So, the question has been asked and you’ve accepted… Now what?
You’ll probably want to start by telling everyone you know and they’ll ask “So when’s the wedding?” – Time to start planning… The order you do things is going to reflect the order of priority that you place on things. Firstly, you need to decide on a rough time of year and location. Then your next priority will be booking either a church or registrar, after all, no ceremony = no marriage!
This is the first point where it may become complicated… Suddenly lots of things will need to start falling into place together to make things happen (Chicken and Egg spring to mind!). You don’t want to book a church and then find the venue you wanted to hold your reception is already booked, but you can’t book the venue if your family church is booked! Just start working with a few dates and try and make things fit.
The best advice I give to my clients is something that a bride once told me “Meet everyone involved in your special day and, if you don’t like them for some reason, or you don’t get on with them, don’t book them” she went on to explain that when she met people and talked them about her day, she’d often have a gut feeling about them and whether they were right for her. I think I know what she meant!
Most wedding suppliers only do one wedding per any given date. So once you find someone you like and want to work with, book them. Don’t leave it and then call up a few months later, they will probably be booked by then. Yes, it’s hard to come up with deposits for all of the suppliers you’re going to need in a short space of time, but try to prioritise what’s important to you and make sure you book your most important suppliers first.
DJs are often one of the last suppliers to get booked, though, in recent years, I’ve had a couple of occasions where I’ve been one of the first to be booked and gone on to give recommendations for venues, photographers, florists and other suppliers I like and have worked with in the past.
You’ll find lots of information and “surveys” about how brides, after the wedding, wish they’d spent more on a DJ as they then saw the difference. These surveys are used mainly by DJs to put their point across. But just consider this…
Think back to a wedding you’ve been to as a guest “What do you remember from that wedding?” The venue, the food, the dress, the vows, the favours, the flowers… it’s probably the things that involved you. If you danced all night and had a great time, it’ll be the DJ. If you love food and it is really good, you’ll remember the food.
If you divide your wedding day up by time, then you get the following average… Ceremony at 3 pm, followed by drinks reception/photos (approx. 1 1/2 hrs), wedding breakfast 2 hrs with 1/2hr for speeches then 7:30 pm to midnight evening entertainment. So, 4 1/2hrs of an evening reception that involves all of your guests. OK, you want a nice venue for this and you may want some evening food, and maybe a photographer to get some great photos, but it will be the entertainment, be that a DJ or whatever, that will possibly make or break that part of your day. Spend some time looking for the right DJ that can provide not only what you want, but what your family and friends and your guests will want. Look at photos, read reviews, meet people.
Please don’t leave this large chunk of your day to the last minute or worse still, not plan it at all. It deserves your time and attention and the right DJ will work with you to create something fitting for your day.
And, don’t forget, some DJs may be with you for the whole day playing music for your ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast and into the evening. They can provide suggestions for things that can make your day very personal and truly reflect you and your partner.
Take the time to consider all these points as you embark on your wedding planning journey. Happy planning!
