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If the
first contact is by telephone,
listen to how the DJ talks
on the telephone, can you
understand him or her, or
the MC which will do the announcements
during your wedding? When
you meet the DJ (and sometimes
MC also) are they dressed
professionally? If a DJ carries
themselves professionally
during your consultation,
more than likely they will
be professional on your big
day.
2. Thinking that all Djs are
the same This couldn’t be
further from the truth, every
DJ has there own style, different
skill level, different rates,
and vary a lot in their “arsenal”
which is this musical library
which is the heart of their
versatility. If a DJ only
has Rock music, but no R&B,
a DJ which has both types
of music and much more is
more “versatile”. Remember
your favorite DJ that spins
Alternative music all night
may be perfect for the club,
but more than likely your
grandmother doesn’t want hear
Good Charlotte all night during
your reception.
3. Hiring the cheapest DJ
you can find. The phrase “You
get what you pay for” holds
a lot of water in the case
of hiring a DJ…especially
for a wedding. Let’s use the
Washington DC metro as an
example to better explain
what I mean. There are Djs
which can cost as little as
$300, or as much as $2,500
for a five hour wedding. Is
the DJ that is only charging
$300 no good at all? Who knows
he might do a decent job,
but there is one thing that
is certain, either the DJ
doesn’t have the experience,
or just has bad business skills
altogether to charge only
$300. Any DJ that has done
a ton of weddings (100 or
more) knows that they put
too much into a wedding to
only charge peanuts. On the
other side, remember that
just because a DJ is the most
expensive in town, doesn’t
mean they’re the best for
you, sometimes they are, sometimes
they’re not. The entertainment
for your reception is what
you, your family and friends
will remember; it’s worth
more than the cost of invitations.
Your DJ is an investment that
you your guests will enjoy
the entire “time frame” of
your reception, not half of
it. Believe me, if half of
your guests leave after dinner
because loud rap music was
playing during the main course,
the venue isn’t going to give
you a refund.
4. Not communicating with
your DJ Besides hiring the
wrong DJ altogether, this
is probably the biggest mistake
some brides do when dealing
with Djs, not COMMUNICATING.
There is nothing worse for
a DJ (and for you also) than
a “rush job” especially a
wedding. A seasoned professional
can get through the event
without “noticeable incidents”
but I believe I speak for
all wedding Djs when I say
it is “nerve-racking” even
if we don’t show it. Keep
your DJ informed of your plans,
your special songs, any changes,
your timeline, or anything
else he may need to know,
don’t wait until the week,
or even a month before the
big day to start communicating.
This is the only way your
DJ will know exactly what
you want, and don’t want.
5. Not having a written contract
Simply put…no contract, you
very well may have NO DJ!
Every year I get a few phone
calls from a bride (or her
mother) saying that they hired
a DJ and they didn’t show
up. The first thing that I
ask is did they have a contract…80%
of the time it’s “no”. If
a DJ doesn’t have a contract,
run out front door, and don’t
look back.
6. Not making sure the DJ
has liability insurance. More
and more venues and hotels
across the U.S. are requiring
that DJs have liability insurance,
and most are asking to see
“papers”. A true professional
is going to have insurance
for his business, and you
should ask to at least see
a copy of the policy. Insurance
for DJs is generally not expensive,
and there are a few major
DJ organizations which offer
a nice discount on insurance
for joining. There’s really
no excuse for your DJ not
to have it.
7. Taking complete control
of the music selection from
your DJ You want to hear what
you want to hear…That’s fine,
but remember you’re not alone
on your special day, you,
your family (and your new
family); your friends all
have different tastes. Some
brides want to choose every
song that gets played for
the entire night, and I can
honestly say that I have only
seen 2 song lists created
by brides out of hundreds
upon hundreds that actually
worked for the majority of
the night. JUST TWO. Let the
DJ do his job, which primarily
making sure that right songs
get played at the right time.
Also remember giving your
DJ 200 songs to play for the
night isn’t going to work
either…unless your reception
is over 10 hours long. And
last but not least make sure
you clarify which artist you
want to hear for certain songs…Take
the song “Three times a Lady”,
the Commodores, Kenny Rogers,
Conway Twitty (and probably
other artists) all sing this
song, if you want the Commodores
version for your first dance,
make sure you don’t end up
Conway Twitty instead.
8. Not making sure the DJ
you want is “guaranteed” to
be your DJ This is probably
the biggest complaint from
brides all over the country
about Djs. You went to a DJ
company that has more than
one DJ, you requested a specific
DJ, and another DJ shows up
in his/her place. Any time
you deal with a big DJ company,
make sure you get in writing
that the DJ you want is the
one that will show up.
9. Not going over back-up
plans with your DJ In life
“things happen” which you
or nobody else has control
over, even on your wedding
day! Find out from your DJ
about his plans for back-up
transportation, equipment,
and personnel. If one of these
three areas is “out of commission”
so will the music for your
reception. If they don’t have
any plans, start running.
10. Not hiring a DJ quickly
Finding the DJ you want is
hard enough work, as long
as you don’t believe they’re
all the same. Don’t go through
all the work of finding the
DJ you want and then procrastinate
on booking with that DJ. Most
wedding DJs that have good
reputations in the business
will get booked at least a
year in advance, especially
for the Saturdays in the busy
months. If you’ve found a
DJ who you like and are comfortable
with, don’t wait hire him.
Remember if you wait a month
or two before the big day,
you choices are limited and
you might end up with no one.
Avoid these ten major mistakes
(there are a few more) and
you will be better able to
“connect” with your DJ, and
know what to look for while
hiring a DJ. Keep in communication
with your professional DJ,
and your reception will more
than likely be worry free..
Article is the copyright ?
of Starr Productions 2005
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