Dance to the Beat of a Different Drum

To dance or not to dance, that is the question. Okay, so that’s not really the question. The question should be what to dance to? Are you going to hire a DJ or a live band to perform at your wedding reception? Surely you aren’t going to have your friends and family sit there in silence, are you?

What? You forgot to book music for your reception? Does anyone actually do that?

Here I stand guilty as charged. That’s right, I forgot about the music until the last minute. It was too late to book a DJ and there weren’t any local bands I would have hired to play at my wedding anyway. What was I going to do?

After the panic attack was under control I had to come up with a game plan. Everyone expects the bride and groom to dance to their song and most people want to show their moves on the dance floor. Maybe the chicken dance and the electric slide weren’t in the cards, but there had to be music of some sort. If not it just wouldn’t be right, at least that’s what everyone was telling me.

The solution to the problem came in the form of some mix CD’s that we made and our best man’s stereo. Maybe not the most romantic choice we could have made, but given the amount of time we had to throw something together it was the only option we had. In the end it worked out great. There was music playing in the background no one noticed the lack of DJ or a band.

Of course, you probably don’t want this to happen to you so I suggest the following:

• Make finding the music one of your top priorities. As soon as you have a date and a location book the DJ or Band.

• Weigh the pros and cons of a DJ vs a band. Depending on where you live the cost might vary quite a bit.

• Get recommendations for bands and DJ’s from friends who have recently married. They can help you narrow down the choices.

• Get it in writing that way if the performer doesn’t show up you won’t have to pay them.

• Have a backup plan. Things happen so have those Mix CD’s or a friend ready to take over if the DJ or band don’t show.

You don't have to have a DJ or a band at your reception to have fun though it certainly makes things more entertaining. Stop putting it off or you won't be doing any dancing.