WEDDING DISCO INFORMATION & EVENING PLANNER

Although we pride ourselves on being able to offer our clients complete flexibility as to their own requirements, we do sometimes get asked to provide a sample playlist, or to give advice as to the running order of a typical Wedding Reception. We are always happy to offer advice where we can, and this guide covers some of the more popular questions which we are often asked prior to booking.

Please remember that all functions are different and therefore this information is given purely as a guide. We do carry 1000's of music tracks spanning the last five decades and so the music played can be as varied as the tastes of each individual who is attending!.

All audiences are different, and a lot of what we play will depend on 'reading' the audience and watching the reaction on the dancefloor, no DJ, however experienced, can predict an exact playlist in advance of your own function since musical taste is as individual to each person as is their taste in food, drink, fashion etc.

It is tradition at Wedding Receptions, for the Bride and Groom to have the first dance, and this usually signals the start of the actual disco. If you have invited Evening Guests, who may not have attended the actual Wedding Ceremony, then it is often advisable to leave the first dance until the majority of the guests have arrived, and suitable background music is played during this period.

The Bride and Groom also choose the first track, and sometimes also choose a second track as well. The second track is usually played and dedicated to the Bride and her Father, or for the Bride & Groom to invite their friends and relatives to join them on the dancefloor. This second track is not obligatory, but can be included if required.

We always invite all of our clients to provide a playlist, ahead of the function detailing any special requests which we will try and include during the course of the Evening. We do ask that this request list is kept to 15 tracks or less, to ensure continuity and for us to incorporate the requests of your guests on the night of the actual function.

At Wedding Receptions, or indeed any function with a mixed aged audience we usually try and avoid anything too specialised, or Genre's such as Heavy Metal, Rap, Trance and non commercial Dance Music unless specifically requested by the client ( where they believe that it would be appreciated by their guests). Of course, we do tailor the music to the age range of the audience, and so if you do have an audience consisting of mainly Younger Guests then the playlist will be tailored accordingly, and exactly the same for older age groups as well.

We have complied a sample document in word format which can be downloaded, and contains a basic playlist for a Wedding Reception. This is just a sample list detailing different era's and the type of tracks which may be played.

Click Here to Download the Playlist

Evening Planner

The Running order of the actual function depends largely on your booking with the wedding venue, and any Buffet or Dining arrangement. Obviously if you have arranged a meal during the 'Wedding Breakfast then you should allow for a little flexibility in your Evening arrangements, since, in our experience events such as the meal itself, and speeches etc can tend to overun a little. If you have invited Evening Guests, then you should also allow at least 45 mins beyond the time stated on the Wedding Invitations for everyone to arrive, so it isn't advisable to plan your first dance too early.

This is a sample running order, assuming 7.30 - 12.00

6.45 - The Ultimate Roadshow arrive at Venue and set up.
7.30 - Background Music whilst Evening Guests Arrive
8.30 - Bride and Groom's First Dance & Disco Starts
9.15 - Buffet (If the cake has not been cut earlier in the Evening, this is usually a good time, just ahead of the Buffet)
10.00 - Disco
12.00 - Last Dance and Evening Ends

Again, it is difficult to set any form of firm running order and so you should allow some deviation during the function to allow for earlier events which may have over-run or guests who may be running late.

When deciding on the duration of your function, it is advisable to bear in mind that you and some of your guests may have been in attendance since the wedding ceremony in the early afternoon and so this should be taken into consideration when deciding the finishing time. Often, older guests, or those with young children will usually leave before the end of the Evening, and so consider whether a 1AM finish would be appropriate for the majority of your guests or whether a Midnight or 12.30 finish would be more widely acceptable.

With the relaxing of licensing laws, some wedding venues may try and persuade you to book the venue until 1AM or even 2AM. Consider whether this is in your interests or theirs!. Many venues do like to maximise on their late licences and bar takings, so give some thought to this area before booking and whether the extension is worth the additional cost.

Some venues or clients may require the disco to be set up at some point earlier in the day. In most cases, we are happy to comply with this request, although additional charges will be made for this service to cover our expenses. The fees, will largely depend on the distance of the venue from our base in Congleton.

The It is increasingly becoming a requirement for venues, especially the larger hotel chains to insist on all Mobile Discos working on their premises to have Public Liability Insurance, and PAT Tested Equipment, both are requirements which we fulfil and we are happy to send the relevant documents to your venue where requested.

Whilst The Ultimate Roadshow will ensure that your entertainment requirements will run smoothly, experience has taught us that with so many things to plan, things can occasionally go wrong in other areas. Therefore we also recommend that clients consider taking out suitable Wedding Insurance to ensure that they are financially compensated for areas of their reception which may not go to plan, or where the ceremony or honeymoon has to be rescheduled through accident or illness. We recommend MRL INSURANCE for your Wedding Insurance.