One of the most important factors when starting to plan your wedding is deciding on the wedding entertainment. Do you want a live band or a DJ? Consider the following for a smooth, special day filled with a reliable entertainment experience for you and all your guests.

1. Develop a contract that covers all the details of your event, and make sure you have signed and dated copies of the at the event, just in case.
2. Provide detailed directions and contact information to ensure that your wedding entertainment and performers will arrive on time and don’t encounter any complications.
3. Discuss venue specifics in advance, and make sure you and the entertainers you choose know where to set up a dance floor and stage and where all the outlets are around the room. And make sure you discuss all of these logistics with both the venue and entertainers, so last minute questions and concerns do not arise.
4. In case of bad weather, discuss a plan B with your venue and entertainer in a worst case scenario, so expensive equipment isn’t at risk.
5. Prepare some a list of some of your favorite songs and the type of music you want played on your special day. Then your musician and performers can rehearse and create a wedding song list.
6. Go over each detail of the wedding day schedule, so your entertainer knows where he/she fits in and when it’s appropriate to act as an emcee or announcer.
7. What should the entertainer wear? Make sure to tell him/her whether he should coordinate with your party’s theme, wear a black tie outfit or can where whatever he/she wants.
8. What food will you provide for your entertainer, and will you allow performers to have alcohol?
9. Discuss and agree upon overtime rates well in advance, just in case you want to continue the party. And this is also a great time to discuss final payment and method of payment.
10. Make sure you have all of the performer’s relevant contact information and he/she has yours. Give your cell phone number, the event address, the venue’s phone number, a contact name and website address well in advance to cover all your bases.

For more information about wedding entertainment or to book a live band (playing jazz, groove or reggae) for your wedding, contact Brian Allen: Brian@briansaxallen.com; 772-336-7517.

Sources: http://weddings.gigmasters.com/entertainment-checklist/

Reggae music is a passion of mine and a passion of many others. It was created in Jamaica in the early ’60s, and it was developed from ska, mento and R&B music.

According to Piero Scaruffi: “It also made explicit the relationship with the underworld of the ‘Rastafarians’ (adepts of a millenary African faith, revived Marcus Garvey who advocated a mass emigration back to Africa), both in the lyrics and in the appropriation of the African nyah-bingi drumming style (a style that mimicks the heartbeat with its pattern of “thump-thump, pause, thump-thump”). Compared with rock music, reggae music basically inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the latter beat the typical hiccupping pattern.”

Bob Marley popularized reggae music with his band The Wailers and with his outspoken religious and political beliefs. The Wailers os perhaps the most recognized Jamaican band.

The Golden Age of Reggae fell during the heyday of roots reggae, which is a spiritual type of music praising God and involving themes of poverty, government resistance and racial oppression.

Reggae really hit mainstream music when Neil Diamond recorded Red Red Wine, and it was featured in the film The Harder They Come.

My reggae band, Island Therapy, offers you and your guests happy island music with beats from reggae, calypso and soca music. Contact Brian Sax Allen to book your next Treasure Coast island experience: 772-336-7517.

References: Wikipedia.org; Piero Scaruffi