Another amazing wedding in Estes Park, CO.  Robert and Cindy had a stunning wedding celebration at the Lakeshore Lodge in Estes Park, CO with wedding entertainment, lighting and decor by Amore’ DJ Entertainment.  So many smiles, so many special memories and so much fun! 

Colorado Weddings Magazine – Best of Colorado Weddings featuring Amore’ DJ Entertanment with a wedding performed in Estes Park at Della Terra Mountain Chateau.

For the full read of Hannah and Ryan’s wedding, see the original post here as seen on Colorado Weddings Magazine:  http://coweddingsmag.com/2011/12/09/mountain-wedding-in-estes/ 

This post features amazing photography from Hannah and Ryan’s wedding held at Della Terra Mountain Chateau as taken by Benjamin Buren from Alive Studios at http://www.alivestudios.com/portfolio_w_2.php

     

 Fact #1: When Brides are asked what they want to remember about their wedding day five years from now, the typical response is: “that everyone had a great time,” “people danced,” etc. Why? Simple. Because no matter how perfect everything else is, people will always remember if they had a good time – or not.

Fact #2: Over the last several years, Amore’ DJ Entertainment has specifically asked our brides, “what significance did the professional DJ you hired have in making your reception a total success?” The typical response has been: “Amore DJ Entertainment had at least an 80% responsibility” as to why the reception was a total success above and beyond anything else! (In fact, most of surveys state 100%)

 Fact #3: According to The Knot (2011), the average U.S. bride spent $27,800 for her wedding. At 6 hours for the ceremony and reception, that’s $4,633 per hour! Fortunately, it’s a little less here locally in Colorado, but surprisingly, not by much. The average 2011 bride spends between $19k and $21k for her wedding in Colorado. Most quoted “Wedding Experts” suggest that a practical bride should expect to spend from 5% (as an absolute minimum) to up to 10% of her budget for QUALITY reception entertainment for her wedding. So, broken down based on that methodology, here’s a range to expect for QUALITY entertainment for just the reception:

• 5% of $19,000 = $950
• 6% = $1,140
• 7% = $1,330
• 8% = $1,520
• 9% = $1,710
• 10% = $1,800

(*Add in an average of $300 to $500 for QUALITY ceremony music, musicians, and/or ceremony sound support for the ceremony.)

Most importantly, “The amount of money a couple spends on their reception entertainment is in direct proportion to the quality of entertainment they will receive…and ultimately, the sole impact on the total overall success of the wedding reception.”

 Simply put, a mere 5 to 10 percent of the average bride’s total budget is responsible for 80% of the wedding reception’s total success, and…as the old adage states, you get what you pay for.

(Originally posted at: http://www.colorado-destination-weddings.com/three-critical-facts-you-should-know-before-hiring-a-professional-dj-entertainer/)

The music presentation ultimately sets the tone for a wedding celebration. Certainly, music comes in all styles. It can be casual or sophisticated; classical or rock; reggae or jazz; polka or pop; country or R&B, and everything in between. It can be loud or soft; fast or slow. Music appeals to young and old alike. It can make you feel lively or lethargic, calm or excited, or change the mood and morale instantly.

Music subtly augments a cocktail party and enhances dinner guests’ conversations, creating the mood for a celebration, and adding more joy to the experience. Then, if well read, planned and properly programmed by an experienced wedding DJ, it energizes a dance floor continuously for hours before dancing even begins.

Music is a common element for our everyday lives, but with your wedding celebration, the music should be, well… nothing less than extraordinary. That’s exactly what an experienced wedding DJ must be able to consistently do from the first song to the very last dance.

An experienced wedding DJ should play a wide variety of music styles as part of their music programming, to embellish the dancing portion of your special day and help make it a huge success. It is possible to seamlessly combine ethnic tunes, oldies, and today’s hottest hits masterfully and strategically into a cohesive presentation to allow your guests the opportunity to participate in your celebration and enjoy themselves on the dance floor.

How does this all work?

Music releases a chemical in the brain that has a key role in setting an environmental mood – dopamine. It produces a feel-good state in response to other certain positive tangible stimuli like food, lighting and more. A professional wedding DJ clearly understands that guests often express their identity through different types of music. It triggers certain emotions shared by guests, enabling them to connect with and convey their inner feelings, without needing to define them. The ideal soundtrack for a wedding affects emotions and behaviors and helps create a sense of belonging.

Something as simple as tempo has a big impact. The tempo (or the speed and pace) of specific music selections affect a guest’s perception of time. A slow tempo creates a sense of well being and makes guests want to stay longer, while a fast tempo increases emotional feedback and makes customers perceive waiting times to be shorter.

An experienced wedding DJ should understand this and know precisely which music selections will enhance the environmental flow to create the atmosphere and enrich something as simple as the cocktail and dining experience. It goes far beyond just playing Kenny G or Yanni for these two hours like many amateur DJs do. Proper music selections in the hands of a professional are just as important as using the right colors, lighting and temperature to create a festive atmosphere.

(Originally posted at: http://www.colorado-destination-weddings.com/and-now-the-music/)

Do you want the DJ to take music requests from the guests at your wedding reception – or not? Some couples do, others prefer not to. There is no right or wrong answer; but please remember, when a guest requests a song, that it’s not possible for a DJ to have every possible song that might be requested – no matter how big a DJ brags his music repertoire is.

Challenges

There are other challenges that requests can present. Sometimes, guests may request songs that simply do not “fit-in” with the music programming, or a requested song may completely alter the mood or environment contrary to what you want. Playing heavy metal or gangsta’ rap, for example, will likely upset or displease some of your guests, especially the older ones. Certainly, songs containing objectionable, foul or sexually graphic language should not be played.

It’s just tacky to play any song with the “f-bomb” being dropped every fourth word at a wedding. Even though you may like a particular song, you’ll survive if you don’t hear it. Obviously, you don’t want to cause anyone to feel uncomfortable. Your wedding celebration won’t be hampered by a song that isn’t played, but could be significantly and instantly damaged by a song that is played.

An experienced wedding DJ will use their personal experience and professional judgment to know when it is acceptable to honor requests, while amateur DJs may be inclined to play any song that is requested.  (Remember, if inappropriate requests are played, these songs will make you look bad.)

Your Special Songs

You may have specific songs that you want to hear during your reception, dinner or dancing. That’s great, but there’s certainly no need to pick them all. That’s why you are hiring a truly polished professional wedding DJ. That person should know how to properly read a crowd, play the right tune at the right time, maintain music volume and seamlessly enhance the atmosphere.

In fact, outside of your special wedding dances (1^st dance, father/bride dance, etc.), all you probably need to do is select a handful of songs you especially like to provide a flavor of what you wish to hear. Maybe it’s the first song you kissed to, or the very first song you danced to. If you would like supply an additional list or specific artists or songs beyond just a few, it’s often best to permit the experienced wedding DJ read the crowd and mix them in where and when appropriate.

(Originally posted at: http://www.colorado-destination-weddings.com/how-to-handle-music-requests-at-your-wedding-reception/)

*Featured image on home page used courtesy of Brian from a mutual wedding:  http://brianpettitphotography.squarespace.com/

Brian and Lauren had a fun wedding introduction, complete with an elegant first dance to Amazed by Lonestar.  After an amazing cocktail hour and dinner by the wonderful staff at Ptarmigan Country Club, Lauren’s Dad Carl shared in one of the most memorable father / daughter dances of all time with our “Signature Audio Tribute.”  An evening packed full of fun and dancing…

Another destination wedding near Estes Park, at the Aspen Lodge in Allenspark, CO.