While attending a co-worker's wedding in Chicago in the 80's, I witnessed my first "Grand Intro." As the Chicago Bulls theme song "Rock and Roll Pt.2" by Gary Glitter, rattled out through a woefully inadequate sound system, a young DJ, straining to show off his best FM radio voice introduced himself. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am DJ Flash from Windy City Disc Jockeys." OK let's stop right there and think about this. Is it really necessary, or even appropriate to feature a commercial announcement for a DJ company before announcing the names of the wedding party? After sitting an extra hour waiting for the wedding party to finish taking pictures at the ceremony site, with our stomachs rumbling audibly from hunger, the first "official" reception event was a commercial for a DJ company announced by some random guy who calls himself "DJ Flash."
This was just the beginning of the problems with DJ Flash's "Grand Intro." The first couple he introduced to us was a college friend of the groom and a co-worker of the bride, neither of whom more than five people in attendance were familiar with. As you may have guessed, there was just a smattering of applause as the couple uncomfortably made their way into the reception hall. The next couple featured the bride's younger brother, sporting a two foot high Dr. Seuss hat. The crowd cheered wildly for this couple as the bride's brother welcomed the spectacle of it all. The third couple featured lesser known participants, and once again the crowd offered nothing more than a polite "golf clap" as the couple hurredly made their way to the head table.
Let's take a look at what we have at this point of the festivities: we have one embarrassed bridesmaid who was less than enthusiastic about accompanying the "cat in the hat" into the room, We have four other members of the bridal party who would rather be UNDER the head table, 200 guests who would mortage their summer homes for a pack of saltine crackers, and one 20 year old kid in a goofy hat who thinks this is the greatest night of his life. The scales would appear to be somewhat unbalanced. I don't recall the exact number in the bridal party but it seemed like a baker's dozen on both sides. The introductions continued the same way, for what seemed like an eternity, with familiar members of the wedding party receiving the lion's share of applause while the others received the golf claps. To the famished guests' credit, when the bride and groom were finally introduced, everyone stood and applauded loudly.
So what was the point of the circus before announcing the bride and groom into the room? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to just get the hungry crowd's attention, welcome them to the venue, and announce the bride and groom's arrival? One got the sense that the applause for the newlyweds was as much a cheer for the prospect of food as it was for the couple. Why did we need to know that the young man making the announcements called himself "DJ Flash"? What is the relevance of knowing the name of his DJ company? Was it necessary to make so many members of the bridal party feel uncomfortable right from the start of the event?
Somewhere along the line people have become accustomed to this same ritual at every wedding reception they attend. The whole "grand intro" has become nothing more than a robotic exercise that one must endure before being allowed to enjoy themselves at a wedding reception. Having performed at several hundred receptions, and having reviewed literally thousands of post-event surveys, certain recurring themes are evident:
- The least favorite part of the night for members of the bridal party are the introductions.
- Announcing the name of your DJ company is annoying.
- Feeding your guests sooner rather than later is best.
- "Grand Intros" aren't nearly as grand as one might think.
- DJ Flash is a really goofy name for a grown man.
OK, the last one has never shown up on a survey but I bet if you were to ask around most people would agree.
Peace, - BK
