The wedding ceremony

As promised, this week’s entry will be about how to DJ an actual wedding ceremony.  I do, however, have to say that next week’s blog entry will be a story about how a stolen coat led me to meet and hang out with both adult film actor Ron Jeremy, and nationally known Disc Jockey DJ P.  After that entry I will come back and tell you how to DJ a successful wedding reception.  It's too good a story not to tell, and it will also illustrate how thinking outside the box can earn you money as a Disc Jockey. 

Playing music for a wedding ceremony is pretty simple, but there are a few things to watch out for.  First, you want to set the scene and figure out where your equipment will provide the best sounding audio for the people in attendance, and where your system will be the least obtrusive.  I always try to set up at the back end of the room facing the altar.  If you’re lucky, you might be at a venue that has a built in sound system and you will just be able to plug directly into it with either a laptop, iPod, or a CD player they might have.  It’s always important to research what equipment the venue does have beforehand so that you can come equipped with the adapters and cords to make things easy on yourself.  An even better DJ would do a sound check at the venue a couple weeks before the event to ensure the equipment he was going to be using was working properly. 

If you are responsible for the ceremony, that means you are most likely responsible for the preacher’s audio as well.  I like to use a wireless lapel microphone clipped to his or her jacket.  Being a battery powered condenser microphone, its range is very good and can easily pick up everything the preacher says along with the vows.  It’s always a good idea to do a small sound check if you can so you can find your feedback threshold before the wedding rather than during.  There’s nothing more effective at getting people to look back at you than a high pitched squeal during the vows.  Don’t forget, if you’re doing the reception too, you have to be around these people a while.

Usually the bride and groom pick the songs they want for each event in the wedding ceremony such as the seating of the parents, the song the bride walks down the aisle to, and every other important action in the ceremony.  This makes the hardest part of the ceremony simply playing their music at precisely the right time.  The only thing worse than awkward silence, is when it is followed by more awkward silence.  A good way to make sure you know exactly what is going on is attending the rehearsal if possible. 

            With everything said here, you should now have a good basic blueprint to go by when you DJ a wedding ceremony.  Building from a foundation such as this is a great way to find your own individual style later on.  Good luck!!