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We’re about to begin the exciting process of entertainment planning. And if we start now, we’ll have plenty of time to complete it all. But to pull this off effectively, we must finalize your plans no later than 14 days before your event. That gives us almost 4 months; plenty of time!
The itinerary will serve as a timeline for the evening’s festivities and formalities. It is crucial to devise the order of events in conjunction with your venue/caterer. We suggest that you impose your wishes upon them, and they will give a realistic assessment of what is doable from a food service standpoint.
You may view a sample itinerary based on what we found effective over the last 35 years, here:
Introductions can be as simple as announcing the newlyweds, or as extensive as the entire wedding party. Here are a few things to consider:
While you have the option to choose a specific song for your introductions, our preference is to perform upbeat, exciting, instrumental music of our choosing. This allows us to bring our volume down for announcing and bring it up for entrances. Songs with heavy lyrical content can be problematic as we cannot sing, and announce, at exactly the same time.
If you prefer different songs for multiple sections of the wedding party, we can trigger these MP3s for you.
How would you like to be introduced? This could be as simple as “Mr. and Mrs. John & Jane Doe”… or “The Newlyweds John & Jane”…and everything in between. It’s up to you!
Below are standard formal dances with questions we’d like you to consider:
Do I have choreography? If so, do I want the band to perform my first dance live? Or do I want to dance to the original MP3 version?
How long would I like the Hora to be? When would I like the Hora to take place?
Do I want the band to perform my parental dances live? Or do I want to dance to the original MP3 version?
Do I want the band to shorten the parental dances to 1:30-2:00 minutes? Or full length?
The shortened version is the most common.
Do I want the band to perform a particular song for my cake cutting live? Or do I want the original MP3 version?
Do I want the band to perform a traditional, slow song for my last dance? Or do I want the band to perform a new-school, high-energy song for my last dance?
Need some inspiration? Check out our most commonly requested formality songs HERE.
We’ll ask you to complete our “song-list form.” This is an interactive form that allows you to select your favorite music. We ask that you fill out this form concurrently in one sitting. If you leave it unattended for longer than 5-10 minutes, it will time-out, and you’ll need to start over.
We want you to select every song you like, as liberally as possible. The more songs you check, the better we can serve you.
We perform a multi-generational mix of music to engage guests of all ages. But which specific songs we perform is determined by the following criteria:
* Popular music that will create an unforgettable party. We “read” your crowd and all the age groups in attendance, calling songs accordingly.
* General musical styles and songs that fit into your personal preferences.
* What we perform best; songs that help to make us who we are.
We don’t use pre-determined setlists, but we’ll perform roughly 15 of your favorites.
You’ll choose all the music for your formal dances in a separate document. We’ll also learn 2 new songs if needed (formal dances take priority).
We take two breaks during our performance. The first occurs while guests enjoy the main course and lasts 20-25 minutes. The second break takes place during the dancing portion of the evening and lasts 12-15 minutes. We run an MP3 playlist during these breaks (or you may curate your own). We cannot perform more than 2 hours without a break. We require vendor meals, which your venue will offer for all your vendors.
You’ll notice in your paperwork we list several optional services. You may have even contracted one of these. If not, below is a recap of our most requested items:
We offer either a single or a duo of musicians from within your band:
Single: Electric Piano
Duo: Electric Piano & Electric Guitar
We’ll learn the individual songs you require for your ceremony. We perform during the prelude, throughout the service, and as guests depart.
We’re unable to offer a single guitarist. Thanks for your understanding.
PA System & Wireless Microphones: This is used to amplify voices and MP3 music.
We offer musicians from within your band who perform upbeat swing/jazz music to liven the atmosphere.
Single: Electric Piano or Electric Guitar
Duo: Electric Piano & Saxophone or Electric Guitar & Saxophone
Trio: Electric Piano or Electric Guitar, Saxophone & Electric Bass Guitar
All these services require electrical power.
This is due 14 days prior to your event. We accept any form of check for the final payment, but not a credit card. This may be mailed to our offices. We’ll reach out with a friendly reminder in the days leading up to your due date.
Don’t worry, we won’t be performing in the dark! We bring our own lighting to illuminate our performers. This consists of 2 sleek, light trees placed on either side of the band. The lighting is minimal, just sufficient to illuminate the performance area. See an example HERE.
The above is very different from up-lighting. While our band lighting illuminates the band, up-lighting illuminates structural aspects such as walls, pillars, balconies, and more.
We look forward to working with you!
-The Wilson Stevens Team
