Please note: We receive sponsorship requests every week. Because Master Entertainment is a very small organization and our financial resources are limited, we cannot accommodate all eligible requests we receive. Therefore we must carefully review all appeals and grant support only to those organizations that best meet our community involvement objectives.

The request form is online at: http://masterdj.djintelligence.com/planning/planning.asp?ID=charity

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Once you have decided how many friends and family you need to cater for there will be plenty of other things to be considered. What will you feed them and will it be a sit down meal where they are served by caterers or a buffet style were they will have to get their own? Both have their advantages as with the buffet they will be able to take as much of what they want as they want while the sit down variety will be easier for the guests but more expensive for you. Wedding DJ etiquette is also something to be considered.

The next thing to consider is whether or not to provide a meal for the DJ and the rest of the people who are helping out on the big day. They will be working a long day and if they were in an office or factory they would be entitled to breaks so why should this job be any different. The alternative to providing meal could be the DJ leaving the wedding for an hour and going to a fast food place to get a sandwich.

It does seem to be more and more popular to provide a meal for all the vendors you have hired and will be good wedding DJ etiquette. It may not be in the contract although there will be some who will bring up the subject while you are discussing the event. The problem can come when they have other people with them. If this is the case it may be the case that they will offer to pay for them to be able to eat as it would be unfair to expect an extra meal to be paid for.

The good news is that some caterers will include the cost of the DJs meal into the price they give and this will often be at a reduced rate as they will not get the same meal as the guests. It will also not come with alcohol as clearly the DJ will not be drinking while they are working. Having the wedding DJ eat dinner as a guest will not add a great deal to the overall bill.

Often the DJ will become a close friend so it would be nice to ask them to join the rest of the guests when the meal is being eaten, especially if it is a buffet. There is no reason why they cannot put together a track that will just play as background music and let them have a decent break and a nice meal. At least this way you can guarantee a happy DJ and well presented entertainment.

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Performances

Performances are a great way in which guests can be kept entertained. It just depends on how you want your reception to be. There are many live bands throughout Illinois and Iowa where you can find one to thrill the audience all night. Live entertainment is a great option. This way everyone will be dancing instead of sitting and listening to other people’s boring conversations. Another option is hiring wedding dancers to come and perform. Dancers can keep the audience lively.

Decor and Lighting

Your wedding décor and lighting is something that can bring enhancement and have everyone talking about it. There are options of placing colored lights in the room to create a great atmosphere. These colors can also be mixed and matched to create custom lighting for your wedding event. Décor is another way of spicing up your reception. Decorations can catch the guest’s eyes and you can nicely and colorfully decorate the tables with fine fabric. Getting an experienced wedding planner or designer is always a good way to achieve this.

Dance with the Bride

Gone are the money days where guests would line up with a dollar to give the bride and in return dance with her. It was a way of wishing the couple good fortune in the future, and it was a good way to getting guests off their seats. The dance also allowed the guests to dance with the groom as well. On wedding days the couple is always too busy to interact with the guests and this is a great way of doing it.

Get Everyone on to the Dance Floor

At every wedding there’s always a group of people that won’t get up and dance. A reception cannot be called a “reception” without everyone being on the dance floor. Get a good DJ who will interact with your guests and get everyone excited. Such a DJ will play fun and popular songs which most people love. Songs such as “Cha Cha Slide” and “The Cupid Shuffle” are currently very popular in weddings and are sure to get the whole audience on the dance floor. A good DJ will also mingle with the guests and get to hear what they want him to play.

Your chosen DJ will always play an important role in the success of your wedding reception.

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There will be lots of concerns about the reception and hoping that the people who are seated together will all get on and have a good day. Until the food has been served there will be no way to know if the correct menu was chosen and maybe more than anything there is the need to worry about the best mans speech. Often all these worries will fade into insignificance when trying to decide whether or not to have the wedding dollar dance. For some a wedding would not be the same without it and yet more recently it is being considered as something that will make some uncomfortable.

The decision to have a wedding dollar dance should be made totally by the bride and groom but it will be a good idea to put out a few feelers first to see if the guests think it is a good idea. If there has been a recent family wedding where this happened it should be easy to gauge how popular this was, but as long as it is purely voluntary no one needs to take part if they do not want to.

It will be best to let the DJ know you plan to have a wedding money dance so as they can announce it and the bridesmaid and ushers need to help set up the lines. The music chosen is going to be important and should be fun rather than romantic. Married life may not start off too well if either the bride or groom is dancing with an old flame to something like Barry White. There are plenty of songs that are about friends and the DJ is bound to know what normally works well on these occasions.

It is nice to have a minute or two to speak to guests and just say thank you for coming and ask how they are and are they enjoying themselves. Normally the guests only pay with a dollar bill although it can be more and there are ways to deal with this if the money is a sticking point. If it feels wrong to make money this way then arrange for it to be donated to charity, or if the whole idea of money is wrong make up fake dollar bills. This can be the outside of a dollar bill with a blank space in the middle where the guest can write a little message to be read at a later date.

As long as bride and groom are polite and friendly to everyone during the wedding dollar dance with there will not be a problem and if you are keeping the money then leave it until the next day to count it. If it is going to charity however it will be nice to announce it. Finally in case guests of one gender turn up to dance more than the other, have a couple of standbys who will agree to take a couple of turns.

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Below are some tips to help you make your wedding reception as memorable as possible.

1. Look at the list of popular songs. A list of good popular first dance songs is always a good place to start. There are quite a few of these, but finding the right one shouldn’t be a problem. Search for one that satisfies your taste. You can use the web to make a small research on popular first dance songs.
2. Decide on a song that you and your spouse love. If you have a special song in your mind, you can use that one. Such a song could be the one that played the day you two met or the one you used to play earlier on in your relationship.
3. Choose a song with significant lyrics. A lot of songs have sexual innuendos and other love themes that may not be suitable for the audience. Choose a romantic one, listen to and analyze it making sure that the lyrics are relevant to your relationship.
4. After picking your song let the DJ or band know, and find out if they’ll render it. Ensure that they don’t butcher it or play a different version of it. You can even have them play it briefly and change anything you don’t like in it.
5. If the band isn’t familiar with the song, try and give them some recorded piece of the music and have them practice it before playing.
6. Finally enjoy your dance. After all the frustration and confusion during the planning process, it’s time to forget about all the worries and just go along with the flow. Put everything behind you and lose yourself in your love world for you have waited for this day all your life.

Things to note:

• Note that with live bands, you can actually alter certain lyrics from the song and insert your names and or jokes so as to give it a twist.
• Certain songs are much better without vocals. Instrumental versions can be played in a nice way such that everyone will be attentive and go along with the flow.
• If you really want to wow your guests, you can take a couple of dance lessons before hand
• If the DJ is playing, make sure that they have done a thorough sound check and that the recording is in good condition. You wouldn’t want a track that will start repeating and squealing when in the middle of your dance. This can be so embarrassing. Also make sure that the sound system is in-check so that there aren’t any technical issues.
• Make your dance as original as possible and avoid cliché. This is your day and make sure you enjoy every bit of it.

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As with all people involved with the wedding it will be best to discuss with them what you want and make sure that they are going to be able to deliver on the day. Indoors at the reception there will be less chance for the photographer to be creative but by letting them know what the hall is like, or even taking them to visit it, will mean they can arrange the shots you want without a problem. Knowing where there are stages or steps will let them plan ahead and also decide if they need equipment of their own.

On the day they are going to be taking pictures of people they do not know and they certainly won’t know of any feuds or problems within a group. Having members of the bridal party helping out may be a good idea so as there is not half a dozen pictures of the bride with a guest who happens to be an old flame.

It is not only the daytime that will be photographed as there are going to be a lot of people at the evening reception who you will want to have photographs of. It is during the evening reception that there are issues about how well the photographer and DJ are going to be working together. To get ideal photographs the photographer will need to have a lot of say in how the room is lit as if there are flashing lights all around the pictures are not going to be clear and it may not even be possible to make out who some of the guests are.

Even if they pride themselves on the equipment they use a good DJ is going to agree not to start using the flashing lights until it seems that all the guests have arrived and there will not be anymore photographs taken. Even the best photographer cannot get excellent shots if the lighting is not right and it is important that the DJ will know this and agree to wait before taking over the reception with his equipment.

Sometimes the videographer will tape short messages from guests and again it is vital that the DJ knows and agrees to play quiet records for a certain period of time. A bad DJ will think the evening reception is all about them and if they do not cooperate you could find that your wedding DJ has ruined your photographers wedding pictures.

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Books (and more) for the party season
By Pam Spence
The Secret to Making Your Wedding Reception Fun,  Memorable and Stress Free by Justin Miller (Master DJ and Visual Effects, Inc.; www.masterdjonline.com).

In this self- published book, Justin Miller, president of Master Entertainment in Moline. IL, has written a helpful guide to planning a reception. Having been involved in almost every aspect of event planning and fulfillment for many years, he provides valuable  insight into the many elements that contribute to a successful wedding reception.

As they begin consideration of planning, brides, grooms – and/or their moms – are often completely overwhelmed by all the details they will need to take into consideration for their reception. Miller comes to the rescue with a clearly written overview of what, when, where, and how each thing should be considered, planned and completed. Even if the  couple is working with a wedding planner, this book is a good touchstone to make sure everything is on the planning list and accomplished on schedule.

He speaks, for instance, of creating a Wedding Team that will work well together. While each vendor contributes a specific service, they must also be willing to work with the other vendors in helping make the wedding successful. He cites, for example, the potential for a stunning entrance of the wedding couple through skillful coordination of light effects and music.

Through his own business,  Miller says, he strives to  achieve “total sensory immersion.” He stresses the ideal of providing guests “with so much sensory input they forget the outside e n v i r o n m e n t … T h e i r concerns…float away and they are able to truly celebrate during their time at your party….Our chosen tools to achieve this objective are sound, lighting and live interaction.”

Miller does a great service to wedding guests everywhere, as well, by addressing the notion of “Social Obligation.”

“Let’s dispel the notion that friends, family and guests ‘want’ to attend your wedding,” he writes. “A more accurate w o r d i n g would be that they like/love you and will do whatever they can to show support for you…  “In return, you really need to open your eyes to the obligations you are
placing on them….You need to do everything you can to offset that burden by providing a unique social experience.”

Included in the book are sample time lines from real life receptions, as well as a 25- page listing of song lists contributed by working wedding
DJs. Since Miller is aware that these favorites will change over time, he provides a link to his webpage where readers can find updated lists.

Wedding and reception planning is stressful enough! This book can help take some of the stress out and let the fun back in.

The book is available at amazon.com

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If you don’t know these dances you don’t have to worry as most traditional wedding dances are quite easy to master. Below are some tips to help keep your two left feet in line.

Take classes

If you are not sure of where to start, look for a class that specializes in wedding party dances. A typical wedding party dance may include:

• Tango
• Waltz
• Lindy
• Fox Trot
• Swing
• Slow Dance

If you do your home work then dance classes can be economic. You can visit the yellow pages, ask recently married couples or even take online classes.

Learn From Experience

Another option is to ask mom and dad or even your aunt from the other state for a few hours of tutorials. They may be flattered by this and it can all be a pleasant experience. It will also be easy on your wallet. Make sure that you only ask for family member with whom you easily get along with, this is because the process can be shaky and frustrating at first and if you are not in good books you are more likely to end grabbing each other’s necks. Be sure to express some gratitude after that, dinner would do.

Jazzy Tunes

If you have already hired a DJ or band, ask them whether they have certain songs in their playlists. If not ask them to add them. You will cope easier with songs you are familiar with.

Also make sure to choose a song that is significant to you and your loved one. Such a song could a memorable one of the first day you met.

Dance Etiquette

The DJ or band may help you on the dance floor by inviting other people to come and share the platform with you, but it is always helpful to know a little bit of wedding etiquette prior to the reception.

The bridal couple always have their first dance alone usually soon after the speeches and announcements. The DJ will invite you to the dance floor and the bride’s father may cut into your dance at some point, most probably after a couple of photo shots have been taken of the two of you. The bride dances with her father and then the groom with his mother.

Most couples end here, and from then onwards other guests get to join in on the dance floor and get to dance. However traditional weddings are a little different and the transition is done in chronological order.

Wedding bridal dances are meant to be enjoyed, so take time to learn the moves before you go on the dance floor.

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Below are some tips on how you can prepare to give a good wedding speech

1. Write down the speech and break it into parts. The opening, middle and closing. This will not only help you remember it, but will also help you say sensible things in order.
2. If you are not sure of what to and what not to include in your speech, you may buy an already made wedding speech as they are available even online. You can shop around for best man and maid of honor handbooks and start practicing. Make sure you get yourself a good one that will guide you through whatever you have to say.
3. Add a little bit of humor to keep your speech interesting and for the audience to keep attentive. One of the best ways in which to keep your guests attentive is by keeping them in laughter and asking you to say more.
4. If you include any stories in your speech, make sure that they are about people your guests know of. Talking about your college or high school girlfriends won’t win your any points, but rather keep it focused on the bride and groom. Be sure to skip any racy stories as these won’t bring any laughter, but rather embarrassment. Not in any way may your stories include any ex-girlfriends or boyfriends, and make sure that your stories don’t make anyone feel uncomfortable. They should be prompt and nice.
5. Practice and practice. Even the best speakers take time to practice a lot and this will make them seem as if they’ve been giving wedding speeches all their lives. It’s only a matter of practice and as the saying goes”practice makes perfect. ” in order to look spontaneous and fluent you have to put a lot of effort. Stand in front of the bathroom mirror and go over your speech again and again. You can practice the speech at least 10 times before your day.
6. Be composed and comfortable. Remember this is not a job interview but your wedding day and there’s no need to be timid and or intimidated. Enjoy your speech and do it in a relaxed manner. Most people will wish you the best and take your wedding speech very well. There’s absolutely no reason to worry or be nervous, after all it’s your day.
7. A good wedding speech normally ends with a toast to the bride and the bridal couple.

These tips will ensure that your wedding speech will keep everyone smile and in some cases some people may even cry. It’s certainly nothing to wary of.

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