Portland Wedding Coordinator

5 slipups that can spoil your reception: Part 2 - "The band/DJ sounded terrible!" {Music and sound considerations when planning your wedding music}

“The band (or DJ) sounded terrible” / “We couldn’t hear the toasts” / “No one could see the slideshow”
 

This is a case of Bad AV (Audio-visual).  Remember the geeky team who ran the projectors in science class?  Well, those guys are now your friends when it comes to the multiple media inputs that go into a modern wedding day.  We live in an age of media, and many of us wouldn’t dream of having the wedding without a live band or DJ, or a music-synched slideshow.

When narrowing down your selection of audio-visual professionals consider the following: quality equipment, quality content, back-up equipment, a run-through to make sure it all works, and having a knowledgeable person (ideally a trained professional) to operate the equipment on the day when it counts. After all, you don’t want to step onto the dance floor for your first dance and hear the wrong song because your DJ didn’t have the right playlist queued up!

Photo courtesy Craig Mitchelldyer. 

 

Tomorrow: Join us at Portland Wedding Coordinator for Slip Up Number 3: "We missed out on the fun at your wedding!" {Communication and coordination on your wedding day}

Did these tips help you? You may like our past advice and more wedding planning tips.

{Wedding Planning Tips and Advice} The wedding video isn't for YOU.

"I'm never going to watch the wedding video."

"My girlfriend got one, and she says she never watches it."

"We just aren't that vain to want a video of ourselves!"

 Image: Greg Neate, Neate Photos. Used with Creative Commons License

When I ask clients in the early part of their planning if they are considering a wedding film or video, I often hear the perfectly justified statements above.

I want to put an idea out there that might be controversial, though -- that the wedding video isn't ultimately meant to be consumed by the bride and groom. And though it tells the story of a wedding day, the wedding film's reach and its coverage is not limited to the story of two people, but rather all who took part in the special occasion.

Think about the following:

Do you enjoy seeing old photos of your parents, perhaps ones from when they were dating, romantic ones from years before you were born? If you are considering having children someday, do you think that your children, similarly, would enjoy seeing a video of you on your wedding day?

Did you have a favorite uncle or aunt, a grandmother or grandfather, who is now passed? What would it mean to you to see footage of them dancing, smiling, and enjoying a special day? If there are people like this in your life who are still with you, is it important to you to save a cherished image of them enjoying your wedding day?

And finally -- are there friends and relatives you care about, who might not be able to attend your wedding? Would they appreciate being able to hear you say your vows, and hear the toasts and the music?

Not every couple will want to watch themselves on film. But everyone enjoys seeing movies of their family and friends, especially of such a singular occasion.