We have all been to those weddings when it’s about as exciting as watching beginner badminton classes, so you need to make the right choices to make a long day enjoyable for your guests. I have performed at over 500 weddings and I have seen it all. I can usually predict when it’s going to flop, and when it’s going to be a hit. Below are 5 tips that I suggest you consider when organizing your main players.

1: Choice of Celebrant

The first impression your guests are going to get re how this long but hopefully exciting day will pan out, is the personality of your celebrant. Don’t just go on the recommendations of others, try to dig in and find some footage of how they speak, their confidence level and their general demeanor. Online photo’s can be deceiving so at least have a substantial conversation with them on the phone. Listen out for how this person is suited to you. You may want someone really chirpy and energized, or someone who is just plain funny, which would help you relax. Some celebrants are very well groomed and look really slick and professional, while others not so. There are some that are very economical with their words and others who may like the sound of their own voice, so choose carefully. You definitely want someone comfortable in their own skin to pull the ceremony off and leave your guests enthusiastic about the reception to come.

 

2: Your MC

Probably the most crucial choice to make or break your reception. This person needs be confident on a microphone, but not too confident. I have heard MC’s go on and on to the point where everyone is embarrassed but them. They have no sense of this. This can often happen when the couple feel obligated to assign the duties to a family member that is ‘The obvious choice’. This can be fine, but don’t feel obligated if you know this family member likes to waffle on. In my experience, someone that is again, comfortable in their own skin, with a good sense of humour and a quick wit. This person needs to realize that they are there to celebrate the bride and groom, not try out a comedy routine while they have a crowd.

DO NOT choose someone with little confidence. This will completely ruin the vibe of the night because they have no control over the room, and people will get bored very quickly. It is a fine line between too confident and not confident enough, but if you go with this type of personality, it’s going to be BORING. (No disrespect, I like quiet people).

3: The Music

The choice of the music one listens to is subjective. So when we choose what we listen to at home, there are no rules. Whatever you like. But when it comes to a room full of different personalities, ages and musical tastes, you need to cater for that. So when you choose a wedding singer, or a DJ, or both, please don’t supply them with a playlist for the whole night. Because although YOU love those songs, not everyone else does. My suggestion would be to pick a handful of your favourites for certain times during the night, and then let the Wedding DJ do their thing. They are most likely more used to reading crowds than you. Believe it or not, it is quite an art to choosing the right song at the right time. Whether playing live or DJing. So give your wedding entertainer creative license for the most part. It will make the night flow smoother.

I would also add that you might want to do the same thing as you do with the celebrant and have a chat with your musician or DJ to get a glimpse of what kind of personality they have. If they are overconfident and a bit cocky, they will generally be the type that plays whatever THEY think is cool, and not bother reading the room as much as a DJ who knows that this is the most important thing. If they are sensitive to your needs and are friendly, then generally the ego will be in check.

4: Speeches

Wedding speeches usually go one of two ways; clever, funny and entertaining, or boring, monotone and uninteresting. Sometimes this is unavoidable because usually it’s family who talk, and there’s not much you can do about that. But if you have a few of them to choose from, choose the more confident ones if possible. Some people are brilliant when just speaking off the cuff. They have a quick wit and are interesting story tellers. Some people are not the best public speakers, but have gone to a lot of trouble to write out their speeches and if written well, the speaker will grow in confidence as they get a few laughs etc.

So this one is not something you can generally control, but you can ask your speech makers to come up with something at least 5 minutes long, and put some effort into writing. I have heard best man speeches that are one sentence long with 3 swear words in it. It is embarrassing and I think disrespectful to the honour of having been asked to be best man. So choose someone who has half a brain and realizes that this is an important moment in your life. A bit of ribbing is good, even obligatory for the best man or maid of honour, but keep it pretty even and end with the nice stuff.

5: Alcohol

Everybody has a different taste in almost everything. Music is no exception and in fact is probably the best example of how people differ. While some people may like a wedding singer that is very low key and plays well in the background, others may like the wedding to feel like a bit of a party. Especially if itʼs a cocktail wedding. They may want a wedding singer to engage with their guests and put on a bit of a show. But the last thing you want is a singer and guitarist with a microphone who thinks he is a bit of a star. The job of a wedding entertainer is to read the situation and play accordingly. Every single one of those guests are not there to see you. Some egos may forget that and Iʼm sure that would be quite annoying for the bride, and in fact everybody. But when you are dealing with creative people, you often find large egos and in some cases, delusions of grandeur. This is why itʼs very important to make contact with your wedding singer so you can get a feel for them. If you find they talk a lot without listening, you may run the risk of booking the deluded dude. Fortunately, most entertainers have a grip on reality and realize what situation they are in and how to best play to a wedding audience. But I would still call them up just in case.

So back to the different tastes. There are many different sounds you will get from different players. Some may be particularly quiet and introverted when playing but are good musicians. Who knows, maybe this is perfect for you. You may get the musician who has cut his or her teeth on the pub scene, therefore are pretty rocky with a considerable amount of energy to them. But which ever musician or group you choose, I think it is a very good idea to go and see them play live. Especially if they only have one or two videos online. If a musician has a whole bunch of videos you can get a feel for them and they are more likely to be experienced. But if you like someone who only has one or two, make sure you put that on your To-Do list. There is a lot of software out there that can make a singer sound considerably better than they actually are so do your homework.

Being predominantly a wedding singer in Perth for over a decade, I have come to learn many things. But I think the one thing that I have learnt that is the most valuable, is what NOT to do. The set list or repertoire that I have is very vast and covers a lot of different styles and areas of music. This did not come from my common sense early on, although it seems it should have. But years ago I did not have a large repertoire to choose from. This limits you terribly and if you only have one or two styles, it won’t be long before you find a bride or crowd that doesn’t like either, so someone who is prepared for that is the more logical choice. This is just inexperience and only comes with making mistakes and learning from them. But who wants to book a rookie for their big day? If your budget is not realistic that’s exactly what you will get.

To finish off I would say that you want someone experienced, that is a must, but also someone who is still in love with their passion and seems enthusiastic about what they do. Some people can get burnt out and will come across boring because they are bored. You want you and your guests to feel like this is a very special occasion, even if it is just another day for the wedding singer. Wedding Singers and DJ’s need to check the ego at the door and realize we are not superstars, we are there to feel the mood and play to it.