Official Blog of Millennium Productions

Image Courtesy of Mirage Photo

Weddings generally host a wide variety of people. Many different age groups come together, and the DJ and/or Band must play music that will be appealing to all, or most, for most of the evening.

DJs are very good at this (that’s why we do what we do); however, we often have clients who want varying levels of input into the musical selection for the evening. I always encourage this, because it adds a level of personalization that a DJ can’t provide just playing off-the-cuff. That said, unless the client is a DJ themselves, too  much control over the playlist can be a very bad thing.

If you do want to have some input on some, or all, of your playlist, here are some suggestions:

1. Pick songs people can dance to: Hey, I love 90′s alternative. Pearl Jam’s “Alive” is a great track. Unfortunately, it isn’t what you would call “danceable.” Stick to stuff with a steady, fun beat, and people will be more likely to dance.
2. Pick songs people will dance to: For the most part, your guests will tend to dance to very popular tracks. True, you may have a group of friends who will dance to O.A.R.’s “Crazy Game of Poker,” but if you’re playing relatively obscure tracks all night that most of your guests don’t know, they won’t dance. People generally dance to what they know.
3. Make a “Do Not Play” list: There are some DJs who will default to certain songs unless told otherwise. These songs include popular line/group dances (ie, the Chicken/Duck dance, electric slide, Y.M.C.A…. by the way, all of these songs are on my own personal Do Not Play list, unless the client specifically OKs them), as well as certain popular songs like “Celebration”, “We Are Family”, and “Love Shack.” All of these are popular at weddings, and they are also at the top of many “Do not play” lists. It helps the DJ a great deal to know what you really don’t want to hear.
4. Give the DJ some leeway: If you’ve picked a quality DJ, then he will know what works, and how to maintain a good flow throughout the evening while incorporating your requests into his mix. If you have a very rigid playlist or genre requirements, the DJ is kind of boxed in to your choices, and if those choices aren’t working, you’ve given him no outs.
5. Don’t slow it down too much: Slow songs are going to get played, and people will definitely dance to them, but there is such a thing as slowing it down too much. I generally play about 5 slow songs per reception, sometimes maybe another 1 or 2, depending on the mood and age of the crowd. Remember, it’s nice to have a sweet, romantic slow dance, but if you overdo it, you will kill the energy of the dance floor.
6. Know your priorities: Not all people are looking for a lot of dancing at their reception. I once played a reception where my clients specifically said that I can play traditional wedding dance music for 1 hour, but after that they wanted punk rock for the rest of the night, regardless of what anyone else asked for. No requests (other than punk) were to be taken. They knew no one would dance, but dancing was not their priority. I obliged. People were very angry with me (the FOG actually threatened my life, though I didn’t take it all that seriously), but I made them aware that this was the agenda planned by my clients. My clients were extremely pleased with me, and thanked me profusely. The point is that you need to decide if you want people to dance or not. You also need to realize that just because you would dance to a song, that doesn’t mean everyone else will do so. If dancing is a priority, consider playing some of the more obscure stuff during dinner or cocktail hour. If not, Indie it up.

The point of a personalized play list is to make the reception your own, not a cookie cutter program that you’ve heard at every wedding you’ve ever attended. If you have a DJ you trust, then work with him (or her) to figure out what kind of mood you want. If your DJ is good, they should have 5 songs to play to match each 1 song you request.

If you design a play list that you want the DJ to stick to rigidly, just understand that you are taking on the responsibility of entertaining your guests. While the DJ should try to play it in an order that makes sense, ultimately you have decided on the course of music, so be sure that you are going to be happy with it, no matter what.

Special thanks to Mirage Photo for the above images!

ben_kelley Uncategorized dj service, dj services, event planning, reception entertainment, st louis wedding receptions, wedding dj, wedding entertainment, wedding reception

Its a common question: What should I choose for my first dance song? I’ve had some experience in this field, and am happy to share some advice for those that are facing this planning stage of their reception. Some of the current favorite first dance songs include “At Last” by Etta James, “Lucky” by Mraz/Caillat , and the new favorite, “Somewhere over the rainbow/Wonderful World” cover by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

Other Popular Song Choices That Continue to Shine:

The Beach Boys “God Only Knows”

Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23″

Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On”

Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is”

Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing”

The Zombies’ “This Will Be Our Year”

Four Seasons “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”

Van Morrison “Crazy Love”

Rod Stewart “Have I Told You Lately”

Billy Joel “Just The Way You Are”

The Kinks “Waterloo Sunset”

Toussaint McCall’s “Nothing Takes The Place Of You”

Al Green’s “Love and Happiness”

Ray LaMontagne: “You Are The Best Thing”

Sometimes a Bride and Groom will decide that they want to go off the beaten path (or dance floor, as it were) and choose a song that not everyone has heard before. Maybe they have Alt/Indie sensibilities, or maybe they just want to be a little different. Regardless of the motivation, I thought I might share some possible song choices for those that are looking for suggestions…

Less-Than-Common First Dance Song Choices:

(Ariel’s) Me’Shell Ndegéocello’s “Love Song #1″

Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest”

Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”

Massive Attack’s “One Love”

Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”

Portishead’s “All Mine”

Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”

Some Possible First Dance Songs You May Have Not Thought Of:

The Flaming Lips: “Do You Realize?”

Iron and Wine: “Such Great Heights” (Postal Service Cover)

Death Cab For Cutie: “I will follow you into the dark”

Dave Matthews: “You and Me”

Mazzy Star: “Fade Into You”

Aqualung: “Brighter than Sunshine”

The Pogues: “Love you ’till the end”

The Pogues: “A Rainy Night In Soho”

Regina Spektor: “Real Love”

The Cliks: “Nobody Else Will”

My Morning Jacket: “Thank You Too”

Everclear: “I Will Buy You a New Life”

Nick Cave:  “Into My Arms”

A Fine Frenzy: “You Picked Me”

These are all just general suggestions for those looking to stray off the beaten path a bit. A great strategy to take is to look at soundtracks of movies that you both love (Juno and Garden State are two of my favorite Romances with great soundtracks), and you might find a song that fits well with your particular style, and that you both can relate to.

Check out pandora.com as well. You can choose artists and styles that you like, and the website will create a personalized radio station for you with song suggestions that are similar to the ones you’ve picked.

Most of all, have fun with it. This shouldn’t be something to stress you out – It should be a time where you listen to tons of great music and get ideas!

ben_kelley Music, Reception planning, wedding planning first dance, first dance songs, music for reception, special dance songs, wedding reception

On April 17th, Millennium Productions produced its first relatively big event of the year, providing DJ, Videography, and Design/Decor/Lighting for Tiffany and Ryan’s wedding reception at the Viking Conference center in Sunset Hills.

The design included a Grand Entryway, Head Table Backdrop with Gobo monogram, accent draping in 2 corners of the room, pin-spotting on all centerpieces and cake, and a total of 20 uplights to set it all off.

The experienced Design team was at the venue at 9AM to get it all set up. Our goal is to always be detail-oriented and get everything looking perfect, so the more time we have, the better.

We try to get the venue’s lights out of the picture as much as possible, allowing us to have full control over the lighting in the room. This allows us to achieve the “transformation effect” that our clients are looking for.

Pin-spotting is an important part of the transformation. It provides enough light for the guests to see their dinners and each other, but also allows us to highlight the centerpieces. As you can see, it also produces a kind of “floating” look with the tables, highlighting them individually with darkness in between.

The end result is a completely different looking space. We accentuate the parts that need to pop, and we leave the rest in relative darkness, providing just enough mood lighting to make it comfortable for the guests.

Tom Stuart was the DJ/Host, with assistance from Pat Sullivan. Between the two of them, they created a great party environment, and provided their great expertise in music mixing.

Rick Dilly and Tony Volkman shot the video, following the wedding from ceremony through reception. Always the height of professionalism, they remained inconspicuous throughout the evening, while still capturing the event expertly.

This was a great combined effort among all the Millennium staff, and the end result, as always, made it completely worth the effort!

aj_barbarito Design and Decor, Uncategorized, st louis wedding receptions event design decor, millennium, millennium design, millennium music, millennium productions, st louis weddings, videography, wedding dj, wedding entertainment, wedding lights, wedding reception

When I got up at 7:00AM on Sunday morning, I will admit that I was not too excited to host Fran and Bill’s Wedding reception that evening. I worked late Saturday night, as I had done Friday as well, and by the time Sunday morning came along, when I had to get up after very little sleep and help set up for a Bridal Show that morning, I was hating life. The only reason I say that is to demonstrate the contrast between how I felt then and how I felt later that night.

I first met Fran and Bill when they came into our office in May to discuss the possibility of booking us for DJ and Video. They were pleasant to talk to, and enthusiastic about their upcoming wedding, if a little oddly paired (I thought at first). Bill was an energetic guy, smiling and excited, with a bit of Southernor in his accent, while Fran was more subdued, though still excited, with a bit of European to her voice and always a happy shimmer in her eyes. If they seemed a strange match at first, that impression dissolved as I got to witness the joy they felt being in each others’ presence, and that joy was contagious, making me smile, and reminding me again why I love my job.

We booked them with some good discounts, which we are always willing to do for a Sunday. I told them later, when we were meeting to discuss the plans for the day-of, that I admired their approach to hiring their vendors. Yes, they picked a day where they could receive discounts, but with those discounts, they hired premium vendors. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Hilton Frontenac. Millennium Music provided DJ and Video services, and they hired Memories Are Forever as their photographer. The Hilton has a great resource in Rachel Topfer, who coordinates the special events.  As with any coordinator, it is important to me that she allows me to do my job, which means that I need to be able to direct the course of events as planned, and communicate with her what needs to be done and when. I’m not saying I act like the boss, but I am the one who is up front, so ultimately I’m the one who says “Let’s do this now.” It’s always great to work with someone who understands that, and works with me to make it happen.

We’ve worked with Memories are Forever quite often, and have learned what they need for things to work correctly. With them, it’s about keeping up constant communication, making sure that they are in place when it’s time to do the special things, like introductions and first dances, and then making sure I’m clear so they can get their shots. Another thing I love about working with them is that that can edit down a slideshow very quickly, and show their work from that day on their laptops, or if the client has ordered an LCD TV from us, I can show it on there. Plus, Kathie is awesome, and fun to work with.

Back to the day-of…

I was tired. I finished at the Bridal show a little after noon, headed to the shop to grab my gear, and then headed to the Hilton. Sound set-up for the ceremony was easy… I just had to set up a mic and sound for the officiant. This also let me give Rick (Millennium Video) a direct feed from the board so he would be able to incorporate it into the final video. Then I just ran around doing whatever I could. Since the cermony and reception were in different buildings, most of this time involved standing outside and directing people to the correct place, which I should be expected to do anyway.

The ceremony was great. It was done under a traditional Jewish chuppa (canopy), and was performed in both Hebrew and English, and incorporating both Jewish and Christian elements. The chuppa was stunning, but Fran was even more so. Having talked to Bill a little before the service, I knew he was nervous and wound up, as most grooms are at that time. He was kind of running around like a chicken with his head cut off, trying to tell people to do what they already knew they had to do, because he felt like he needed to do something. When he stood up there and saw his soon-to-be wife enter the room, though, all the anxiety melted away, and you could see the love he felt for her, and her for him, like a palpable presence in the room. The great thing about attending the ceremony is that you get to see that moment that the whole day is actually about… the moment that your clients actually get married. It makes the whole thing that much more personal.

After the ceremony, everyone went up to cocktail hour, giving me time to move my gear and finish setting up in the ballroom. When folks came down to be seated for dinner, I was ready to go, and so Rachel and I headed back into the hallway to get the Bridal Party lined up and ready to go. There was just one problem… the women were having a bustling malfunction with the dress.

These things happen all the time, but if you wait too long to do things like introductions, it throws off the timing for the whole evening, and you definitely want dinner to be served on time. Thankfully, Rachel was able to help with the dress, getting it manageable and looking good, with the intention of later bustling. I hung out with the guys and just chatted it up for a bit. When the dress was ready, we lined up and got ready to go.

Skip ahead to the first dance…

Bill is a dancer, as is Fran. They actually met when Bill gave Fran a dance lesson, and the rest was history… to this point. Bill has danced under pressure, in competition and in front of people, but when it came to his first dance, he completely nervous and unsure, which led to the best dressed rehearsal you’ve ever seen. Yes, he messed up… but it was a hilarious moment that just added to the warmth and intimate nature of the evening. They had friends and family around them who laughed with them, not at them. It was actually a wonderful moment when we had to start over, strange as that might sound.

As for the dancing that evening… well, there were actual dancers there, so you can imagine how cool it was to be playing music and have most of the guests on the dance floor doing a Rumba, or Waltz, or Cha-cha. I actually had to change up the music at one point just to get some of the single folks on the floor!

Halfway into the dancing, I yielded the mic to Fran’s friend Rachel, who led everyone in some traditional Israeli dancing for awhile, and that was a treat to watch.

Finally, we got to a point in the evening where a lot of people had gone home, and the dance-floor was dwindling. This isn’t unheard of for a Sunday night, and it was an older crowd, many of whom had to work the next day. Sometimes you just have to end things on a high-note, so I suggested to Fran that we make the next two songs the last two, and she agreed. Gathering most of the remaining guests onto the floor, we played those two songs, and ended the dancing with big smiles and a huge cheer… the perfect end to an incredibly successful evening.

Saying goodbye to Bill and Fran, I truly felt privileged to have been a part of their wedding. Not just because it was fun; most of the weddings that I do are fun. I felt privileged because it was truly a wonderful group of people, and Fran and Bill were themselves such a pleasure to work with and get to know. That day that started out so miserably had transformed into something transcendent, and I left feeling energized, glowing with the joy in which I was able to share that evening.

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