Wedding First Dance Tips PART 2

The Wedding First Dance – what to choose?

There are lots of choices that need to be made on your wedding day – the dress, the venue, the guest list, the menu. And there one very specific and personal choice for the bride and groom, which is:-

“What shall we have as our first dance?”

The Funky Buddha Band have been part of many wedding first dances, and each one is different and each one is special.  The choices that we have come across are many and certainly varied.  Often the bride and groom will know exactly which song they want – it may be the song that was playing when you first met or something that conjures a special memory – maybe when you both decided to get married or from a memorable holiday when you both realised ‘this is the ONE’!   And sometimes, it takes a while to think of a tune that can perfectly sum up the mood of the moment, that is simple, effective, meaningful and, most importantly, memorable. In which case, we can  help you make that choice.  So, to try to give you the benefit of our experience, here are a few ideas and maybe a few unusual choices of first dance that we at The Funky Buddha Band have come across.

come on – don’t be shy . . .

There are some classic first dances that we have played many times that always work such as My Girl, Stand By Me, Let’s Stay Together, Sing, and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.  Also, there are more contemporary classics coming up, such as Greatest Day by Take That, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, I’m Yours by Jason M’raz and Angels by Robbie Williams.  We also get more unusual choices! We have played Aquarius from the musical Hair (the bride and groom were both actors and met whilst in this show!), Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton, Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, Iris by Goo Goo Dolls, Heroes by David Bowie, Everlong by Foo Fighters, Use Somebody by Kings of Leon and – believe it or not – Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus (with lyrics specially adapted and sung by the groom!)  And we’ve had many others from Bruno Mars to John Denver, from Bryan Adams to Kasabian.

If we don’t already know the song you choose we are happy to learn it.  Whatever the choice, we always want to make sure it’s the most memorable dance ever – all part of the service!

Hopefully our wedding first dance tips have given you some food for thought and some ideas for great first dance songs.  Get some more song ideas from Wedding Dance Workshops or Perfect Wedding.  Find more tips on planning and surviving the first dance in Brides magazine, or give us a ring if you want to discuss any aspect of your wedding.

 

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FIRST DANCE DECISIONS !!

It’s your wedding day – a special day full of special moments. And one of the most special moments is the bride and groom’s first dance together – after all the formality, the ceremony, the speeches, the toasts, it’s the moment that the newlyweds get to look into each others eyes, hold each other close and say to each other ‘We DID it!  It’s a wonderful and precious moment.  The only thing is – everyone is watching…with their cameras and videos.  All your family and friends, staring at you, cheering, singing and clapping….  So it may seem the most scary, nerve-racking part of what can be both the most exciting AND stressful day of your life!  Have no fear!  The Funky Buddha Band have played hundreds, if not thousands of weddings and so we have played, seen, been part of hundreds of first dances.  And part of our job is to support you, reassure you, direct you, listen to you and advise you in your choice at this memorable moment.




Wedding first dance tips.... Go for the jugular !!

There have been two broad approaches to first dances that we have come across.  The first is the bride and groom go for dance lessons and work out a routine.  This can really amaze friends, family – and the bride and groom themselves! We learn to play the chosen song version, so that you get all the choreography right!  But generally the bride and groom like to get into a clinch in the middle of the floor and sway around for 3 minutes!  It can be quite daunting, after the events of the day to be under such scrutiny and being the centre of attention.  Having to dance in front of everyone, can be something that you want to get over with ASAP!  And quite often we are asked to get everyone on the dance floor to join in as quickly as possible (mostly by the grooms)!  Again,  fear not – The Funky Buddha Band will reassure you every step of the way. We will learn any song you want, even if it’s not on our playlist (we have done this many times).  Or, if you feel more comfortable, we can put the original version onto our iPod, press play and then carry on playing live straight afterwards – this also works perfectly.  Another re-assuring thought – it doesn’t have to be THE first dance of the evening. Often it works better for us to begin playing a few tunes, before the first dance – just to get people’s attention, relax a few nerves and get everyone used to the idea that there is a band playing! Then, when you are ready, we make an announcement to start the bride and groom’s first dance. We invite you up and off we go!

Which of course brings us to the most crucial part of the process – which song??

To be continued in Part 2 soon . . .

Tags:www.funkybuddhaband.co.uk

 

How Should An Evening Reception Be Structured?

We are often asked about the structure of the evening reception at a Wedding. Of course, there are no rules as such but for those who want some guidance, here are some ideas.
If you have your Wedding Breakfast in a separate room to your Evening Reception then the band would usually set up discreetly whilst you are eating. If your Wedding Breakfast and Evening Reception are in the same room, then you will of course need to organise either the band getting there early and setting up, or allowing time for the band to set up after the meal whilst the room is being turned around. If you don’t have the option of two separate rooms, then the turn around period can work really nicely after the meal, the bride and groom could move into another area, or outside if its sunny, this gives a good opportunity for people to chat, let their food go down and also welcome the evening guests whilst the room is being changed around.
The band usually needs approximately 45 minutes to an hour to set up and sound check, after which we will play some appropriate background music to warm the atmosphere a little before the live music.
We always advise to start the Evening Reception as late as possible so that everyone is ready for dancing and your live music isn’t wasted. People often under estimate how important this gap is in-between the meal and the dancing, often weddings run late because the Bride & Groom are still trying to say hello to so many people. If the evening guests arrive at 7pm, we would usually aim for an 8.30pm start at the very earliest, however if you can push it back to nearer 9pm, then we find guests are more willing to dance the night away! It does depend of course on what the itinerary is for the evening.
If you don't have a Master of Ceremonies, then the Funky Buddha Band can announce various points in the evening for you, the first dance, the cutting of the cake, buffet, fire last orders etc.
We like to play the bride and grooms first dance live if possible followed immediately by the first set, this is a good idea as guests have usually joined the bride and groom on the dance floor, and are ready to start partying!
The first live set is usually an hour, after which the band will play a DJ set until the final live hour of music. If you have some of your own music on an ipod for the non live sections, then we can play that through our PA, no problem. 
The cutting of the cake can happen at various points in the evening. The most popular is right before the first dance. This works really well because all your guests will gather round to see you cut the cake, and then be there ready to see the first dance. It is such a shame when guests miss the first dance if they don’t know it is happening. 
If you are worried about your first dance, and not comfortable with just 2 of you on the dance floor for a whole song, why not invite key members of the Wedding party to join you. It always works really well when a Bride & Groom welcomes people onto the dance floor during their first dance. This kicks off the evening entertainment with a bang.
It is important to bear in mind any other factors you have going on that evening,and perhaps arrange the bands playing time around them. So for example, if you have an evening buffet or Fireworks, we are very happy to work with you so that everything runs as smoothly as possible.
Have a think about how you want to end the evening. Tradition is that the Bride & Groom leave before the guests. If you do a big exit, it is a really nice way to end the Wedding and say goodbye to all your guests, however a lot of  Bride & Grooms prefer to stay right until the end. If you do decide on an exit song, think about whether you might want the band to play it live, or have one of your favourite artists songs, however walking through the traditional Wedding Arch does take a lot of time so bear this in mind, we would advise leaving at least 5 minutes for this!!   


Funky Buddha in full swing

You will also need to check with your venue what time live music must end. In some hotels all live music must finish by 11am, but most will allow a midnight finish. There might also be a sound limiter, this will cut all power to the stage if the noise level is too high for too long. Although we are very used to playing with sound limiters, and they do serve a very useful purpose, it is always a good idea to let us know in advance so that we can adjust our settings.
The Funky Buddha Band has performed at many venues and occasions over the years, and we have a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to Weddings and corporate events. You can be assured that our professional attitude and approach will help your special event run as smoothly as possible.

www.funkybuddhaband.co.uk

Here, There and Everywhere ... even in Abu Dhabi

Well it's been a very very busy time.... December was a great month for parties and events.  We loved playing at the corporate parties at Tobacco Docks in London - great being invited back by Best Parties ever for the 5th year!!  We also had such a great party gig in our home town - the wonderful Brighton.  The Dome has a fantastic studio bar which is a brilliant place to get together; thanks so much too to the kindness and wonderful help form the sound and light team.

Here are a few photos of some of the gigs we've done recently - there are loads more to come, but why not come and see us for yourself? we do showcase gigs regularly in Brighton at The Brunswick in Hove - our next one is on March 6th, how about coming down for a night of great music and dancing, plus it would be nice to say 'hello' - drop us an email if you'd like to be added to the guest list.

A great Christmas party in Brighton Dome 2014

Huw and Andre getting funky

Beautiful Christmas Wedding

Hayley at the Tobacco Docks - fantastic corporate parties!

 Then we headed off to Abu Dhabi for the New Year - a great trip and experience.  Thank you David Warren for all your hospitality and for all the incredible staff at 'The Club' - we had a brilliant gig and by the looks of the dance floor so did everyone there!

A less local gig - Abu Dhabi for 'The Club' New Years Eve party - FANTASTIC!

Not often you get to soundcheck on the beech in the sun in December...

Packed dance floor all night in Abu Dhabi - they loved us and we loved them!

Abu Dhabi sunset

And to keep you up to date... we played at The Laines barn near Wantage on Saturday night - wonderful wedding and what great dancing!!

The Laines Barn - beautiful dancing and thanks for making us so welcome.