All posts by Dan Moran

Shadow Report

Wedding Trends for 2018

2018 Wedding Trends by Wedding Wire

The following are my notes from Wedding Wire’s most recent webinar focusing on wedding trends of note for DJs & Bands as useful tidbits to pass along to prospective clients. By staying on top of the industry and conveying to your clients where weddings are headed, they’re more likely to view you as an expert in the field and thus more likely to entrust you with their big day. Enjoy!

Timing:

  • 1/3 weddings taking place Sept thru Nov
  • 15% weddings in October

Logistics:

  • 22% guests ask guests for an unplugged ceremony
  • Assigned tables, free choice seating

Ceremonies:

  • 50% couples writing their own vows
  • Less aisle markers, more focus on backdrop

Rising trends:

  • More personalized experiences/elements
  • More unique food to the wedding location
  • More themed wedding décor – Ex. Wood theme, less décor by color palette
  • More low-flower centerpieces so table can see each other and talk
  • Food trucks are in after the reception
  • Top-tier cake, then small desserts for later
  • 50% serve a buffet style dinner
  • Photo Booths still in however with different props: less boas, more signage

 Declining trends:

  • Less Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances
  • Less couples changing last names
  • Less Honeymoons right after wedding; more mini-moons
  • Less wedding party members divided by gender
  • Less sparkler exits
  • Less traditional Save-The-Date invites in the mail
  • Less menu cards sent in the mail

First dances

  • God only knows – John Legend
  • Perfect – Ed Sheeran
  • How Would You Feel – Ed Sheeran
  • Helium – Sia
  • I’ll name the dogs – Blake Shelton
  • Greatest love story – lanco
  • Love – Lana del rey
  • Best party – Daniel Chester
  • My forever – Tamar Braxton

Narrowing down everything into your budget:

  • Pick your top 3 or 5
  • Focus on things guests will notice & remember
  • Guests most comment on Food & Experiences (Band, DJ, juggler, etc)

For an in-depth view on the most recent wedding I did including each and every song I played, check out my article here: My New Year’s Eve Wedding Playlist

Gig Rewind, Shadow Report

Shadow Report: 5 Wedding Gems From A 30-Year Pro

More Wedding Gems!

Shadowed another wedding this past weekend. This DJ has 30 years of experience and has grown his multi-op to half a dozen DJs averaging 300 events a year between mitzvahs & weddings alone. His mixing skills were even more questionable than the DJ I shadowed in DC, but he was a solid programmer and his MCing was 99/100 (he could have spoken a little slower). With so much experience, I took away five more wedding gems to immediately employ in my business.

1) Musical Glow-sticks

Give each table a glow-stick. Tell them to start passing it around as music is playing. Keep passing it until the music stops. Kill the music.

“Ok stop! Who’s holding your glow-stick? You’re now the table captain. And as captain the table has to do what you say. Now the first captain to get their entire table to the dance-floor wins! Ready? Go!”

*Drop upbeat dance music*

He says it works 99% of the time. It was so ninja, dance-floor immediately full.

2) Slow-Dances

I realized that I really under-utilize slow-dances.

After everyone was seated for the wedding party introduction & dinner orders, he gets on the mic and announces:

“Alright we’re going to get some dancing going, this one’s for all the wonderful couples out there.”

Unchained Melody beigns playing and like clockwork the dancefloor packs up. After one or two slow-dances he drops into Runaround Sue and bam. Rocking dancefloor.

Perfect Bait & Switch.

3) Freedom Sticks.

A super easy way to really kick up the atmosphere.

They’re wirelessly controlled and battery powered, so setup is crazy easy. You can get a pack of four for $500; not cheap but not ridiculous.

These you can supplement with up-lights or replace them altogether. Many couples don’t want over the top lighting anyway for their wedding, these are a nice classy upsell.

4) Setup Time

Regardless of the rig he needs to setup he gets there at least two hours before the event is scheduled. Not when he is required to begin playing, but when the event starts.

We had a one-room setup with super-easy lighting. With three guys we were done in about an hour.

A guitarist was providing music for the cocktail hour so we could have used that time to tie off odds & ends. No one would have seen us as our section was walled off.

Still, this is a bad look to the venue staff and fellow vendors when you don’t have your shit together once the event has begun. Not to mention anxiety inducing.

Don’t stress, get there early and relax.

5) Backup Laptop For Critical Music

His setup included a backup laptop with a playlist of critical songs (1st dances, introductions, etc) wired into a channel on his mixer.

In the event something happened in those moments, he’d be able to recover in seconds.

Backup Laptop

I bring a second laptop myself to all gigs, but it’s usually packed away. In the event something happens I always have my phone hooked into my mixer, but not usually with critical songs ready at a moments notice. As I don’t bring a facade with me, I might start setting up my laptop underneath my table for instant access.

And all those backpacks on the floor? Photographer crap. Seemingly the ones capturing the event visually care least about how things look *eye-roll*
Gig Rewind

My New Year’s Eve Wedding Playlist

New Year’s Eve Wedding – 2017

Here is Sunday’s Wedding Playlist exported from Traktor’s History. I had a LOT of Michael Buble requested directly from the Bride & Groom ahead of time as well as Elton John and Billy Joel.

Tracks that really worked getting this crowd started were disco/nu-disco and pop music two-five years old.

Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of notable points in the night and explicit requests by the couple:

  • Track 1: Beginning of reception following cocktail hour
  • Track 9: Bridal party introduction
  • Track 10: First dance
  • Track 18: Father/Daughter dance
  • Track 19: Hora
  • Track 25: Dinner begins
  • Track 33: Unplanned Mini-dance set begins (at Bride’s request)
  • Track 37: Cake cutting
  • Track 50: Midnight countdown
  • Track 51: Groom request
  • Track 70: Couple request
  • Track 71: Couple request

Tracklist

Num. Title Artist Time BPM
1 After All (feat. Bryan Adams) Michael Bublé 3:38 134
2 Tell Her About It Billy Joel 3:56 91
3 Thinking The Hippos 2:42 91
4 Dance With Me Tonight Olly Murs 3:23 81
5 Learning To Fly Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 4:03 117
6 Real World Matchbox Twenty 3:52 117
7 Sun Daze Florida Georgia Line 3:06 85
8 Oye Como Va Santana 4:19 129
9 Thinking The Hippos 2:42 91
10 Dance With Me Tonight Olly Murs 3:23 81
11 You Make It Feel Like Christmas (feat. Blake Shelton) Gwen Stefani 2:38 93
12 Nobody But Me Michael Bublé 3:00 94
13 Feels (feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean) Calvin Harris 3:44 101
14 Karma Chameleon Culture Club 4:01 91
15 You Can’t Hurry Love Phil Collins 2:54 98
16 Beastie Boys vs. DJ Thomilla (Get Intergalactic) Happy Cat Disco (Mashups) 3:42 104
17 Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine) James Brown 2:52 108
18 I Hope You Dance Lee Ann Womack 4:55 151
19 Hora Medley (Jewish) Bobby Morganstein Productions 7:36 135
20 Do You Love Me The Contours 2:56 150
21 Let’s Twist Again Chubby Checker 2:22 84
22 I Want You Back (Album Version) Jackson 5 2:59 98
23 Bailamos Enrique Iglesias 3:33 100
24 Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love) The O’Jays 4:11 107
25 For Once In My Life (Album Version) Stevie Wonder 2:49 109
26 Melting Pot Booker T. & The M.G.’s 8:15 116
27 Let Your Love Flow The Bellamy Brothers 3:18 109
28 All The Things You Are Stan Getz 6:51 93
29 My Favorite Things John Coltrane 13:50 89
30 So What Miles Davis 9:23 136
31 Fever (1998 – Remaster) Peggy Lee 3:22 136
32 Melting Pot Booker T. & The M.G.’s 8:15 116
33 Shake It Off Taylor Swift 3:40 160
34 Honey, I’m Good. Andy Grammer 3:20 122
35 Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) Mark Ronson 4:28 115
36 Superstition (Jet Boot Jack Remix) Stevie Wonder 6:13 118
37 I Only Want to Be With You Bay City Rollers 3:38 133
38 It Takes Two [Explicit] Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock 5:02 112
39 Kiss the Bride Elton John 4:23 138
40 After All (feat. Bryan Adams) Michael Bublé 3:38 134
41 Blurred Lines [feat. T.I., Pharrell] Robin Thicke 4:24 120
42 Get Down On It (Chocolate Biscuit Remix) Kool And The Gang 4:49 118
43 Stayin’ Alive (Viceroy Edit) The Bee Gees 4:24 115
44 Hustler Softmal 5:42 120
45 Finally (Mart Remix) Jerome Robins 5:03 122
46 Lola’s Theme Recut (Purple Disco Machine Remix) The Shapeshifters 6:10 122
47 Lets Groove (Bootrar3 Remix) Earth, Wind and Fire 5:30 124
48 Smooth Santana Feat. Rob Thomas 4:57 116
49 Havana (Scooter Smooth Blend) Camila Cabello vs Santana 3:24 116
50 2018 NYE Countdown (Start at 11:57 PM)(Cold Out) Fuseamania vs Earworm 3:54 104
51 New York State of Mind (feat. Tony Bennett) [Live] Billy Joel 6:50 109
52 Jump Around House Of Pain 3:39 107
53 Poison Bell Biv DeVoe 4:22 112
54 No Letting Go (Starjack vs Kento Moombahton Hitter)[Clean] Wayne Wonder 3:03 105
55 Despacito (Moombahton Redrum) [Clean] DJ Delirious / Daddy Yankee 3:52 100
56 Whats Luv (Moombahton Edit 2)[Clean] Fat Joe & Ashanti 3:28 102
57 All That She Wants (Billy The Kit Moombahton RMX / Clean) Ace Of Base 2:49 105
58 Rockabye (MoombahClub Rework) [Clean] Bandit ft Sean Paul 4:19 102
59 Independent Women (Peakhour Moombahton) Destinys Child 3:06 105
60 Mi Gente J Balvin & Willy William 3:07 105
61 Livin La Vida Loca (Reggaeton ReDrum) Ricky Martin 3:14 96
62 Stacy’s Mom (Remix) Singularity x Robotic Pirate Monkey Remix 2:46 128
63 Its Tricky Run DMC 3:04 128
64 Your Love (feat. The Outfield) Morgan Page 4:00 128
65 Danza Kuduro Don Omar 3:19 130
66 I Knew the Bride (When She Used To Rock’n’Roll) Dave Edmunds & The Refreshments 3:16 89
67 Tell Her About It Billy Joel 3:56 91
68 Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting Elton John 4:53 153
69 Livin’ On A Prayer Bon Jovi 4:11 123
70 Save the Last Dance For Me Michael Bublé 3:39 134
71 Sweet Caroline Neil Diamond 3:24 127

Wedding DJ Setup