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The ceremony is over, your guests have arrived at the reception hall and the excitement for the party that follows is starting to build. Now it’s time for the two of you to arrive in style, and set the mood for the rest of the night. The room is filled with anticipation as they await your arrival. Your Night Magic Productions Master of Ceremonies opens the mic and welcomes your guests to this very special day. After a few laughs and lots of cheering it’s your turn as the doors open and a flood of energy greets you. All of your guests are clapping and everyone knows this day is going to be different from all the other weddings they have attended, because they have never seen a grand entrance quite like this…
Most of the clients we work with prefer to have some sort of Grand Entrance. They are the kick-off for the party part of your big day and they can have a major impact on how things go. Done uniquely they can leave a lasting impression, one that you and your guests will remember for years to come.
Who should be in the Grand Entrance? Most couples choose to have just the Wedding Party join them during the entrance, but we have also performed at receptions where we introduce the Parents, Flower Girl and Ring Bearer, Junior Bridesmaids, Ushers as well as the Wedding Party.
Music is important here. It not only represents who you and your wedding party are, but the overall feel you want to have for the rest of the night. At times one song is used for everyone, or it can be as involved as using theme music and multiple sound bite drops for each person being introduced. The sky is the limit when it comes to the quantity and style of music used.
Timing of the Grand Entrance in the Upper Midwest is typically directly before dinner starts, as the wedding parties return from finishing up final photos. Placing it here announces to your guests that the festivities may now begin.
Although there is no wrong way to do a Grand Entrance, there are things that can help make them pop. It is an ideal spot to personalize, making it truly fit who you are and what you want the feel of your reception to be. Honestly nothing should be considered too far when it comes to customization. If you can dream it, we typically can make it happen.
For ease we have broken down Grand Entrances into 3 categories.
Traditional Entrance. This is the simplest entrance to pull off, and that is probably why so many people use it. This involves your DJ getting people lined up and then introducing each pair or group of the wedding party, all to one song. If you want the standard Entrance, this works well. Tried and True.
Enhanced Intro Entrance. For this entrance you need to make sure you hire a DJ who is also a Master of Ceremonies, because for this Grand Entrance we are going to learn a lot more about each member of your wedding party. About a month before the reception you are asked to share fun information about your wedding party with us. This can include why you chose them, a funny story about them, or anything cool they may have done. A best part of this is that you don’t tell them this is happening, so it’s a surprise way to honor them that day. Once we receive the info, we professionally re-write it so that it flows, and then start looking for things we can add to make it pop, like particular songs or sound bites.
One example of this would be:
“Mary and I go way back, and even in high school she was a shopaholic”, followed by the sound bite; “Visa accepted everywhere you want to be”
Unexpected and lots of fun, with a minimal amount of work on your end makes this the Entrance at about 95% of Night Magic Productions clients choose, and 100% of their guests love!
Themed Entrances. This third option is probably one of my favorites, but by far the most difficult to put together. Obviously if you already have a theme for your wedding it makes this one a lot easier to come up with. But for those that don’t there are many things that can be used to create a possible themed entrance idea. Do you have a favorite TV show or movie? Is your wedding around a special date or event such as Christmas or the academy awards? Maybe you just have a hobby or something you are passionate about? Any of those are good starting points. Even if you have a spark of an idea, a good DJ will have a creative team that can flush that idea out and really build upon it.
For example one day while conducting an initial interview with a bride and groom, the groom’s phone rang. His ring tone was the Cantina Music from Star Wars. Turns out they were both huge fans. From the ringing of that phone we created an entrance that people are still talking about today. We started when the lights in the room dimmed. John William’s iconic music rang out and the couple’s entire love story scrolled up the wall as a video we created. As the video came to a close, a light fog rolled over the room and lasers from four corners beamed across. Then, from four different doors the wedding party emerged (as we called their Jedi or Sith names) complete with light sabers. An epic battle ensued, climaxing with the Bride and Groom entering the room only to ‘slay’ all of their wedding party.
Obviously this entrance required tons of extra things like video productions, fire marshals called in to turn smoke alarms off for 15 minutes, lasers, props and more. And it was the only part of the whole day that was Star Wars themed…but that happened 5 years ago and I still hear about it from people to this day.
Truly the only limit is your imagination and budget. Planning a Grand Entrance of epic proportions can takes a couple of months to put together, so speak early with your DJ if you want to make it happen.
After any Entrance is complete, the reception hall is full of energy and we always suggest either the bride or the groom welcome their guests from the head table, where a microphone awaits.
One of the cool side benefits can be that people will become more intrigued about what else cool and unique is going to happen the rest of the night, thus encouraging your guests to stay longer. Fun is just one thought away.
Wishing you Epic Introductions from the crew at Night Magic Productions, your DJ Services based in Duluth, MN!
