*** This week we look at ways to help bring life to your Dinner Reception music ->
A typical dinner reception lasts between 2.5 to 3 hours. That's a long time for your guests to sit at a table without some entertainment to help liven things up! Great live music during your dinner-reception is a fantastic ice breaker. It gives your guests something to talk about, rekindling nostalgic music memories, sharing excitement in recognizing songs and sometimes even inspiring singing and dancing before the dance officially begins. This week we want to look at 4 specific ways that your reception dinner can come to life, with a variety of music styles and methods to help evoke the type of moments that will make your party memorable!
1) START WITH WITH THE CLASSICS
One of the best ways to begin a wedding dinner is with classic songs that everybody knows. Start your reception off with a bang as guests walk into the room with the band playing some jazzy classics that everybody loves. Here are some of our favourite examples of songs that help strike the mood and set a lovely tone for the evening.
IT HAD TO BE YOU - Frank Sinatra
STAND BY ME - Ben E. King YELLOW - Coldplay THINKING OUT LOUD - Ed Sheeran L.O.V.E. Nat King Cole DANCING WITH MYSELF - Billy Idol JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - Bruno Mars TRULY MADLY DEEPLY - Savage Garden CAN'T HELP MYSELF - The Four Tops
SWEET CHILD O MINE - Guns N Roses
VALARY - Amy Winehouse
DON'T BE CRUEL - Elvis Presley
HO HEY - The Lumineers
LUCKY - Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE - Taylor Swift
2) SET THE MOOD WITH LIGHT ROMANCE
As the evening begins, conversation will be flowing, so it is important that the band simply sets the mood and doesn't take over too early. This is a great opportunity to perform some lovely instrumental songs as a gorgeous backdrop,or even some romantic slow songs. Here is a nice example of our rendition of "Dancing Queen" we slowed down and performed instrumentally with saxophone.
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE PERFECT - Ed Sheeran LOVER - Taylor Swift
ALL OF ME - John Legend
YOU SEND ME - Sam Cooke
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - Whitney Houston HEAVEN - Bryan Adams ALL MY LIFE - KC & Jojo GRAVITY - John Mayer LET'S STAY TOGETHER - Al Green KISS ME - Sixpence None The Richer UNTIL I FOUND YOU - Stephen Sanchez DANCING QUEEN - Abba WONDERFUL WORLD - Louis Armstrong DIE WITH A SMILE - Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga
3) WARM IT UP WITH YOUR FAVOURITES Once the dinner course is served, it is the perfect time to start bringing up the energy of the room with songs that you love. Mid-tempo songs are really perfect here to get guests talking and singing along. This is the perfect time to add some of your favourites that aren't quite the right fit for the dance, but are fun and help loosen up spirits and ignite the party spirit.
OB LA DI OB LA DA - The Beatles LOVE STORY - Taylor Swift DON'T STOP BELIEVING - Journey ESPRESSO - Sabrina Carpenter
NO DIGGITY - Blackstreet LIVING ON A PRAYER - Bon Jovi BROWN EYED GIRL - Van Morrison WAGON WHEEL - Darius Rucker BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP - The Foundations CROCODILE ROCK - Elton John 1999 - Prince GET WHAT YOU GIVE - The New Radicals
DANCING ON MY OWN - Robyn MARRY YOU - Bruno Mars I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY - Whitney Houston 4) DESSERT PARTY VIBES
After dessert is served it is time for party vibes. This is often a time where the atmosphere dips as guests impatiently wait for the dancing to begin. We say, why wait? This is the perfect time for some light party hits to help get guests in the mood for the epic dance that is soon to follow. Here are some of our favourites.
I WANT IT THAT WAY - Backstreet Boys WHAT MAKE YOU BEAUTIFUL - One Direction 500 MILES - The Proclaimers MR. BRIGHTSIDE - The Killers UPTOWN FUNK - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars DANCE THE NIGHT - Dua Lipa BARBIE GIRL - Aqua HOT TO GO - Chappell Roan ALL THE SMALL THINGS - Blink 182
SK8ER BOI - Avril Lavigne HEY YA - Outkast CAN'T STOP THE FEELING - Justin Timberlake GOOD VIBRATION - Mary Mark & The Funky Bunch RHYTHM IS A DANCER - Snap STOP - The Spice Girls