Music for your wedding. What do you actually need to think about? What are the possibilities? And is everyone taking a wedding DJ? I had these questions for a while, so I decided to interview Floor from LoveSound with these questions. Below I show you what she says, so you have even more tips for your wonderful party night!
Floor (you’re pictured above ;) , I actually know you from singing at weddings we attended: are you the owner of LoveSound?
Correct, I am indeed the founder and owner of LoveSound. And in addition to running the business and entrepreneurship being my passion, I’ve always held a passion for music and singing myself. So I still do the singing with a lot of love ‘beside’ it. And of course, because I would never want to give up singing, I also hired a topper, Karlijn Nijkamp. She works with me full time in the office to manage all the bookings.
What can I arrange through LoveSound?
LoveSound is a musical entertainment agency specializing in music for weddings. From an intimate setting at the ceremony, to an atmospheric dinner or a sparkling party: LoveSound has it all! We give the choice of a varied range, all of which stand for excellent quality, a sparkling appearance and quality to the last detail.
So anything is possible? Can you advise brides and grooms as well?
From fantastic solo singers and vocalists, to atmospheric acoustic duos and bands, string combos or dazzling DJ acts and bands, we have everything to make wedding couples’ musical dreams come true! And since both Karlijn and I are and have both been singers, we know better than anyone how to give musical advice and we find that is really one of our biggest assets when advising and booking for weddings!
A band and DJ wedding: is there a difference?
A band, of course, theoretically consists of the musicians who compose and create the music, a DJ plays the music that has already been produced (and as you hear it on the radio). If you want to look at the difference at a party night, first of all, with a band you have a larger composition on stage (a DJ is of course then alone) and secondly, with a band there is a bit more ‘live interaction on stage’. The music is made on the spot and you notice that energy and feeling right away.
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When a DJ collaborates with musicians (like a wedding DJ with a saxophonist, for example), you could kind of merge the best of both worlds! In addition, there is a small practical difference and that is that often a band plays sets (of 45 min for example) and in between they have to take a break. We always book a DJ to fill these breaks or we put on a nice smooth playlist so it never becomes silent.
Which is more popular: a wedding DJ or a band?
It varies enormously and that is mainly in the budget. A band is often simply more expensive and that’s because you have to hire more people, and there is much more to it in terms of technical costs and equipment / show. I think that, looking at the average budget for a wedding, there is generally more of a choice for a DJ, but that is slowly changing, because people can really appreciate the added value of that live interaction and energy! And because of that you also notice that more and more people choose to combine DJs and musicians, like our act FloorJaxx.
Are there also couples who choose a wedding DJ and band?
Definitely! Usually when one wants to book a band, they also like to choose a wedding DJ to go with it, who, for example, spins a bit during the walk-in of the guests, between the breaks of the band and maybe could give an “afterparty” until the late hours. So you really create a great party night!
What other options are there in terms of entertainment in the evening?
So anyway, the option of DJ with live musicians, which can be put together completely according to your wishes, but also adding dancers/dancers is done more and more often. This gives so much energy and can be used very stylishly. We’ve even worked out some really fun unique ideas with couples to help open the party even faster (short dance workshop at the beginning with all the guests instead of an opening dance).
Alternative ideas for your wedding party
But we also often do alternative ideas for a long dinner with the party night, think of a kind of dinner show concept where guests sit down to eat and entertainment alternates on stage or between the tables. And this can even be cast in an awesome theme, we have the concept of ‘Jazz & Wine’, where delicious jazzy songs are played and the leading lady (singer Joyce) tells stories about the wine and pours it on the spot. There are so many fun ideas to come up with! You could also set up several rooms with different themes if you have a large group of people.
What is an MC and why does a bride and groom want it at their wedding? You see, I saw that you also offer MCs and I was wondering what they do again.
Right! The MC’s we offer are actually our vocalists, male and female singers, who can both whip up a DJ but also sing during the show and evening. Some DJs can do this themselves, and you also have MCs who really just get the party going and don’t sing, so basically anything is possible. For example, the act ‘The Wedding Crashers’, is a combination of DJ & MC, where the MC is a male vocalist who does not sing but really makes the people dance and chat here and there. This makes the whole thing so fun and interactive that the party is guaranteed to erupt!
Do you have any tips for couples on a smaller budget?
With a slightly more limited budget, I would always go for the basics of a DJ and then according to the budget expand this with musicians. This can be put together as desired and can range from just a singer or saxophonist to a large ensemble.
Want to see more wedding tips? Check out our complete list here.
And what do you recommend for couples who have a big budget?
If you want to go all out and the budget doesn’t matter, I would always go for an insane show band, like Boomerang. And expand this with a musicians, dancers and maybe even an act of DJ & MC to put in the last hour as a sort of ‘after party’. And if you really want to go to the max, you could also book an artist such as Trijntje Oosterhuis, Candy Dulfer, Tino Martin (to name but a few), who will give an awesome performance for half an hour in between.
What do you recommend to brides and grooms in terms of opening? And do you have any tips for couples who don’t really want to be in the spotlight, but who do want a dance party (because: how does everyone let loose?).
Definitely! For example, what I mentioned before, so an opening with dancers/dancers. But what is also super fun is to play the first records together with the DJ or to take a small crash course in DJing and literally open your party by mixing the first three records together behind the DJ booth. You can also just come into the party room along with the MC or saxophonist and open the party that way and then properly instruct the musicians/DJ that they will then immediately open the dance floor and invite everyone.
What’s the coolest (musical) exit you’ve experienced yourself?
This is a very good one, often this is not thought about! A fun one we did get to experience was when the party took place outside and a beautiful hedge was made of all the guests around the path that was already prepared, and along that path were placed “sparkulars” (cold fire fountains / fireworks fountains), through which the bride and groom walked under the last closing song of the band and got into the car at the end of that path and drove off together. The band played one more song for the guests and then the party was over. That was such a beautiful effect under the stars outside in the middle of the night!
What haven’t I asked yet, but would you actually really like to add?
You just asked about the musical exit, but then I immediately thought of a nice musical opening and that was one in Utrecht at a great party in a beautiful hall. Whereby a curtain had been hung in front of the band, confetti cannons were attached everywhere in the hall, and that exactly on the first note of the song the curtain fell down and the confetti cannons were fired.
That party was really literally opened with a ‘bang’, it gave such a cool effect! Such a system is called a “drop cloth” and this is also a really nice idea as an opening at a party night. In this case, the bride and groom with the band were also behind the curtain, as an extra surprise effect to open the evening, that’s a really nice idea!
Would you like to see an overview of the weddings where we have worked with LoveSound? Then just click on the link.
