Page 1 of 4 © 2012 by All Events DJ. All rights reserved This document has been provided courtesy of All Events DJ 702.348.6641 ■ www.alleventsdj.com

At All Events DJ we completely understand and respect a bride and groom’s decision to handle the music and entertainment of their wedding on your own. Many couples are opting for the "do-it-yourself" approach these days in an effort to minimize their wedding budget. Based on our experience in the industry, we’d like to offer you a few suggestions and tips if you decide to go with the DIY option.

1. Get Your Equipment In Order:

First and foremost, check with your venue to determine what their sound system capabilities are and what equipment they have available for you to use. Note that your venue may charge a rental fee to use their equipment. If they do not have sound equipment, you will need to find a company to rent the equipment from. Many DJ companies will also rent their equipment, or you can search for “audio visual (AV) rentals” in your area. Remember that not all AV equipment is built the same, so for something as important as your wedding stick with trusted brands such as Bose, Yamaha, Pioneer, Mackie, Peavey, Rane, Numark, or American DJ. Also, make sure you consider having backup equipment or an AV technician available the day of your event in case any of your equipment fails or you have any unforeseen issues. Even we as professionals have a backup plan when it comes to our equipment because you never know!

HELPFUL RESOURCES: Fourth Estate Audio—Considering an iPod Wedding Instead of a DJ eHow—How to Rent Party Equipment for a Wedding Reception

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST:

Laptop with Itunes Amplifier Microphone/

Wireless Microphone iPod/MP3 Player/CD

Backup System Speakers

Microphone Cables/ Wireless Adapter

Mixer/Mixing Board Speaker Stands Extension Cords Mixer to Amplifier Cables Effect Lighting Batteries

Tape to Secure Cords

to Ground

2. Create Your Music Timeline & Playlists: A wedding timeline helps provide order to your event. A music timeline simply adds a description of what music you would like played during each specific event throughout your wedding. Please see our Sample Wedding Music Timeline on the last page for more detail. For special, highlighted moments during the ceremony or reception (i.e. first dance, father/daughter dance, etc.) we suggest that you make a separate playlist so that your MC doesn't get confused or play the wrong song at the wrong time. Additionally, when you create your Open Dance Music Playlist, you may want to consider having several different lists in that category since you may have open dancing at different times throughout the event. For example, you may want more generation neutral music played earlier in the event (i.e. music that will excite grandma, mom, bride and little sister to all get on the dance floor) and more generation specific music played later in the event (i.e. bring out the booty shaking music later in the event, after grandma has already called it a night).

Page 2 of 4 © 2012 by All Events DJ. All rights reserved This document has been provided courtesy of All Events DJ 702.348.6641 ■ www.alleventsdj.com

HELPFUL RESOURCES: My Wedding Music—iPod Wedding Inexpensive Wedding—DIY Wedding Music Wedful—Be Your Own DJ With the WeddingDJ App

PLAYLIST CHECKLIST: CEREMONY RECEPTION

Prelude Music Interlude/Cocktail/ Champagne Hour Music

Open Dance Music

Pre-Processional Music Grand Entrance & Introductions

Cake Cutting Music

Processional Music Bride & Groom’s First Dance Bouquet/Garter Toss Music

Bride’s Procession Music Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance

Last Dance Music

Ceremony Music Toasts & Speeches Farewell to Bride & Groom

Unity Candle/ Sand Ceremony Music

Dinner Music

Recessional Music

3. Designate an MC: Not only are you going to want to pick someone to monitor the music and to make sure the right playlist is playing at the appropriate time, but you are also going to want to make sure you have someone who can act as your Master of Ceremonies and can announce when things will take place. Make sure you pick someone who is technically versed and sees the responsibility as an honor and not a chore. It would be a good idea to provide your MC with a timeline of the events, outlining the order of all the activities and the exact times you would like everything to occur and the corresponding music playlist. You should also include the names of involved person(s) so that your MC can help keep everyone else on track for you. Again, please see our Sample Wedding Music Timeline on the last page for more detail on this. Additionally, to help make your MC feel more comfortable in their role, you may want to consider creating a short script for each activity you’d like them to announce.

HELPFUL RESOURCES: WeddingGirl.ca—Choosing Your Wedding MC The Wedding M.C. by Brian C. Lee CSP

MC CHECKLIST: Wedding Music Timeline

with Corresponding Playlists Script for Father/Daughter

& Mother/Son Dance Script for Bouquet/

Garter Toss Script for Bridal

Party Grand Entrance Script for Introduction

of Speech/Toasts Givers Script for Cake Cutting

Script for Bride & Groom First Dance

Games or Activities to get Guests Involved

Page 3 of 4 © 2012 by All Events DJ. All rights reserved This document has been provided courtesy of All Events DJ 702.348.6641 ■ www.alleventsdj.com

4. Schedule a Test Run: Make sure you test out your equipment at your venue…and NOT during your rehearsal or the day before because you will need plenty of time to make changes if you have any technical issues. You may also want to ensure that the company or person who you have rented the equipment from is available the day of your event just in case something unforeseen happens and you need help. You should also make sure you’ve backed everything up to an additional iPod/MP3 player or CD in the event you lose power or have a technical malfunction. You may also want to consider having battery powered speakers on hand.

5. Don’t Take Out Word For It: We know that taking on the responsibility of managing your wedding music and entertainment can be an enormous responsibility, which is why people often consider hiring a professional to reduce the stress and workload of planning a wedding. But we also know many couples are up for the challenge! We’ve thrown together some other helpful resources below to try and help make the process easier for you…we hope you find it helpful.

The Broke-Ass Bride—iPod Weddings BRIDES Magazine—Top Tips for Avoiding the Biggest DIY-Wedding-Music Mistakes Do It Yourself Weddings—Do It Yourself Wedding Music

On behalf of All Events DJ, we would like to extend our…

Congratulations and Best Wishes! If you should change your mind about handing all the music and entertainment needs for your wedding on your own, please do not hesitate to contact our experts at All Events DJ. Our services can vary greatly in prices depending on your needs. We would be happy to schedule a quick, one hour consultation to discuss our services and prices.

Page 4 of 4 © 2012 by All Events DJ. All rights reserved This document has been provided courtesy of All Events DJ 702.348.6641 ■ www.alleventsdj.com

Sample Wedding Music Timeline

SAMPLE

TIME ACTUAL

TIME ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION/NOTES

PLAYLIST

TITLE PEOPLE

INVOLVED CEREMONY

5:15pm Prelude Guests arrive and are seated

5:45pm Pre-Processional Important guests are seated (parents and grandparents)

5:50pm Processional Bridal party entrance

5:55pm Bride’s Procession Bride’s entrance

6:00pm Ceremony Typically no music because there is speaking

6:15pm Unity Candle/ Sand Ceremony Music

Special moments when no one is speaking

6:30pm Recessional Bride, groom and bridal party exit

RECEPTION

6:45pm Interlude/Cocktail/ Champagne Hour

Down time between the ceremony and the reception, typically when the bride and groom and taking photos

7:45pm Grand Entrance & Introductions

When the bridal party and/or the bride and groom are announced to all the guests

8:00pm Bride & Groom’s First Dance

Typically occurs immediately after the grand entrance

8:05pm Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance

Typically occurs immediately following the bride and groom’s first dance

8:10pm Dinner Served

8:35pm Toasts & Speeches Typically the father of the bride and groom will give a speech or toast as will the maid of honor and best man; typically occurs after everyone has been served their food

8:55pm Dinner

9:15pm Open Dancing Typically the first open dancing session will include your guests of all ages

9:35pm Cake Cutting Typically occurs after all the dinner plates have been cleared

9:45pm Open Dancing

10:15pm Bouquet/Garter Toss

Typically occurs later in the event, but before the event is winding down

10:30pm Open Dancing Typically the later open dancing will cater to people that are more interested in dancing

11:00pm Last Dance Typically a slower, more mellow song

11:15pm Farewell to Bride & Groom