Most Important Photo Booth Tip

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There are many things to consider when choosing a photo booth, from the quality to the props. Here is the Most Important Photo Booth Tip to help make your booth a real hit at your wedding.Have the photo booth set up near the dance floor! Planners make the mistake of placing the photo booth in a separate area. The DJ competes with the booth due to the separation. The photo booth will take guests away from the dance floor. But, if the DJ is killing it, you've wasted your money on the photo booth.When the photo booth is located near the dance floor it keeps everyone together and creates more of a party. Guests will dance in line, easily go back and forth from the dance floor to the booth and props start making their way out to the dance floor! 

Many receptions have a point when the Wedding DJ invites all the single ladies to the dance floor for the bouquet toss. Naturally, some ladies are not so willing to be "singled" out of the entire wedding party. Everyone is staring at them, the photographer gets ready and suddenly these ladies are thrust into a competition at what was supposed to be a nice, elegant evening of dinner, conversation and dancing in their lovely cocktail dresses!Then it's the guy's turn to dive, jump or wrestle over the garter often in a drunken stupor. Even worse, I've seen weddings, in a moment that seems to occur in slow motion, where the garter slowly floats down to earth after being tossed by the groom because no single man makes any attempt at catching it, preferring to watch it land before simply walking away.How can we avoid these awkward moments? We call it "The Dance Through The Decades". This dance will encourage participation, evoking the spirit of true support and recognition while creating a sentimental mood of love involving many more of the wedding guests.The DJ will request all "Married Couples" to join the bride and groom on the dance floor. Being invited guests at the wedding, most couples will certainly comply. As a result you'll have immediate participation. As everyone makes their way to the floor, the DJ plays a nice romantic tune. A few moments into the dance, the DJ makes a request: "If there are any couples that have been married for less than one day, please step to the side".The response may be surprise, but the guests will soon catch on. After a few moments more of dancing, the DJ makes another announcement: "If there are any couples that have been married five years and less, you may have a seat as well. Thank you for participating". Now everyone will realize what is happening. Conversation grows as the dance continues, with everyone trying to figure out which couple has been married the longest. The DJ continues as the music plays, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years and so on.As the dance gets closer to highlighting your longest married couple, the DJ should encourage the other wedding guests to applaud each couple as they are eliminated. Having performed this event for over 18 years now, I have often finished the dance with couples who have been married for over 50 years!Once the longest married couple has been determined and everyone is cheering, the bride presents her bouquet or a special toss bouquet to the winning couple. Sometimes we include the garter as well, just depends how you feel about it. The DJ acknowledges all the participating couples and can even ask the winning couple to offer some advice to the newlyweds. The Dance Through The Decades usually only takes a few songs, which is nice. It creates a special moment, without taking over your wedding. 

I personally think The Flow of a Wedding is the most important thing when it comes to the success of a wedding. A wedding needs to have a nice pace so that it's not rushed or worse drawn out, have enough time without being too long and have enough special events within the wedding, not too many though, to remain interesting and not become boring.Of course, this gets lost in the details of all the planning, dealing with the venue, vendors and their requirements and frankly a lot of event planners or caterers just don't realize how important it actually is to a wedding. They don't get it. To put it simply, there's an artistry to it. Some may say it's a lost art.It's much more than a timeline or remaining flexible. It's planning that slide show after dessert, giving the caterer time to serve cake or guests to help themselves to a dessert station by having a bouquet toss or wedding shoe game so they can then enjoy their cake while watching the slideshow. I like to call it "Dessert & A Show".There are many psychological things that should be factored into the flow of a wedding that guests are not even aware of but absolutely affect the overall outcome of a wedding. For example; many couples feel the need to lie about the actual start time of their ceremony on their wedding invitations to make sure everyone is there on time because their families tend to be late to everything.However, this has proven to be a mistake. In my experience, I have found that people tend to arrive to a wedding 20-30 minutes prior to the actual ceremony. You may have a few stragglers but if you lie to get people there on time and people actually show up an hour early instead, they will be upset, feel put out having gone through everything they did just to get there and get bored waiting around,  ultimately leaving your wedding earlier in the reception than planned. I have seen this many times over my 20 years of experience as a wedding dj, designer and event planner.

Most couples have attended a wedding and explain they didn't know the cake cutting happened and they missed it! It's now a concern for their own wedding. The solution is simple. The MC needs to let everyone know what is happening. Keeping your guests informed is vital.QMEP DJs (Yes, our DJs are MCs) use what I like to call a "Teaser" followed by a "Directive" announcement.Imagine the dance floor is packed, people are having a great time. We don't want to kill the music or the dance party but need to let your guests know about the cake cutting. While guests are still dancing, the MC announces "Ladies and gentlemen, you'll want to stick around, the cake cutting is coming up in about 10 minutes". This allows guests to keep dancing, know what's about to happen and it gives them a time frame if they need to run to the restroom or check out the photo booth.When it's time to cut the cake the MC announces it again. "Ladies and Gentlemen it is Cake Cutting Time! We would like to invite Jeff and Kim over to cut their beautiful cake. Feel free to make your way over to get a closer look. You do not want to miss this, as they will be sharing their first piece of cake together as husband and wife". The announcement may even include the location of the cake. "Please make your way over to the far corner of the room and gather around Jeff & Kim as they will be cutting their beautiful cake". By the time the announcement is made and repeated, the photographer is in position and you've made your way over, your guests are there with their phone cameras ready to share the moment with you! 

It's so important to stay calm during the planning process especially the final days leading to your wedding. When dealing with your vendors, keep in mind that they are most likely dealing with several clients and weddings. In this industry, your wedding may only be three weeks away and what seems like a short period of time to you may seem like an eternity to your vendor because they have 15 other weddings ahead of you in that short time span. It's like a great athlete that says the game slows down for them when it is so fast for everyone else.It's vital to remain patient and trust the professionals you have so deligently researched and hired to address your needs as soon as possible. Imagine a checkout line at your favorite market or even a popular deli where everyone has to take a number in order to get service.It seems we have allowed ourselves to become spoiled due to all the different technology at our fingertips to the point that we are expecting instant gratification in almost every situation. It's not always realistic. If you don't immediately hear back from your vendor, it doesn't mean your vendor is going out of business all of sudden or has forgotten about your wedding. Sometimes, the reality is you just have to wait your turn. 

When booking a photographer, keep in mind...it's not just about the photos. Most photographers will be a part of a wedding between 6-10 hours, sometimes more if you include engagement shots or a "trash the dress" session. A few things other than their portfolio to consider.First, their personality. A photographer should be able to gel with your bridal party. They should be easy to be around, not too bossy. Remember, your friends and family will be spending time with this person and it can effect their mood and attitude on your wedding day.Second, their time line. If a photographer wants more time after your ceremony, this will cause the start of the reception to run late. Because things are running late, they will now need to cram your special events like the first dance, cake cutting and toasts together as quickly as possible, so they can be done in the contracted time. That basically ruins the flow of a wedding, effecting the entire day and it happens all the time.Which leads me to Three- working with other vendors. Most photographers only care about one thing, their photos, well that and when do they get their vendor meal. So, you will want to book your photographer at least 30 minutes to an hour after most of the events within the wedding are scheduled to be done. This way, everyone can relax and the dreaded timeline pressure is gone. Nobody wants a photographer coming up to them at their wedding and saying, "I will stay a half hour for an additional...(insert ridiculous rate here)"! 

In keeping with the spirit and celebrating LGBT Pride in 2018, Quantum is offering an additional 10% Discount on all our services for any LGBT Weddings. We are proud to say that we have always been an LGBT friendly business and will continue to support the community not only through providing services for weddings but also donating services for special events, outreach programs or causes to raise awareness and money for the community.

Quantum Party DJs are trained to facilitate the special events within your wedding, such as the first dance or cake cutting and perform as master of ceremonies. We believe the MC duties are a vital part of a djs performance and ultimately effect the outcome of a wedding. So vital in fact, that we discourage having anyone else, such as a close friend or family member perform as the MC.Why? Over time, we've seen these "stand in" MCs attempt to perform at weddings and it never goes well. Here are a few things we've experienced. The actual flow of the wedding is effected. When the music stops or transitions need to be made from one event to another, the "stand in" is not always available or they don't know how to phrase what they need to say. What if  the "stand in" is too comfortable, has a few drinks and says something that is really inappropriate or crosses the line at your wedding. We've all seen a person crack jokes that didn't go over well and they just know they're so funny. Super awkward.It's always better to leave it to the pros. Remember, public speaking is one of the biggest fears people have. This can cause mistakes, awkward moments and make your guests uncomfortable.We may not know your family history as well or even have any funny backstories (unless you want to fill us in) but we will keep it classy and let your toasts from the Best Man or Maid of Honor provide the funny tales. After all, this is about you and your family. Our DJs are not going to try to "steal the show".How the dj performs on the mic is one of the biggest concerns in our industry. At Quantum, we tailor our performances. We can be conservative, adapt to your guests, encourage people or even perform a little bit. It really depends on the type of feel and atmosphere you would like to create at your wedding.Watchout for the companies with additional charges for MC services. They will want to "add" an MC. This really isn't necessary if the dj has the skills and training, plus it ends up costing you extra money!Lastly, It's important the dj builds a rapport with your guests. This is accomplished through announcements, introductions and "teasers" during the wedding which leads up to dancing. Expertise will always play a part in the timing and flow of a wedding and the right DJ will use their MC skills to smoothly guide you and your guests through your special day. 

Come tour the Brazilian Room and meet our approved caterers to help plan your event at one of East Bay Regional Park District's rental facilities. You will also meet photographers, florists, bakers, and more to help make your day special. Free admission to the Wedding Fair by registration.

• Tuesday, February 20, 2018, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Tuesday, February 27, 2018, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Tuesday, March 6, 2018, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm