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Unique Wedding Entertainment
We caught up with Susan Heaton-Wright Directory of NSN Productions who gives some great advice on making your wedding entertainment unique and special. Susan explains "I am often asked how to make a wedding special and different to other weddings". Here she explains how NSN Productions would recommend making your wedding entertainment memorable, special and unique to you.
"Of course having Live music and live entertainers WILL ALWAYS make a wedding unique. Plenty of people organise a harpist or string quartet to play background music for the drinks reception and/or wedding breakfast, which is lovely. However there are other options.
• Gospel Singers: they could sing at your wedding ceremony and during a drinks reception. Our Gospel Singers are singing at a wedding being filmed for ‘Four Weddings’ They will lead the hymns if it is a church wedding and generally up the energy levels!
• Mix and mingle artistes – including singers; moving musicians and magicians who engage your guests during the drinks reception. This is often a time when everyone is waiting for the bridal couple to finish the photographs, yet entertaining guests in this way is great fun – and memorable. Surprise singing guests: singers who mingle with guests and suddenly burst into song is great fun and unforgettable. One of our most popular musicians is ‘The Romantic Tenor’ who serenades guests during drinks receptions.
• Wedding ceremonies could be made special by a musician or musicians playing BEFORE and AFTER the ceremony. So often when guests arrive, it is silent and nothing is going on (and not very welcoming), but if you have booked musicians, why not ask them to play from 15 minutes before the ceremony starts and for 10 minutes afterwards.
• If you have a church ceremony, employing a singer to sing during the signing of the register is lovely. However, also ask her to lead the hymn singing to encourage your guests to sing. Alternatively, book the church choir to lead the singing. Guests will remember this! So often the hymns are not sung with vigour by guests because they’re too shy!!
• Consider those times during the day when ‘there isn’t much going on’ e.g. when photos are being taken: after the wedding breakfast but before the evening party. Guests are often kept waiting for the next ‘thing’ to happen. Make your wedding different by HAVING something else go on. I have mentioned mix and mingle artistes and surprise singing guests. Also singing waiters, who are a complete surprise for guests and make everyone laugh! Also magicians. Another idea is that if you have a themed band for the evening – such as a 50s band or Jazz band, why not employ a dance teacher to teach your guests a couple of dance steps in preparation for the evening! Older guests will enjoy showing younger ones how it is done (or watching) younger guests will have great fun!
• So often the evening entertainment at weddings is TOO LOUD!! The challenge is that you have a wide age group, and many guests who haven’t seen each other for some time – and want to talk!! Ideally there should be a room where people can chat, but sometimes they want to watch the dancing, but not stay in a noisy room. Bear this in mind: be different and ensure your DJ or band know that the sound levels need to be kept down. If necessary, ask your best man to monitor the sound levels and ask for levels to be switched down.
• One of the most memorable weddings I attended (other than my own which was full of music) was my cousin’s. She had a ceilidh: which included a number of people singing; dancing and playing instruments. She had a ceilidh band with an excellent caller, but also invited guests to perform. It was so special (and not just because I dressed up as The Abbess and sang “Climb every mountain” to her as a surprise). It is memorable when a musical member of the family – or a friend plays an instrument or sings at an appropriate moment, either during the wedding ceremony or at the reception.
• Finally, do remember that live music is often more cost effective than a Disco; we have calculated that booking a Jazz trio is cheaper than most good quality discos… and they will play recorded music whilst they take their breaks. Which is more memorable – YES the jazz trio!"
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