There is a major difference between a love song and a soppy song.

One of the biggest uphill battles is people’s perception that if the song is about love, it is soppy. This is really not the case and there are plenty of examples which support this. That being said, there are ALOT of soppy love songs out there.

With that in mind, Komodo Music has put together

The 25 WORSE Soppy Love Songs EVER

*Disclaimer*

I trudged through many “Top 100 Love Songs Lists” on the internet and found these the most cliche, the most over used and generally the most cringe worthy love songs people associate with weddings. While some may not agree with my selection, please keep in this is only an opinion and if you like these songs we will still play them at your wedding

1. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
2. You Are So Beautiful – Joe Cocker
3. Every Breath You Take- The Police
4. My Heart Will Go On- Celine Dion
5. Unchained Melody- Righteous Brothers
6. Islands In The Stream- Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
7. Unforgettable – Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole
8. From This Moment – Shania Twain
9. Endless Love– Lionel Richie (With Diana Ross)
10. At Last – Etta James
11. Careless Whispers- George Michael
12. Wicked Game- Chris Isaak
13. Woman – John Lennon
14. Everything I Do (I Do It For You) – Bryan Adams
15. Time Of My Life (I’ve Had) – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
16. I’d Do Anything For Love – Meat Loaf
17. Let’s Stay Together- Al Green
18. I Got You Babe- Sonny & Cher
19. I’ll Be There- The Jackson 5
20. Breathe – Faith Hill
21. Thank You- Dido
22. Love Me Tender- Elvis Presley
23. Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
24. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
25. More Than Words- Extreme

 (Image courtesy of “cuttingedgedjs.com”)

When all is said an done, a DJ will play roughly 16 songs an hour of uninterrupted music. But of course there are “formalities” and “speeches” so out of a 6 hour reception there is only about 5 hours worth of music

That means about 80 songs in total will be played at a wedding reception!

Now when a client hands us a list of 300+ songs and says we have to play EVERYTHING, we start trying to workout time-travel and blackhole physics as there is too much in too short amount of time. So in the interest of helping both the DJs and clients from choosing hundreds of songs, here is a list of what you may need:

Formality Songs-

Songs that are important for your wedding reception

• Entrance Song (See THIS and THIS blog for ideas),
• Cake Cutting Song (See THIS blog for some)
• Bridal waltz x2 (See THIS blog as to why you need 2)
• Farewell Songs

Optional Formality Songs-

These are optional and if you don’t want them we don’t have to have them

• Speech Stings (Click HERE to get started)
• Father Daughter Dance (HERE for when to have one and HERE for some ideas)
• Throwing of the Bouquet (if you want games click HERE, if you want songs click HERE)

Must Plays Songs-

You should pick no more than 16 ‘Must Play’ songs for your wedding. These are songs that no matter what happens the DJ will 100% play for you guys. These are not including your Formality Songs (so formalities + 16 MP)

Why only an hour of MP songs? Because if a DJ is to effectively read the crowd and react accordingly, we can’t be too restricted as to how many songs we MUST play. Any songs that don’t make it onto the MP list can always go on the….

Play If Possible Songs-

Pick as many or as few as you would like, providing you understand that not every song will be played. We as DJs will make a solid attempt to get through as many PIP songs as we can but don’t feel like you have to pick lots. Our job as DJs is also to read the crowd and ensure we understand what style you like and we can get this usually from the songs you have already chosen.

Do NOT Play Songs-

These songs are possibly the most important we need to know. Any songs that you and your fiance HATE, and songs that have bad memories (i.e. played at friend’s funerals, reminds you of a previous marriage, etc). Keep in mind we are going to use our common sense (i.e. no death metal, no hardcore rap, no opera, etc) but if you can think of ANY songs, let us know!

All these can be done on our Online Music Library which if you are already a client you can log in the  above tab which says “Client Login”

If you are NOT a client yet and want an idea of what some of it looks like, check out our Facebook Page HERE which will take you to the “Top Music Chat” list

(Image courtesy of “nuvoid.blogspot.com”)

If you are planning on getting married, you probably already know that you need your special song for walking down the aisle. But there is a little more to it than that and if this is your first time, this blog will help educate you on some potential areas of concerns.

MUSIC YOU WILL NEED FOR YOUR CEREMONY:

Before you arrive-

Just a general style of music as it is more to alert people that this is the spot and fill the silence as the guests wait for you to arrive. Suggestions include Jazz, Instrumental, Acoustic, Cafe Delmar, etc

Your walking down the Aisle-

This is your special song and there is a good chance you have already picked it. The only suggestion is make sure the song you choose here is not too fast as so you aren’t tempted to run down the aisle to keep up with the music

Signing of the registry-

You will need THREE songs to fill the gap between being officially married and doing the paperwork. You may not get through all three, but it is better to have more than less

Procession song-

The song once you have been announced as “Husband and Wife” and are walking back down the aisle. A good suggestion is something fun and upbeat to show that it is a celebration

Now you know what music you need, here are a few follow up questions:

Does the celebrant have their own PA?

Some celebrants bring their own PA system system and some do not. Always check if they do, does it have an iPod connection (Usually RCA to 3.5mm Jack) and/or CD player. As a side note as well, you may want to see if they use a handheld corded mic, a wireless mic or a lapel mic.

Who is operating the music?

It’s all well and good that the celebrant brings a PA system, but are they going to be operating it. Their job is to officially marry you and you want them focusing on that, not DJing the ceremony. While sometimes a family friend can do it, always ensure that they know how to operate the iPod, that they know where all the songs are located, and know how to operate the speaker system.

If you get a DJ, what will we bring?

If you hire a DJ company (like Komodo Music ) to do your ceremony, we ensure we will have the following:

• Portable PA system (Does not need batteries) and a stand
• iPod/CD with all your music
• A DJ to operate it- Usually we try to give you the DJ who is doing your reception

Hopefully this blog will help you with your Ceremony options

If you are reading this, it means that we have reached a milestone of 800 Likes for Komodo Music Facebook Page!

If you are the first to comment below on this post ON THIS WEBSITE (kmdj.com.au), (not the social media one) you will win the prize

Today’s prize is:

$10 iTunes Voucher

Remember your post has to contain the phrase “I want free stuff from Komodo Music DJs” and your name

Good Luck

Recently, I have had a few clients who are getting married (almost a year away) say they want to meet their DJ.

And so they should! You must always make sure the DJ that is doing your wedding is friendly, approchable, but above all, you like!

HOWEVER….the question is not if you should meet your DJ (as you always should) but when!

As a general rule, you should meet your DJ 2-3 months prior to your event. Below is some helpful tips to consider before you meet your DJ:

If it is more than 6 months away, you will change your mind!

First and foremost, most couples will change their mind about 2-5 times regarding their music selection. Songs will go out of favor, better songs may present themselves, or you may find the song you have selected was used for your friend’s wedding who you went to just last week.

Whatever the reason, when you meet with the specific DJ you want alot of the music selected and set. If you get stuck we can always help but it is always better if you know what you want before meeting your DJ.

The DJ company should be able to help you before you meet the DJ

At Komodo Music, you first have an obligation free meeting to go through some of the finer details and then we send it all to you in a word document with helpful “TBC’s” so you know what you still need to sort out. You can ring, email, tweet, or Facebook us at any time with questions, suggestions or panic attacks should you so need to. This is our job!
The DJ on the other hand is to meet with you, ensure confidence with their skill, knowledge and friendliness, and help with an finishing touches. So with all that in mind, meeting the DJ should be the last step.

What if you don’t like the DJ selected?

IF…and this is very rare remember….you don’t like the DJ selected, we can always change them over!

Part of the reason we have the initial meeting is to determine your likes and dislikes in both music and personality and then we match a DJ to suit. If for any reason you do not like the DJ selected we can change them over immediately (this again is why we do this meeting about 2-3 months prior)

And Finally- DJ’s have lives too

Except in extenuating circumstances, it is very difficult to predict what the future will hold regarding specific DJs. It does not look professional to allocate you a DJ a year in advance if they then decide to leave the country, a relative gets sick, they quit DJ, etc. With that in mind, we allocate shows to DJs about 3-4 months in advance as we can confidently know our schedules. We will always have DJs available, it is just whether a specific DJ is free or not

We hope that helps

(Photo courtesy of “michiganweddingplan.com”)

So you have just been to a wedding expo and you have so much information you don’t know what to do with it…so how do you sort out the good from the crap?

Well this all depends on what stage of the planning you are in but a good starting point would be to do the following steps:

STEP 1: Get a Wedding Folder

Just a normal binder with sleeves you can categorize and put stuff relating to your wedding. This will also help focus you if it is all located in one spot.

STEP 2: Make a list of what you want!

A blank piece of paper with a clear list of what you need for your wedding (i.e. Music, Car, Cake, Celebrant, etc) will help you organize the info you have into the right category. Once this is done, make a folder for each category and put the info into each one. If things don’t fit on the list (say for example an ice sculpture) put it in a “miscellaneous” folder to look at down the track.

STEP 3: Priorities your List

Now you have all the items in folders, it’s time to decide what needs your attention the most. This again depends on how far away your wedding is and if it is on a popular date, but a general rule (for about 12 months to the wedding) should be the following:

Venue (ASAP)

Dress, (12-8 months left)

Photographer/Videographer (12-8 months left)

Celebrant (8 months left)

DJ (No more than 6 months left),

Limo (No more than 8 months left)

Cake (8-6 months left),

Misc (Depending on product)

STEP 4: Budget

I know it is a horrible word but look into how much you should spend on each category before booking anything. Weddings are expensive but if you have a clear idea who much you are expecting to spend and how much it “Too Much” you may even keep your wallet lean instead of empty.

STEP 5: DO YOUR RESEARCH

I can’t stress this enough. You have all the supplier’s information, you know how much you want to spend, now check they are legit! Google search, go onto bridal forums, ask friends and family. The more research you do the safer you will be in ensure your wedding is not a flop. Remember “Google is your friend” (If you want more info on how to find your DJ, click this blog here)

STEP 6: Meet the team

Having a face to face meeting with your supplier is important to ensure you get the right vibe from them. Some suppliers do not require meetings till closer to the time but you should be able to be in contact with them (either via Skype or phone) before making a booking.

That should give you plenty to work with, go and have fun

(Photo Courtesy of “theeventdiva.com”)

So its expo time! This means over 100 vendors trying to get your attention, give you their flyers, sell you their products, all the while trying to sort out the good from the…not so good.

So let’s have a plan of attack!!

Below are some hints and tips before heading out to the expo:

Don’t automatically say “NO”. Check what the vendor is selling, take a flyer or say ‘No Thank You’

As an exhibitor, our job is to get as many people as possible to come over and talk to us, at the very least give out a flyer. We are not interested in changing your mind as we will have 100’s of other brides just behind you. If you say no thank you we won’t be offended, but don’t say “No” before you know what we do otherwise you may miss out.

Bring a working pen and people who know your details

Some brides have cards made up that have all their information on it already. This will save you time, but more often than not you will end up writing the following over and over (so make sure the team you bring will know it):

-Name

-Wedding Date

-Wedding Venue

-Wedding Time

-Contact number and email

Bring a snack and water

If you don’t mind mortgaging your house for some hot chips, feel free. However you will need more than sugar (which there will be plenty of) to keep you going and expo food is expensive. At the very least make sure you have some water with you as it is hard work talking to everyone (believe me I know!)

Have a list of what you want!

Even if you have just gotten the proposal, have an idea what you are looking at. A good starting point would be:

-Dress

-Venue

-Flowers

-Cake

-Invites

-Car

-Music (DON’T FORGET US!!!!! lol)

Bring Cash, Cheque, and/or Credit to book things!

If you find something on the day (Be it a dress, limo or DJ) that you decide is the perfect fit for your wedding day, you can book them right there and then. By bringing cash (or in some places cheque or credit) to pay the deposit you may get an even better deal than what you were expecting. We vendors LOVE sales on the day and if you find the right one, you can guarantee them right there.

We will be with you shortly!

Expos are one of the few times we wish cloning technology was available. Unfortunately we can only speak to a certain number of brides at a time. If you would like to discuss our services or are after a quote, catch our eye and you will be the next one we speak to. Otherwise always feel free to grab a flyer and call us up later.

Allow yourself plenty of time

If you are browsing you should allow about 2-3 hours, if you know what you want, allow about 1 hour. Even though expos say they go till 4pm, if nobody is there most vendors will be gone by 3pm so it is a good idea not to get there too late.

There is a starting point, I look forward to seeing you all at the expos

(Image courtesy of “yourweddingideas.blogspot.com”)