Posts Tagged ‘minneapolis wedding dj’

When it comes to selecting music, a few things come to mind.  First and foremost, the songs you choose for your “Spotlight” dances and your ceremony, will tell your audience a story about you.  Secondly, you know your “Core Audience” the best (family & friends), you know what songs or type of music they will dance to, or not dance to.  I suggest picking 10-15 “Must Play” songs for your DJ, as well as creating a “Do Not Play” list of songs or genres of music.  Lastly, when it comes to the open dance floor, ask yourself if it’s recognizable, and can people dance to it?  More on that later…

The Grand March

It’s the tempo setter for the night, have your DJ announce your Bridal Party in style!  Enter the room to “At Last” by Etta James and lull the crowd to sleep, or enter like rock stars to Joe Satriani’s “Crowd Chant” (It’s played whenever the MN Wild score).  Remember, the songs you select, tell your guests a story about you!

Cross-Generational Music

You want a night club party, your bridesmaids want a night club party and the groomsmen may want to bro-it-out, but don’t leave out the people who brought the best gifts.  In other words, people with grey hair like to party too…  Just ease them into it.

What works in the car, may not work in the bar

Here’s an example:  Katy Perry’s E.T., did huge in digital sales and radio play, and you couldn’t escape it, but you can’t dance to it…  unless you’re a Kardashian.  My favorite radio station is 89.3 The Current, but I would say that most of the music played is not danceable.  I’ve discussed music with hundreds of clients, and my heart goes out to the great music lovers out there (especially those who fancy punk, old-school hip-hop, folk, and alt music) but trust me, the stuff we love doesn’t work at weddings.  If you decide to play “cool” music at your reception ask yourself if it’s recognizable, and can people dance to it?

Bride & Groom Dance

I’ll just say this, stop searching YouTube or Google for “The Best First Dance Song”, or “Popular First Dance Song”….  Those are other people’s songs!  What’s your song?  When you first met, what song fit the most back then or even now?  Maybe it’s a goofy song you both like, or it’s a metal song you want to head-bang to, maybe you don’t like the spotlight and want everyone to join you for your first dance, or maybe you’re both not into music, is there a memorable song from a shared favorite movie?  Maybe you’re undecided on two different songs, play both.   Whatever song you select it will tell the story YOU want to tell.  So what’s your story?

The Father/Daughter Dance

There are other songs besides “Butterfly Kisses” and “I Loved Her First.” Try to think about what you’re father’s favorite song or artist is, or ask him to pick the song HE wants, after all, he may have had a big part in financing your special day!  I have to mention this…  ”Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton?  Really?  Please investigate what the song is about…  Please!

The Mother/Son Dance

Yes it’s YOUR big day, but building some “equity” with your new Mother-In-Law, and letting her select the song won’t be forgotten.

Bridal Party Dance

Take inventory of your Bridal Party, are they all friends or are they strangers?  If they don’t really know each other that well, select a mid-tempo or even upbeat dance tune.  Also, you may want the Bridal Party to dance with their dates who have been probably seated next to strangers and feel excluded. .. It’s a nice touch!

Dollar Dance

I suggest leaving the music up to your DJ, but we do want to know if you want a “short” 2-3 song set, or if you’d like to accommodate enough time based on your guests participation.  Obviously the more people that line up, the more time it takes.  It just may pay for the new shoes you bought for your honeymoon!  Now some brides feel awkward like it’s “shaking-down” their invited guests, but in reality it’s tradition, and gives people more face time with you and your husband.  If you decide to select the music try to shy away from the “Intimate/Romantic ” songs…. Can you say awkward?

To Chicken Dance or not to Chicken Dance?

The Hokey Pokey, The Electric Slide, YMCA, etc., are not cool songs; however, they do get your guests on the dance floor.  You aren’t required to participate, but these songs are usually only played at weddings and people love them.

 

In summary put some thought into your songs, pick 10-15 “Must Plays”, highlight the “Do Not Plays”, pick a couple “Group Participation” songs, and don’t forget “Cross-Generational” music … This will give your DJ an opportunity to “read/play to” the crowd, take appropriate requests, and infuse your “Must Plays” in an order that makes sense so everyone goes home with sore feet!

Happy Planning Everyone!

-Midwest Sound Wedding DJ – Minnesota

Unfortunately this is not an uncommon statement to hear from future Brides as they consider their wedding entertainment options…

If this applies to you, here are some important questions you may want to ask yourself, and your “DJ” friend…

• What happens if they get sick, get a flat, have their equipment stolen, or simply don’t show up? What happens if their equipment fails ? It’s very important to have a backup plan!  Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment provides a full backup staff for each event, including on call technicians, backup DJ’s, and supervisors ready to field any problem that may arise.

• How many weddings have they DJ’d? Maybe they can play the “Club Bangers”, but can they play “Cross-Generational” music? Many of our DJ’s also have club experience,  but they also have the special professional skills and knowledge necessary to deejay a wedding. A DJ’s job is always, of course, to bring people together in joyful celebration. It requires different  skills, however, to do this for a Bride and Groom, along with a group of their friends and family at a wedding.

• Do they have an event planning form of some kind? Every wedding is different, and it’s extremely important that you have an opportunity to choose what happens (or doesn’t!) throughout your big day, then discuss it with your DJ. We provide music and event planning forms, have a full time Music Director on staff, and your DJ will call you the week of your wedding to go over all the details with you

• Is this the person you want to rely one for one of the most important days of your life?

• Do they have insurance? We do! Many of the leading Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Greater Minnesota venues require that all vendors carry liability insurance.

Now if your “DJ” friend has instilled confidence that he or she can make your marriage celebration all that it should be, then go for it! The point isn’t that it’s impossible for you to have a reliable friend with the right skills to help facilitate your big day, it’s that you should make sure you do before you put your trust in them!

If you’d like to explore the added benefits of hiring a professional disk jockey, please contact us so we can learn more about your event!

-Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment – MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, we are not talking about the classic wedding song “Mony, Mony!” We are speaking of the cost of weddings today. Not every family has an unlimited wedding budget and yes, it does feel good to get a great deal on top quality wedding vendors, decorations and supplies. Midwest Sound has always taken a common sense approach to pricing. Contact us today and let’s talk about your budget! For more money saving ideas check out this link: SAVE MONEY ON MY WEDDING!

or is it even in the Twin Cities? Minneapolis, St. Paul wedding DJs are everywhere now that wedding season is here. Take a look at a couple places we are at in Minnesota and Wisconsin in the coming weeks:

Oakridge Conference Center

Timbermist

The Mermaid

Florian Gardens-Eau Claire, WI

We would love to DJ your wedding reception! Just let us know where in the world you are at….

See video of highlights from the “Unveiled” wedding  show!

Click on the Midwest Sound banner:

Minneapolis and St. Paul leading DJ company Midwest Sound had a fantastic day with many brides and grooms. We will see you soon at the next big one.  Happy wedding planning over the holidays!

Greetings!

We hope that you had an excellent Summer and Fall 2011.

Congratulations to all of the couples who had their wedding over the Summer!

We had the opportunity to deejay so many great events in Minnesota and Wisconsin  and want to thank everyone who chose Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment as their dj of choice this year!

For those of you just starting to plan for 2012 and beyond, here are some quick tips we’ve learned in our 35 years as wedding professionals:

1) Start with the Spot

Getting your ceremony and reception locations chosen is the gateway to all other things wedding planning. Many wedding vendors won’t be able to provide you with an accurate quote until you’ve answered two key questions for your big day:  where and when.

For info on some of the best wedding locations  in Minneapolis, St.Paul, the Twin Cities, and Greater Minnesota, check out our Venue Partners Homepage:

http://www.midwestsound.com/event-venue-partners.php

2) Get an early start!

Most of the wedding vendors you will need offer discounts for couples who reserve early,  and often base discounting on availability.  If you feel great about a particular vendor, go for it! You will save time and money, and will make the months before your wedding relaxing, rather than stressful because you haven’t made your final decisions.

3) The Vendors You Choose Should:

-Be Experienced.

-Be Reliable.

-Give you options and expert advice.

-Have a backup plan, on-call staffing, and a supervisor you can contact directly the day of your wedding.

4) Attend  Bridal Shows

If you’d like to meet the best wedding companies in your area “face-to-face”, check out a bridal show!

Not only will you get a feel for the staff that make up the companies you are considering, but many vendors offer a bridal show discount for couples that reserve at the show. You can compare, contrast, and check vendors off of your list- all in just a few hours!

Best of Luck with your planning everyone!

-Midwest Sound DJ Entertainment

p.s. Whoa! Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Gobble-Gobble…

 

 

Hello everyone.  We hope July has been an excellent month for you so far!

Minneapolis Wedding DJ Midwest Sound is proud to announce that we were

awarded Minnesota Bride’s “Best of2011″ award for:

Best Ceremony Music!

The other  finalists in the category were Four Voices String Quartet and Sharon Planer.

We would like to offer our gratitude to all of the wonderful people who hired us to assist

with their ceremonies and then took the time to vote for us (and, of course, to our awesome

djs for all of the hard work they did to make sure that each ceremony went smoothly. )

Thanks so much!

To see all of the winners and learn more, here is a link to Minnesota Bride’s Best of 2011 page:

http://mnbride.com/best-of

Thanks again everyone!

Greetings everyone,

Well, it has been a fun, action-packed summer so far at Midwest Sound!

Wedding Season is in full swing in Minnesota 

Recently you may have noticed us posting Live dj videos of some of the wedding celebrations our entertainers have had the opportunity to dj this wedding season to our Youtube account.

The videos are collections of pictures and videos of wedding dances hosted by Midwest Sound’s dj’s around Minneapolis,  Saint Paul,  and the Greater Twin Cities.  We thought it might be handy to begin posting links to collections of recent videos every now and then, especially since some of you may be having your celebrations at some of the reception venues highlighted!

So, without further adieu, here’s the list of YouTube links from May and June:

*Gale Mansion- Minneapolis

*Crowne Plaza- Plymouth

*The Reserve- Plymouth

*Northland Inn- Brooklyn Park

*Maple Tavern- Maple Grove

*Fox Hollow- Saint Michael

*Sundance- Maple Grove

*Rockwoods- Otsego

Big thanks to J Walter Anderson Communications for getting all of the great footage and putting the videos together!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far!

- Minneapolis Wedding DJ Midwest Sound

Hello everyone!

As another installment of our “Meet the Office” blogs, we would like to welcome two new members to the Midwest Sound office team: Dar and Nate!

Dar is our new sales manager, and Nate will be working in the Music department.

Both have been DJ’s for Midwest Sound for many years, and recently became part of our office staff;  Dar is now entering her 7th season as one of Midwest Sound’s leading wedding entertainers!

Welcome aboard guys!

On a sadder note, Midwest Sound would like to say a fond farewell to Hart, who for the last three years was our sales manager.  If you have called Midwest Sound in the last three years,  you have probably talked to Hart He oversaw the successful completion of over 4,500 celebrations in his time with us, and will be moving to the Big Apple to pursue his career as one of the nation’s leading electronic dj’s.  Best of Luck Hart!

Well folks, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates as we work with hundreds more brides and grooms to help them achieve grande celebrations this summer!

-  Minneapolis Wedding DJ Midwest Sound

Well folks,  Midwest Sound  arrived at a milestone this month as we begin our 35th year in business!

We wanted to take a moment to thank all of the great people who have helped us become the wedding dj company of choice in the Minneapolis area: the tens-of-thousands of satisfied clients that entrusted us with their celebrations, the hundreds of beautiful venues and their helpful staff-members,  the many other wedding professionals that have been such  a pleasure to work with along the way,  and of course all of our  awesome dj’s for their hard work!.  We greatly appreciate your business, your hospitality, and your spirit of cooperation!