We can help. Check out our wedding reception planning guide. We have developed this online information and printable guide to try and help happy couples plan their reception. Read below and download our guide, and after reading it over, contact us if you think we might be the appropriate DJ service to help make your reception the event of your dreams.

Your Wedding Reception is one of the most important days of your life. After the 15 minute ceremony, comes 3-6 hours of dining, drinking, dancing -all scored to the soundtrack of your big day - for a guest-list of your dearest family and friends. Yet it seems that in comparison to the amount of time spent on picking a venue, the flowers, and the dress -very little time is actually given to planning the reception! The events that happen at the reception are what most guests will remember, and with just a little planning ahead of time, the celebration can run on a smooth schedule- YOUR schedule.

Excesss Productions Wedding Reception Online Planning Guide

Use our guideline to help plan out the time-line of your reception's events and make all the necessary music selections.

When going over this information, keep in mind that not every wedding has every event... nor are you limited to what you see here. Use this list of the most common reception events just as a jumping off point in planning your big day.

It takes a lot more than just music being played on an iPod to make your reception a success; it takes a professional experienced in coordinating the itinerary of your big day to keep everything running smoothly. For ceremonies, we need the music to play as guests arrive, the song to play to seat the parents/grandparents, a song for the wedding party entry, and the bride's processional. Any songs wanted during the ceremony should also be specified, as well as the bridal processional song.

The music you play as guest arrive can really help set the mood for the whole day!

Shall we introduce the entire wedding party, or just the bride and groom? Parents? Grandparents? The officiant?

We will need you to provide us a list with all the names of all the people that will be introduced...as well as determine the order in which they will be introduced.

Make sure to get everyone lined up in the right order when they are getting ready to be introduced, too!

Including the relationship of each person where applicable... (example: John Smith, Cousin of the Bride, escorting Jane Doe, Friend of the Bride) or some other personal information about each member of your wedding party can make the introductions much more lively, personal, and memorable.

Listed below is a typical order of introductions...
make sure to provide help on hard-to-pronounce names!

• ring-bearer & flower-girl
• parents of bride
• parents of groom
• bridesmaids and groomsmen
• maid (matron) of honor & best man
• and last, but certainly not least....
• The bride and groom (Let us know exactly how you want to be formally introduced as man and wife, such as: "Mr and Mrs John and Mary Doe")

You will want to select background a song music that will be played as the bridal party is introduced (it should be instrumental and upbeat if possible) I have used The Star Wars Theme, and also Sirius by the Alan Parson Project... it can be as fun or as romantic as you want! A separate song for just the bride and groom can also be selected.

It is best to change the mix of music somewhat after the bridal party has arrived, making it more upbeat or just different in some way than the music that was playing during cocktail hour (when the bridal party was getting photos taken) It is usually something still played in the background, but not quite as mellow as before... something a little more upbeat to listen to while everyone is mixing, getting drinks, and getting ready to eat.. and that changes the pace from what they heard while they were listening to before the Wedding party arrived.

We have had everything from classical music to classic country played during this - it can be yet another opportunity to create a mood and make your reception a reflection of your tastes and personality.

Is there a meal? Is it it being served buffet-style or sit-down? Shall the DJ dismiss tables or shall the wait staff? What kind of music would you like to hear during dinner?

If applicable, provide the name of the officiant giving the blessing or benediction/grace over dinner.

Provide us with the name(s) of people who will be giving a toast to the bride and groom. Traditionally the best man, maid/matron of honor, and a parent(s) gives some sort of toast, but it can be anyone you choose.

Select a fun song to play during the cake cutting. Marry You my Bruno Mars and Sugar by Maroon 5 have been popular recently, and Mack the Knife, Chapel of Love, Sugar Sugar, or Sweet Dreams have been used repeatedly over many a wedding cake.

There are many different special dances that are traditionally done at a wedding reception. A list of some of the most common are below.

Choose which events you would like, and of course- let us know what song to play for each of these.

• Bride and Groom's first dance
• Father/Daughter dance
• Mother/Son dance
• Bridal party dance
• Grandparent's dance
• Generations dance (this is where all the married couples attending your wedding are invited to the dance floor. Each couple is then excused from the dance floor based on the length of time that they have been married... the last couple on the floor will have been married the longest.)
• Garter and Bouquet
• Dollar dance - The best man and maid (matron) of honor collect money for a dance with either the bride or groom.

Line dances and group dances have gotten a pretty bad reputation over the years. It seems like almost every couple I talk to start out pretty adamantly against any of these songs being played at their receptions. But these songs are a great way to fill a dance floor and can cut across generations, creating a party atmosphere and forcing people to let their hair down a little. No wedding needs them all- but consider having a few of the following- perhaps look back at the weddings that you have attended, and try and remember which of these were played/ were a big hit.

• Watch me Whip/Nae Nae
• Wobble
• Cupid Shuffle
• Blurred Lines
• Harlem Shake
• Mambo number 5
• Casper Slide
• Cha Cha Slide
• Stanky Leg
• Electric Slide
• Hokey Pokey
• YMCA

Also worth considering are group dances, such as:

• Chicken Dance
• Shook Me All Night Long
• Separate Ways
• Wagon Wheel
• Shout
• Mony Mony
• Staying Alive
• Time Warp
• Kung Fu Fighting

Let's face it.. there are TONS of different types of music... and no DJ is psychic. The more songs you TELL me to play.. That you know your family and friends would want to hear and more importantly want to DANCE to.. the more successful your reception will be! Also, provide some guide as to how many slow songs vs how many fancy/dance songs you want to hear. Also, keep in mind the age range of your invited guests... and pick music to match!

The more ideas for songs you provide as a guide, the more you can customize the reception to be EXACTLY what you want it to be. This is one way that Excesss differs from many other DJ companies- we are not there to show off or play what WE want to play- we are there to facilitate, and to play the songs that YOU want to hear.

When we meet, we will go over these selections, and plan the order/basic time outline for all these events.

The more we can nail down a plan, the fewer surprises you will have, and the more you can just relax and enjoy the big day when it comes... with no surprises!

While at many modern day receptions last dances are not as prevalent as they once were, they are still a nice way to end the night. One last formal dance, even if no one is there but the couple, is a nice way to provide closure, and a moment of togetherness, as a romantic end to your big day