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The 10 Biggest Mistakes Brides Make with DJs By Sean Thomas (DJ
Kazmere)
Yes it’s that time of your wedding planning to find a DJ for
your special day, and for most brides this can be an adventure
in itself. Contacting different Djs, getting prices, choosing
prices, consultations, and the list goes on and on. In this
article you will learn the 10 biggest mistakes brides make when
choosing a DJ for the big day, hopefully after this you can
avoid the pitfalls of choosing the “wrong” DJ for your wedding.
Here’s a little quote that my partner always tells the brides
she works with, “Your wedding day is like Broadway, you only get
one take, and you only get one chance to get it right”
1. Not taking “First Impressions” into consideration More than
likely your first with a DJ will be either on the telephone or
through E-mail. 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. An 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
your 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
summer. If you’ve found DJ “Benz” 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 DJ “Yugo”.
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
About the author:
Sean Thomas aka DJ Kazmere has been a professional wedding DJ
for over 15 years mostly serving clients in the Mid-Atlantic
area.
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