How The Wedding Came About

This Bollywood Greenwich Hyatt Wedding was one of my first weddings ever, and how it ended got me hooked on DJing weddings from there on out.

Before Cyril reached out to me about DJing his wedding, I had not yet considered entering the industry. I had been DJing events for years, but performing a wedding is very different than DJing a Corporate event or 40th birthday party. Cyril had attended a number of my events and wanted the same experience for his wedding day. Despite having limited wedding experience at the time, let alone with the Indian music I would need, he knew what I brought to the table and had the confidence to book me anyway.

Preparing To DJ For A New Culture

We met a few times leading up to the big day, detailing how it would logistically unfold as well as discussing what music would be played. Over half of the guests would be Indian, flying in from the UK and India so I would need a healthy dose of new music! We worked together on a suggested list of music for this demographic which I would incorporate. Not only would half of the guests be Indian, but we’d also have Latino representation mixed in with local guests from the surrounding CT, NY, NJ area.

Such an event would be no different than my approach for a typical event, however. Read the room, know your demographics/age groups, rotate between music to keep everyone happy. This time instead of rotating between a few Pop genres and decades, I would add Latino and Hindi music into the mix. I had plenty of experience DJing Latino events so the stretch would be into Hindi music, which the couple helped out with. I’d take their suggested songs and research what was trending on local radio charts from where our guests would be traveling. I’d compliment all of this with tracks that were popular in the 70s & 80s in their respective genres, this way I’d have music spanning all cultural backgrounds and age groups.

How The Greenwich Hyatt Wedding Unfolded

As for our itinerary, we’d have some additional traditions sprinkled throughout the evening. Everything would be located at the hotel, the ceremony included. I provided music in the background as guests found their seats during the ceremony, as well as for the processional/recessional. Light music would be played during dinner leaning towards older generations which is done for a few reasons. Older guests typically leave earlier in the night which means that music tilts more and more to a younger crowd as the night goes on. Let’s play music to our guests while they’re there!

After dinner, we got into the dancing portion of the night where my cultural weaving would really get under-way. Our overseas guests came out in FULL force! It would have been easy as a DJ to take this and run with it by sticking to my Bollywood list, but I would be ignoring the other half of the room as they were not hearing music they knew and loved. As such I mixed in sets of Reggaeton, Salsa, 80s, modern Pop, and Hip-hop throughout my Hindi music that was already working so well.

Heart-Melting Feedback

At the end of the night, the groom’s father approached me to have a few words. He told me about how in the weeks leading up to his son’s wedding they frequently spoke over the phone. “Cyril kept telling me a mixed Indian-Western wedding would work, but I doubted him, I doubted him.” He then takes my hand “But you proved me wrong, Thank You.” My heart instantly melted. It was at that point I became hooked.

What I can provide at a Wedding is head and shoulders more meaningful and powerful than any bar, club, or corporate event ever could. Cyril’s Greenwich Hyatt Wedding was a new and refreshing challenge that was a wild success for everyone involved. Cyril’s trust in me opened doors to my enthusiastically performing for weddings from there on out, and I was able to put on a show that each and every guest was able to enjoy and take part in.

Guests: 150

Demographics: 50% Indian, 25% Latino, 25% Locals

Wedding Party: Yes

Wedding Party Introduced: Yes

Dinner: Tables assigned, plated meal

Music Likes: Kalakaar, Jaz Dhami, DJ Vix & Miss Pooja, Sonu Nigam, Aditi Singh Sharma, Epic Bhangra & Kay v Singh, Jennifer Lopez, Mase, Michael Jackson, Nicky Jam, Notorious BIG, Queen, Shakira, The Police, Rick James, Laura Branigan, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel.

Agenda

5:00 PM – Ceremony

5:30 PM – Cocktail Hour

6:30 PM – Dhol Drum

6:45 PM – Grand Entrace

7:00 PM – Dinner served

Traditions

Toasts

Cake Cutting

7:45 PM – Bouquet & Garter

9:00 PM – Cake & Dessert

11:00 PM – Conclusion

Song Selections

• Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major
• Radiohead – Weird Fishes / Arpeggi

• Beyonce – Single Ladies

Garter Toss:

• Hot Chocolate – You Sexy Thang

• James Brown – It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World