Your choice of wedding music and entertainment is crucial, setting the atmosphere from guest arrival to the last dance number. For a tropical-themed or destination wedding, certain genres and instruments can transport guests to an island paradise. So how do you carry this through the evening? Today, we have the wonderful Alex Pisani of Unity Entertainment sharing his tips and suggestions on how your DJ can keep the party flowing in paradise! 

Photography: The Love Archives via Emma & Grant’s Personal & Romantic Vanuatu Elopement

If you are planning a tropical destination wedding, or using that as your theme, and want to make sure the vibe flows well into the night. Here are some things to discuss with your DJ to ensure that feeling is maintained.

Photography: Michael Shultz via Samantha & Myzia’s Fun & Casual Hawkes Bay Wedding

Choice Of Music

Music is so important for any event. Beyond your key moments, such as the procession or first dance, your wedding music sets the atmosphere from the minute your first guests arrive. There are certain genres, instruments and sounds that instantly transport our minds around the globe, and some specifically are synonymous to a tropical paradise.

Instruments like a steel/pedal guitar, ukulele, and steel drums are very popular in tropical origin music, so you could start a search for some steel guitar covers of pop songs for example, to help tie in with the tropical theme.

In terms of overall genres, you could look to some that emanated from tropical destinations – think along the lines of some slack-key hula melodies from Hawaii, dub/reggae from Jamaica, and cuban jazz, from, well, Cuba. All of these are perfect low to mid energy soundtracks to early on, like pre-ceremony, or during canapé service or cocktail hour.

Photograph via Alex Pisani of Unity Entertainment 

Later on in the evening, when the time to dance arrives, you will want to look to something a bit more familiar and upbeat. Think, artists such as Sean Kingston, Shaggy, UB40, Bob Marley and Snow.  If the crowd skews “younger” later in the night, kick things up a notch with some tropical house and beach house music, which is still quite commercially accessible and not too obscure. Bob Sinclair, Funkstar de Luxe, and Kings Of Tomorrow all scream Ibiza beach party.

If you aren’t quite picking up what I’m putting down here, then just check out the soundtrack for the reality TV show “Love Island”, then you might come around to my point of view.

Photography: Market Lane Media via Roxanne & Michael’s Chilled Boho Sri Lankan Wedding 

On the Dance floor

Aside from the music, there are other party elements that  can definitely boost the energy once things get started, and will gel nicely with the tone. One such element – some of you may remember The Limbo! This was once a staple of weddings and dance parties. Admittedly this has since dropped out of the zeitgeist in recent years, so what better scenario to bring it back for the nostalgia factor than at a tropical or beach wedding? Here come those steel drums again!

Handing out props is another way to supercharge your dance floor. LED glow sticks are common at a lot of weddings, but for a tropical paradise feel, you could go for some Orchid Lei’s handed out on the dancefloor.

Overall, it comes down to some small but particular details involving the music and dance floor presence to add that extra touch and really create the magic for your tropical wedding, to help your guests dance and limbo the night away.

Photography: Valley & Peak via Hannah & Dillon’s Fun Coastal Wedding in Portsea 

The Logistics

For an outdoor or tropical theme wedding, some kind of marquee set up is a must in case of rain. It can be a large pavilion style marquee or a teepee over the entire reception space, or even a small 3m x 3m gazebo to cover the DJ or band, bar, buffet and other areas for your wedding guests.

Photograph via Alex Pisani of Unity Entertainment Photograph via Alex Pisani of Unity Entertainment 

Having an outdoor or tropical wedding, also means the sound is harder to carry. Your DJ will need twice the speaker output to cover the dance floor, ensuring they have some large, good quality speakers with a medium to long throw.

If its directly on the beach, the band or DJ will need to be set up on a stage to protect their kit from sand.

Photography: The Paper Fox via Tropical Seaside Wedding Inspiration With An Epic Menu 

Beyond a DJ

If you are searching for musicians or unique musical entertainment, beyond the DJ or a band, then live drummers or a trumpet or sax player can be a great addition to your party. They have the added benefit of being able to roam around on the dance floor among guests to really liven things up.

A lot of DJs will have some live musicians that they work with on a regular basis and would be happy to recommend.

Alex Pisani of Unity Entertainment is a proficient Sydney based DJ with a deep understanding of musical needs and a huge library of tunes across almost every genre. Hundreds of weddings, corporate, night clubs, parties, and music festival sets, Alex is experienced as they come. Having first hand performance experience at nearly every venue in Sydney has instilled Alex’s confidence to absolutely hit the nail on the head for every client’s requests and needs and ensure the dance floor is alive with energy from start to finish. He has built a reputation for delivering an infectious energy to events with his dynamic and eclectic ear for Hip Hop, House, R&B, Pop, and Rock music. Known as a master of open-format DJ sets, Pisani brings a depth of musical knowledge to every gig, blending styles and sounds to keep the crowd moving. His refined ability to read the crowd ensures that each performance is unique and tailored to create a memorable experience. A confident MC as well as DJ, he is always well spoken and warm in his delivery and knows how and when to use the microphone to really enhance an event.