ONE MORE SONG!

[funkymook]

I am always surprised at how many DJs focus the end of the night purely on the B&G, something I never do.

Not sure how you could end the night focused solely on the B&G and exclude the guests? They aren’t just going to ignore what you say as you’re addressing the whole room not having a private conversation with the couple, they’ll cheer and clap when you make the final announcements.

Anyway I’m sure it’s pretty standard to say a few nice words about the B&G (obviously) and also thank the guests and get a round of applause for the venue and bar staff.

Unless I misunderstand what you’re saying, can you explain...

[Excalibur]

Ninety seven years I've been at this job, and now it turns out I've been doing it all wrong!!

If the event finishes at 12, then I finish the night with a crescendo at 11.50pm.

Call me pedantic, but if the event finishes at twelve, by a strange coincidence, the music tends to stop at twelve as well. It's like hiring a painter to paint the doors in your house, and he doesn't paint one of them.
" Ah yes, but if you'd insisted, I would have painted it as well ".

I am always surprised at how many DJs focus the end of the night purely on the B&G, something I never do.

And how many times on here have people on here been criticised for not making the happy couple the centre of attention? Quite a lot, from memory.

To be honest Chris, I think I can see where you're coming from. I rarely do this, but as I always remind people- " Never say never ".

[yourdj]

Yeah it's not ALL about the B&G at the end. If the numbers are still good enough at that point, I usually get the crowd to cheer the B&G one more time in thanks for being great hosts, then thank the crowd & wish them a safe onward journey wherever they're headed.

I think it puts a nice cap on the whole day & almost always gets a bigger response than the first dance (probably aided by alcohol no doubt).

Yes - same here, nice to make guests feel like they are included, especially if they have been great.

[ckpr2]

I just explain that the music has to stop at midnight due to licensing laws, usually works.

I once did a disco and backed a band at Kendal for the TA in a interesting looking building.
Midnight came and I started to pack up.
A young man came up and asked if they paid me a bit more would I play on.
I eventually got away at 4am only to get stuck in snow on the way home.
By 7am I eventually got home.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Apologies if this sounds harsh but I thought it would be an obvious thing to do and pretty much common sense to thank EVERYBODY at the end of the night but concentrate on the Bride & Groom.
If the guests have been great and up for it and have made your life easier during the evening by keeping that dance floor busy then rightly so, they should be thanked too. I do it even if it has been a mediocre night.

As Martin rightly said too, I also thank the venue staff and anyone that helped.

At a wedding a couple of weeks ago, just before I played the last song I nipped over to the kitchen where the 2 girls had been serving drinks from and asked them their names because I wanted to give them a shout. They'd been dancing in the kitchen all night!
Massive applause for the happy couple, the girls, the guests etc and it all worked well.

I went to a party a few years ago with the missus (up here actually) and it was a good night. The DJ wasn't bad and everyone seemed to be having a great time but when it came to the end of the night I almost missed it because there were no announcements or anything. I am sitting there one minute and the next minute the house lights are on, no music, no applause and I look over and the DJ is taking down his lighting. It was an abrupt ending that spoilt the night for me because it had been decent enough up until that point.

[ppentertainments]

Just to expand on my earlier comment about not focusing purely on the bride and groom.

I see so many DJ videos of the end of the night where they have the B&G in the middle of a circle for the whole song with all eyes on them.

Speaking to couples, the first dance is something they are often more nervous about than anything else. Roll onto the end of the night, they have relaxed, had a few too many drinks and the DJ is now trying to put everyones focus back on them for the 3 or 4 minutes of the last song, again having them together alone in the middle of a circle.

I do something which runs along similar lines but doesn’t purely focus on 2 people, rather the collective guests and also recognises those who have put in a bit extra effort during the day.

I often get compliments on how I end the night, and is in fact quite a good marketing technique too


One thing which is a BIG mistake, although something certain people try to encourage, is a staged last dance, in fact anything staged/rehearsed throughout the day/night should be avoided if possible.

[Shaun]

I just carry on with the dismantling of the gear. Once they see I'm busy taking the gear down and that's there's no reaction to their calls, it usually has the desired effect.

[funkymook]

Just to expand on my earlier comment about not focusing purely on the bride and groom.

I see so many DJ videos of the end of the night where they have the B&G in the middle of a circle for the whole song with all eyes on them.

Speaking to couples, the first dance is something they are often more nervous about than anything else. Roll onto the end of the night, they have relaxed, had a few too many drinks and the DJ is now trying to put everyones focus back on them for the 3 or 4 minutes of the last song, again having them together alone in the middle of a circle.

I do something which runs along similar lines but doesn’t purely focus on 2 people, rather the collective guests and also recognises those who have put in a bit extra effort during the day.

I often get compliments on how I end the night, and is in fact quite a good marketing technique too


One thing which is a BIG mistake, although something certain people try to encourage, is a staged last dance, in fact anything staged/rehearsed throughout the day/night should be avoided if possible.

Thanks for elaborating, it’s a good point - you just sounded abrupt and dismissive in your previous comment without the explanation.

The thread is about avoiding the dreaded shouts for ‘just one more’, having a clear end to the night is the way to avoid that, and gathering guests around the B&G for the final song is one approach (and often it can happen naturally with no prompting anyway). Hopefully anyone with any sense would adapt their ending to what suits their B&G after discussing it with them beforehand so there’s no excuse for making them feel uncomfortable. Must admit I’ve never seen it result in the B&G being left alone in the middle surrounded by onlookers though, it’s always more of a massive group hug and singalong.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I always tell the Bride & Groom in advance that it is more than likely that at the end of the night for that last song they will end up in the middle of a circle with their guests around them. 99.9% of them love the idea. Those that don't like the idea, well, I don't push it but it usually ends up that way and they love it. You can see it on their faces!

[ppentertainments]

I just carry on with the dismantling of the gear. Once they see I'm busy taking the gear down and that's there's no reaction to their calls, it usually has the desired effect.

I always pack speakers first which gives a definitive sign