The Academy Awards were on last night, and it was such a treat to see some deserving winners. Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech for winning Best Actress for her work in The Blind Side was particularly endearing:
Did you notice that as soon as Sean Penn announced Sandra’s name, theme music from the movie started to play, and it played until she was on stage and ready to give her acceptance speech? Without the music, there simply would have been applause, then an awkward silence.
It was the same thing with Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Director acceptance speech:
Your wedding has these “Oscar moments”: your Maid of Honor’s toast, the Best Man’s speech, the ethnic toasts, all of these require the speaker to make her way from her seat to the stage/podium to deliver her “acceptance speech.” By having “theme music” for each speaker, you can create an elegant and original mood at your reception, and make the toasts/speeches so much more fun. After all, when was the last time you went to a Hawaii wedding that had theme music for each speaker?
Maid of Honor Toast Introduction Example from Marino – Ninja Entertainment on Vimeo.
Video footage courtesy Advanced Visual Arts.
To increase your chances of doing this right, you’ll need some advance planning, and some coordination between your Master of Ceremonies and your DJ.
- First, choose “theme music” for each of your speakers: your Maid of Honor, Best Man, your ethnic toasters (banzai, Mabuhay, yum pui, salud, etc.). The songs could either be something that represents the person (e.g., “Friends” theme for someone who you are very, very close to), or it’s that person’s favorite song.
- Make sure your DJ has those songs and can edit/cue the music to a recognizable start point, so when your DJ starts the music, your guests will instantly know the song and make the connection back to the speaker.
- If your emcee and DJ haven’t had the chance to rehearse before the wedding day, make sure they practice the timing of the toast introductions before doors open to your audience. The last thing you want to do is for them to attempt it without any practice–it won’t come out as good as it looks at the Oscars.
With theme music and enough practice, your toasts and speeches will turn out just as fun and elegant as they do at the Academy Awards, making your wedding day an “Oscar night” to remember!
Image courtesy KRIS LABANG/On 3 Photography