Timelines can be a great tool to help you remember all the details of organising your wedding. However, they can be a complete hindrance too and in some cases; work against you.
Not every industry time-frame is the same, and neither should they be, but when it comes to organising a wedding entertainer there seems to be more confusion than the other services you require.
Most brides and grooms are led to believe that unless they follow a timeline, their wedding will be a disaster; which simply isn’t the case. Timelines can help you to remember to book your musician but they don’t take into account some of the intricacies of the wedding music industry.
Isn’t this your wedding? And isn’t part of your wedding, doing it your way?
If you have your heart set on a specific entertainer; book them! Don’t wait until a non wedding-music platform or magazine article tells you ‘when’ you can.
If you’re 12 months out from your wedding date, contact the entertainer and ask them to put the date on hold for you and pay a deposit. Then, you can check it off your list until you need to finalise any special song requests, venue details and the final payment.
Not as scary as others may suggest!
The problem here is often that there are many so-called experts in the wedding industry that are generalists and don’t have specialised skills in the all the areas that make up a wedding. They do their best to provide information that will help, but with wedding entertainment they often miss the mark which leaves you feeling more confused and overwhelmed than when you started.
Debugging Wedding Entertainment Timeline Myths
I recently read an article that suggested (with all good intentions I’m sure) various time frames regarding wedding entertainment. Quite simply if they were followed precisely, they’d cause problems and ultimately lead to unnecessary stress.
The Suggestions
- Two weeks before your wedding you should “touch base with your band or DJ to finalise the playlist and confirm special request songs”.
Not the most helpful piece of advice there.
Most acts, whether it’s a DJ or a band, need longer than two weeks to organise or learn any special requests. Remember entertainers have lives and families too, beyond your wedding, and may not have time for five rehearsals in two weeks to learn your special song.
- “You should attend gigs of potential acts to see how they perform in front of audiences then reserve your favourite”.
Going to a live gig is great for one reason only: to enjoy yourself as a regular patron with friends. Sure, you’ll get an idea of how they sound live but you need to take into account that they may not sound exactly the same in your wedding venue.
Why?
Because the acoustics of the rooms will be different for a start – vastly different!
Your venue might have a wall of windows or sliding doors which can literally make the sound bounce around the room.
You’ll have decorations and tables and may have sheaths of luxurious fabric hanging from the ceiling.
There’s likely to be a difference in ceiling heights and definitely in room sizes.
All these components are likely to make the artist sound vastly different than at the live gig venue.
A band’s performance at a live gig is all about the band. They’re there to provide maximum entertainment for the venue so they can get a repeat booking. You on the other hand, want to know how they’ll perform for you, in your chosen space, and just because they perform well at a public gig, doesn’t mean they’re automatically ideal for your wedding.
- “Leave the song list entirely up to the band / DJ”
It’s never the best idea to leave the song choice entirely in the hands of a band or DJ. Most professional wedding musicians and DJ’s are incredible at helping you pull together the perfect soundtrack for your day, and can certainly make recommendations but it’s still a discussion you should undertake.
It’s a good idea for you and your partner to think about the songs that mean the most to you and that reflect your story and personalities. A great place to start is by creating 3 lists:
- Must play songs
- Ok to play songs
- Don’t play these songs
Whilst a professional band or DJ doesn’t need to be ‘micromanaged’, providing them with these 3 short lists will help you both understand your needs more clearly and avoid any cringe-worthy songs from making an appearance.
Who to Turn to
Whilst wedding resources may be giving advice with the best intent, if they aren’t experts in the field they won’t know the intricacies of an industry.
They may have gotten it right, once or twice, but they don’t have the knowledge that you may need to problem solve if things go wrong.
So when planning your wedding music and looking for advice, go to experts in the field. Those of us passionate about our profession will be more than happy to provide advice and point you in the right direction, for free.
Just as you wouldn’t want me to take your photos, you shouldn’t want a photographer or generalist giving advice on how and when to book an entertainer for your wedding.
Essentially, it’s about understanding that all the external people who will help make your wedding an amazing celebration are usually amazing because they have busy careers. They’ve honed their skills and are in high demand.
Want to Know the 7 Key Steps to Booking a Wedding Entertainer Without The Stress?
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Everything you need to choose your wedding musician – without the hours of stress.
The Wedding Entertainment Toolkit includes two expertly crafted guides:
- The Wedding Entertainment Cheat Sheet: which walks you through 7 key steps before you reach out to anyone, and
- The Wedding Musicians Comparison Checklist: so you know exactly what to look for when quotes start coming in.
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