Club dj in the late 80's-90's played all night..you def have to ride and create your flow.. Dropping a slow jam to clear the floor so ppl can hit the bar. Then build it back up by genre rotation of generations..respect to the all night dj..

I just did a 7 hour wedding. 5-12. I actually went until 12:45am for free. There were only 9 people in the building and the energy from the 9 people was insane

Great video as always! I’m a Russian DJ from Brooklyn, can confirm. Only way you’re leaving a Russian wedding at 1am is if you’re over 70 years old, otherwise you party on. Leaving early/sober is considered highly disrespectful 😂😂

You’re a true hater if you gave this a thumbs down. This was one of the most entertaining yet informative video I’ve seen in a while for a detailed break down of an event

I've been DJng forever at clubs & weddings. The club is straight dancing from 9pm-2am, 5 hrs straight. I always felt that my job was to take the party thru a musical journey. Club and weddings are very different. For any event, when the dancefloor is packed and rockin, you have to keep them there with the bangers which is easy. But when there is a lull, that's what will separate the men from the boys. Nick is spot on about reading the crowd. You have to gauge how engaged the crowd is. You have to keep assessing and planning ahead. My goal during sets is to get the old people up. If I see them bopping their head to oldies, I'll throw is some classics and I get them dancing. A way that works for me when there is a lull is to play a very popular song that everyone knows, maybe a line dancing song just to get them back and then from there play a couple more bangers to get more people. Sprinkle in some good dance songs & hit em with more bangers. Eventually you'll get that floor packed again. Takes a lot of patience, and you have to know how to pace yourself and balance the music with the old and young crowd.

I always smile when I watch this guy, He knows EXACTLY what he's talking about.

Guyanese (West Indian) weddings are typically 4-5 days straight. As a dj, we have to play each night including reception then do the after party next day.

Love your work Nick! Here in Australia, weddings can drag on for over 5 hours especially in the rural or country areas. I use a lot of Aussie Pub Rock music to keep the Aussie crowds going! Been doing this for over 20 years now!

Most of my weddings start at either 3-4pm then they have cocktail right after the ceremony. Which is generally 1hr 30mins to 2hrs Then grand entrance happens usually 15-20 mins before dinner. Then usually go into there first dance, father daughter dance then mother son. Sometimes do a dance for the bridal party or we just got right into dancing. Most of the time my dance floor starts at 8pm and I go to 1am

In Germany the reception starts usually at 6pm, at 9pm people start dancing - most weddings last until 3am. But you have to consider a German DJ usually plays quite full-length tracks (3 mins) so we don't have that much stress.

I just did a six hour reception last night, that was an experience that I described as my "skating rink format," which is, as you put it, riding the wave. I loved the money, but I definitely don't want it to be the norm 😂

Had my first 4 hour set last month this is spot on. Gotta recognize the lulls and ride it out. It'll come back just have to be patient and keep the bop going until they're ready again.

I had a 90 year grandma who was pretty much on the dance floor the whole time with few breaks, I loved her, she wanted some polka, i gave her that and some swing, she stayed out for Macarena.

Dude I love this video! I love the playlist breakdown too. I always get nervous at weddings to lose the floor, but it’s so true there may be other factors against you with cornhole, maybe the dance floor is far away from the tables, you name it. It’s encouraging to hear a big dude like you say it’s okay to have lulls and ride the wave instead of trying to force it. Thanks so much for making this!

I need to move out the east coast. 3-4 hour dances are the norm here in MN and weddings average 7-8 hours! It’s crazy. This advice is sooooo good!

I've spent the last 17 yrs analyzing this type of shit. Thanks for putting this into audio and video for all the noobs. Great content (as always) Nick😁.

My Sister's reception was in a rented out night club. Problem-solved! (Also- millennials, am I right?). Great stuff Nick!

I'm from portugal and i'm gonna descrive to you a typical wedding here! xD 12pm - religious cerimony (about 1 hour) 14pm - Reception cocktail 16h30 - Dinner (3 or 4 courses depending, so Soup, Fish, Meat, and sometimes another one, and then desert) 19h30 - First Dance and Opening of the dance floor 21h30 - Cake Cut( Outside with sparkles, fireworks etc) 22h - Opening of the Buffet/Supper 23h - bouquet toss and reopening of the dance floor without time limits, but usually its a 2 or 3 hour dance set untill it ends. 2am - start packing 4am - arrive home xD

Played at a 50th New Year’s Eve gig last night. He requested 70s & 80s music. Had it on invitations. Played them for the first 1hr & half 100-116 bpm kind of tempo and I had requestes for modern songs. Had to txt the person hiring me to bend the rules, tough night, ended up playing all decades. But winning the crowd over half way through the night was a challenge. Have u ever encountered this situation?

Thanks for this Nick! This season i’ve been getting tons of 7/8 hour weddings with 4 hour sets. So much truth to what your saying here. Prep is key 🎯

And this is why I trust your advice almost implicitly. Because you’re realistic and offer rational tips instead of emotionally-charged reactions. DJing a wedding is like driving in the snow. Everyone thinks the key is to set yourself up so you’ll never lose control. And that’s why DJs hit the panic button the second a crowd starts to lull. They’re already anticipating the pain of a crash, instead of using proper technique to lean into it and course correct. And just like when you jerk the wheel and slam on the brakes on a patch of black ice… it’s now a self-fulfilling prophecy. And that’s why I talk about this stuff with couples ahead of time. How many people will be there? What’s the demographic? How many do you expect to dance and for how long? It’s like checking the weather forecast before you leave the house, so you’re already driving for the elements and are prepared to adjust when - not if - things get dicey.

4 hours.. come to Canada that is a normal set lol, dinner is normally by 6, dancing starts around 8-830 and our weddings go till 1 am

Mannnnn….. you have literally just saved my weddings and parties from here on out!!!!! I LOVE YOU MANNNN!!!!!!!!!

In Wisconsin, our average is 8 hours ceremony to last song of the reception, with a 4 hour dance set at the end of dinner, Speeches and the such.

"And then i brought it down....i played thong song" Dude you are a beast. Love your videos.

You are just so entertaining. A lot of this brings back memories of what it was like, the good, the bad and the ugly. I can tell you know your stuff. Anyone who is just starting out (1-3 years) needs to heed your advice. You need to love this or it's going to bring you down. Keep up the good work.

I dj in Canada. Cocktail hr 5pm. Dinner 6/6:30. Dance 8:30/9pm until 1am. Long day. Sometimes ceremony on top.

I did almost 8 years of private parties and weddings. They would start at 17:00 and finish at 07:00🤦🏻. This was happening on Bicharest, Romania. And yes! it’s more easier when you have more than 100 ppl. Very nice that you break down all the stuff. ❤

Love your shit, little tip though...when your floor dips...play some slow songs 🎵 then you build back from your demographic of that.

Great video. This is the feel part of being a DJ that you can’t teach. You just need to feel it. The hardest part is having a folder of almost banger songs to fill the void. You perfectly played to this crowd.

My man, your breakdown is great, I took notes on some points, Lol, I'm a Dj in New York City, I did a 5 hrs wedding reception last year with 175 guests, well, that's after the program ceremonies, you know the usual, The Toast, Cake Cutting, First Dance, etc. of course each part had a song, I said to my self the same thing, I thought they usually are 4 hrs receptions, well, I had to do a long reception for the firs time in my carrier, now, in my case it was easy because the difference in nationalities and ages among the guests, I had, Latinos, African-American, Caucasian, Chinese, Greeks, Jamaicans, Italians and a group of people from Hungary, Thank God during the 5 hrs I was able to have at least 40 or 50 people dancing, bro, I played everything that I had in my arsenal, Lol, I played everything, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Disco, Soul, Latin Pop, Reggae, Freestyle, Motown, R&B, 50s & 60s Top Ten, House, and of course Slow Jams, in my opinion I was lucky that day, overall, it was a great experience, but I can tell you right now, I will never do another wedding or any other event this long, Lol

i did a 1 hour ceremony, 2 hour cocktail, 3 hour reception then a 6 hour after party. what a long day that was.

Canadian Weddings are mostly like this: 4pm Ceremony 4:30 Cocktail Hour 6pm reception 8:30 first dance 8:45 dance floor. I did a wedding recently though and man it was tough. They started the dance floor at 7:30pm. It was brutal (here's why) - 4.5hr dance floor. -110 people -Venue in a Helicopter Hanger - Could only use the internal house system which did have Nice tops but... Sub wasn't functional - Soundtech not onsite

Just did a wedding this past Sunday. 3-11:30pm. I knew it would be a challenge on a Sunday night. There was so much time for dancing. The most I have ever had mix. Some lulls but kept them going until the last 15 minutes.

Fantastic advice mate. I'm from the UK. Just did a 70's themed night and had the same issue. Wish I'd watched this video first!👍👍

In 🇨🇦 all of the weddings I’ve DJd or attended have ended at 12 or 1am. Majority go until 1am. It’s a long haul. Brutal. But you nailed it. You have to prepare for the lulls on the dance floor. Don’t panic. DJ like there’s a full dance floor. Every eyes on you. Don’t let them see you sweat. Hit them with some music that they love while they grab some drinks, a smoke, a break, whatever. Give them time to recharge.

people start to dance a 8pm here and expect the DJ to keep everyone on the dancefloor till 3am lol

Here in Guatemala City, Central America, my wedding usually are 1 hour cocktail, 1 hour dinner, and 7 to 9 hours straight party....it is EXHAUSTING but the good things is that usually 300 pax !!! Great Video as always Nick !!!

In Panama, we have djs that can play for more than 6 hours without stopping. Playing all kinds of musical genres. It is very normal to do it, you just have to have the music quite organized and trust your memory. It's always been like that with cds or vinyl, with digital music it's easier.

Hey Nick , I have to say with all the backyard parties I have been doing I always have a swarm of drunks hitting me with requests and they don't understand what a dance set it lol

Mexican weddings and 15ñeras typically from 5pm to 12AM or 2Aam lol. Formalities would start at like 6:30 or 7:00PM

So next weekend I have a big country wedding to do and they want a mix of dance/hip hop/rap with popular country new and old school. I have a good 1 hr set going so far. I have found some great transitions in and out of the country stuff. I cant think of a really good song to open with. I dont want to give up the good stuff right away and I want to open with a country tune yet Im trying to find the right one.

totally agree people have drinks smoke bathroom control flow not always going be banger sets and depends on crowd interaction.

... ceremonies here is from 16:00 to 18:00, then receptions, activities and food from 19:00 to 24:00, when the 'mičošana' is performed... that's the Latvian tradition of announcing to the world the bond of husband and wife... end then the party is from 00:30 till sometimes the next morning... and then, if it is a rental place, everyone must be gone by 12:00... and that's the usual variant... in Latgale, there are weddings some times 3 days in a row...

wow!! I do a lot of wedding in England and our dance set are between 4 and 5 hrs long. And the bar is out side the room never thought about it that way. your videos make me open my eyes thank you.

Hi Nick! Here in Argentina my last wedding was 11 hours jajaja love your videossss

Good to hear with a 5 hours NYE non-standard, no dinner, no formalties wedding coming up!

Really enjoy your videos. You can tell you have been doing this for a minute. You have encountered a bunch of different situations during your weddings and your observances resonate here! Cheers man. Good videos!

In Mother Wisconsin - ceremony around 2 or 3. Cocktails for an hour or two. Dinner, then dance for 4 hours straight. And we drink more than Russians. You learn the flow. Watch for reactions. Throw in a slow one, throw in a straight sing-along...it's way less dance dancing than you'd think, even with a full floor.

I need to move down there to DJ. I'd give anything to cut my dance floor in half to only 6 hours lol. I guess in Canada we are similar to mother Russia. The way I learned here was to rotate the dance floor which is similar to riding the waves.

I’ve been a wedding DJ for 8 years in Kansas. It’s wild to me the timelines in different parts of the country! Here I usually start around 4 and 95% of weddings end around midnight unless they pay for another hour or two which isn’t uncommon.

This playlist is 🔥🔥🔥 definitely adding most of these songs to my playlist for sure

Dj from canada, our wedding here runs from around 3:30-1am!

I am grateful to you. So well EXPLAINED! This is a BANGER !!

I had to do 5 hours straight last weekend. Longer sets with fast mixing can be brutal, riding the wave is definitely the way to go

Come DJ weddings in MI.average gig time with ceremony is 6 to 8 hours

In California we usually do 6-8 hour weddings. The majority are Mexican weddings so I guess it’s a cultural thing

Great advice...I've been there....not during a wedding just different events...thats what my random mind is aces.

I am that guy you mentioned 😂. I DJ at the top and fanciest weddings in Mexico City and all over Mexico. The usual wedding here is like: ceremony from 1pm to 2pm, cocktail hour til 3pm. They eat from 3 to 4:30 and we DJ from 4:30 or 5pm non stop until maybe 3am. And we keep the dance floor packed and the energy trough the roof those 10 hours. But yeah, is different everywhere. Love your videos. Lot of respect!

when he said ride the wave and starred, i lost it cuz he was serious af

Riding waves amigo. I get the extended hours many times. It’s cool but glad I’m not the only one thinking wtf 4-5 hours! Ok ok $$$$ but yeeeeeeeesh. Helpful tips here

I can't image how effective will be this video if you add the live video of those moments

Yes create the wave.. and riding it.

some times here in Cancun we have 5 hours reception for 35 people haha, biggest weddings here are for 100 people bro

In Chicago the average is 6 hours. For Mexican parties and can go to 10 hours

Hey! Enough with the old people, some of that shit is my jam! I was spinning before you were even a twinkle in your daddy's eye!!

Here in Mexico is about 6 to 8 hours of dance floor time

I love this channel... Thanks boss!

Wedding in France is basically Cocktail 6PM to 8:30PM Then a break (DJ don't spin during dinner time) Then Party Time Midnight til 5am

Bro, i fucking love watching your videos. you say it how it is

As a club DJ from the '80s, my life was anywhere from 6-8 hour sets every night. The one-hour set thing they do now is completely alien to me. Granted, weddings are a little different animal but 4 hours would be nothing to stress over.

Uh ok. Nick your a damn trooper. But can you throw in some slow jams? The old folk would love ya you know. Throw in some Elvis and The Righteous Brothers to segue into your next set.

i dj on the livestreams,i just drink loads of beer 🤣 job sorted.

Nick,you mentioned you did the wedding 4 hours straight, how do you deal with standing for 4 hous straight , your feet hurting and possible back aching? You don't take any breaks?

You da best. Doing a 3.5 hour dance set this sat

Hi Nick ! Thank you for all your videos ! What tehniques do u use to switch from 125-130bpm back to 80-90bpm and then back again to 120+. Talking about the second playlist

Want a buddy on that euro trip for a wedding? Techno trance handzup and hardstyle until 4 am! Fuck yeah!

six hrs. is about normal in Cape Town South Africa too. Fun fact is these reception's can be 4 hrs. of which only one might be actual dancing... Speeches/ formalities / three course meals eat... Average age is also a factor

Maximum respect for sharing the playlist.

Lol normally do 5-1 !!! Cocktails , dinner , and dance Lotsa styles

This is so useful!!! Thank you for showing us newbie DJ’s some wisdom.

I use those down times to play the kids songs and the cheesy music and to knock off of some of the bride requests that I don't think was a good fit. I also will let the song play longer but you really just have to have enough music and experience to handle the time frame. Also being an ex club dj where you dj from 9pm-3am give you all the confidence

What surprised me is that you (never ?) use lighting ? Here a small wedding is around 2 x 400W rms sound and some led spots, 4 moving heads and a smoke machine 🙂

I’m in Illinois I noticed last year it was marathon wedding after marathon wedding sometimes 10 hours

4 hours set is a warm up here in greece lol

in Latvia weddings are usualy 2 day event. But DJ or musician would be one evening so no different :D

Bruh, your videos are always on point !!! Thx so much for the good advices

13:59 When you know what you're talkin' bout and don't give a damn about those drinking that Hatorade!!! 😝😝😝😝😝

Absolute gems

So “fillers” and some slow songs will help marathon dance sets. Thanks.

in Mexico they have 3 days straight wedding parties

Iam from Czech Republick EU And usually we start at 11 am with ceremony, playing whole time until 5 pm when people start dancing and we ends ať 3 am. If whole wedding will be only 5 hours, it will be like holiday 😀

Same here in Eastern Washington... 4Hr dance is a cake walk...

Nick I loved your Arnold/Russian accent!!!! Lol you rock!!!!

On the west coast 3-9 is a pretty standard ceremony-last dance for me 👍 love the vids

I absolutely agree with you I call it pockets of dancing. It won't be in exactly like a club do to the demographic and the fact they have been there since ceremony. Just like Nick says in his videos it'll be moments where there's not that many people but just keep mixing your ass off

Thanks for this video brother it helps a lot. So much valuable information.

Great way to drop the knowledge! Keep up the great work!

As a dj all this is accurate

I remember wedding start a noon and end around 5am the next day this was in Venezuela but no one show up till about 5 pm at the reception the noon to 5 pm was church stuff LOL mostly family and close friends then the party starts LOL and very one show up even wedding crashers