Your wedding entertainment will be an integral part of your wedding reception & evening party. Hiring an entertainer is an important undertaking. Choose a bad entertainer & your guests will remember it for a long time, choose a good one & they will remember all the fun they had at your wedding. The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is a good saying to follow, so when it comes to hiring a DJ here are some important things you will need to consider before you sign the contract.
1. Who will be your DJ? A lot of large DJ companies will have more than one DJ on their books. Find out who will DJ at your wedding, get it in writing & make sure you meet with them before hand.
2. How many years experience does your DJ have with weddings? Almost anyone can be a DJ, but a good DJ will know how to put on a good show, work the crowd & play a variety of music pleasing to all. Can they perform the kind of show you are looking for?
3. Can the DJ get all the guests involved in dancing or do they just play music? If you want a DJ that can keep your guest dancing find out what they will play to achieve this, will they just play popular music or will they play a random mix including fun songs like the hokey cokey, conga or chicken dance?
4. Will the DJ be dressed appropriately? If you want the DJ to dress according to your wedding style, then ask them to do so. Formal dress includes tuxedo or suits. Semi-formal will include dress pants, shirt & tie. Casual means polo shirt or company shirt. Ask them to be dressed appropriately before & after the guests have arrived & left the reception.
5. What is the DJ’s fee? Find out up front about fees, overtime charges, tips, any optional extras or extras excluded from the basic fee. Ask if there is an additional charge for travel to & from the venue & if you are paying only for the time the DJ is performing.
6. Does the DJ have a contract? Make sure you have written confirmation of the booking, including all the services provided & costs. Be sure to furnish your DJ with all the details of your wedding, including venue, time & date. Sounds silly, but also make sure you all know each others names before the wedding day!
7. Is the DJ company professional? Do they have adequate insurance? Are they members of professional bodies like ADJA or NAME? Membership of such bodies is a good sign of professionalism.
8. What kind of equipment does the DJ use? Ask what type of equipment they use. Top brand names include: JBL, Community, Denon, Gemini, QSC, Crown, etc. Find out if they have back up equipment should something go wrong or not work on the day.
9. What music do they play? Ask to see track lists & find out what kind of music they can provide & if it will fit with your wedding. Ask them if they will take requests, both before & after the event. Don’t be tempted to limit the DJ to only playing music you like, the best option is to choose music that will get people up & dancing. Just make sure that anything the DJ plays will not be offensive to any of your guests.
Georgina Clatworthy is a dedicated full time writer who composes informative articles related to
wedding favors and
wedding. She is connected with 1WeddingSource, today’s leading wedding planning social networking site.
