These 5 Mistakes Will Make Your Wedding Party Bomb 💣
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- Updated: 26th April 2024
When planning a wedding party, you probably have just one thing in mind - making sure your guests have a great time. You want a dancefloor that's buzzing, a crowd feeling relaxed, and more importantly - nobody heading home early. If you're there til the early hours, you'll want your guests to stay and enjoy every minute! Here are 5 mistakes you want to avoid when planning your wedding party:
1. Skimping on your entertainment
The entertainment is the most important aspect of any wedding party. It needs to offer something for everyone while representing you and your personality at the same time! Booking a niche heavy metal band might be your ultimate choice but may not suit your granny or your boss from work. A good alternative would be an all-round DJ who could add a few of your absolute favourite tracks towards the end of the night.
Don't book a friend to DJ
Your best friend might have a side gig as a DJ and may offer their services for the party, but they'll likely want to get involved in the fun and neglect to take the job seriously. You're better off employing a professional DJ who will focus on ensuring every track is right for your audience. Your friend is then free to enjoy the party with you!
Don't book a low-quality band or DJ
A professional band who can form a great relationship with their audience will ensure your party is far from boring and instead, a gloriously memorable experience for your guests. Choose a band with a few years under their belt, with wedding experience, and great promo demonstrating just what they can offer. If you're unsure about the style of band or DJ that would suit your event, let us know a bit about your big day and we'll be sure to find the perfect match.
Don't skip the DJ altogether
It's tempting to think about simply using a playlist and skipping the entertainment altogether, but with this, there are a few potential things to consider. With a professional DJ, tracks are carefully chosen based on the mood and atmosphere in the room on the night. If your audience isn't dancing and you'd like the tempo lifted, a DJ can adjust to suit. Equally, if a track goes down surprisingly well, it's far easier for a professional to pull out similar songs to keep the party going! You don't want to be responsible for doing this yourself on the night, and you most definitely do not want to leave it to your somewhat merry guests!
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2. Badly timed food and entertainment
Once the formalities of the day have passed, three elements will keep your guests happy throughout the night: drinks, food, and entertainment. A well-stocked bar is a must. Followed by some cleverly chosen grub- something easy, comforting, and delicious. Finally, professional entertainment with something on offer to suit every guest! While we know our guests want all of these things, it's important to make sure we offer them in a carefully considered way. The dance floor should be filled all night, and the food queues short! Here are a few pointers to help you schedule your evening.
Don't serve evening food while the band are playing
No band can compete with freshly served hog roast and finger food! As soon as the food announcement is made (often a job for the singers themselves), the dancefloor will immediately empty. Instead, serve food during the band's breaks. A playlist can keep the mood going for those who still want to dance, but your official entertainment won't be wasted on a quiet room. Allow 30-40 minutes for guests to queue and eat.
Don't stick to an exact schedule
The evening food is generally one of the last items on the agenda that needs planning, so at this point in the evening, there's always a little wiggle room! Have an idea about the order of things, when the band will start and take their breaks etc, but if the food is taking longer than planned, keep the playlist going until guests are ready to continue dancing. If you have a DJ, they can just choose tracks suitable for a pause in the party during food service etc.
Feed the band as you feed your guests!
An added bonus to serving food between sets is that the band get the opportunity to refuel too. There's nothing worse than playing hungry! Set aside the band's food for this time. (And while we're at it, you need to eat too. The number of times a bride and groom get to the end of their wedding and realise they didn't have the chance to eat anything!)
Choose food trucks instead
Consider food vendors that serve all evening. This reduces the long queue by allowing guests to come and go rather than all heading for the buffet at once. This way, you should always have a flow of guests coming and going from the dance floor, keeping the mood up and the guests happy!
3. Peaking too early
When planning the party element of your wedding, you'll probably want your guests up and dancing as soon as possible, but generally, early evening isn't the perfect moment. Especially if you have a summer wedding and the weather is gorgeous outside. Your guests will want time to drink and soak up the atmosphere first.
Don't have your first dance straight after the meal
It is tempting to keep the activity going and move straight from your sit-down meal into your first dance while your guests are all in one place, but doing this means you might be dancing on your own! Guests aren't usually ready to join in this early and you may end up with the set that follows being played to an empty dancefloor. Your band will tell you the ideal format for set times, and trust them, after years of experience, they know what works! Our FAQs are a great place to find info on what to expect from your band's performance on the night.
Don't forget to leave time for the band to set up
After your meal, consider an hour or so outside or in a different function space for your guests to relax, mingle and have a drink before your band are scheduled to play. They will need time to set up and sound check (each band will tell you how long they require for this, and every venue's access will be different, so considerations are also needed for loading equipment into the space), so offering your guests drinks on the lawn or outside in the courtyard would be a great suggestion here!
Don't start your music before 8pm
If you choose a party band, 8.30/9pm would be an ideal time for their first set. This would usually include your first dance, which hopefully will encourage everyone to get up and dance! With 2 hours of live music, you can split this up over the night to ensure the fun continues through to midnight. The same goes for a DJ, who can ease your guests into the party mood early on, and ramp things up throughout the evening.
4. Being too fussy about the set list
Everyone's a DJ these days! With music at our fingertips on platforms like Spotify, we know what we like. And that's a great thing. But weddings are unique in that they bring a very eclectic crowd together- none of which will have the same music taste! Your job is to ensure everyone enjoys the party and hears a bit of something they love! For large weddings with a focus on the party, we often recommend a modern, pop/rock band who cover hit tracks everyone will know, a motown/soul band who again often appeal to the masses, or of course a DJ who has the flexibility to switch between popular genres based on their audience.
Don't write your own set list
Of course, you can let the DJ and band know you absolutely hate Abba or that All the Small Things by Blink 182 is your favourite song in the world, but it really is their expertise that will ensure the night goes smoothly. Let them work their magic on the night and respond to the audience as the hours go on. They are the professionals and know exactly how to work a crowd!
Don't focus only on your friends!
More often than not, your old school mates or your long-standing best friends will have the same music taste as you. We all love those incredible moments where a special track is played and you all know the words, and this absolutely needs to happen on your wedding day, but perhaps consider this for later in the evening. You don't want your family and other guests to feel left out because they aren't in the know! Go for a varied set list or DJ who covers a range of genres so everyone gets to have a special moment during the night.
Consider booking a band and a DJ!
If music really is your bag and you want to book a highly stylised act such as a 50s rock n roll band for the show quality, perhaps book a DJ too for later in the evening so those guests (in this case maybe your younger guests) who don't know many songs within your chosen genre can still enjoy the night and join the dancefloor! Having a DJ and a band is also worthwhile for the breaks between band sets when music is still needed. Your DJ will have an early evening setlist they can put on during food service to keep the atmosphere fun.
5. Bar in a serpate room
In the evening, your guests spend most of their time either drinking or dancing. If the weather is beautiful, they may also choose to be outside. You must think carefully about where the band's performance space is, and similarly where your dancefloor will be!
Don't choose an uninviting room for your disco.
It's normal for guests to come and go from the dancefloor. Your best bet is to choose a venue with an evening space which allows guests to eat, drink, dance and socialise all in one room. This way, when they hear a song they love, they can grab a friend and head right back to the dancefloor! You don't want your guests to prefer being out in the courtyard where they can't hear the music, as it's likely that's where they'll stay.
Make sure the bar is in the evening function room
It takes time for drinks to be made, especially the ever-popular summer cocktails that are frequently chosen at wedding parties. Your guests should be able to enjoy the music while they're queueing for their drinks, so a large function space with a bar included is always a great idea! Marquee weddings allow for this perfectly, as do many stately home venues. If you're having a smaller venue and tagging on a marquee just for dinner/dancing, you might have to think of a few ways to encourage your guests back onto the dancefloor!
Let the good times roll.
Planning your wedding party is simple - all you need to consider is how to get your guests onto that all important dancefloor and how to keep them there! We work only with the most professional musicians who have extensive wedding knowledge and experience. When booking your wedding band, don't be afraid to ask the band what they suggest for the order of events, or even the most popular tracks! Browse our selection of great wedding & party bands when planning your dream wedding party!
