Wedding Evening Entertainment Explained. With so many wedding couples looking to book their perfect wedding, we thought it was time for a blog post to give them some advice on what they can hope for:

For most wedding couples, the choice comes down to whether you want a band or a DJ.  This is a personal preference, depending what sort of music you and your guests will enjoy, and the atmosphere you want to create on your special day.

Wedding DJ’s:  DJ’s can play anything.  If the music has been recorded, then they can play it at your wedding.  Experienced Wedding DJ’s know what sort of music works for different groups of people, to give a variety of music to suit all the ages.  We would suggest that you let the DJ know as much as possible about your guests, any ‘Big’ tunes you want played, First dance (my advice:  pick a first dance 1 month minimum before your big day, then you can practise what you are going to do.  This helps with your confidence once you have 200 eyes on you!).

If you have a large contingent of foreign guests, then let the DJ know.  They can have on hand a few of the top hits from their country to make them feel at home.

Make sure that the DJ and sound system are suited for your wedding venue and number of guests.  As a rough guide 1000W sound system will be great for 100-150 guests.  Also make sure that the DJ provides disco lighting effects.

For more info, please check our Wedding DJ page.

IPOD discos: IPOD discos allow couples to bring along their own IPOD (or laptop etc) and play the tunes that they want to hear during their disco segment.  This allows music  fans to have complete control over the music.  Usually run by bands, to compliment their music but sometimes as standalone systems.  It also saves some budget as a DJ is not required. Our IPOD discos come with disco lighting effects to transform your venue.

Do remember to make up a playlist for the timings that it will run on the night.  This is important to think of the flow of the evening.  First dance, What are your last 5 tracks of the night?  What will you play during the buffet?  Remember that these tunes are to appeal to everyone, so maybe YOUR top 30 tunes may not be the best 30 tunes for your wedding day!  (maybe 25 of them are!!)  why not test drive the playlist at a hen party?

Wedding Bands: There are so many wedding bands to choose from.  One word of advice, do your research, listen on line, once you hear a band that you both like then book them.  Good bands get booked early.  Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest days of the week for wedding bands!  (if you have a midweek wedding then you may be able to negotiate a bit of a discount.!)

Time wise, bands generally play 8-12 with breaks.  This is a big part, time wise, of your overall wedding experience, so bear this in mind.  You want to entertain your guests and give them a lasting memory of the fun they had at your wedding.  Don’t scrimp your budget on entertainment if you are having lavish flower displays and beautiful cuisine!

Do remember to offer the band some food, a bacon sandwich from the buffet, or a meal if they have been in early to set up or playing early in the day.  This is not required, but is a nice gesture, and generally means you get 120% from the band members.  Most bands are on site for 6 hours(4 hours playtimes and 2 hours set up/derig), which along with some travel time is pretty much a working day!

In Scotland, many weddings like to enjoy some ceilidh dancing as their evening entertainment. The ceilidh music generally acts as a great social lubricant, and will get your guests partying with each other.

Ceilidh bands: 

Traditional ceilidh bands;  exactly what it says on the tin.  Imagine Jimmy Shand and his band,  Great traditional Scottish music.  Usually ceilidh band instruments can include accordions, fiddle, keys and drums (snare high hat).  Make sure the band that you get has a dance caller to explain the steps of the dances.

We work with  a selection of traditional bands, young and old who can give guests a great night of ceilidh dance.

Funky ceilidh bands:  this is Scottish music to ceilidh dance to, with a modern funky twist.  If you want to dance, but you think the traditional music may turn some guests off, then check out this option.

I would say that the Reel Time Ceilidh band is the best funky ceilidh band around at the moment (ill hold my hands up, I may be a bit biased, as I also play with them!…. decide for yourself, check their video here) Bands have fiddlers, electric guitar, keys, bagpipes and a full kit of drums.

Have a listen to Funky Scottish Music or Contemporary Ceilidh Music.

Popular music: If you don’t want to ceilidh dance, but want Popular music for the evening entertainment of your wedding, then a function band is what you are looking for.  Ask to see their sample set list so you can get an idea of their style.

Make sure that the band has a good singer and are good all round musicians.  This is crucial when booking a band, also make sure that there are not several different bands under the same name.  The band you hear or see on the demo, should be who is at your wedding. please note that some function bands also play ceilidh music.

The band you book should be able to read the crowd and play music suitable for the age range and give a party atmosphere. By booking a professional band you will get exactly what you require for your perfect wedding.

Ceilidh and function bands: If you want a mixture of both styles of music for your evening entertainment, then this can work well.

Make sure you ask your band what they can do.  What kind of songs they can perform (Is it pop, or Scottish songs!)

Generally there are two ways to do this: either a function band who can also play ceilidh music or a ceilidh band that can also play popular music

Which way to go?  Depends what you want more of… Ceilidh or pop? Ceilidh band with a singer can do a great 70% ceilidh 30% pop split, a function band would do a great 30% ceilidh 70% pop split.

At Reel Time Events, we offer four great bands for evening wedding entertainment in Scotland.

Traditional Ceilidh Band

The Reel Time Ceilidh Band:  Funky ceilidh band, established 5 years playing 200 events a year

The Scraggly Cats:  Funky Ceilidh band with pop singer  

The One Night Wonders:  Edinburgh’s finest function band (we heard the rest and booked the best)

We hope this article has been helpful, for more info check our wedding day time events.

Send us your wedding date and what you are looking for, and we will send you a tailored quote for your wedding entertainment.   No obligation of course!

We look forward to helping you plan your special wedding evening entertainment. 

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