In light of this past week’s passing away of MCA from the legendary Beastie Boys, we wanted to spend this week to recognize how music is and will always be a major component of a bride and groom’s wedding day. Many will concur that music can be considered the universal language of the world, and it undoubtedly speaks on so many levels throughout a wedding ceremony and reception. The couples’ first dance, the introduction of the wedding party, the tossing of the bouquet , and even dinner hour are all moments in the reception which are typically accompanied with melodies to instill some sort of emotion to all those in attendance. With that said, here’s some hopefully helpful tips for those seeking their wedding music vendors.

Disc Jockey or Band

Many couples plan their weddings and arrive to the point where they must decide between drums and guitars versus two turntables and a microphone. To be quite honest with you guys, we’ve shot weddings where both have provided hours upon hours of great music that would even satisfy the Michael Jackson’s and Fred Astaire’s of your wedding guests. Seriously, both types of music providers have caused us to shake our own bums to the beat of the music while camera in hand. Typically, you can expect to pay a premium for having a full fledge band due to having multiple musicians, but this shouldn’t sway you completely from this option. There’s something truly special about hearing unique & unheard renditions of today’s pop hits and all-time classics from decades ago (Yes, that’s why we have a Glee playlist on our iPods…and I digress).

Don’t hesitate to ask for a live demo or video footage of the music vendors that you’re exploring. Some couples assume that a demo CD or a website with a soundtrack give an overall representation of the DJ or band, but it’s even more beneficial to see how the vendor interacts withs guests. 9 times out of 10, they will be the master of ceremony on your big day and have huge a responsibility of setting the mood throughout the occasion. Another topic to hit is music selection. Ensure your entertainment vendor can perform the songs that matter, which leads us to the next tip…

This isn’t Seacrest’s American Top 40… On this day, you call the shots

This is your day, so your playlist will be the one on rotation. Outside of the obvious need to provide music for the key parts of the wedding reception, we think it’d be a great idea to gauge the music preferences of your wedding guests and piece together a decent playlist of songs that everyone will enjoy. Yes, you may have teenagers who are head over heels about Justin Bieber’s latest tune, young adult males and females who will still, to this day, sing their heart out to Backstreet Boy’s “I Want It That Way”, and older adults who want the cool listenings of the Pretenders and Phil Collins. Don’t be afraid to also include songs that you wish to exclude from the evening’s event. In most cases, the playlist you compile won’t be enough to last through the reception, but the more detail you provide for the band or DJ, they’ll have a better idea on what additional songs to perform that you may have overlooked.

On that note… we leave you with the hilarious Dan Band performing “Fame” at the wedding reception at the end of the movie The Hangover. Surprisingly enough, they are indeed bookable for weddings. Yes, we’re as shocked as you are…