Hello!
I'm Jen from Chapter16 weddings and events, I've been asked by the guys at Nightair to write a blog on planning the perfect party! I love to plan weddings and events and it's my pleasure to share some expert advice and planning tips with you all. Here goes...
1) Have a planner! Ok, ok, so I'm biased! But really, having an expert by your side means that you get access to the best suppliers around, tried and tested. I don't push my ideas on anyone, it's your day and I only seek to help you pull together all your ideas as cost effectively as possible. Weddings can be expensive and they really don't need to be. as a good wedding planner saves you money! By using recommended suppliers I always pass on discounts to my clients and never take kick backs.
2) Create a mood board and do the details! The best weddings are personal to the Bride and Groom, full of little details and personal touches that make the day memorable for you and your family and friends. Create a mood board of the colours and detail that you want to have on your day and don't be afraid of a) being different, or b) what other people think! Don't let tradition dictate what you should or should not have. If you want to have Paris Hilton 'Stars are Blind' played at your wedding, you have it! (Just check the DJ has got it first!) Colour schemes, food and entertainment really set the mood to your day. Wedding blogs like www.stylemepretty.com are a great place to start for inspiration.
3) Keep your budget in check! If you want to have lots of wonderful and exciting things at your event you've got to make sure you control that budget. Make a list of everything that you want to have, prioritising your 'must haves'. Careful control of your budget, using the right suppliers (and having a planner!!) will help you to keep the purse strings in check. I love helping clients 'massage' their budget so they can afford things they thought were out the question!
I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I've had the pleasure of working with Nightair at many an event and they really know how to fill a dance floor and have no hesitation in recommending them!
Please do check out my website www.chapter16.co.uk if there is anything I can help you out with!
Jen xx
Monday, 25 July 2011
Thursday, 26 May 2011
The extras are what make it a day to remember!
OK so you've booked your DJ and he's bringing disco lights and a sound system. That's everything sorted then right?
Well, maybe, that depends on your budget. In my experience, the extras at a party are what makes it memorable for years to come. Many people won't even consider what effect lighting has on a room, well believe me, it has a huge effect on the atmosphere of the party!! Despite what most think, darker is not always better. Most of the time its what colour the light is as important as how bright it is. For example, white light would be a lot more harsh than if we dimmed it down with a red or gold gel. These give a much more atmospheric feeling and help give even the most bland room more colour.
Another of our add on's available are giant games. We have Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Connect 4 and Twister. These are a really great ice breaker for friends and family that don't know each other. Jenga is also a good laugh after a few beers!
Well, maybe, that depends on your budget. In my experience, the extras at a party are what makes it memorable for years to come. Many people won't even consider what effect lighting has on a room, well believe me, it has a huge effect on the atmosphere of the party!! Despite what most think, darker is not always better. Most of the time its what colour the light is as important as how bright it is. For example, white light would be a lot more harsh than if we dimmed it down with a red or gold gel. These give a much more atmospheric feeling and help give even the most bland room more colour.
Another of our add on's available are giant games. We have Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Connect 4 and Twister. These are a really great ice breaker for friends and family that don't know each other. Jenga is also a good laugh after a few beers!
Friday, 20 May 2011
Don't panic if not everybody dances straight away!
OK so you've decided to have a party. It’s probably a Wedding, a birthday, a retirement party or just any other excuse to have a good time and have a few drinks with friends and family! Why not? You shouldn’t need an excuse!
It’s the day of the party, the foods sorted, your friends are there and the venue is fantastic. But hang on...its 8pm, the dance floor is empty and everybody is either at the bar or sat down talking. What the....
Hang on, take a breath and chill out. You've got friends and family from all over the place that haven't seen each other for ages and they want to catch up. Apart from anything else...they want to get a few drinks down them first and get into the party mood! If it's your wedding and are having a first dance then the chances are all of your guests will come in for that, they will dance for about 3 or 4 tracks and then sit down at the bar again. As Corporal Jones says...Don't panic Mr Mannering, Don't Panic! This is quite normal and as a DJ I see this at nearly every party I do. They won't come back up to dance properly until suitably fed and watered! They will all start to filter through between 9pm and 10pm. If the floor is still empty after 1030pm then you could perhaps approach the DJ and give him a few requests but remember that at some party’s people will just want to talk. It's nothing you or the DJ are doing; they will probably still be enjoying the music but just want to chat.
Remember...the family that aren't local only see each other at weddings, birthdays and funerals!
It’s the day of the party, the foods sorted, your friends are there and the venue is fantastic. But hang on...its 8pm, the dance floor is empty and everybody is either at the bar or sat down talking. What the....
Hang on, take a breath and chill out. You've got friends and family from all over the place that haven't seen each other for ages and they want to catch up. Apart from anything else...they want to get a few drinks down them first and get into the party mood! If it's your wedding and are having a first dance then the chances are all of your guests will come in for that, they will dance for about 3 or 4 tracks and then sit down at the bar again. As Corporal Jones says...Don't panic Mr Mannering, Don't Panic! This is quite normal and as a DJ I see this at nearly every party I do. They won't come back up to dance properly until suitably fed and watered! They will all start to filter through between 9pm and 10pm. If the floor is still empty after 1030pm then you could perhaps approach the DJ and give him a few requests but remember that at some party’s people will just want to talk. It's nothing you or the DJ are doing; they will probably still be enjoying the music but just want to chat.
Remember...the family that aren't local only see each other at weddings, birthdays and funerals!
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Music at your party
We understand that if you pay for a disco at your party whether it be a wedding, birthday or any other occasion that the music is one of the most important elements of the night. Many of our clients send us a request list to give to the DJ to use as a guide for there taste in music. We welcome this but any DJ worth his salt will tell you that this should only be used as a guide. The DJ should always be given the freedom to judge the crowd at your party. You wouldn't tell a barman how to pull your pint!!! As a company we only employ experienced and proven DJ's. We have a good reputation with our past, present and ongoing clients that we of course we want to maintain. If you want to send us a request list then it's no problem. However, please keep it to a maximum of 20 to 30 tracks.
If you average most tracks at 3 mins then 35 tracks is 105 mins of music. In reality by the time people arrive, have a couple of drinks, chat to their family and friends, have something to eat and start to dance it is normally about 9pm before the party really gets going. Taking into consideration other requests that the DJ will have coming from your guests on top of your request lists the DJ will have about 3 hours of requests to work through. This is a big ask! There will be other tracks that he will need to play to keep people dancing as well as the ones the get requested, for this reason, it's best to keep the list short and sweet and give the DJ the freedom to work.
If there are any songs that you don't want to be played then they are the ones to tell us about. For example, if you prefer to stick away from the cheesy music like YMCA, Macarena, Oops upside you head etc then let your DJ know beforehand. What NOT to play is probably important than telling him what TO play. The DJ will judge the crowd when he arrives and providing the company you book is experienced 9/10 times will know what to play straight away.
If you average most tracks at 3 mins then 35 tracks is 105 mins of music. In reality by the time people arrive, have a couple of drinks, chat to their family and friends, have something to eat and start to dance it is normally about 9pm before the party really gets going. Taking into consideration other requests that the DJ will have coming from your guests on top of your request lists the DJ will have about 3 hours of requests to work through. This is a big ask! There will be other tracks that he will need to play to keep people dancing as well as the ones the get requested, for this reason, it's best to keep the list short and sweet and give the DJ the freedom to work.
If there are any songs that you don't want to be played then they are the ones to tell us about. For example, if you prefer to stick away from the cheesy music like YMCA, Macarena, Oops upside you head etc then let your DJ know beforehand. What NOT to play is probably important than telling him what TO play. The DJ will judge the crowd when he arrives and providing the company you book is experienced 9/10 times will know what to play straight away.
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Booking your Party DJ
OK so you've decided to celebrate something, great news! Maybe you're getting married, maybe it's your birthday, maybe your celebrating the life of a loved one who has sadly passed away. You have probably booked your venue, you've booked the decorations and chances are you've booked your food.
However have you booked your entertainment? If your anything like a lot of people you have probably left that one till last. Why? Seriously, why?
Your entertainment is the one thing that EVERYBODY will remember! It will make or break the party. If you book Mr dodgy D's discos (a metaphor for all the dodgy bedroom DJ's that have been to Maplins and bought the cheapest nastiest kit around to make £50 per night!) then chances are that is what you will get, a greasy bloke in trainers and a sweaty dirty T-shirt with a boom box and 3 Cd's! OK so maybe that's a little harsh but it does happen and there are people that operate like that. Booking entertainment is like 95% of any products, you get what you pay for!
If you are planning a party then I would advise you to look at your DJ or singer as one of the first things you book. To get someone decent I would advise you to expect to pay in the region £150 to £500 depending on the amount of hours and the size of the rig needed for the room, most guys go out for around £250. To put it in lamens terms it's the difference between Waitrose and Happy Shopper! As a company Nightair discos has been going for 29 years, and believe me, we've heard and seen it all in that time. We've done the last minute jobs when the DJ hasn't turned up, we've heard plenty of horror stories about what equipment Dj's have turned up with, so believe me when I say very little surprises me. If you want to have a good night then shop about and generally go on reputation or recommendations. Nightair have provided thousands of discos over the years and regularly receive thank you letters/emails/cards from clients who have enjoyed the service we have provided.
Anyway, not giving too much away on the first blog post and I have lots of booking confirmations to do so keep your eyes peeled for the next post. Hope it's been helpful. Next post will be about choosing the right music for the night.
However have you booked your entertainment? If your anything like a lot of people you have probably left that one till last. Why? Seriously, why?
Your entertainment is the one thing that EVERYBODY will remember! It will make or break the party. If you book Mr dodgy D's discos (a metaphor for all the dodgy bedroom DJ's that have been to Maplins and bought the cheapest nastiest kit around to make £50 per night!) then chances are that is what you will get, a greasy bloke in trainers and a sweaty dirty T-shirt with a boom box and 3 Cd's! OK so maybe that's a little harsh but it does happen and there are people that operate like that. Booking entertainment is like 95% of any products, you get what you pay for!
If you are planning a party then I would advise you to look at your DJ or singer as one of the first things you book. To get someone decent I would advise you to expect to pay in the region £150 to £500 depending on the amount of hours and the size of the rig needed for the room, most guys go out for around £250. To put it in lamens terms it's the difference between Waitrose and Happy Shopper! As a company Nightair discos has been going for 29 years, and believe me, we've heard and seen it all in that time. We've done the last minute jobs when the DJ hasn't turned up, we've heard plenty of horror stories about what equipment Dj's have turned up with, so believe me when I say very little surprises me. If you want to have a good night then shop about and generally go on reputation or recommendations. Nightair have provided thousands of discos over the years and regularly receive thank you letters/emails/cards from clients who have enjoyed the service we have provided.
Anyway, not giving too much away on the first blog post and I have lots of booking confirmations to do so keep your eyes peeled for the next post. Hope it's been helpful. Next post will be about choosing the right music for the night.
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