I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to PARTY at my wedding. And no party is complete without a bangin’ soundtrack. That’s why booking the right talent was top of our planning priorities list.
When we looked for DJs, we kept an eye out for those familiar with the club scene — someone who could layer beats and keep the flow going — rather than the ones who are equipped with party “extras” like plastic leis and inflatable saxophones. And we were pleased to find out that what we were looking for — a chill yet adept table jockey — is much cheaper than the guy who pulls up in a party bus.
So how’d we vet these dudes? I administered a mini DJ test…
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Orchid Boy and I went back and forth for two months trying to decide if we should hire a DJ or go DIY with our music. In an informal poll of my married friends, the average cost for DJ services on Long Island was $1,300. According to our catering manager, if we go with their DJ, the cost is about $700 (half of their usual price), which is within our $900 budget.
I’ll be the first to admit that a DJ can make or break a party and I could just as easily argue why it’s beneficial to have a DJ, but I think giving them $1,300 to have a computer play music is a little much. It’s not that I have an issue with DJs, it’s just that I’m on a budget and I can’t afford their services. And the services they would give me for what I have budgeted would probably amount to an iPod wedding anyway.
Simple economics made our decision for us. Five hours worth of music only consists of 100 songs. If Orchid Boy and I had to purchase five hours worth of music from iTunes, it would amount to about $129 (100 songs X $1.29, which iTunes now charges). Factor in our own music collections and the cost comes down.
Since Orchid Boy is a musician he owns, or can borrow, most of the PA equipment necessary to play music at our venue. If we really had to, our venue said we can rent the system for about $100. Factor in another $100 that I would pay some high school kid to man the music table and hit play when necessary and we have a savings of about $400.
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I have one qualm regarding advice given by older family and friends. They all seem to love Pachelbel’s Cannon in D. When I told my fiance how upset I was about the sheer mention of the word Pachelbel, he looked at me quizzically. So I explained that in school I played the Cello, which although the sound is rich and beautiful, is not the best instrument for a smaller than average 8 year old girl to play. I literally had to carry my Cello on a luggage pull cart. Which resembled this:
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With the wedding day quickly approaching, Jasmine Dude & I have been trying to finalize our music selections for the ceremony & reception. We’ve attended so many weddings together & at each wedding we always make a note to remember a certain song that we enjoyed. However, now that it’s time to make these decisions, our minds have gone completely blank! Note to future brides …. Write the songs down you like after each wedding you attend! Had I done this, I would have an awesome list to refer to. Instead, Jasmine Dude & I have been spending our evenings looking up popular wedding music & then playing it on YouTube. This takes so much extra time out of our nights, but we do want the music to be perfect and really be representing us as a couple.
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If you remember, I considered not having a first dance at our reception because Calla Lily Dude doesn’t like to dance. But, I am happy to report, that I got my first dance… and it was beautiful!!!
I was planning on having James Brown’s “I Feel Good” as our song, but while watching TV I fell in love with the song in an AT&T commercial. I Googled “ATT commercial song” to find out what it was. So, Landon Pigg’s “Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop” was our song.
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I must admit that I am a huge mooshball and I tear up at a lot of different things including touching TV commercials. I would have to say I cry at about 9 out of 10 movies and the percentage is probably higher for weddings. The vows are usually what gets to me during the ceremony, but I have to say that the one thing which really makes me turn into a huge sap is the music that sets the mood.
As mentioned in a previous blog, we are having a guitarist perform all of our musical selection. It didn’t take us too long to make our final decisions on which songs to use for what since our guitarist has so many selections, plus he was open to learning any news songs that we would want.
So here’s some samples of our musical line-up:
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We’re at a place in our planning where there isn’t that much concrete work we can do until our next trip to Ohio. So we have started the task of choosing the specific songs we want used during the wedding. We’ve chosen to go with a DJ instead of a band. He is a friend of my cousin and familiar with Indian music as well as American music. A lot of our guests like dancing, so we’re predicting a packed dance floor. We’re asking the D.J. for a mix of bhangra, Bollywood music, hip hop and pop.
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As the date gets closer, new little things seem to be popping up EVERYWHERE and out of NOWHERE, but I continue to get more and more excited and enjoy every minute. The other day, my wedding coordinator, in Italy, recently requested that I send a list of songs that Cotton Dude and I want to have played at the reception party. Our DJ is Italian, and he is very talented in being the DJ in huge clubs, so we’re not worried about his ability to play some amazing dance music – however, not everyone at our reception will be of the Ibiza mindset. Therefore, we decided it is important to go through phases of music for the reception – starting with the slow dances and ending with glow sticks (kidding).
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Hello garden! BridalBuds just announced a great contest to help you cross one thing off your To Do list: finding the perfect wedding song.
Bridal Buds is giving away two copies of Dave Barnes’ new EP You, The Night, & Candlelight. These love songs would be perfect for your first dance!
Or you can win tickets to Dave Barnes’ show in Vienna, VA on March 18th at Jammin’ Java. Date night with your Dude!
Enter on the Contest page. 
In addition to being a fabulous musician, Dave is hilarious. Just check out his love advice column and his YouTube page.
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