Insider knowledge from a Vancouver Wedding DJ! I’m going to share just a few little mistakes that can knock your wedding off course. There are also a few lesser-known mistakes that I would love to share! After years in the wedding industry, I have seen it all!

These are a few things you’ll want to avoid at your wedding:

1. Long (Boring) Speeches

Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, your dad has been waiting for decades to make this wedding speech and has been planning his best zingers since you started dating. I have seen speeches go for 10 minutes and be amazing or be the longest 3 minutes of the wedding… so use your judgment but try to avoid long-winded boring speeches. Your wedding guests will thank you!

How to avoid it: Give all your speakers a run-down of expectations months before the wedding, and give them a time limit and any topics that are off-limits. If you think you’ll end up having more than 30 minutes of speeches, split them up! I’ll say it again! SPLIT THEM UP.

Nobody wants to sit for an hour glued to their seat, with an empty drink. Have some speeches between courses/events and then close dessert with a few more. It makes them so much more bearable. 

2. Having Child Performances at Your Wedding

As adorable as your nieces/cousins/kids are you should avoid any performance or speeches involving a child that lasts any longer than 30 seconds.

Just getting kids to cooperate during a ceremony can be a handful on its own! Unless you have a child prodigy on your hands, performances by kids almost always go on for too long, and of course, nobody will tell them to stop!  

How to avoid it: If you need to include a special little one, consider having someone bring them up during their speech and letting them say the final words or land a punchline for a joke - keep it quick and easy.

Never rely on children for anything important (ie. first dance, games, etc.)

3. Expensive Drinks at the Wedding Reception

It’s happened a handful of times… I’ll be playing the best music, everyone is tapping their feet, the wedding party gives me the thumbs up but then… people start to leave.

“What’s going on?” I’ll ask one of the groomsmen.

“The booze is like 12 bucks!”.

And the wedding is over before it even got started.

Having expensive alcohol is a total buzzkill, so be careful when you are booking venues that only allow you to have bars where they set the price. Everyone needs a few to loosen up after a long day of tradition and fancy clothes and they have probably spent enough on travel, parking, and who knows what great gift they got you!

How to avoid it: Having an open bar is a whole other can of worms but at least give your guests a couple of free drinks or make it a toonie bar.

This tip is EXTRA IMPORTANT if you are using a hotel!

It becomes way too easy for people to head up to their room and party where the drinks won’t cost nearly as much.

For more wedding tips check out some of the featured posts below. Planning a wedding in BC? I’d love to help! Follow the link below to see current pricing or contact me.