S6, EP1: Answering your top wedding ceremony questions
CategoriesMusic tips.30 Jan, 2026
Welcome back to Project Engaged! We are kicking off Season 6 in a beautiful studio in Richmond called Meet and Gather, created by our friend Jacinta from Champagne Electric. For this season opener, we are diving deep into the most common questions we get asked about wedding ceremonies, both from couples enquiring with us and those we are already working with.
As celebrants, DJs, and MCs, we believe your wedding should feel like the best version of you – not a performance and definitely not a chore. Here is our advice on the big questions to help your celebration flow naturally.
Who should handle the ceremony music?
It is well worth having a conversation with your DJ about managing the ceremony music if you haven’t already. This ensures continuity right from the beginning with pre-ceremony tunes setting the scene, through to the aisle walk, key moments, and the finish song. We don’t believe in Bluetooth technology because it can be unreliable, especially with interference from mobile phones. Instead, we use a mini DJ controller setup that clips onto the speaker stand, giving us total control to fade songs nicely and hit specific cues. If your DJ isn’t there, ask your celebrant how they manage the audio to avoid the horror story of a song cutting out mid-aisle.
Should we have pre-ceremony drinks?
If you can do it, the answer is yes. Having drinks in the first half-hour loosens guests up, especially if they don’t know each other well. It sets a relaxed vibe and acts as a social lubricant. It also helps you as the couple feel less nervous knowing everyone is settled and happy. Just check with your venue regarding budget and logistics.
Does the wedding party have to stand with us?
We discuss various options, but a common trend is having the wedding party stand for the introductions and then sit down. This can be purely logistical if there isn’t enough space, like at intimate venues such as Poodle Bar. Alternatively, they can stay standing until the legal vows, allowing you to have photos with them and then intimate photos of just the two of you for the vows.
How many aisle songs do we need?
This depends on how many people are walking and how far the walk is. It is a good idea to bring your phone to a rehearsal or site visit, hit play, and just walk to see how long it actually takes. If you want a specific part of a song or need to remove lyrics, professional DJs can often edit or loop tracks to suit your timing perfectly.
How should we stand without looking awkward?
You can stand facing each other, which is great for couples who want to be in the moment and ignore the crowd. However, we find the majority of couples prefer standing on an angle facing outwards towards the celebrant and the guests. This position opens you up to everyone and looks great in photos. Just make sure no one has bulky ring boxes in their pockets!
Should we have an unplugged ceremony?
We recommend an unplugged ceremony so guests are present, but we love including a “fast photo minute”. This is a dedicated minute – or really just 30 seconds – where we invite guests to take as many photos as they like before putting their phones away. A pro tip is to have a groomsman keep a phone in his back pocket to take a fun selfie of the whole crew during this moment.
Do we need personal vows?
No, you don’t have to do them if you don’t want to. We cover enough heartfelt and funny content in the storytelling portion of the ceremony. Alternatives include exchanging private vows or letters to each other before the ceremony. You could also try “Ninja Vows”, where you write vows for the other person to read out for the first time during the ceremony. Read more vow tips in our blog.
How do we honour deceased loved ones?
This is personal, but a nice method is leaving an empty chair with a framed photo or item to honour them. You can also incorporate a favourite flower into a bouquet or have a photo inside your suit lining.
Signing: During or after?
You can sign the legal paperwork during the ceremony to break up the proceedings, or do it shortly after to keep the ceremony short and sweet. If you have live musicians, signing during the ceremony is a great way to utilise them. If you sign afterwards, give yourself about 20 minutes to let guests congratulate you first – don’t try to do it immediately after walking back down the aisle.
What about the finish song?
Choose something pumping and upbeat to signify the party is starting. If the song has a long intro, like “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”, consider starting it from a high-energy point or the chorus rather than the very beginning.
Do we need a rehearsal?
Generally, you don’t need a full rehearsal with the celebrant unless there are specific logistical unknowns or nerves about the aisle walk. We can provide an outline of the structure so you know what is happening when, without making the wedding feel like a production.
Listen to the episode
Listen to the full episode below or on Spotify here.
See the expandable section below for a transcript if you prefer!
Aleks: Your wedding should feel like the best version of you, not a performance and definitely not a chore. I’m Aleks.
Eddy: And I’m Eddy. Welcome back to Project Engaged. We’re both celebrants, DJs, and MCs who believe that when you throw out the wedding rule book, you’re left with a day that’s actually fun, authentic, and completely true to who you are.
Aleks: This season, we’re sharing the secrets to a celebration that flows naturally, keeps your guests happy, and stays focused on what matters. No fluff. No pressure, just great advice for a great party.
Eddy: Let’s do it.
Aleks: And we’re back.
Eddy: We are back. Hello. Hello.
Aleks: We are recording this episode in a beautiful little studio in Richmond by our friend Jacinta from Champagne Electric. And the name of the creative event meeting space is Meet and Gather.
Eddy: Meet and Gather. It’s a gorgeous space. So, we’re in this cute little podcast studio. We’ve got lighting, we’ve got coffee, we’ve got everything we need for our very first episode of the season.
Aleks: The season. So, we’re very, very excited and the first one that we’re filming as well. So, wish us luck. Today, we are talking about a topic that I think will be really interesting to a lot of our listeners and that is the most common questions that we get asked about wedding ceremonies.
Eddy: Yes. From couples obviously.
Aleks: This is both from couples who are inquiring with us who are planning their weddings as well as our couples that we work with in the lead-up to their weddings too.
Eddy: That’s right. And if you didn’t already know, I’m a registered marriage celebrant as well as Aleks now. So I’m super pumped to be able to have these conversations at a deeper level with you now.
Aleks: Yeah. Although having said that to give yourself some credit, you have been involved in a lot of ceremonies on the music side as well. Some DJs – not all – will also offer a music package for ceremony too. So yeah, we have worked at a lot of ceremonies looking after the tunes. So before we were celebrants, we also were involved in a lot of those. Saw what worked, what didn’t work. So I think we have a good grasp.
Eddy: Anyway, I think just before we kind of kick into our questions, it is great to have the conversation with your DJ if you haven’t already about them managing the ceremony music. Because what you’ll find is you’ll get just a lot of continuity right from the very beginning. From people arriving for the pre-ceremony tunes, they’re on, they’re setting a scene. You don’t have to worry about the ceremony itself. So, the aisle, signing if you’re doing it during the ceremony, the key moments, and the ceremony finish song – everything’s taken care of. Your celebrant can just enjoy what they do best and be laser-focused on that. So, it’s well worth having a conversation with your DJ if you haven’t already in relation to your ceremony music.
Aleks: Yeah. And obviously, if you don’t have live music booked.
Eddy: Of course. Yes.
Aleks: So, they’re the kind of three options can help out with that. Otherwise, we’ll talk to in a future episode talk to our friend Jacinta who’s also a musician. I always say acoustic, but they’re not always – I mean, they have amplifiers.
Eddy: They’re musicians. Live music. It’s actually funny. Sometimes I get called a musician as a DJ. I’m like, I can
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