the dancing starts?

2. Keep your guests' comfort in mind. Also, make sure to let your guests know that the wedding will be outdoors. Prepare them so that they may dress appropriately.

3. Decorations. Wet streamers look like wet toilet paper. Remember, decorations have to brave the elements, and sometimes they may ruin photos, as well. Look for natural or built-in points of beauty for great backdrops and photo opportunities, rather than to try and plot lots of unnecessary decorations.

4. Invest in a good tent. You get what you pay for and you do not want to be dodging downpour streams in the middle of the dance floor. Take no shortcuts when renting a tent, or deal with sunburns and tidal waves.

5. Plan well. While you have to plan ahead and cannot know what the weather will be on a particular date exactly, you can still try for the right season. Plan your outdoor wedding day for a time of the year that averages good weather that is comfortable.

6. Have a Backup Plan. Ever hear of "Plan B"? Make one! You can't predict what the weather is going to be. Rather than stress about it, plan for a site which will allow you to move the entire wedding to an inside location easily.

7. Alert your vendors! All of your vendors should know that it is an outdoor wedding. It sounds easy, but often this is forgotten and sometimes certain precautions need to be taken by your professionals to make everything work out well.

Wedding Bouquet Toss Song Ideas

The glowing spotlight is shinning softly on you and all eyes casted your way. Your hands hold a modest, yet gorgeous bundle of flowers and you are about to throw it all away, and move on to the next wonderful chapter in your book. It is now that magical moment for you, the bride in white.

Everything is just how you imagined it would be. Your dress is perfect. Your hair is lovely. However, the silly DJ cracks a stupid joke to match his song choice and plays something ridiculous and seemingly unrelated, all because you didn't specify and left it up to him.

You bite your lip and think, "I knew I should have told him what to play!"

Don't worry! If you are still planning, there is still time.

There are countless songs out there, and it is overwhelming, but you do not half to reinvent the wheel. So what can you actually pick for a song? Here is a popular listing of Top Bouquet Tossing Songs where you cannot go wrong!

• Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
• Dancing Queen - Abba Girls
• Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
• I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
• Ladies Night - Kool & The Gang
• Man! I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain
• Respect - Aretha Franklin
• All I Wanna Do - Cheryl Crow
• Chapel of Love - Dixie Cups
• Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
• Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
• So Many Men, So Little Time - Miquel Brown
• Single Ladies - Beyonce
•This one is for the girls - Martina McBride
•Wishin' and Hopin' Ani Difranco (My Best Friends Wedding Soundtrack)
•"Sex in the City" theme song
• American Woman - The Guess Who
•Bootylicious - Destiny's Child
• Diamonds are a girls best friend - Marilyn Monroe
• Dirty - Christina aguilera
• Don't want no Scrub - TLC
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
• Express Yourself - Madonna
• Funky Town - Lipps Inc.
• Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Cruew
• Hey Ladies - The Beastie Boys
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
• Its Getting Hot in Herre - Nelly
• Its Raining Men - The Weather Girls
• Just a girl - No Doubt
• Ladies Night - Kool & The Gang
• Lady Marmalade - Pink, Mia, Lil' Kim, Christina Aguilera
• Let's Get Loud - Jenifer Lopez
• Like a Virgin - Madonna
• Milkshake - Kelis
• Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman - Britney Spears
• Oh Its so Quiet, Shhh (Zing-Boom) Bjork
• One way or another blondie
• Our Day Will Come - Ruby and the Romantics
• Perfect Day Hoku - Legally Blonde Soundtrack
• Red Neck Woman - Gretchen Wilson
• Shoop Shoop Song - Cher
• Single White Female - Chely Wright
• This one's for the Girls - Martina Mc Bride
• Touch Me, Tease Me Case - Foxy Brown
• What a Girl Wants - Christina Aguillera

Plan The Perfect Wedding - Thinking of your guests on your day

"Can I have the perfect wedding?" Yes, but you may have to give a little. The only real way to be happy with your reception is if all the people around you are happy. The big question, therefore, then should not be "What do I want?" but rather, "What do I want for my guests?"

All little girls write their names on their notebooks in school with their crush's last name instead of their own. And they all picture the perfect white wedding as well. Creating the best wedding reception as an adult, however, is like writing a term paper for school. You have to do some research and focus on finding answers to the right questions, first. Therefore, you actually have to pick the right questions.

Finding the answers to, "what do I like?" may come off selfish and create moments that are only meaningful to you. What you should rather do isl spawn a number of sub-questions that go along with it like, "what do I want my guests to say when they sit down?" and also, "what do I want my guests to say when they walk out the door?"

WHO IS GOING TO BE THERE? - Thinking about who is going to be there before you actually plan, will make your reception "the best wedding of all time." Different people like different things and you have to have a happy medium of what they will like and what you will like also.
HOW CAN I BE A GOOD HOST? - Be a good host and your party will be good. It is just that smimple. What can you do to accommodate all of your guests' wishes? Your homework is to find what really makes you happy, and also makes every guest attending happy as well.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY WEDDING STAND OUT? - Because loads of different wedding receptions happen everyday across the globe, it is safe to say thousands of alternative reception options have been created and your answers are out there. You just have to find them. Using this planning philosophy can work in every area including food, entertainment, music and even the overall look & layout of the decor.

Be unselfish and be kind and fill in the blanks with stuff you love and things that symbolize who you are. The rest will be perfect.

Wedding Planning Options...

PLANNING!!!

Not everyone can afford a real wedding planner, and quite often, some people do not even want one. Sometimes it would seem the quote “the more the merrier” when it comes time to do some wedding planning, however, for some, this may not be the case. In more cases than not, having “too many cooks will spoil the brew.”

Most often, people can help and everything will be just fine and turn out exactly how you wanted. However, wedding party members or relatives who either take it on themselves to become part time wedding planners can either become an asset to you, or can actually be a source of stress.

There are a few things to think about when bringing friends and family in for additional help.

1. Are you deciding for yourself what you are expecting the extra person to get done?
2. Do you really want to give them ultimate control, or rather guided direction? It is best to ask a few people for help with one small goal, then to put a lot on one person and have someone feel like they are actually in charge. If you put a family member “in charge” things may not go exactly your way, with the wrong person at the helm.
3. Has the person in question been helpful before, or are could they potentially be overly opinionated and pushy in times of stress?
4. Can you risk the friendship? I have heard horror cases where differences in taste result in problems. Weddings are stressful and can cause all sorts of in-fighting.
5. Does your spouse REALLY like the idea of the person helping?

So if you choose not to have Aunt Bertha run things now… You are not alone. If you have rented a hall that often books weddings, usually there is a person in charge of things that go with your expense. Use them!!! (Remember, however, they also have their own agendas as far as things to cut corners and save money. One way they do this is to push to have the cake cut earlier so that they can send staff home.

Also your wedding DJ is often your best bet for party planning at the reception. If they are a professional, not only will they be able to read your crowd and play all the songs you want, as well as others will enjoy, but they will organize the events along with your caterer and photographers so that everything comes off without a hitch.

Halloween Wedding!

As you probably already know, I am a huge theme-wedding fan, set to have my own on a pirate theme come next April. This past Saturday, I DJ'ed a Halloween wedding in Grafton NY that was great fun.

Something interesting that I would like to share; groups of people came in themes to match the tables!

We had a Superhero table, complete with Batman,Superman, Clark Kent, Wonderwoman, Spider-man, WOlverine and a Transformer to boot.

We also had an WOnderland Table, with Alice, the Queen, The Mad Hatter, and a Door Mouse.

Ane one other cool table was The Wizard of Oz table, with a male bearded Dorthy, The Lion, The Witch and a person actually dressed as a chuck of the yellow brick road!

Great fun was had by all!

Roles of a Wedding DJ

Since DJs have become such a popular choice for weddings, they are no longer a guy who just “plays music” at your reception. These days, the wedding DJ has transformed into a full-fledged organized entertainer, with many responsibilities.

With a good wedding DJ, you get an emcee (M.C.) who keeps your guests happy and having fun, and you also get a coordinator who also, for the most part, acts as a wedding planner in many cases. Most professional DJs who don’t just play in bars, understand the import role that organization and planning plays.

In most cases, your DJ , handles all the important announcements so that your guests know what’s coming up next during your reception. Don’t fool yourself. This is not an easy task. The ability to communicate well with large crowd is a talent. Knowing what to say, how to say it tastefully, and what professional voice to use is difficult.

The best way to judge if your DJ will communicate well with your audience is really listen to your first conversation with your prospective disc jockey on the phone. Do they know what they are talking about? Is your DJ clear? Do they make sense? Do they sound like they have several experiences to pull from?

Your first conversation can help you get a sense of your DJ’s personality and can help you decide on whether or not you should even think about setting up a meeting. Also, ask for multimedia website information, such as pictures and videos that might portrait your DJ-in-question in action at an actual wedding.

Your DJ is also responsible for the music and the flow of the evening, as well as take on the role of event coordinator. This includes the all the stuff that happens like the grand entrance introductions, the first dance, the father-bride dance, mother-groom dance, the cake cutting, and the garter/bouquet toss.

INTERACTIVE WEDDING RECEPTION DANCE FUN

Have you been to a wedding lately? Was it good or bad? If you answered “good,” there is a good chance that the DJ had a good part of helping you come to this answer.

It is funny how a lot of weddings have so many similarities, but can still be good or bad. There are many traditional activities that happen at most all receptions. The first dance, the bouquet toss, father & bride dance, mother & groom dance, toasts and the cake cutting… we have seen these all time and time again. But these activities alone do not make the wedding reception a night to remember. If you really want people to have fun, your guests need the option to interact.

Dancing Activities are important. Some will argue that group dances are hokey and there are a number of them that really, really are. One example is the dreaded “Chicken Dance”. I personally, hate that song! However, there are some that are very modern and can do wonders for getting people out of their seats.

Even if you as the bride and groom absolutely hate dance activities, these are great ice breakers. If you can sacrifice a couple of songs to the majority of your group and and moving, it may be worth it in the big picture. If you get the people up and dancing with The Cha Cha or Electric slide, they may very well stay up there for the rest of the night.

There are many activities you have at your disposal as options. Others include The Cupid Shuffle, The Apache, The Mississippi Mudslide, The Conga, Souljaboy and The YMCA. Also, there are dollar dances, the freeze dance, The Limbo, the twist, and anniversary dances – where the DJ calls out numbers of years married to leave the dance floor, until the couple that had been together the longest remains.

Wedding Recption Money-Saving Tip: Centerpieces

I had to put this money saving tip up as a blog the moment I heard about it. While it is not really my idea, I must admit, it is a good one that I needed to pass on.

Since most brides & grooms book their weddings on a weekend, be it Friday, Saturday or Sunday, they are probably not the only ones using that hall over those days. While it is not always probable, it is certainly possible to have up to four or five other weddings in the very same room you are renting on the same weekend. Most Halls book out their popular rooms for parties in blocks like this:

A - Friday Evening
B - Saturday Morning toAfternoon
C - Saturday Afternoon to Evening
D - Sunday Morning to Afternoon
E - Sunday Afternoon to Evening

Think about that for a second. Do I need to even say where I am going with this? If you, or your the other bridal party(s) are sharing the same colors, or are open to working together, why not share the center pieces and split in on flowers? If you end up splitting in with only one other wedding, that right there is a hefty 50% off on your flowers.

Of course, you will not be able to give the centerpieces away, but honestly, as a wedding DJ who provides great music to the very end of the night, quite often, people do not always want the burden of bringing home the centerpieces anyhow, as I have seen many wedding receptions end with the flowers being left behind.

If this money-saving tactic works for you, the only flowers you have to pay for in face value is the wedding bouquet that the bride will toss. :)

Chosing a DJ or Live Band for Wedding Receptions

DJ Kenny Casanova of Albany NY - When to chose a DJ or Live Band for Wedding Receptions
Two weeks ago at a hotel on Western Ave, I talked with a cool bartender who had been serving drinks there at weddings for almost twenty years. He said he remembered a time when everyone booked bands and has since seen the trend switched to the selection of the right DJ for the majority of reception entertainment. There are still great bands out there and sometimes they really make the wedding special. But we wondered, “What caused the switch of most brides & grooms these days, over to DJs?”

I think it goes without arguing that the music chosen can make or break any traditional or non-traditional wedding celebration. The food can be really “awesome” or totally “suck,” but it only lasts as long as it takes to eat it. Your musical entertainment is the heart and soul of the party and consumes 75 percent or more of the overall spotlight. The music selection and the dancing that this ensues it ultimately what will send your guests home with a smile or a frown. People remember a good meal, but people never forget a good time.

When people plan a wedding today, they have to really decide if you want a live band or a DJ. It is all personal taste. While both options are the main source of entertainment for a wedding reception, they both offer different things.

The main advantage of hiring a band is to create an impressive visual impression. A good band can really create a great deal of entertainment, as the guests can enjoy the music as well as watch different musicians interact and “put on a show.”

On the flip-side, while a band can bring tons of cool atmosphere to your party, it is safe to say that any band booked will lack the diversity of music that a decent professional DJ brings to the table. Simple enough, a good DJ can download a song before the reception to expand his collection in seconds, while a band has to practice for days to learn how to play a new track out successfully. The learning curve in music is not always an easy one, and bands usually charge when you request a song that is not part of their set.

In the age old debate of Band vs. DJ, there are a number of other important pro’s and cons for both to consider. Which type of entertainment you choose suits your budget personal taste, guest demographics, space allowances, and your dancing ability to bring forth the very best in killer dance moves. Keep an open mind, and consider the following issues:

Atmosphere

The music you select sets the tone. If you want a fast fun party with lots of dancing you will want a DJ or band that regularly accommodates this need.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Have you ever told someone “I like all kinds of music” when someone has asked your favorite genre? Whether you choose a live band or DJ, be sure they can play slow and fast, and old and new songs. If you want to involve everyone in the celebratory mix, then changing things up is the way to go. If you decide to book a band, it is important to make sure they are not only good at one genre or type of sound. You want to try and keep everyone happy.

Budget

In the price war, the DJ almost always wins. While prices vary depending on the band, no matter how you look at it bands will generally be more expensive than a DJ, since there are more people to pay. While there are exceptions to this rule, such as celebrity DJ’s, and bands trying to get their name out there, for the most part, the DJ will be cheaper.

Space Wanted

If your heart was set on an 12-piece jazz band, you really need to check with your reception hall, as the site may have restrictions on the space needed to accommodate such a request. There is also the consideration of electrical power supply needed and noise limitations, so make sure you stay in contact with your event planner at the hall so that you are not planning something that needs special accommodations that cannot be met.

Do Your Homework!

Finally, no matter which way you go, you really need to do your homework. It is best research reviews or to actually go and see a DJ or band, live and in action before you sign a contract, or give a commitment. Completing your homework will give you an idea of how they work the crowd and read the crowd. Ask for referrals from the last few weddings the band or DJ played. Consider your first-dance song a test. If the band doesn’t know it and is unwilling to learn it, or the DJ doesn’t own it and is unwilling to get it, move on!

DJ Kenny Casanova Albany NY Wedding DJ

When to Cut the Cake at Your Wedding Reception

So… When do we cut the wedding cake?

The activity of celebrating the wedding cake has been an important part of the wedding reception since the days of Ancient Rome. During that time period, things were a little different. There was no stacking and there was no crazy decorating. There was, however, a simple wheat cake crumbled over the bride's head and into her hair. Sound odd? There was a reason. Wheat at this time to this culture was a symbol that represented bounty, so this messy tradition was carried out to ensure her fertility.

Today, many things have changed at the wedding reception. While we may seem more civilized to pour crumbs over the head of the new bride, we do carry on a twist to the old cake tradition. Instead, now the bride and groom hold a knife together and cut the cake together. In some cases, the groom lovingly smashes the cake in the glowing bride's face; Not a far cry from the old tradition after all. This new tradition continues with the top of the layered cake is now saved for the bride and groom to eat, one year later on their first anniversary.

The first wedding I ever DJ’ed at where there was no cake cutting happened last week. Do you have to cut the cake? Technically no. However, cutting the cake gives your guests and your photographer a great photo opportunity and lets them all celebrate your marriage with you, and your creativity of cake choice.

There seems to be a constant battle, of late, between the DJ and/or wedding planners and the wedding hall/ caterers on when the best time it is to cut the cake at your wedding reception. Well, what is the answer?

Traditionally, the cake should be cut towards the end of the evening. After eating a big meal, dessert isn’t always right on the guests’ minds, but could be after an hour or two of dancing. Some also choose to do the cutting right after the dinner so that everyone can dance the night away without any interruptions, but again, the cake often isn’t eaten then, if at all, until later.

One thing to keep in mind… If you do notice that, during your reception, the hall is seeming to nag you for the cake to be cut and eaten right away, they probably have a hidden agenda. Having the cake cut early is often a cost-cutting factor; the hall can send home their extra staff and save money on payroll!

Whatever you chose to do, do what feels right for you! Here are some song ideas to play while the cake is being cut:

Destiny – Jim Brickman
Can You Feel The Love Tonight? – Elton John
Recipe For Making Love – Harry Connick, Jr.
I Got You Babe – Sonny and Cher
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
Thank You – Led Zeppelin
The Sweetest Thing – U2
Sugar, Sugar – The Archies
Wedding Song – Bob Dylan
Unbroken – Tim McGraw
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor
It’s Your Love – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Ain’t That A Kick In The Head – Dean Martin
Chapel Of Love – Dixie Cups
Love You Madly – Cake
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles
Love And Marriage – Frank Sinatra
That’s Amore – Dean Martin
Grow Old With You – Adam Sandler
Eat it – Weird Al Yankovic
After All Is Said And Done – Beyoncé Knowles & Marc Nelson
1, 2, 3, 4 – Plain White T’s
‘Cause I love You – Lenny Williams
Whatever It is – Zac Brown Band
One Love – Bob Marley
Here and Now – Luther Vandross
I Do (Cherish You) – 98 Degrees
Cut The Cake – Average White Band
All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo
Yummy Yummy Yummy – Ohio Express
Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith
Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) – Four Tops

Wedding Reception Group Photo Opp Activity

Sounds simple, but this almost always never happens. You mean to plan for a great big “everybody picture,” but you just don’t seem to find time between the business of the whole day. Why not actually stop everything for a second during the party, and create a memory that will last a lifetime?

Last week, we actually took time out of the fast-pace dancing to set up a time-slot where everybody lined up for a group shot, behind the bride and groom. The shots were incredible!

If you have a decent disc jockey, you can easily make this a fun activity. It is true. You do have to be careful with this, because any stop in pace can slow things down. This is why the bride and groom had their DJ do announce the photo opportunity immediately after the cake cutting sequence, when things slow down anyhow.

It seems to me that the extra three minutes were, in fact easy to recover from. Everybody stayed right out on the dance floor and moved right into a fast dance.