Need Help!

Re: Need Help!

• DrPB2b13 member

  

  February 2012 edited February 2012

  Congratulations!
  
  First, you need to sit down and decide what you're looking for as far as your wedding goes.  Do you like DJs who do a lot of games?  What abotu ones who are very involved?  Or is your idea of a perfect wedding reception one where the music just plays and there is little to no DJ interference at all?
  
  Sit down and figure out what your "ideal" reception will look like, and use that as the basis for talking with DJs.  Some good questions to ask:
  
  Do you play games with the guests?
  Will you respect a do-not-play list? If guests request music from this list, what will you tell them? (Good DJs should deflect problems from you - often by claiming they don't have that song, rather than saying you don't want it played)
  Will you follow a please-play list?
  Will you make your own judgment calls on music if we aren't sure what we want, or only give you a few guidelines?
  Can you get music we want that you don't have, and who pays for this?
  Do you charge for guest requests? (Don't laugh, I've heard stories of up to $2 a pop...!)
  What packages do you offer, and how can we customize them to fit our needs?
  How much do you charge for overtime?
  Will we get just one DJ, or will you bring an assistant?
  What do you require for a meal?
  What do you do if our guests are not really up for dancing?
  Can and will you turn music volume up or down per our request?
  How much time will you require for set-up an take-down?
  Will you charge extra fees to travel to our venue?
  
  These are just suggestions and jumping points.  Many vendors do a lot of initial business through email these days, so it's a good starting point to find out a) if they are available for your wedding date, and b) what their pre-booking meetings are like.  My personal belief is that you can learn a lot about vendors based on their responsiveness and friendliness through email (though not always, and not everything you need to know!) so use this as an initial judgment call as to whether you're interested in doing business with that particular person/group.
  
  And finally....there are quite a few of us here who have great recommendations and reviews for various DJs, so if you have any more questions about a particular DJ, or just want initial suggestions of people/businesses to look at, feel free to post back here for help!

  Mrs. Abbe Peanut Butter || Planning Bio
  
  

  Report0 Reply
• mmills06

  

  February 2012

  DrPB,
  
  Thanks for your response! We are a young couple (will be 24) looking for a DJ that will work with us to create a fun atmosphere for our guests that are around our age as well as our families. I have been reading these boards for a while now and feel like I have got some good information. From all of the reviews, we are looking into DJ Dave Lynch and we met DJs from A Main Event at the bridal show at UNH so we are looking at them as well. Any pros/cons about working with an individual vs. a company of DJs, or just preference? Again, thanks for your response!

  Report0 Reply
• DrPB2b13 member

  

  February 2012

  You're welcome!  The NH board isn't super active anymore, but we're a good bunch
  
  I'm using Josh "DJ J Boogz" Field from ECF Entertainment.  To be perfectly honest, he's a friend and former coworker of mine, so he was my first and only choice - I like his style, I like his personality.  However, he's a cofounder of ECF, and vets and trains his staff very carefully. 
  
  I really liked the options we had with him as a member of a group rather than an individual, because he'll bring an assistant with him, and if something happens they ALWAYS keep some of their guys at home in case something goes wrong and a DJ can't make it.  I am very big on backup plans, because (at least in my life!) I feel like whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, so I want to know I can rely on them if need be.  I actually turned down a vendor because I wasn't happy with the back-up options she gave us, even though I loved her work.  That said, just because a DJ isn't part of a whole service doesn't mean he won't or can't have a plan B, so definitely be sure to ask about that!
  
  My FI and I are also young (both 25) so we wanted someone who could cater to us and our friends, as well as be appealing to our larger families who make up the majority of our guests!  I tried to get a read on DJs before we met with Josh so I could pinpoint what I did and didn't like, and I was really turned off by some DJs at bridal shows just because they didn't seem to care about the larger crowd - they were more concerned with the 5-10 people who really liked them the way they were.  Now, maybe that's just how they were able to book more solid clients; I don't know.  But it was a big turn-off for me, and something I definitely discussed with Josh before we booked for sure.
  
  Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions

  Mrs. Abbe Peanut Butter || Planning Bio
  
  

  Report0 Reply