I’m sure most people have heard that a good or bad Disc Jockey can make or break (as in ruin) just about any event. So it really pays to do your homework and know what to look for when you go shopping around for a DJ for your special event.

It never ceases to amaze me that most folks will pay more attention to, and be willing to spend more money on, other aspects of a typical event; such as catering, photographers,venues…etc. But when it comes to the DJ; the source of entertainment; the person that is going to be responsible for all the announcements, introductions, and overall tempo of the event; it becomes almost an afterthought. A vendor that some people will try to save money on; after already spending so much on the catering and the photographers. BIG MISTAKE!!!

After all when it’s all said and done just what do you think people are going to remember the most about the wedding,anniversary, birthday or whatever event it was that they attended? Sure they’ll remember how beautiful the bride looked and how nice the ceremony was. But will they really remember and think fondly about the food that was served….well maybe, if it’s that good:-) or the photographer that was taking pictures? I don’t think so. But what they will remember, is the good time they had dancing to all their favorite tunes. They will remember that the DJ created a fun, festive atmosphere; that they were compelled to dance to the great music that he or she played. They’ll remember that this DJ welcomed and actually played their request. That he/she was all over the place interacting with the guest; making them feel important by including them in the festivities, and making him or herself accessible to them. That is,if you hired a true professional DJ; that knows how to organize and run a party.

These attributes (and more) are all important aspects of being a good DJ and entertainer. So what does it take to find the right DJ for your important event? It takes knowledge and understanding of just what a DJ does, or better yet; should do in order to make any event a fun & memorable experience for all those in attendance. You should always ask for, and check references (word of mouth is also good). Look for business associations such as the: American DJ Association (ADJA), National Association of Mobile Entertainers (NAME) or the local Chamber of Commerce.

Equally important, is to personally interview and get a feel for the person that is going to act as DJ/Emcee for your event. Do not shop or hire a DJ solely on the basis of price. I know it’s so cliche` to say this, but in this business, as is true for most products & services…..YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

Another important thing that a good DJ should do for you, is help you plan and organize your event. For example, the planning for any announcements, introductions, and most importantly the timing of all the above. The DJ should provide you with either paperwork or online tools for making a outline of the chain of events that happens at most functions. Sort of a guideline for the DJ to follow; as well as to communicate any needed info to the other vendors such as the caterers, photographers, and staff at the venue. He should also be able to share any unique knowledge and creative ideas he has with you based on his years of experience. If he’s been in this business for a while, and done many different types of events, then he should have all kinds of thoughts on this matter; and be willing to share them with you. Speaking of paperwork; make sure you get everything in writing. Any true professional DJ will provide you with a contract. Spelling out the date, time, price and other agreed upon specifics of the event.

An event such as wedding is just too important to cut corners when it comes to an area where most of the focus (aside from the Bride & Groom) is going to be directed to. On that same note, a good wedding DJ should control & direct most of that focus not at himself,but towards the Bride & Groom. After all, it is their day and the very reason why everyone is there to begin with; therefore they should be the focus of all the attention.

So do yourself a favor, do your homework and know exactly what it is your looking for in a Disc Jockey for your special event.

Here are some interesting statistics to consider (compiled by USA Today from several national sources):

• 72% of all brides say they wished they would have spent more time choosing their reception entertainment.
• Almost 100% say they regretted not spending more on their wedding reception entertainment.
• During wedding planning, brides say their highest priority is their attire, followed by the reception site and caterer;reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities. Yet, within one week after their reception, 78% say they regret not making the entertainment their highest priority.
• When asked, 81% of guest say that the entertainment is what they remembered most about the reception they attended.

If your going to pinch pennies for your reception; the ENTERTAINMENT is the one thing you should NOT skimp on!!!

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Jaime Z. (aka DJ Z-BOP:-)
I’m a professional mobile DJ that has been in business for over 13-years. And loving every minute of it. I totally love to entertain and to be able to create an environment where people can have a fun time. It’s a natural high for me; and those are the best kind!

When booking a DJ, watch out for the prideful, “full of himself” DJ, that has a name like “Jammin Joe”, or the quiet DJ who thinks his job is just to just play music. Your Typical Wedding DJ tends to fall in one of two extremes. Many high end DJs, are very “flashy”, or “showy” and love to be the center of attention, hear themselves talk, and have this attitude “how glorious am I”. On the other extreme you have many of your low end DJs, who camp out behind their messy equipment and don’t give any direction or leadership. A DJ has to be a leader, one who is comfortable, making announcements, and guiding your guests, as well as all the vendors you have working for you, communicating with them, so that they know what is happening. Our DJs are in the middle of those two extremes. The first two hours before dinner and during dinner we are formal and elegant, When you make your grand entrance, you will hear an introduction that will get your guests excited when you walk in. We say what we need to say, but also know when to shut up. The last half of the reception (the dancing part), we are interactive and are very good at getting people on the dance floor.

A big ego is the last thing a DJ needs, but unfortunately a common trait. Many of them will have some hyped up name that they go by. All of our four DJs are here to serve you, so they don’t need an alter ego stage name, because it’s not about them, it’s about you, the Bride and Groom, and your guests. You are the boss and we will do what you want, but we will also advise you from our years of experience; however the final decision is always yours. As a wedding DJ you are trying to please a wide range of ages and ethnic groups, and someone may not like something you are playing, but you have to put your pride aside and be polite and courteous at all times.

Although getting people on the dance floor is important, a good high end Wedding DJ has to be a good coordinator as well. The DJ is the center of communication at a reception that your Caterer, Photographer, and Videographer will have to communicate with. Your DJ can negatively affect your pictures or video by not giving them adequate notice so that they can properly prepare their cameras for an event. They often negatively affect the flow of the reception by not communicating with the caterer about the toasts and cake cutting.

The DJ who will make your wedding reception a big success is one who is friendly, flexible, and knows how to use his experience, with a great sense of timing to pull the potential out of any crowd regardless of age or ethnic group. We hope this helps you, because whether you use us or a good DJ from another company, the better your DJ, the better your Video and Photography will come out, as well as having a fun, yet organized reception. The DJ will make or break it.

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Authored By Randy Markham
Randy Markham is the owner of Celebrations of Tampa Bay. He started the business in 1991, after serving as a sound technician in a local contemporary church. People started asking him to provide music for wedding, and one thing lead to another, and today Celebrations of Tampa Bay employs 20 people including Photographers, Videographers, and DJs.

No one has ever said, “That hors’ devourers display was Da Bomb” at a wedding reception.

It is the big day, your wedding, you have taken time to plan every detail of the event, from the florist to the caterer; from the officiant to the tuxedo. You have hired he best of the best except for your DJ. Here you and your fiancé agreed that you only have $400.00 for your music and you were lucky enough to find “Discount DJ”.  It is the big day already.  There is no turning back and it is time for your introductions. “Discount DJ” hasn’t got a clue as to how to pronounce your bridal party names, your parent’s names and most of all your names. “Discount DJ” plays music that has explicit language and his emcee technique is horrific. Your guests are complaining about the volume of the music during dinner and how the event is dragging. Welcome to the “Bad DJ Twilight Zone”.

At the end of the day, you and your spouse are laying in bed and you say to each other, “God, we wish we had went with a real professional DJ and not with “Discount DJ” because he sucked and he made our wedding reception something that we wish we could forget.”

So many times budget constraints place a hold on all of us in acquiring the best of the best; but I say, when it comes to your wedding day, let it fly. This is the day that you will remember forever and why should you have the worst DJ in the world merely based on budget constraints.

If you are planning a wedding in advance, take the time to do research on at least three (3) DJ companies and if a particular DJ company is a little pricey but you feel they are the DJ company to get the job done, then ask these important questions:

1. Do you have any package pricing that may encompass an extra hour of time at a discount?
2. Would you be willing to take a deposit in payments so you can hold our date?
3. Would you be willing to work with us under a payment plan that can suit our budget but allows you to hold the date and be fully paid before the wedding day?

Any professional DJ will try to accommodate you and your fiancé because they know how important this day is to you and they want to provide you the best musical entertainment for your wedding reception. The best thing to do is to talk to the DJ and tell them your situation and then ask what can be done to assist you in booking that date. I am not saying that you will find a heart in all professional DJ’s but the good ones will try to assist you in this aspect.

Another piece of advice I can give is, if you are going to ask for assistance then have at least a $200.00 deposit to hold the date and some type of payment schedule in mind for the remaining deposit balance due. This will assure the DJ that you are serious about booking that date and have every intention of staying on a payment plan. Remember, some DJ’s are full-time and this is their livelihood.

If you are planning on spending anywhere from $800 to $3000 on fruit and cheese or hors’ devours then truly believe it is just that important to put as much finance into your music and entertainment in order to have a memorable, entertaining, and hella good party!

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David A. Smith (a.k.a “DJ Dave) - Co-Owner of Cool Sounds Mobile DJ & Entertainment Services located at 3970 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 209, Long Beach, CA 90807

 

 

Our motto at Cool Sounds Mobile DJ & Entertainment Service is “Good Music & Fun, Sounds Cool”. “Don’t Skimp On The Fun.”