I have recently heard about DJs who prefer to just communicate via email or text and who won't meet with a couple before booking. I strongly recommend against this. Your DJ is too important to your wedding to leave to chance. You DJ needs to know you to understand your music preferences and to build a playlist with your requests, as well as other music guests will dance to, but which also fit in with your tastes.
Many years ago I had a bride who not only picked every song I could play, she also set the order. At the reception, very few guests were dancing. She finally agreed to let me change up the music. Most of the 200+ guests danced the rest of the evening. If you trust your DJ enough to hire them, trust them enough to let them change up the music as needed to keep the party going!
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Brides often ask me if they can just rent a sound system and play music from their iPod. The short answer is, "Yes." The long answer is, of course, much longer. The right DJ will do much more than play music. They will help you with the planning phase of the wedding, coordinate with your vendors (especially the photographers), and engage your guests in the celebration. An experienced DJ will also keep events flowing through the entire evening WITHOUT guests feeling rushed.
How does a wedding DJ keep things going? Unlike a club DJ who is constantly talking over the music, a wedding DJ uses the music to keep the evening flowing. instead of having a set playlist, your DJ should select each song based on the music the Bride and Groom have selected, what guests are dancing to, and keeping in mind the song before and the song after the one playing. This provides continuity. You DJ should also play across decades and genres in order to engage all the guests. Finding the perfect DJ....for you! Welcome to my new blog. Let's get the disclaimer out of the way first. Yes, I am a wedding DJ, so everything i post on here will be my opinion. I would love to be your DJ. However, if you go with someone else, and there are a lot of good DJs out there, I want to give you the information you need to find the right DJ for your wedding.
The first topic I will address is where to look for a DJ. There are many budget DJs who post on sites such as Craigslist, 5Mile, Find It...AND they promise a low, low price. The reasons they charge a wow price are: *New to doing weddings/not a lot of experience *Low quality equipment *Limited equipment/no back ups Being a Wedding DJ/Emcee is much different from being a club DJ. There is a lot of preparation that goes into the planning process. You need someone you can count on to be there on your special day. The sites listed above are free; anyone can post a listing and hope for a few "gigs." Professional Wedding DJs will advertise on commercial site, most nationwide. DFW Entertainment is proudly listed on The Knot (www.theknot.com), a great site for couples to find vendors for all areas of their wedding. Always ask for references from brides, venues, wedding planners...other professionals who take their own reputation seriously. When you are on the Knot or other wedding site, select several DJs in your price range and send them a quick note. They should reply with services and pricing offered. I recommend interviewing the DJs before you hire them. Preferably this interview will be in person, but sometime that is not possible when a couple lives out of town. Make sure the DJ will be a good fit for your personality and match up with your dream of your wedding. Most brides have been planning this day since they were little girl. You DJ plays an important part in that dream. Before I post this I need to add one more important item. MAKE SURE THE DJ HAS BACKUP EQUIPMENT! This includes having at least 2 computers with the same music. No electronic device is immune from a crash, so be sure there is a contingency plan. If they have an iPad, that is okay for the third or fourth backup, but the first two or three need to be computers. DFW Entertainment always carries 3 computers, iPad, 2 complete sound systems, dance lights, and additional cables and mixers. There are many more topics I will discuss over the coming weeks. I will also share stories of the good and the bad. Thank you for following my blog. Michael Sanderson |
AuthorI have been hosting weddings and corporate events for over 15 years. This blog is to hep guide coupes in planning the perfect wedding and finding the right DJ. I will share Fairy Tales and Horror Stories in the hopes that couples will end up with their dream wedding. Archives |