This might be the most difficult post I’ve written because in most cases I don’t think it is a great idea to have Dueling Pianos at your wedding reception… there, I said it. Now that I have that out of the way, let me go over the reasons why I think that it MIGHT not be a great option and I’ll go over a few ways where it could work really well. I’ve also come up with a different take on “dueling piano style” entertainment that is always a big hit.
Why I think that in most cases it might not be the ideal form of entertainment for a wedding
The first question I ask people that are considering dueling pianos is “are you comfortable without having a big dance floor or any dance floor at all”? Usually the answer to this is that they want a dance floor. If you’ve read any of my past blogs or even looked at the titles, you might pick up on the fact that I think that the success of a dueling piano show is heavily influenced by the set up of the room. What makes dueling pianos so much fun and unique is the intense crowd participation that we lean on for the show. That can be very hard to accomplish with the separation a dance floor creates between us and the audience.
I have performed dueling pianos at many weddings with a dance floor and here is what usually happens: We start out trying to do our normal show attempting to get the crowd involved and that will fail pretty quickly. Then, for the most part we switch over to playing dance songs and people get on the dance floor. Oftentimes wedding guests are not familiar with dueling pianos and are so used to traditional receptions that they aren’t as interested in buying into what we’re trying to accomplish. The dancing is all fun and good but we are then just playing dance music which could often be accomplished by a good DJ (Hey! I can DJ your wedding!) or a band. We are then missing that magic aspect of what makes a dueling piano show special. I’m not saying that these aren’t still a good time, people do seem to enjoy it, but I think in these situations a really good DJ could do a better job and would probably save you some money.
Sometimes the positioning of the pianos could be a problem too. We really need to be front and center and that can be tough to do at a wedding. We know the wedding day is about the bride and groom but putting the pianos in a bad spot will have a negative effect.
Weddings Where Dueling Pianos Would be Tons of Fun:
If you’re open to not having a dance floor and putting the pianos centered in front of your guests, we could absolutely provide a fun and different form of entertainment that your guests have probably never seen at a wedding before! I would also highly recommend we keep this portion of the night to 2 hours. Maybe the reason you want dueling pianos is because you’ve seen it at a bar or fundraiser. I bet there wasn’t a dance floor at the bar or event and our best chance to re-create that sing-a-long, entertaining vibe is to set the room up in this specific way. We can still work out a way for the first dance and dance with parents to happen if that is something you would like to incorporate.
I’ve done a few wedding parties where the couple already got married at a destination and now they are having their party to celebrate at home with friends and family. Usually at these events, formalities are not as emphasized and we’re able to give it a true dueling piano feel.
A Way to Mix In Dueling Piano “Style” Entertainment that ALWAYS goes over!
Dueling Pianos is so much fun and such a one-of-a-kind form of entertainment that I really wanted to come up with a way to still include it that fits all weddings. After a while of tinkering and adjusting ideas I finally landed on something that I have stuck with and has never failed. It’s currently called “The Sunflower” package on my pricing sheet and includes one piano and a drummer. Right after your formal dances (first dance, parent dances) and right before we open the dance floor, I do a 30 minute “greatest hits” of dueling pianos. We set the piano and drums up right in front of the DJ booth and I then invite the wedding party and as many guests as possible to pull their chairs up close to us. We put on a highly interactive non-stop show that gets everybody involved. As soon as it’s done, I use a little trick to get everybody on the dance floor and we go straight into open dancing for the rest of the night. It has always been a huge success and it will keep your guests raving about how much fun they had on your special day.
The HiFi Productions Difference: Why Your Wedding Deserves More Than Just a “Yes”
I know almost every other dueling piano company out there will likely just say yes to providing pianos at your wedding. They won’t be concerned with any set up details or timeline restrictions. They’ll show up and set up where you tell them to and the night will most likely go how I described previously. That is totally fine and can still be a hit, it’s just not the show that HiFi Productions is interested in. If you’re open to going a bit non-traditional with your reception and want a true dueling piano feel, please talk to me and I’d love to be a part of your day. If you’re still wanting that dance floor but still want to change things up, I’d love to provide the Sunflower package for you. In the end, I care about how your wedding day goes and I want it to be the best it can be!