There are two aspects of wedding music that need to be addressed when planning your big day. First, you may wish to select certain music or arrange for professional DJ or musicians to play during the actual wedding ceremony. But at the wedding reception, it’s pretty much anything goes when it comes to selecting wedding music, provided it’s tasteful.

Right away is the time to plan your wedding music. Good talent gets booked fast and you don’t want to end up having to select the brand new DJ with only a few weddings under his or her belt or something even worse. Booking your music entertainment a full year in advance is advisable but at a minimum, you should know who will be showing up and what he or she will be playing at least six months prior to the wedding date.

For most weddings, selecting the music for the wedding ceremony isn’t that complicated because most often, has been planned by the wedding couple. When you’re researching your wedding ceremony options, be sure to inquire about any guidelines with respect to wedding ceremony music as these could possibly impact your decision. If the ceremony is being held outdoors, check for electrical hook-ups at your venue or book live musicians.

Wedding music during the ceremony is basically secondary to the ceremony itself so the music is really meant to sort of ‘fill in the gaps’ during the non-speaking periods such as while guests are being seated, during the procession, while lighting the unity candles and of course the recessional. Of course, it’s your wedding and it can be custom-designed.

The music that’s played at the reception, however, is going to mean the difference between a successful reception and one that’s ho-hum. And this is where things can start to get complicated. When you begin searching for wedding reception music, you’ll realize rather quickly that you have a lot of options. You can book a live band, or a DJ that’ll play pre-recorded music, or you can buy that CD full of top wedding songs and have someone act as the DJ. The later leaves little or no control and isn’t really suggested since the person is not actually a professional.

It’s important that you both agree on the type of wedding music you want played at your reception. There are ‘traditional’ songs that almost always are played at certain points during the reception such as the father/daughter dance, the cake cutting, the dollar dance and so on. And then there is all the music in between. Do you want Jazz, Country, R&B, New age, Italian, Latin, Jewish-inspired, or a little bit of everything? That’s an important decision to make because the DJ you select has to be able to deliver what you want or you won’t be happy.

Try to book experienced professionals for your wedding music. If booking live talent, arrange to hear a live performance before booking. Scrutinize the contract before signing to make sure all parties agree on the number of hours music will be provided and that everything that has been agreed to is in writing. Find out the cancellation and refund policy, too. At the end of the day a contract will clarify all parties roles and protect everyone involved.
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It is my recommendation that you order your Wedding Invitations at least four weeks prior to mailing them out to your guests.  This will allow you plenty of time to receive your Wedding Invitations and double check your order to make sure you have received everything you ordered and no mistakes were made.  It will allow you enough time for a reprint is needed.  It will also allow you plenty of time to address all the envelopes.

Wedding Invitations should be mailed out so that your guest will receive them at least  six to eight weeks prior to the Wedding.  This will allow your guest enough time to make travel plans and return the respond card you included with your Wedding Invitation.  Typically the respond by date should be two weeks prior to your wedding date.  This should allow you enough time to make your final preparations.

You will have many other things to take care of as your wedding approaches and the last thing you need is to have to rush to get your wedding invitations addressed and mailed out.  There will undoubtedly be last minute names to add and address changes to deal with so please allow yourself plenty of time to accomplish this task.
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The announcement of your engagement to your future life partner is the precursor to the wedding itself. For a person who is deeply in love, the importance of the engagement ring takes on a great significance as the engagement ring is a forbearer of sorts for the wedding ring. The engagement ring does not and should not be relegated to an inferior ring when compared with the wedding ring.

So when you are getting engaged, it is important for you to consider some tips on getting your best engagement ring.

What then is the best engagement ring?

Your engagement is a declaration to the whole world that you are a couple in love, and are making a public announcement that you are serious or going steady with a view to getting married shortly.

Most if not all couples getting engaged would like their engagement ring to represent such a beautiful declaration of love. Many take the engagement ring as the surety of commitment, and as long as the engagement ring is on their finger, they are keeping themselves solely for each other, and can appear as an "item".

In choosing their engagement ring, they would have to decide on the material they would want their engagement ring to be structured from. Some would like to have it in gold, with diamonds, or some in white gold or silver, but by and large, this would be decided based on the question of affordability.

An engagement ring can be of any precious metal with infilled gemstones, including jade or diamonds, but more important than that is the design of the ring. Connotations of love, symbols of enduring love can be designed on the ring. 

If the engagement ring is a pre-made or jeweller's designed engagement ring, then it is important to buy that engagement ring from reputable jewellers to avoid being overcharged by unscrupulous dealers who treat this as a once-off purchase, and so take the opportunity to jack up the price.

When you purchase your engagement ring from a reputable and honest jeweller, you can be sure of a realistic price as he will want to be your choice dealer when it comes to your actual wedding, and hopefully can be your family jeweller, and to supply all your jewellery needs in the future.

So when it comes to the engagement ring, first settle on the design, then settle on the expenditure, then make sure you purchase your engagement ring from the most reputable jewellery in town.

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One of the most challenging things about getting married is finding and hiring the wedding vendors.  However large or small their roles may be, they will have a significant impact in the overall outcome of your wedding day. Because of this, it is imperative to take your time and follow some very simple steps to ensure you are hiring quality and reputable wedding professionals that you can trust. As you will soon discover, there is really no shortage of wedding vendors in any given category. The goal is finding the professional that is right for you, not only with product, service and price, but with personality as well. The search for wedding day vendors can begin in a number of places. Knowing where to look and what to look for will assist you in your search. The following are suggestions as to where you may begin the search for your vendors.
Bridal Shows 
The greatest value in bridal shows is the opportunity to meet with a large number of wedding vendors and view many products at one time, in one location. There are many categories of vendors represented at the shows, making it an invaluable tool for doing research and for gathering wedding-related information. When you find vendors you particularly interested in, make a note of it and call soon after the show to book a personal one on one appointment. 
Ceremony and Reception Location 
The locations you select for your wedding day are quite familiar with particular vendors, and usually have a preferred vendor list. The vendors on this list have worked at that site many times before and are familiar with the logistics and rules of the location. 
Friends and Family 
You will usually get honest no nonsense answers and opinions regarding products and services when you ask married friends and family members (even co-workers) about their own weddings. Ask them about their vendors, the services they used, what they liked and didn’t like, would they hire them again, etc.? 
The Internet
The Internet is an easy access, easy to use, anytime resource. You can find a wealth of vendors on the web. Checking out a vendor’s web site can give you a good idea of pricing, packages, and type of work they do before making a personal appointment.
Local Bridal Magazines 
Using local wedding magazines and directories can at first seem overwhelming, as there are a large number of advertisements in these publications. You can, however, find excellent vendors in the magazines, but it will take some calling around to acquaint yourself with these vendors. 
Wedding Planners/Consultants 
Wedding consultants have several pre-established relationships with local vendors. If you are working with a consultant, she should be able to provide you with preferred vendor list. However, if you are not working with a consultant, you can still benefit from this knowledge, as most consultants will share their preferred vendor list with you for a fee. 
Conclusion 
Once you have made your final decisions, you must get a written contract. Call the vendor to confirm the details and ask for a contract to be sent to you. A contract is the best way of ensuring you and the vendor understand what is expected, as it should outline specifics such as dates, times, names, and types of services/products provided. It will also spell out payment plans, refund and cancellation policies. It behooves (I always wanted to use that in a sentence) you to read and understand the contract. Do not assume you have secured a vendor for your wedding day until you have a contract that is signed by you and the vendor. And finally remember, part of getting the most from a vendor’s service is also being a good client and providing the vendors with the payments and other requested information in a timely manner. 

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The question of who will get to take home the centrepiece can sometimes be a central discussion at reception dinner tables, particularly if the centrepiece is particularly pretty or original.

Making an Interactive game of who gets the centrepiece can be an amusing diversion and one many guests will enjoy participating in. Here are some ideas for giving away that reception table centrepiece :

How about a game of 20 questions? Give each guest a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. The MC or DJ asks a series of 20 questions, but first gives the guests the basic background information, that is, that the answer is an animal, place, person or thing. Once that’s taken care of, people can shout out questions and the MC or DJ will answer yes or no, and whoever figures out the answer first gets the first centerpiece, and that particular table is done playing. The game is repeated until one person at each table has won the centrepiece.

One of the most popular ways brides give away the table centrepiece is to put a number on the bottom of the centrepiece and give each guest a number. At some point in the evening, a number is called, each guest checks his or her number and whoever has the called number gets the centerpiece. There are many ways to put a twist on this traditional activity.

For example, you might provide each table with a number, but make it a lower number (ie. between 1 and 10) and theDJ or MC could move from table to table and have each guest do something a certain number of times. So, at the first table, for example, the guests might need to do “head, shoulders, knees and toes” six times and whoever does it first gets the centrepiece. Or, at the second table, the guests might be required to sing the alphabet 3 times or sing “twinkle, twinkle, little star” three times and whoever does that first get the centerpiece.

Another fun activity for divvying up the centrepieces is to require guests to produce a certain item. The DJ or MC moves from table to table, announcing what guests at that table will be required to produce in order to get the centrepiece. Maybe it’s a American quarter or a mint, or a doctor’s appointment card. Whatever it is, the guest at each table who produces the requested item will get the centrepiece.

You can always make it easy and offer the centrepiece to the oldest person at the table, or the one who took the most number of years to finish college. Perhaps you could create an activity where the person who has the strangest talent (as voted on by the tablemates) wins the centrepiece. Then, if possible, that person might show off the talent for the entire reception party.

If you like musical chairs, you can play a game of musical dollar bills in order to give the centrepiece away. Someone takes out a one-dollar bill and music begins playing. Everyone at the table passes the dollar bill around the table and when the music stops, whoever is left holding the bill gets the centrepiece. Or this game can be played a bit more traditionally with the person with the bill being eliminated, and the game continuing until only one person is holding the bill. That person can then be awarded with the centerpiece. Or, for a fun twist, the bill can be passed around and when the music stops, the person holding the bill is told to return it to the person who first supplied it. That is the person who gets the centrepiece.

Some fun, and fairly traditional, ideas include the birthday person getting the centrepiece. At each table, the person who has a birthday closest to the wedding gets the centrepiece. Or if there are married couples at the table, the couple who have been together the longest can get the centrepiece, or the couple who were married most recently. Perhaps the centrepiece should go to the person with the longest hair, or the strangest shoes (again, this would be voted on by tablemates).

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Delivering a wedding speech is an incredible honour, but it can also be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re not used to public speaking. Whether you’re the best man, maid of honour, or a proud parent, the pressure to deliver the perfect speech can feel overwhelming.

​Don’t worry—these nine practical tips will help you calm your nerves and deliver a memorable wedding speech with confidence.

1. Remember: The Audience Is on Your Side

Everyone in the room is rooting for you! Guests at a wedding aren’t there to critique your speech—they’re there to celebrate the happy couple. Anything you say will be listened to with kindness and respect. A simple joke or heartfelt remark is all it takes to win them over, as wedding audiences are often eager to laugh and connect.

2. Practise, Practise, Practise

Rehearsing your speech is the key to success. The more you practise, the more comfortable you’ll feel on the big day. Pay attention to your tone, pauses, and pacing during your practice sessions. Showing effort in your preparation ensures that even small mistakes will be easily forgiven.

3. Memorize Your Speech

Learn your speech by heart to build confidence. Practise it whenever you have spare time—while commuting, in the shower, or before bed. Knowing your speech inside and out will reduce anxiety and help you focus on delivering it with emotion and authenticity.

4. Don’t Forget to Breathe

It sounds simple, but breathing correctly is often overlooked. Practice diaphragmatic breathing, a technique used by singers and speakers, to stay calm. Plan where you’ll pause to take a breath during your speech. Deep, steady breathing will help keep your nerves in check.

5. Think of a Happy Memory Before You Start

Visualizing a funny or uplifting memory can help you relax before speaking. It doesn’t have to be hilarious—just something that makes you smile and puts you in a positive state of mind. A lighthearted energy will naturally improve your delivery.

6. Eat a Banana 20 Minutes Before Speaking

This tried-and-true trick is often used by professional speakers. Bananas are packed with nutrients that calm your nerves and provide an energy boost, helping you feel steady and focused.

7. Slow Down and Speak Clearly

Nervousness can make you rush through your speech. Take a deep breath, slow down, and articulate each word clearly. Speaking too quickly can make it harder for guests to follow along, so aim for a relaxed pace.

8. Make Eye Contact

Connect with your audience by making eye contact. This makes your speech feel more personal and conversational. Instead of addressing the crowd as a whole, imagine you’re chatting with friends and family members individually.

9. Have Fun and Enjoy the Moment

Remember, your speech doesn’t have to be perfect! The audience is there to celebrate, not to judge. Relax, smile, and savour the moment. Even if you make a mistake, it’ll be forgotten in seconds. Focus on the joy of the occasion and let yourself have fun.

Celebrate Your Moment

Delivering a wedding speech may feel intimidating, but with preparation and the right mindset, you’ll leave a lasting impression. Follow these tips to calm your nerves, connect with the audience, and enjoy every moment of your special role.
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At DJ XTC Entertainment, we understand the importance of creating unforgettable wedding moments. Whether it’s wedding speeches, DJ services, or MC entertainment, we’re here to help you make the big day as seamless and memorable as possible.

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1. Wedding Photography and Videography

Capturing your wedding moments professionally is non-negotiable. While the cost of a wedding photographer can range from $1,000 to $3,000, relying on a friend or relative isn’t the solution. Wedding photos and videos are priceless keepsakes that allow you to relive your big day for years to come.

Budget Tip: 
Reach out to local photography clubs or hobbyist photographers who might offer competitive rates. Book them for a pre-wedding session or engagement shoot first to ensure their style meets your expectations.

2. Wedding Venue
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Choosing the right venue sets the tone for your celebration. While hosting your wedding at home may save money, it’s essential to consider your guests' comfort. A cramped space can cause guests to leave early, cutting the fun short.

Budget Tip:
Look for venues that offer discounts for off-season or weekday weddings. Select a location that complements your wedding theme, ensuring it’s memorable without breaking the bank.

3. Flowers

Wedding flowers can be surprisingly expensive, and it’s easy to overspend if you’re not careful. Some vendors may use “less fresh” blooms on your wedding day, so choose your florist wisely.

Budget Tip:
Opt for flowers that are in season to reduce costs. Alternatively, consider a garden wedding where the natural surroundings provide a beautiful backdrop without the need for extra floral arrangements.

4. DJ and Entertainment

The two most common wedding complaints? Bad food and poor entertainment. Don’t let subpar entertainment ruin your day. Hiring a professional DJ or entertainer is crucial for creating an enjoyable and lively atmosphere.

Budget Tip:
Experienced part-time DJs and entertainers can deliver the same high-quality service as full-time professionals at a more affordable rate. Do your research to find someone who fits your vision and budget.

Plan Your Dream Budget Wedding
With proper planning, you can save up to 50% on your wedding costs without compromising on quality. The key is to focus on aspects that enhance the experience for you and your guests, ensuring your special day is as unforgettable as it is budget-friendly.
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DJ XTC Entertainment is here to provide top-tier wedding DJ, MC, and lighting services in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, and across the GTA. Our team of professionals will help make your wedding the celebration of a lifetime.

🌐 Website: www.TheTorontoWeddingDJ.com
📬 Newsletter: bit.ly/djxtcweddingtips
📷 Follow us on social media:
Instagram: @TorontoWeddingDJ
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