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Your Guide to Choosing a Wedding DJ
Here, Jason Jani, founder of SCE Event Group, explains why choosing the right entertainment professional is so important—and what you
Read MoreWhile couples spend a lot of time choosing the song for their first dance, they shouldn’t forget about the tune that will be used as their wedding reception entrance song.
“The intro music really sets the tone and the pace for the rest of the night,” says Tom Gambuzza of Elegant Music Group in Montclair.
When picking the perfect song for your big entrance, ask yourself these important questions:
If you want to get that dance party started right off the bat, you’ll want a song that will get—and keep—everyone on their feet. There are plenty of high-energy songs that your entertainment vendor can recommend. But if you want a more laid-back vibe, that’s fine, too. Scott Hornak of Craig Scott Entertainment in Rochelle Park worked with a couple who entered their reception to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” and then transitioned right into their first dance to Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Sure, both tunes are on the mellow side, but the songs instantly created the romantic atmosphere the bride and groom wanted for those first moments of their reception.
When Colby Sciuto was planning her recent wedding at the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, she knew she wanted less of a club atmosphere and more of a celebratory, timeless feel. “The music we played was what we loved—more of the oldies,” she says. “We didn’t want anything Top 40 or too pop.” The couple entered the reception with “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” by Stevie Wonder, which had an upbeat tempo, but wasn’t a song people hear on the radio every day, which was important to Colby and her groom. Tom points out that couples should not get caught up in what’s popular at the time. Instead, think about the overall theme of the wedding, the style of the venue and, most importantly, what kind of music you (and your guests) will actually enjoy listening to.
The best entrance song is one that the majority of your guests will recognize and enjoy (while keeping in mind that you can’t make everyone happy). So the serenade your fiancé wrote for you or the love song from that obscure foreign movie most people didn’t see may not be the best choices for this particular moment.
Some newlyweds are forgoing the bridal party and parent intros in an effort to save time, but if you decide to stick with this tradition, you may want to select a different song so that your entrance is separate and special. Just make sure it’s in the same genre or has the same beats per minute so it flows nicely, says Tom.
Many couples choose a song with some type of meaning or sentimental value. Some of Scott’s creative couples include a bride and groom who met on their commute to work, so they used The Hollies’ “Bus Stop”; a pilot who chose to escort his new bride into the party to Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly with Me”; and two doctors made their entrance to Bon Jovi’s “Bad Medicine.”