9/3/2009 - Weddings All Over A Survey of the Reception     [back]

It’s Saturday night and you’re getting ready to go through the routine you follow for just about every wedding you DJ. Have you ever wondered what another DJ across the country might be doing at his or her wedding reception that night? Are weddings the same across the country? I’ve had the fortune of being able to see firsthand how weddings can be different as I was a DJ in Chicago for almost four years before moving to Dallas. I did some research on weddings in Dallas before moving but I didn’t get a true sense of what they were like until I actually started DJing here. When I was in Chicago, an average wedding reception was five and a half to six hours long. That included a full hour for cocktails, an hour and a half to two hours for dinner and another three hours for dancing. Since I’ve been in Dallas, my average wedding has been four hours long. The most common schedule here has included half an hour for cocktails (or they have cocktails in another room separate from the reception), one hour for dinner, and two hours for dancing. I thought it would be a big challenge to transition from a six-hour wedding to a four-hour wedding. After my first few wedding receptions here I discovered how the weddings were different and what I needed to do differently in order to adjust. The main difference here in Dallas was buffet-style meals versus individually served meals in Chicago. The amount of time to eat is cut in half with the buffet setup. I do think a DJ here in Dallas does have to be on his or her toes and really make sure to keep the evening moving. In Chicago, you had some wiggle room to stray from the schedule if there were any delays. In Dallas, even a minor delay of 10-15 minutes could make a big difference with how much time there is for dancing since the dancing portion is so much shorter. Another significant difference is the amount of music you’ll play in a night and the amount of level of energy from the crowd. In my experience, the Dallas events have more energy since it’s a shorter reception and they’re up and dancing quicker. In Chicago, guests have been sitting around for so long and it’s such a long day by the time it’s time to start dancing that it can be a challenge to get people up. (I’ve experienced this myself as a guest at many weddings in Chicago, too!) What does any of this have to do with you, the Phoenix DJ who always DJs in Phoenix? Well, besides simply being an interesting comparison, if you’re DJing a wedding for a couple from New York they may want to change things up to have a wedding more in the style that they’re used to. That’s why it’s great to network with DJs to find out what you’ll need to know since this will be new territory for you. Visiting DJ message boards like ProDJ.com or going to the Mobile Beat conventions are great ways to meet DJs from other regions. Check out what the following DJs had to say about weddings in their regions: Rocky Bourg, DJ Music by Request New Orleans, Louisiana In which large city do you DJ most of your wedding receptions? New Orleans, Louisiana How many hours is the average wedding reception? 3 (without ceremony) or 4 (with) What are the most common start and end times for receptions? 7:00 or 8:00 pm–10:00 or 11:00 pm How many guests are usually at receptions? 150–200 Is it more common for dinner to be individually served, family style or buffet? Buffet Are there any special traditions/songs specific to your region (i.e. polkas, etc.)? “Second Line” by Stop Inc. (New Orleans Jazz), “Pre Game” by the LSU Band (fight song), “They All A