March 10, 2024 • 23 mins
We all want the perfect wedding atmosphere, don't we? With guests filling the dance floor and the music setting the mood for an unforgettable wedding. In today's episode, we're joined by Andy Kay, Events Director of Ministry of DJs. With over 15 years of experience, Andy is sharing all his expert advice.
We discuss:
- How to choose the right mix of live and recorded music to suit your wedding day?
- How to approach creating a playlist that caters to a diverse audience and keeps everyone dancing and entertained?
- Some of the common mistakes couples make when planning the music aspect of their wedding, and how they can be avoided?
- What advice Andy has for the MC so they can do their best?
- From Andy's own eyes, what he sees that makes for the best weddings?
- Andy #1 wedding tip
Full Shownotes and Resources:
- For detailed information, additional tips, and resources mentioned in this episode, visit our website at https://managemywedding.com/blogs/news/your-wedding-music-matters-with-andy-from-ministry-of-djs
Ready to plan your dream wedding without the stress? Our free masterclass reveals how to avoid hidden costs, save 50+ hours of planning, create a seamless day-of schedule, and handle family opinions like a pro. Start now at https://www.managemyweddingacademy.com/weddingmasterclass and turn your wedding vision into a reality!
🤍
WEDDING MUST-HAVES:
- Download the Free Manage My Wedding App : Stay organised
- Secrets To Planning The Best Wedding Ever: Free masterclass without forgetting a single detail, staying calm through-out, and sticking to your budget.
- Stress-Free Countdown: Your Final 90-Day Wedding Guide: Don't overlook anything in your final weeks
- Additional Tools: For easy smooth planning
🤍
CONNECT WITH US:
- Win Wedding Prizes: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and enter our monthly competitions.
- Follow Us on Social Media: For valuable wedding advice on Instagram and Facebook.
- Join Our Private Community: Connect with other couples in our private community for support and and plan your dre...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Yvette Sitters (00:00):
Today we're going to be talking about your
wedding music.
We're going to be talking aboutcreating an epic atmosphere,
picking the right tunes andtouching on the MC role a little
bit too.
Today we're joined by Andy, whois a professional wedding DJ
with over 15 years experiencerocking wedding dance floors.
Andy is currently the EventsDirector of Ministry of DJs,
(00:22):
which is a boutiqueentertainment agency which is
specializing in providingMelbourne and Sydney's finest
DJs and musicians at weddingsand events, large and small.
So Andy has got so muchexperience.
So I'm really looking forwardto this conversation because I
think it's all going to reallygoing to help all of you with
your wedding planning.
So welcome to the podcast, andy.
Andy Kay (00:43):
Thank you for having me.
Yvette Sitters (00:45):
It's great to have you.
What a fun job you have.
Andy Kay (00:48):
Look, I pinch myself sometimes, especially when, yeah
, your office space is basicallya dance floor and your viewing
platform is everyone just goingto be nice and having fun.
So, yeah, it's a very fortunateto be doing what we're doing.
Yvette Sitters (01:01):
Yeah, I was watching.
I think I commented on one ofyour Instagram posts last week
and I think it was a corporateevent and the dance floor it was
going off and I was like I wantto be there.
Andy Kay (01:15):
Yeah, look it's great.
It's great Like music andentertainment is our passion and
we're very fortunate to bedoing what we're doing every day
.
Yvette Sitters (01:22):
Yeah, and before you were doing, because you
said 15 years, what were youdoing before?
Andy Kay (01:26):
Yeah, so my professional background is event
management, most specificallyin the sports events side of
things, and I was doing DJing asa sort of side hustle passion
in volunteer event and yeah, Idid all that in basically
transformed a passion and hobbyinto a full-time gig.
It's just where Ministry of DJswas formed and yeah, never
looked back and now it's growingand growing in a great way and
(01:47):
yeah, love what I do.
Yvette Sitters (01:48):
Basically, I'm one of the few people that can
honestly say that, yeah, andit's good to have somebody like
you who can help couples thathas the background as well of
the wedding planning part, thatplanning events and stuff,
because that makes such amassive difference 100%.
Andy Kay (02:03):
Yeah, there's so much involved with weddings and, as a
planner, there's things thatpeople even think about.
So having that experience isobviously valuable, because then
you just come up with ideas oreven suggestions or even things
that you didn't think about thatare needed.
Yeah.
Yvette Sitters (02:16):
That's so valuable.
So let's talk about first.
I suppose a question that, andsomething that rises all the
time as a question, is talkingabout that whole live music
versus the created DJ music, andwe want to talk.
Everyone wants to create theright atmosphere, right.
Everyone wants everyone toenjoy the music.
Everyone wants everyone on thedance floor.
(02:37):
That is the key.
What advice do you have forcouples in choosing that right
mix of live and recorded to suittheir wedding day?
Andy Kay (02:47):
I mean, when you say recorded, do you mean sort of?
Yvette Sitters (02:50):
Just a DJ.
Are you having a DJ compared tohaving live band?
Andy Kay (02:53):
Of course.
Yeah, it's a very greatquestion and traditionally
probably bands would more, Iguess, than all.
Now we're fighting a transitionbetween four DJs and look,
there's pros and cons with bothat the end of the day.
So I'm always going to try andpush the DJ for the reasons of
you get that constant mix ofenergy from start to finish.
You get the variety of music,you get the live transition
(03:14):
mixes, you cater for everyone'staste and if something's not
working, the DJ can just switchit off.
I love live music as well, soif the clients love live music,
the band's for them.
There's no harm in that, likethere's a personal preference in
the day.
But we try and sell DJs as theultimate entertainment package.
It's a live mix of music andhigh tempo, high energy from
(03:35):
start to finish.
Yvette Sitters (03:36):
Yeah, I love what you said.
Then when you said the DJ cancontrol the music and change it
up and that's what I always sayto bridal couples who are torn
between the live and the DJ I'mlike but the DJ can gauge really
quickly how that's going on thenight and if it needs to be
changed to what list the brideand groom have given you.
(03:58):
Or if the friend did the list,you can make that call and
change everything Exactly.
Andy Kay (04:05):
I mean, there's so much genres of music, there's so
much personal preferences aswell, and there's good songs
from every genre, whether it beR&B, house, 80s, 90s, whatever
it is.
So the beauty that I thinkthere is, he can.
He also can mash all that upand cater for everyone,
basically.
Yvette Sitters (04:19):
Yeah, yeah, I agree, I had on my wedding day.
We wanted a little bit of life,so we just had an acoustic
player for the pre-receptiondrinks and he just covered that
hour and a half, I think it was.
And then the DJ took over onceeveryone came into reception and
it was perfect and it was justenough and the DJ didn't have to
move his stuff, which he can do, though Sometimes can't you?
Andy Kay (04:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's not uncommon to have aceremony with the DJ and then
obviously move a small set up tothe main reception centre.
Yvette Sitters (04:48):
Yeah, yeah, no, and we loved it.
We loved it.
We loved having a DJ, becausepeople can go up to the DJ too
and be like can you play this?
Andy Kay (04:56):
Can you do that?
Exactly right.
And as a DJ, it's good for usbecause we actually know what
the crowd likes and obviously wealways check with the writing
group where couples before tosee if they allow requests.
But yeah, absolutely, there'sno harm in going up to the DJ or
even musicians or bands to say,look, can you play this song?
Yvette Sitters (05:12):
That's their event, so why not let's cater
for them?
Yeah, yeah, have some fun.
Not all guests, though, as weknow, like the same music.
Everyone's got a differenttaste.
How do you approach creating aplaylist that caters to a
diverse audience and keepseveryone, like, engaged and
enjoying themselves?
And it's changed.
Andy Kay (05:31):
Yeah, a lot of that's to do with the pre-work.
So we always engage with ourcouples and find out what
ultimately it's their wedding ortheir events.
So we like to find out moreabout what they like, what they
don't like, how they want it tobe structured, and we work
around that.
So we always say less is morewith weddings.
Recent being is we don't knowwhat the crowd's going to be
like on the day.
We don't know what they'regoing to react to.
We don't know what they'regoing to like.
And the beauty about having aDJ that experienced DJ there is.
(05:54):
He or she can gauge the crowd.
If something's working, likethis, say, an 80s set, for
example, he or she will continueplaying that until it's not.
So, yeah, that's everything'slive, everything's done on the
spot and it's all about justengaging, the currency, what
works and keeping that momentumhigh and sort of energy all
night.
Yvette Sitters (06:12):
Yeah, yeah.
In your experiences, like ofall the last 15 years, what are
some common mistakes that yousee couples are making when
planning that music aspect oftheir wedding?
How can they avoid it?
It's a great question.
Andy Kay (06:24):
So my, from my experience, is the the weddings
that are used at the challengingones, both on the dance or on
planning, are the ones that whenwe get pages and pages of song
requests.
Now, there's nothing wrong withgiving song requests, we
actually absolutely love it butwhen you give sort of three or
four pages of song requestswhich goes for over five hours,
let's say for argument's sake,and you've only got a sort of
two hour or one hour dancebracket, it's always hard to
(06:45):
work on that and they might, anda lot of songs that they might
hear in the car and it's a slowsong and particularly won't work
.
So we're honest with ourcouples and let them know what
work, what potentially might notwork, and what songs are better
suited, for example, like theslow songs could be suited
during the dinner bracket or thecanapes, for example.
So we like to be honest becauseat the day we want a lively
(07:06):
dance floor and we're going togive our honest opinion on how
we can create that for them aswell.
Yvette Sitters (07:12):
Yeah, yeah, so so important.
I know, like for me I'm like donot play the Macarena or the
YMCA at my wedding.
Like I think it comes fromyears and years of hearing those
songs at every wedding.
Andy Kay (07:24):
I get it, I get it.
Yvette Sitters (07:25):
So I was like this is the genre I like, these
are the key songs that I wantthe entrance song and the cake
cutting song and the first danceand these are the songs I do
not want you to play.
Do you do that?
Andy Kay (07:37):
Absolutely so.
We have a little personalizedwedding portal which we send to
all clients and they have thosefirst sections in it the songs
you want to hear, the must playsand also the do not plays as
well, Because that I mean,everyone's different.
Some people love the Macarena,for example, something we don't.
Yeah, we're happy for whatever.
So we're here to make sure theclients are happy, more for some
fairness.
Yvette Sitters (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, I think.
I think grandparents are alwayswaiting to hear some of those
traditional wedding songs too,aren't they?
If you've got a few elderlythere at the wedding.
Andy Kay (08:04):
Yeah, and they seem to work well with the stars.
It's like, probably from mypersonal experience, the
classics.
When I say a classic like the80s, 70s, 90s, etc.
Yeah, they're all at the startof the event, because that's
when I guess everyone likes,everyone's sort of familiar with
themselves with that kind ofold style music and then once
you get the dance all startedfrom the start, it's a good sort
of segue for the rest of thenight.
Yvette Sitters (08:24):
Yeah, yeah, what's?
This is a really randomquestion to ask and put you on
the spot.
What are you finding is themost popular first dance song
choice at the moment?
Andy Kay (08:34):
It's a hard question to answer because every first
dance song is different and,personally, unique.
Yvette Sitters (08:39):
I mean, if you were to ask me sort of.
Andy Kay (08:41):
Rieke Boyer, you could say anything against Sharon.
No, yes, but now it's like, andit's just a personal song, and
that's what I love about thefirst dance moment as well,
because we might not have heardit before.
I'm trying to start withGwyneth, but at the end of the
day it's the couple's specialsong.
So there's no rule of thumbwith this answer.
If it's an individualpreference, if you were to ask
me sort of popular dance orsongs, I can tell you straight
(09:02):
away.
But yeah, specifically, thefirst dance is such a unique and
special song for the couple.
It's usually different for eachevent.
Yvette Sitters (09:09):
Yeah, do you find it's the one partner is
really the one really involvedin the music, or do you find
it's pretty equal?
Andy Kay (09:17):
I know it's usually yeah and there's no consistency
with Bridegroom or Bride orwhatever the couple is.
There's always that one personthat has the more of a say, I
guess with the music, which isfine, Like, as long as we love
that people are passionate aboutmusic and value it within a
wedding.
Yvette Sitters (09:33):
Yeah, yeah, I remember my husband picked a
song and I can't even rememberthe name of it now, but he was
like I've always wanted thissong for my first dance and he
played it to me and I was like,oh my gosh, I wish I knew the
name.
Andy Kay (09:46):
Was it your first dance?
Yvette Sitters (09:48):
Yeah, it was our first, it was a first dance
song.
I've always wanted this song,always known it, I'm known
forever.
And I was like that is from myfather, opposite of what I would
have thought he would ever pick, and it was by far the opposite
of what I wanted.
He's like I've let you pickevery other song, this is all I
want.
And I was like okay, yeah, Ijust went with it.
(10:10):
And I was like yep, no problem.
Andy Kay (10:12):
I did probably love it now, though, yeah.
Yvette Sitters (10:15):
I wish now I had the name of it.
I could I forget it, becauseit's not a common song.
I'll send it to you afterwardsand you can either laugh or not.
But I do sometimes look back atlike there's a video and I look
back and I'm like you couldtell some people are like what
is this song?
But he, my husband, loved itand you could tell he was so
happy and that made me happy onthe night I was like he's loving
(10:38):
this.
I'm just going to enjoy it andI did enjoy it.
Andy Kay (10:41):
I mean, that's the beauty about music as well.
It's such an emotional journeythat it takes you on, and
everyone has had personalpreferences with it.
So, yeah, it's a beautifulthing.
Yvette Sitters (10:51):
Yeah, it is music.
I mean music creates love, Ibelieve, like I remember, when I
met my partner and fell in love, we just that was all we would
do at the beginning is just playmusic.
That was just our thing,because it connects emotions on
the wedding day.
Andy Kay (11:05):
Oh, 100%.
And that's the music plays suchan important role in within
winning, because every keymoment of the wedding involves a
song, involves a sound.
For example, like your entrance, bridal entrance, for example,
bridal entrance is your firstdance, even the sort of cake
song, there's always a musicalelement involved and picking the
right song for that justcontributes and amplifies the
(11:28):
actual moment or mini-eventwithin the wedding.
Yvette Sitters (11:31):
Yeah, it does.
My regular listeners know thatI bang on about this a lot, but
I'm like the best weddings, theones that we remember the most,
are because we have emotionsattached to that wedding.
You're emotionally investedthat day and I'm always like
what do they remember the most?
And everything is connected toemotions.
(11:51):
It's like they always rememberthe food, whether it's good or
bad.
They always remember if theycould find a drink or not.
Like if they could not find adrink, they will remember that.
They will always remember themusic, always, and I'm always
like that's because they all areemotionally connected.
(12:11):
Everyone gets emotions frommusic and food, like it's just
what happens, it's what bringsus together and that's, I
believe, it's what makes thebest weddings.
And I get upset and I knowwe've touched on this before we
started recording when peopleleave the music to the last
minute.
I'm like no, it's important.
Andy Kay (12:30):
Look, I completely agree.
Anyone that's been to a goodwedding or a fun wedding will
think back and say why did I?
Why was it so good?
And they'll walk out with asmile on their face because they
dance with Nenner and pop tothat song.
They sort of break dance tothis song, they jump up and down
to whatever song it was.
And you're right, they're alljust emotions that come from
music.
And that's why it is soimportant to place a lot of
(12:52):
emphasis on the music and theimportance of music, because
ultimately, you're going to walkaway from a wedding thinking
how good was that party, not howgood the tablecloth was or the
chairs were.
They're all nice things, butit's still those emotive farm
experiences that are soimportant.
Yvette Sitters (13:08):
Yeah, and when you talk about a wedding in four
years time, no one rememberswhat the tablecloth was on the
tables anyway.
Andy Kay (13:15):
No, and then I'm not saying they're not important or
anything, but yeah, a wedding isa one giant party and without
good music and good DJs, goodmusicians, you won't have that.
Yeah.
Yvette Sitters (13:24):
How do you feel when people say to you oh, I'm
just going to plug my iPhone inand play Spotify.
Andy Kay (13:29):
I mean it's a personal preference.
There's so many risks involvedwith that, but ultimately that's
their preference with theirmusic and their style and their
budget.
We're all for that.
We'll definitely expand therisks involved in that and the
downsides of that, but yeah,it's their preference and then
we can only support them.
Yvette Sitters (13:46):
What do you share?
What are your couple of biggestrisks?
That are Because I'm oh, wheredo we start?
Andy Kay (13:51):
So I mean, the sound quality is probably not going to
be this good because, yeah,you're probably using a
Bluetooth speaker or some sortof substandard piece of audio
device.
There's obviously that gapbetween songs.
There's what?
If the song's not working onthe playlist, then you got to
wait for it to finish as well,and that's another thing.
Having a DJ there will meanthat songs blend seamlessly.
You're not going to hear thefull song unless you want to, or
(14:13):
if it's a good song.
The Spotify plays will just letthe song drag, wait a couple of
seconds, maybe put some ads onif it's not a pre-missus, and
then yeah, yeah, there's yourbuzz and buzz gone from the
wedding already.
Yvette Sitters (14:24):
Yeah, and people fighting over the song You're
right.
Andy Kay (14:26):
You've invested so much time and money into a
wedding.
It's such an important event.
Don't risk it.
Yvette Sitters (14:31):
No, I'm all for it.
I'm all for it.
In some situations I know thatthe wedding musician I've seen
it happen time and time againmay find themselves stepping in
as that impromptu emcee ifthings aren't going as planned
or the emcee's gotten a bittipsy and have forgotten their
job, or just it's not goinggreat.
(14:52):
How do you have that happenoften?
How do you handle theseunexpected scenarios and what
advice do you want to give thelisteners around all of that?
Andy Kay (15:00):
It's a very good question, like thankfully I
don't have it often because weyeah, usually the emcee takes
their job quite seriously.
We're going to be a familymember of a friend, but we're
always there to guide the brideand groom with a couple in terms
of On the night, even beforethe night, on what things
usually work within a run sheet.
On the day things are over timeor under time, or probably more
over time.
(15:21):
We can step in and check inwith the MC, say just let you
know the speeches are due tostart and if they want to have a
good time for the rest of thenight, we're happy to chip in as
well and do the finalannouncement.
So, yes, we're here to supportand guide the guys, whoever's
doing the role as the MC.
It's not an easy job and we dooffer that as a service as well.
The bride group or the couplejust want to relax and not have
(15:42):
to worry about that as well.
Yvette Sitters (15:44):
Yeah, yeah, I love that you add that as an
additional service, if they wantit, because it is
nerve-wracking for the personthat is chosen, no matter what,
no matter how keen they are tosay yes, it's a tough role, it's
everyone's.
Andy Kay (15:55):
And some people are good at it, which is why they're
selected, and some people, yeah, just don't want to do it.
So yeah, it's where all of ourDJs are and are trained as well,
so we can do it on a good leveland keep things in order as a
corner to the run sheet.
Yvette Sitters (16:08):
Yeah, I can't remember the last time I went to
a wedding and wasn't the MC Imean as a guest because they're
like oh, can you be the MC?
Andy Kay (16:16):
You must be good at it .
Yvette Sitters (16:17):
You know what to do and you're like oh, just
because I'm a wedding plandoesn't always mean I want to be
the MC, but you know.
Andy Kay (16:25):
Look, ultimately you're just sticking to a run
sheet.
So as long as you can do that,you're happy there.
Yvette Sitters (16:29):
Yeah, totally, totally.
So from your own eyes.
What do you see at weddings?
What do you think makes for thebest weddings and what's the
difference in those weddingsthat really stand out?
Andy Kay (16:42):
That's a really good question.
Having enough time allocated forall the key moments is a big
good thing.
So ensuring that things flow forexample, enough time for meals,
enough time for speeches like,for example, 10 people want to
just have speeches, not havingthem in the same bunch, for
example, breaking them up,things like that so, yeah,
having the right amount of timeallocated for each event within
(17:04):
a wedding is an important thingIn terms of music, which is what
we offer having a playlist thatworks.
So what I mean by that isworking with couple to make sure
we find out what they like,what their guests like, and
having enough dance floor timeto produce that as well.
So anything from an hour to twohours is probably the minimum
that we need for a good dancefloor, but we have the same
(17:24):
things run over time as well,and it just takes me organized
as well.
So having, yeah, making surethe check's done for the big
event.
We want couples just to go rockup on their wedding date, just
relax and enjoy themselves andbring their dancing shoes and
just have time with their liveseffectively.
So the more with events, themore planning you do, the better
the events going to beeffectively.
Yvette Sitters (17:43):
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
And the thing that stood outfor me the most thing was when
you said leaving enough time forthe dance floor, because that's
where all the funds had and allthe formalities and all the
serious stuff's over.
Everyone's getting loose on thedance floor having a good time
and yeah, I'm always like I feelsad when people you find out
they've got like 40 minutes leftto dance on the dance floor.
Andy Kay (18:05):
You're like no, you've got to have more time because
no one wants to go home thenYou're right, but there's always
around that Like what, if wefind a big trend coming of sort
of that's been around for awhile is having a little dance
practice starts as soon as abrother grew up with a couple
into the room using sort of 10,15, 20 minutes to bring everyone
together and have a littleboogie at the start.
That's a great initiativethey're finding and it sort of
(18:26):
breaks the ice as well with withgas and your wedding's.
After a really good start, theblood's pumping within the body.
They've had a little boogie andnow they can sit back and enjoy
their entrees.
Yvette Sitters (18:35):
Yeah, I love that.
That's so fun.
I remember doing a wedding oncewith their couple were
introduced into the room andthen the bride and groom came in
last and then the bride andgroom walked around dancing and
they got everyone up and theytook everyone to the dance floor
.
It was really good.
It was so much fun.
I mean getting them to sit downthen for their entree Another
(18:58):
story, but it's so true, andthat wedding is one of the most
memorable ones that I've runbecause of the atmosphere.
Andy Kay (19:06):
Yeah, so wedding is just one giant party, and that's
what it should be.
So it's a great celebration.
You bring two people togetherwith all their friends and
family on loved ones, and that'swhat we're here to celebrate.
Yvette Sitters (19:16):
Yeah, and we don't have to follow traditions
anymore.
You do what you want.
Andy Kay (19:20):
Listen to the traditions, whatever you make it
.
So it's up to the couple whattraditions they want to set, and
we're here to facilitate that.
Yvette Sitters (19:26):
Yeah, I love that.
Can you share with us now yournumber one wedding tip?
Andy Kay (19:34):
Why not more weeks here?
Trust your DJ or trust yourmusician.
Reason I say that is we're hereto make sure everyone has fun.
We make sure that our coupleshave fun, most importantly.
So they do this week in, weekout.
They know how to read a crowd,this is what they pay to do,
this is what they love as well,so trust that they'll deliver a
service like no other.
Yes, by all means give us asmuch ammunition information as
(19:57):
possible, but we want you guysto just relax and enjoy your
time.
Yvette Sitters (20:02):
I hate your wedding.
Yeah, I love that.
That's a great tip, and Ialways think, too when you can
see that the DJ is having areally good time yeah you know
the crowd is because everyone'sbuzzing off everyone's energy.
Andy Kay (20:14):
It's a really good thing and we're fortunate to
have all of our DJs, musiciansthat share that passion, say
anyone, all of our DJs, theadministrative DJs.
Yvette Sitters (20:22):
they love what they do and I do this as a
passion, more than anything,which we love.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
It's good to know.
Thank you so much for chattingto us today, andy.
I've really enjoyed talkingwith you.
I feel like I'm gonna be gone.
Get my bookie on now.
Tell the listeners where canthey find you.
Andy Kay (20:43):
So we're all over socials administrative DJs
entertainment whereadministrative DJscomau is our
website and yeah, we're all Imean we're all businesses of
Melbourne, sydney, but we'resort of branching out to Perth
and Brisbane shortly as well.
So, yeah, if you want to have achat, hook us up.
We're more than welcome to,more than happy to chat anything
music or entertainment for anywedding or event.
Yvette Sitters (21:04):
Fantastic, thank you.
I'll make sure I pop all ofthose links and everything in
the show notes as well.
So thank you so much forsharing.
Andy Kay (21:11):
You're most welcome.
Lovely to chat to you.
Have a great day.
Yvette Sitters (21:13):
You too.
Thanks, Andy Bye.
Today we're going to be talking about your
wedding music.
We're going to be talking aboutcreating an epic atmosphere,
picking the right tunes andtouching on the MC role a little
bit too.
Today we're joined by Andy, whois a professional wedding DJ
with over 15 years experiencerocking wedding dance floors.
Andy is currently the EventsDirector of Ministry of DJs,
(00:22):
which is a boutiqueentertainment agency which is
specializing in providingMelbourne and Sydney's finest
DJs and musicians at weddingsand events, large and small.
So Andy has got so muchexperience.
So I'm really looking forwardto this conversation because I
think it's all going to reallygoing to help all of you with
your wedding planning.
So welcome to the podcast, andy.
Andy Kay (00:43):
Thank you for having me.
Yvette Sitters (00:45):
It's great to have you.
What a fun job you have.
Andy Kay (00:48):
Look, I pinch myself sometimes, especially when, yeah
, your office space is basicallya dance floor and your viewing
platform is everyone just goingto be nice and having fun.
So, yeah, it's a very fortunateto be doing what we're doing.
Yvette Sitters (01:01):
Yeah, I was watching.
I think I commented on one ofyour Instagram posts last week
and I think it was a corporateevent and the dance floor it was
going off and I was like I wantto be there.
Andy Kay (01:15):
Yeah, look it's great.
It's great Like music andentertainment is our passion and
we're very fortunate to bedoing what we're doing every day
.
Yvette Sitters (01:22):
Yeah, and before you were doing, because you
said 15 years, what were youdoing before?
Andy Kay (01:26):
Yeah, so my professional background is event
management, most specificallyin the sports events side of
things, and I was doing DJing asa sort of side hustle passion
in volunteer event and yeah, Idid all that in basically
transformed a passion and hobbyinto a full-time gig.
It's just where Ministry of DJswas formed and yeah, never
looked back and now it's growingand growing in a great way and
(01:47):
yeah, love what I do.
Yvette Sitters (01:48):
Basically, I'm one of the few people that can
honestly say that, yeah, andit's good to have somebody like
you who can help couples thathas the background as well of
the wedding planning part, thatplanning events and stuff,
because that makes such amassive difference 100%.
Andy Kay (02:03):
Yeah, there's so much involved with weddings and, as a
planner, there's things thatpeople even think about.
So having that experience isobviously valuable, because then
you just come up with ideas oreven suggestions or even things
that you didn't think about thatare needed.
Yeah.
Yvette Sitters (02:16):
That's so valuable.
So let's talk about first.
I suppose a question that, andsomething that rises all the
time as a question, is talkingabout that whole live music
versus the created DJ music, andwe want to talk.
Everyone wants to create theright atmosphere, right.
Everyone wants everyone toenjoy the music.
Everyone wants everyone on thedance floor.
(02:37):
That is the key.
What advice do you have forcouples in choosing that right
mix of live and recorded to suittheir wedding day?
Andy Kay (02:47):
I mean, when you say recorded, do you mean sort of?
Yvette Sitters (02:50):
Just a DJ.
Are you having a DJ compared tohaving live band?
Andy Kay (02:53):
Of course.
Yeah, it's a very greatquestion and traditionally
probably bands would more, Iguess, than all.
Now we're fighting a transitionbetween four DJs and look,
there's pros and cons with bothat the end of the day.
So I'm always going to try andpush the DJ for the reasons of
you get that constant mix ofenergy from start to finish.
You get the variety of music,you get the live transition
(03:14):
mixes, you cater for everyone'staste and if something's not
working, the DJ can just switchit off.
I love live music as well, soif the clients love live music,
the band's for them.
There's no harm in that, likethere's a personal preference in
the day.
But we try and sell DJs as theultimate entertainment package.
It's a live mix of music andhigh tempo, high energy from
(03:35):
start to finish.
Yvette Sitters (03:36):
Yeah, I love what you said.
Then when you said the DJ cancontrol the music and change it
up and that's what I always sayto bridal couples who are torn
between the live and the DJ I'mlike but the DJ can gauge really
quickly how that's going on thenight and if it needs to be
changed to what list the brideand groom have given you.
(03:58):
Or if the friend did the list,you can make that call and
change everything Exactly.
Andy Kay (04:05):
I mean, there's so much genres of music, there's so
much personal preferences aswell, and there's good songs
from every genre, whether it beR&B, house, 80s, 90s, whatever
it is.
So the beauty that I thinkthere is, he can.
He also can mash all that upand cater for everyone,
basically.
Yvette Sitters (04:19):
Yeah, yeah, I agree, I had on my wedding day.
We wanted a little bit of life,so we just had an acoustic
player for the pre-receptiondrinks and he just covered that
hour and a half, I think it was.
And then the DJ took over onceeveryone came into reception and
it was perfect and it was justenough and the DJ didn't have to
move his stuff, which he can do, though Sometimes can't you?
Andy Kay (04:41):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's not uncommon to have aceremony with the DJ and then
obviously move a small set up tothe main reception centre.
Yvette Sitters (04:48):
Yeah, yeah, no, and we loved it.
We loved it.
We loved having a DJ, becausepeople can go up to the DJ too
and be like can you play this?
Andy Kay (04:56):
Can you do that?
Exactly right.
And as a DJ, it's good for usbecause we actually know what
the crowd likes and obviously wealways check with the writing
group where couples before tosee if they allow requests.
But yeah, absolutely, there'sno harm in going up to the DJ or
even musicians or bands to say,look, can you play this song?
Yvette Sitters (05:12):
That's their event, so why not let's cater
for them?
Yeah, yeah, have some fun.
Not all guests, though, as weknow, like the same music.
Everyone's got a differenttaste.
How do you approach creating aplaylist that caters to a
diverse audience and keepseveryone, like, engaged and
enjoying themselves?
And it's changed.
Andy Kay (05:31):
Yeah, a lot of that's to do with the pre-work.
So we always engage with ourcouples and find out what
ultimately it's their wedding ortheir events.
So we like to find out moreabout what they like, what they
don't like, how they want it tobe structured, and we work
around that.
So we always say less is morewith weddings.
Recent being is we don't knowwhat the crowd's going to be
like on the day.
We don't know what they'regoing to react to.
We don't know what they'regoing to like.
And the beauty about having aDJ that experienced DJ there is.
(05:54):
He or she can gauge the crowd.
If something's working, likethis, say, an 80s set, for
example, he or she will continueplaying that until it's not.
So, yeah, that's everything'slive, everything's done on the
spot and it's all about justengaging, the currency, what
works and keeping that momentumhigh and sort of energy all
night.
Yvette Sitters (06:12):
Yeah, yeah.
In your experiences, like ofall the last 15 years, what are
some common mistakes that yousee couples are making when
planning that music aspect oftheir wedding?
How can they avoid it?
It's a great question.
Andy Kay (06:24):
So my, from my experience, is the the weddings
that are used at the challengingones, both on the dance or on
planning, are the ones that whenwe get pages and pages of song
requests.
Now, there's nothing wrong withgiving song requests, we
actually absolutely love it butwhen you give sort of three or
four pages of song requestswhich goes for over five hours,
let's say for argument's sake,and you've only got a sort of
two hour or one hour dancebracket, it's always hard to
(06:45):
work on that and they might, anda lot of songs that they might
hear in the car and it's a slowsong and particularly won't work
.
So we're honest with ourcouples and let them know what
work, what potentially might notwork, and what songs are better
suited, for example, like theslow songs could be suited
during the dinner bracket or thecanapes, for example.
So we like to be honest becauseat the day we want a lively
(07:06):
dance floor and we're going togive our honest opinion on how
we can create that for them aswell.
Yvette Sitters (07:12):
Yeah, yeah, so so important.
I know, like for me I'm like donot play the Macarena or the
YMCA at my wedding.
Like I think it comes fromyears and years of hearing those
songs at every wedding.
Andy Kay (07:24):
I get it, I get it.
Yvette Sitters (07:25):
So I was like this is the genre I like, these
are the key songs that I wantthe entrance song and the cake
cutting song and the first danceand these are the songs I do
not want you to play.
Do you do that?
Andy Kay (07:37):
Absolutely so.
We have a little personalizedwedding portal which we send to
all clients and they have thosefirst sections in it the songs
you want to hear, the must playsand also the do not plays as
well, Because that I mean,everyone's different.
Some people love the Macarena,for example, something we don't.
Yeah, we're happy for whatever.
So we're here to make sure theclients are happy, more for some
fairness.
Yvette Sitters (07:56):
Yeah, yeah, I think.
I think grandparents are alwayswaiting to hear some of those
traditional wedding songs too,aren't they?
If you've got a few elderlythere at the wedding.
Andy Kay (08:04):
Yeah, and they seem to work well with the stars.
It's like, probably from mypersonal experience, the
classics.
When I say a classic like the80s, 70s, 90s, etc.
Yeah, they're all at the startof the event, because that's
when I guess everyone likes,everyone's sort of familiar with
themselves with that kind ofold style music and then once
you get the dance all startedfrom the start, it's a good sort
of segue for the rest of thenight.
Yvette Sitters (08:24):
Yeah, yeah, what's?
This is a really randomquestion to ask and put you on
the spot.
What are you finding is themost popular first dance song
choice at the moment?
Andy Kay (08:34):
It's a hard question to answer because every first
dance song is different and,personally, unique.
Yvette Sitters (08:39):
I mean, if you were to ask me sort of.
Andy Kay (08:41):
Rieke Boyer, you could say anything against Sharon.
No, yes, but now it's like, andit's just a personal song, and
that's what I love about thefirst dance moment as well,
because we might not have heardit before.
I'm trying to start withGwyneth, but at the end of the
day it's the couple's specialsong.
So there's no rule of thumbwith this answer.
If it's an individualpreference, if you were to ask
me sort of popular dance orsongs, I can tell you straight
(09:02):
away.
But yeah, specifically, thefirst dance is such a unique and
special song for the couple.
It's usually different for eachevent.
Yvette Sitters (09:09):
Yeah, do you find it's the one partner is
really the one really involvedin the music, or do you find
it's pretty equal?
Andy Kay (09:17):
I know it's usually yeah and there's no consistency
with Bridegroom or Bride orwhatever the couple is.
There's always that one personthat has the more of a say, I
guess with the music, which isfine, Like, as long as we love
that people are passionate aboutmusic and value it within a
wedding.
Yvette Sitters (09:33):
Yeah, yeah, I remember my husband picked a
song and I can't even rememberthe name of it now, but he was
like I've always wanted thissong for my first dance and he
played it to me and I was like,oh my gosh, I wish I knew the
name.
Andy Kay (09:46):
Was it your first dance?
Yvette Sitters (09:48):
Yeah, it was our first, it was a first dance
song.
I've always wanted this song,always known it, I'm known
forever.
And I was like that is from myfather, opposite of what I would
have thought he would ever pick, and it was by far the opposite
of what I wanted.
He's like I've let you pickevery other song, this is all I
want.
And I was like okay, yeah, Ijust went with it.
(10:10):
And I was like yep, no problem.
Andy Kay (10:12):
I did probably love it now, though, yeah.
Yvette Sitters (10:15):
I wish now I had the name of it.
I could I forget it, becauseit's not a common song.
I'll send it to you afterwardsand you can either laugh or not.
But I do sometimes look back atlike there's a video and I look
back and I'm like you couldtell some people are like what
is this song?
But he, my husband, loved itand you could tell he was so
happy and that made me happy onthe night I was like he's loving
(10:38):
this.
I'm just going to enjoy it andI did enjoy it.
Andy Kay (10:41):
I mean, that's the beauty about music as well.
It's such an emotional journeythat it takes you on, and
everyone has had personalpreferences with it.
So, yeah, it's a beautifulthing.
Yvette Sitters (10:51):
Yeah, it is music.
I mean music creates love, Ibelieve, like I remember, when I
met my partner and fell in love, we just that was all we would
do at the beginning is just playmusic.
That was just our thing,because it connects emotions on
the wedding day.
Andy Kay (11:05):
Oh, 100%.
And that's the music plays suchan important role in within
winning, because every keymoment of the wedding involves a
song, involves a sound.
For example, like your entrance, bridal entrance, for example,
bridal entrance is your firstdance, even the sort of cake
song, there's always a musicalelement involved and picking the
right song for that justcontributes and amplifies the
(11:28):
actual moment or mini-eventwithin the wedding.
Yvette Sitters (11:31):
Yeah, it does.
My regular listeners know thatI bang on about this a lot, but
I'm like the best weddings, theones that we remember the most,
are because we have emotionsattached to that wedding.
You're emotionally investedthat day and I'm always like
what do they remember the most?
And everything is connected toemotions.
(11:51):
It's like they always rememberthe food, whether it's good or
bad.
They always remember if theycould find a drink or not.
Like if they could not find adrink, they will remember that.
They will always remember themusic, always, and I'm always
like that's because they all areemotionally connected.
(12:11):
Everyone gets emotions frommusic and food, like it's just
what happens, it's what bringsus together and that's, I
believe, it's what makes thebest weddings.
And I get upset and I knowwe've touched on this before we
started recording when peopleleave the music to the last
minute.
I'm like no, it's important.
Andy Kay (12:30):
Look, I completely agree.
Anyone that's been to a goodwedding or a fun wedding will
think back and say why did I?
Why was it so good?
And they'll walk out with asmile on their face because they
dance with Nenner and pop tothat song.
They sort of break dance tothis song, they jump up and down
to whatever song it was.
And you're right, they're alljust emotions that come from
music.
And that's why it is soimportant to place a lot of
(12:52):
emphasis on the music and theimportance of music, because
ultimately, you're going to walkaway from a wedding thinking
how good was that party, not howgood the tablecloth was or the
chairs were.
They're all nice things, butit's still those emotive farm
experiences that are soimportant.
Yvette Sitters (13:08):
Yeah, and when you talk about a wedding in four
years time, no one rememberswhat the tablecloth was on the
tables anyway.
Andy Kay (13:15):
No, and then I'm not saying they're not important or
anything, but yeah, a wedding isa one giant party and without
good music and good DJs, goodmusicians, you won't have that.
Yeah.
Yvette Sitters (13:24):
How do you feel when people say to you oh, I'm
just going to plug my iPhone inand play Spotify.
Andy Kay (13:29):
I mean it's a personal preference.
There's so many risks involvedwith that, but ultimately that's
their preference with theirmusic and their style and their
budget.
We're all for that.
We'll definitely expand therisks involved in that and the
downsides of that, but yeah,it's their preference and then
we can only support them.
Yvette Sitters (13:46):
What do you share?
What are your couple of biggestrisks?
That are Because I'm oh, wheredo we start?
Andy Kay (13:51):
So I mean, the sound quality is probably not going to
be this good because, yeah,you're probably using a
Bluetooth speaker or some sortof substandard piece of audio
device.
There's obviously that gapbetween songs.
There's what?
If the song's not working onthe playlist, then you got to
wait for it to finish as well,and that's another thing.
Having a DJ there will meanthat songs blend seamlessly.
You're not going to hear thefull song unless you want to, or
(14:13):
if it's a good song.
The Spotify plays will just letthe song drag, wait a couple of
seconds, maybe put some ads onif it's not a pre-missus, and
then yeah, yeah, there's yourbuzz and buzz gone from the
wedding already.
Yvette Sitters (14:24):
Yeah, and people fighting over the song You're
right.
Andy Kay (14:26):
You've invested so much time and money into a
wedding.
It's such an important event.
Don't risk it.
Yvette Sitters (14:31):
No, I'm all for it.
I'm all for it.
In some situations I know thatthe wedding musician I've seen
it happen time and time againmay find themselves stepping in
as that impromptu emcee ifthings aren't going as planned
or the emcee's gotten a bittipsy and have forgotten their
job, or just it's not goinggreat.
(14:52):
How do you have that happenoften?
How do you handle theseunexpected scenarios and what
advice do you want to give thelisteners around all of that?
Andy Kay (15:00):
It's a very good question, like thankfully I
don't have it often because weyeah, usually the emcee takes
their job quite seriously.
We're going to be a familymember of a friend, but we're
always there to guide the brideand groom with a couple in terms
of On the night, even beforethe night, on what things
usually work within a run sheet.
On the day things are over timeor under time, or probably more
over time.
(15:21):
We can step in and check inwith the MC, say just let you
know the speeches are due tostart and if they want to have a
good time for the rest of thenight, we're happy to chip in as
well and do the finalannouncement.
So, yes, we're here to supportand guide the guys, whoever's
doing the role as the MC.
It's not an easy job and we dooffer that as a service as well.
The bride group or the couplejust want to relax and not have
(15:42):
to worry about that as well.
Yvette Sitters (15:44):
Yeah, yeah, I love that you add that as an
additional service, if they wantit, because it is
nerve-wracking for the personthat is chosen, no matter what,
no matter how keen they are tosay yes, it's a tough role, it's
everyone's.
Andy Kay (15:55):
And some people are good at it, which is why they're
selected, and some people, yeah, just don't want to do it.
So yeah, it's where all of ourDJs are and are trained as well,
so we can do it on a good leveland keep things in order as a
corner to the run sheet.
Yvette Sitters (16:08):
Yeah, I can't remember the last time I went to
a wedding and wasn't the MC Imean as a guest because they're
like oh, can you be the MC?
Andy Kay (16:16):
You must be good at it .
Yvette Sitters (16:17):
You know what to do and you're like oh, just
because I'm a wedding plandoesn't always mean I want to be
the MC, but you know.
Andy Kay (16:25):
Look, ultimately you're just sticking to a run
sheet.
So as long as you can do that,you're happy there.
Yvette Sitters (16:29):
Yeah, totally, totally.
So from your own eyes.
What do you see at weddings?
What do you think makes for thebest weddings and what's the
difference in those weddingsthat really stand out?
Andy Kay (16:42):
That's a really good question.
Having enough time allocated forall the key moments is a big
good thing.
So ensuring that things flow forexample, enough time for meals,
enough time for speeches like,for example, 10 people want to
just have speeches, not havingthem in the same bunch, for
example, breaking them up,things like that so, yeah,
having the right amount of timeallocated for each event within
(17:04):
a wedding is an important thingIn terms of music, which is what
we offer having a playlist thatworks.
So what I mean by that isworking with couple to make sure
we find out what they like,what their guests like, and
having enough dance floor timeto produce that as well.
So anything from an hour to twohours is probably the minimum
that we need for a good dancefloor, but we have the same
(17:24):
things run over time as well,and it just takes me organized
as well.
So having, yeah, making surethe check's done for the big
event.
We want couples just to go rockup on their wedding date, just
relax and enjoy themselves andbring their dancing shoes and
just have time with their liveseffectively.
So the more with events, themore planning you do, the better
the events going to beeffectively.
Yvette Sitters (17:43):
Yeah, yeah, I agree.
And the thing that stood outfor me the most thing was when
you said leaving enough time forthe dance floor, because that's
where all the funds had and allthe formalities and all the
serious stuff's over.
Everyone's getting loose on thedance floor having a good time
and yeah, I'm always like I feelsad when people you find out
they've got like 40 minutes leftto dance on the dance floor.
Andy Kay (18:05):
You're like no, you've got to have more time because
no one wants to go home thenYou're right, but there's always
around that Like what, if wefind a big trend coming of sort
of that's been around for awhile is having a little dance
practice starts as soon as abrother grew up with a couple
into the room using sort of 10,15, 20 minutes to bring everyone
together and have a littleboogie at the start.
That's a great initiativethey're finding and it sort of
(18:26):
breaks the ice as well with withgas and your wedding's.
After a really good start, theblood's pumping within the body.
They've had a little boogie andnow they can sit back and enjoy
their entrees.
Yvette Sitters (18:35):
Yeah, I love that.
That's so fun.
I remember doing a wedding oncewith their couple were
introduced into the room andthen the bride and groom came in
last and then the bride andgroom walked around dancing and
they got everyone up and theytook everyone to the dance floor
.
It was really good.
It was so much fun.
I mean getting them to sit downthen for their entree Another
(18:58):
story, but it's so true, andthat wedding is one of the most
memorable ones that I've runbecause of the atmosphere.
Andy Kay (19:06):
Yeah, so wedding is just one giant party, and that's
what it should be.
So it's a great celebration.
You bring two people togetherwith all their friends and
family on loved ones, and that'swhat we're here to celebrate.
Yvette Sitters (19:16):
Yeah, and we don't have to follow traditions
anymore.
You do what you want.
Andy Kay (19:20):
Listen to the traditions, whatever you make it
.
So it's up to the couple whattraditions they want to set, and
we're here to facilitate that.
Yvette Sitters (19:26):
Yeah, I love that.
Can you share with us now yournumber one wedding tip?
Andy Kay (19:34):
Why not more weeks here?
Trust your DJ or trust yourmusician.
Reason I say that is we're hereto make sure everyone has fun.
We make sure that our coupleshave fun, most importantly.
So they do this week in, weekout.
They know how to read a crowd,this is what they pay to do,
this is what they love as well,so trust that they'll deliver a
service like no other.
Yes, by all means give us asmuch ammunition information as
(19:57):
possible, but we want you guysto just relax and enjoy your
time.
Yvette Sitters (20:02):
I hate your wedding.
Yeah, I love that.
That's a great tip, and Ialways think, too when you can
see that the DJ is having areally good time yeah you know
the crowd is because everyone'sbuzzing off everyone's energy.
Andy Kay (20:14):
It's a really good thing and we're fortunate to
have all of our DJs, musiciansthat share that passion, say
anyone, all of our DJs, theadministrative DJs.
Yvette Sitters (20:22):
they love what they do and I do this as a
passion, more than anything,which we love.
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
It's good to know.
Thank you so much for chattingto us today, andy.
I've really enjoyed talkingwith you.
I feel like I'm gonna be gone.
Get my bookie on now.
Tell the listeners where canthey find you.
Andy Kay (20:43):
So we're all over socials administrative DJs
entertainment whereadministrative DJscomau is our
website and yeah, we're all Imean we're all businesses of
Melbourne, sydney, but we'resort of branching out to Perth
and Brisbane shortly as well.
So, yeah, if you want to have achat, hook us up.
We're more than welcome to,more than happy to chat anything
music or entertainment for anywedding or event.
Yvette Sitters (21:04):
Fantastic, thank you.
I'll make sure I pop all ofthose links and everything in
the show notes as well.
So thank you so much forsharing.
Andy Kay (21:11):
You're most welcome.
Lovely to chat to you.
Have a great day.
Yvette Sitters (21:13):
You too.
Thanks, Andy Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.