Welcome to OEP's Wedding Planning Section.  We are your Northern California Wedding Specialists.  We customize each ceremony/reception to YOUR wants and needs.  In our experience, we know that everything WE do reflects on the Bride and Groom.  We take this responsibility seriously.  Whether your plans are very detailed and specific, or you really have no idea.  OEP is there for you to insure your event goes as planned.  Therefore, WE PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!  We listen to your dreams and special music requests and blend them together into the ultimate wedding experience.  Please feel free to browse our lists of most requested selections for "First Dance", "Father-Daughter Dance", "Mother-Groom Dance", "Cake Cutting", "Bouquet Toss", "Garter Retrieval and Toss" at our suggested wedding music selections link.  For your ceremony, your music is custom selected to suit your tastes.  Whether your ceremony is a "traditional classic" or "Modern" style, we have selections of special music to create the perfect environment.  For ideas on Classic Traditional Wedding music go to our "Classical Ceremony" link.  For your special "Modern Ceremony"  we have selection ideas as well on our "Modern Ceremony" link. 

To help create the perfect reception you have always dreamed of, we have many musical suggestions to help you with the details.  However, ANY song that is special to you for a particular event selected by you will be available. 

About the Planning Process and Odyssey Entertainment Productions: 

    Initially, we look at the venue, and listen to you and to your plans.  After all, the event is about YOU and what YOU want.  We may provide you with suggestions, assistance, and remain available to you for information or changes in plans in person, by phone, or email throughout the planning process.  About 2-3 weeks before your ceremony, OEP will provide you with a questionnaire regarding your plans, which we will be use to plan the BEST music for your event. 

At the event, we arrive in plenty of time, appropriately dressed,  to set up your customized sound and lighting package.  Then, during the event, we help you make your wedding run smooth, enjoyable, worry-free and memorable for you and your guests. 

Listen to what a recent customer says about an OEP Wedding experience:  "The Performance was well done, the staff was friendly and well dressed.  My guests gave many compliments about Odyssey.  I was thankful for their interaction with the guests.  Very well done."  A. Ojeda, Redding, CA, 7/6/02. 

     For your convenience, payment methods  are flexible and may be prepaid with Cash, Check, or Credit Cards (MC, VISA, AMEX, DISC).  (Whatever fits YOUR needs best.)

While your at it, check out our recommended links page to obtain your own "Bride Name Change Kit", or make special Honeymoon plans on the net. 

Wedding Ceremonies:   We also provide cordless microphones for ceremonies.  Most of the time, the minister and/or wedding coordinator has a particular script that they plan to follow. OEP works with them to coordinate the soundtrack with the script.

A Sample Script from one of our weddings of a Traditional Marriage Ceremony went something like this:

Seating:  Usually some soft instrumental music played in the background.  The Bride's guests on the left, facing the front.  The Groom's guests seat on the right.  If imbalance is noted then seating on both sides to balance the seating is done by the ushers.

Entry Procession: (Cannon in D Minor) , or other special song).

Representatives from the Bride's and Groom's Family light the two family's candles.  The Bride's family candle is on the audience's left of the unity candle.  The Groom's family candle is to the audience's right of the Unity Candle.  The Unity Candle is in the middle. 

Grandparents are seated

Groom's Mother is seated

Bride's Mother is seated

The Minister, Groom, Best Man, and Ushers enter and stand in front to the audience's right. 

Ring Bearer Enters

Flower Girl Enters

Bride's Maids Enter

Maid/Matron of Honor Enters.

Song Changes to (Here Comes The Bride), or other special song, the People Stand as Bride and Bride's Father enter.

Ceremony as scripted by the minister.

Lighting of the Unity Candle:  (Special Song from the Bride and Groom) Sometime during the ceremony, the bride and groom each pick up their respective family's candle.  (The bride must pay special attention to keep the flame away from her face, or more importantly, her veil.  Think POOF!!!)  The bride and groom bring their candles together above the unity candle and together light the unity candle, which represents the two families becoming one.  The groom, not the bride, blows out both family candles to avoid the three-alarm lighting of the bride. 

Ceremony is ended with kissing the bride and exit is done in opposite order from entry.  Then Ushers re-enter and start excusing people row by row from front to back in large venues.  (The Wedding March) (Exit Song, or other song of preference is played.)

Ceremonial Pictures are usually done at this time.  Then, on to the reception. 

Planning Your Wedding Reception: 

About 2-4 weeks before the event the DJ service should provide the bride and groom with a song request list and a bridal party introduction sheet.  This should be returned back to the service no later than one week before the event, to give time for any questions and insuring that your special request songs will be available.  The service should give you a list of suggested, or available songs.  You should circle the ones you request to be played, and also state some way which songs you DO NOT want to be played, or any other preferences.  There will usually only be time to play the 30-50 most danceable songs after the meal.  Other options that DJ service MCs can do for you: 

Guest Arrival:  We play cocktail music as the guests enter the facility and while pictures are taken. 

Bridal Party Introductions:  As the bridal party arrives, the DJ can play background music and introduce the members of the bridal party.  Here is a typical standard bridal party introduction format: 

“Good afternoon/evening ladies and gentlemen, May I have your attention please.  It’s great to see everyone here at Pebbles and Bam Bam’s wedding reception.  My name is DJ Doctor Dave, from Odyssey Entertainment Productions and I’ll be your emcee and DJ entertainer for the rest of the reception. 

Right now it gives me great pleasure to introduce some very special people.  Please give a warm welcome for the parents of our bride, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Flintstone.  Please continue applauding for the parents of the groom, Mr. and Mrs. Barney Rubble.  And now ladies and gentlemen, the members of our wedding party.  Starting things off, let’s hear it for our bridesmaid, Minnie Mouse, escorted by Usher Mickey Mouse.  [Repeat for all Bridesmaids and Ushers]. 

Let’s give a nice round of applause to our flower girl, Britney Spears, escorted by the ring bearer, Chris Isaak.  Next, here come two V.I.P.’s in our wedding party.  Put your hands together for our maid/matron of honor, Jane Jetsen, escorted by the best man, George Jetsen. 

And now, ladies and gentlemen, would you please rise.  It is my honor and privilege to introduce to you for the first time in public as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Bam Bam Flintstone“ 

At this point the bride and groom may want their first dance.  If so the DJ may say something like:  “For their first dance together as husband and wife, Bamm Bamm and Pebbles have chosen “Underneath Your Clothes” by Shakira.  Ladies and Gentlemen, lets give another round of applause for our newlyweds.“

Blessing and/or Toast:  Next the DJ may introduce the people that are going to give the blessing, and/or toast, (if applicable). 

Bridal Party Dance:  Play the selected song.

Bride and Father Dance:  Play the selected song.

Groom and Mother Dance:  Play the selected song.

Reception Line/Dinner:  Play a mixture of background instrumentals and vocals, tailored to the guests’ tastes.  Right after dessert, pick up the tempo to begin the dancing. 

Cake Cutting:  Play low-key background music, the traditional sing along “The Bride Cuts the Cake”, or Cut the Cake, by the Average White Band. 

Bouquet Toss:  Announce that its time for the bouquet and garter ceremonies.  For the bouquet, play something like “Girls just want to have fun by Cyndi Lauper, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, or Bad Girls by Donna Summer, or other requested song. 

Garter Toss:  Songs like The Stripper, or Bad to the Bone are good songs, or other requested songs.  When the Garter is caught, consider playing a song like Axel F, or Rocky. 

Anniversary Dance:  (Optional):  Play a popular ballad.  Invite all of the married couples and the newlyweds to the dance floor.  Request that the newlyweds remain throughout the entire dance.  Every thirty seconds to one minute the DJ speaks over the music and asks everyone that has been married a year or less to please leave the dance floor.  .  Keep counting by fives until you reach forty years.  Then count 41, 42, 43,… until only the longest-married couple and the newlyweds remain.  The DJ might walk out to the couples and ask the crowd to applaud them.  The DJ asks the older couple to share their secret for a successful marriage and hands them the mic. 

Conga Line:  (Optional):  Ask everyone on the dance floor to place their hands in the air and form a line behind the bride and groom.  Play Conga, or Party Time by Miami Sound Machine, Hot, Hot, Hot, by Buster Poindexter, or our own conga favorite. 

Y.M.C.A. (Optional):  Ask everyone to keep their hands in the air and form the letter “Y” as you begin playing Y.M.C.A. by The Village People.

Multiplication Dance: (Optional) For this dance, everyone stands in a circle.  Choose a man and a woman to dance in the middle of the circle.  Bride and Groom make a good start, or the Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor.  When the DJ announces a “Break” the people dancing in the middle of the circle should each pick someone of the opposite sex to join them.  Only the people in the middle of the circle dance.  This continues every time the DJ says “break” until everyone is dancing.

Other Popular Participation Dances:  Macarena, Electric Slide, C’mon ‘N Ride, The Chicken Dance, Stroll, Hokey Pokey, Tarantella, etc.   (Optional)

Dollar Dance:  (Popular Ballad)  (Optional) The Dollar Dance is a wedding tradition.  For a dollar or more, any guest can briefly dance with the bride or groom.  In order to begin, ask the Maid/Matron of Honor and the Best Man to assist you by standing next to the bride and groom, respectively.  Ask the women participating to line up behind the groom and the men, behind the bride.  Play a popular ballad or two to give all the participants the opportunity to dance.  It is the job of the Best Man and the Maid/Matron of Honor to collect the money and to make sure no one dances with the bride and groom for longer than thirty to sixty seconds. 

Snowball Dance: (optional)  (Popular Ballad) Select a man and a woman to start the dance.  The Bride and Groom, or other guests of honor make a good choice.  Play a song for approximately thirty seconds, and then call out “Snowball”.  The Couple then selects another couple and brings them to the dance floor.  This process is repeated until the dance floor is filled.  (Like a couples, multiplication dance).

Above all, make sure your DJ knows what kind of music would likely appeal to the Dancers in your crowd:  (Rock, Oldies, Motown, Big Band, Disco, ‘80s, Current Dance, Ethnic, Rap, Urban, Hip-Hop, or other. 

I hope this gives you some ideas of what a DJ Service should be able to provide you at a reasonable price. 

EXTRAS:  Some DJ Services, like mine, provide extras, such as special lighting effects for the “club celebration” feel on the dance floor.  This may involve simple spotlights that may pulse, or chase to the beat of the music.  More elaborate lighting may also include Fog, and lights that criss-cross, rotate and pulse to the beat.  Strobe lights are a cool effect at times.  Lasers may also be available from some DJ services.  Some services may also have 1-3 professional dancers to help teach the crowd some dance moves.  My experience is that the more personnel and elaborate, the higher the cost.

Anyway, I hope these thoughts can give you some ideas of what others have done at their wedding receptions to make it a truly enjoyable and memorable event for all.  If you have any questions, or I can be of any assistance, please let me know.   

Sincerely,

David Weist

DJ Doctor Dave