A Planner's Top Tips for Creating a Seamless Flow of Music at Your Event

Sep 26

Post in Collaboration with Toronto Jazz Collective.

Today on the blog we spoke to one of our favourite entertainment providers, Toronto Jazz Collective! We are sharing our expert tips on how to seamlessly work music into your event timeline. Weddings in particular are unique in their longer timeframes and diverse tapestry of emotions, with quiet, sacred experiences to boisterous late-night revelry, and many leisurely moments in between (for your guests at least!). Many of these moments can be filled with music, elevating the experience in a way that nothing else does. So if you are relying on your playlist to define your day, read on for our valuable logistical knowledge!

Tip #1: Understand what your entertainment team is providing.

First, be sure to understand what sound and lighting your entertainment team can provide, if any. Your venue may or may not come with an in-house AV team and you’ll want to ensure that these services don’t overlap. You may need to coordinate these two vendors to ensure that the in-house team can collaborate smoothly with the entertainment team. If you find a provider like Toronto Jazz Collective that can provide the whole music and entertainment package for the evening, it will be easier for you to organize as you’ll be communicating with one contact who manages the flow of musicians and equipment, and who will disseminate the overall vision and plan to everyone involved.

Tip #2: Select musical stings for before and after speeches.

This is a fun one! As a music lover, you probably have special songs that you share with your parents or bridal party members. Ask the DJ to play these songs as people walk up to the podium and when they are leaving to ensure there are no awkward silences. It also gives the speeches a more professional, award show vibe and pumps your speakers up and gets them into the zone!

Tip #3: Bar location!

Do not- we repeat- do NOT put the bar in a separate room from your dance floor. If music is a big priority for you, and you want it to be a central focus of the reception, you’ll want to ensure that your bar is snuggled up nice and close to your band or entertainment. We’re just being realistic here! A bar away from the dance floor will only drag people into another room, so if you want a lively dance floor where your guests can mingle and meet new people, definitely put all the fun in one place!

Tip #4: Poll your audience!

Music makes the party, and while you may be a pop-punk lover, it may not make for the best dance floor vibe at your wedding. Creating a simple google form to poll guests on what they want to hear can heighten people's commitment to boogie! This may be unconventional, but it works!

Tip #5: How to work with your entertainment provider

Do your research and find a team that you trust. Provide them with a short list of your and your guests’ favourite bands, artists and genres, so they can learn about your musical tastes and bring your musical vision to life. And of course write down your special song requests! Then let them as the professionals choose the right music for your event crowd, so you can move on to the next item on your list.

If you are wondering what kind of musical act to book for each segment of your wedding, here’s what we recommend in general: Ceremonies do well with a solo performance, sometimes with a vocalist but not always. A Jazz Trio or Quartet is best for cocktails/dinner, a 6 piece band with vocals is best for dinner and starting dancing, and DJs are best for dancing all night long and for special announcements like bridal party intros, speeches, and special dances. You can even hire a special performer to interact with the guests on the dance floor, and to be honest, if you really want a lively party, it works! Now if all this sounds like a lot of options, it is! That’s why having a single entertainment contact helps enormously.

Tip #6: Create a Timeline

As the planner, we always have a conversation with the entertainment manager where we run through the entire event itinerary together in advance to work out set timing. Then we create a complete timeline of the event including all load-in times, musician arrival times, set times, announcements, and speeches. Share this document with your entertainment team so they can refer to it on site. Then when the big day comes, sit back and watch as all the moving parts come together and you can dance the night away! Well not us exactly, but you will!

As we all know, there is nothing like music to transform your mood and your event. As a planner, it does take some organization and communication to coordinate the different teams, but working with a professional group who can coordinate all the many musicians and technical setup really makes the job easier. The five tips we’ve outlined here are from over a decade of experience and seeing what works and what doesn’t. From effective planning and communication to incorporating personalized requests and paying attention to transitions, these strategies will help you create an immersive atmosphere that helps all the people from different areas of your life feel comfortable and engaged all night long.