Your DJ wants you to know

 

The following points are something your DJ wants you to realize:

Do you have a friend that is a DJ? Or does your friend have a friend who is a DJ? Be aware that you still should check him/her out.  Just because they are playing some music with their iPod does not make them a professional DJ. Don’t let people in your wedding party make the DJ arrangements. You need to do your homework. It’s not just the equipment that makes a good DJ. Hiring somebody without references it very risky.

So called iPod wedding are a very bad idea. It will take you hours programming it and setting it up to play for special moments. Now picture this:   You are in the middle of Dinner because the ceremony ran late, the pictures took longer than anticipated or the servers are serving dinner to slow and your iPod is playing the song for your first dance.  Your DJ will ensure that the music matches the setting, no rowdy line dance song while everybody is eating a formal dinner – your iPod don’t know that things are running behind.  You took all this time to pick your songs that you love, but no one else loves your choice of music.  A DJ will read the crowd and help keep the dance floor packed – your iPod won’t.   You can have somebody in charge of the iPod and pretend to be the MC, and they might be able to make changes to play the right songs, but his means that there will be pauses between songs. If this happens during the Dance time of your reception and your guests can’t dance because of dead air, you will loose them and they will take the party elsewhere. Now picture the worse thing that can happen. Your iPod gets knocked down and breaks, or simply runs out battery?  You are without music and out of luck.  Professional DJs always have backup equipment which they bring to every event they work.

 

Your DJ does not only work the hours of your wedding on your wedding music. It takes sometimes several days to ensure that he/she meets your event requirements. Meeting with you several times, guiding you through your event set up, ensuring that he/she has all the songs that you request, downloading the songs needed,  load up the equipment, drive to your wedding location, set up, work your event for 4 plus hours, tear down, load everything back up and drive home adds up to many hours.

 

If you decide that your DJ will be served the same meal as your guests, ensure your caterer does know or remember it.  It has happened that even that paid for the meal we will get a Sandwich and Chips. You can call it a mistake or a scam, just make sure you tell your caterer what and whom they will be serving and inform your vendors so they know what to expect – this will ensure that you are all getting what was paid for. Your DJ is also the go to MC for your special event therefore it would be best that your DJ receives his/her meal right after the head table.  This will ensure that when you are ready to go on to the next phase of your special day, your DJ is ready too.  It is advisable that you feed the vendors before a majority of your guests…not ½ hour after your guests are done with their meals.

 

The success of a full dance floor is not only the responsibility of the DJ.  A lot of time a when the dance floor is slow it is because of the crowd. No party is fun when the guests are downers.  When guests and families mix well together, the dance floor will stay packed.  Also, you, the bride and groom – if you want a packed dance floor get up and start dancing yourself!

 

Remember, you have your favorite songs, but those songs might not be the best songs for a wedding. You have to make sure that your guests like your music as much as you do. If your guests like the music, they will be dancing. Remember, that dirty versions of a song don’t belong at a wedding. Keep them for a private party with people of your age group. Most DJ’s will not play dirty versions of any song: please let the DJ you hire help design a good mix of music.  Please don’t get upset when he/she give you some advise, they have seen what works and what doesn’t work, they are the professional DJ.

If you did your homework about your DJ, he/she most likely will not be drinking any alcohol. We do drink Sodas and water, most of us will drink water to avoid the impression that we are having a cocktail! 

 

Now, your DJ is ready to go to work, relax, he/she know what needs to be done. Please do not micro manage your DJ, let him/her do the job you hired them to do. Enjoy your special day and relax, you are in good musical hands.