How much experience for DJ?

lttlkasa

Posted on music board, but thought it'd make sense here too. Would you consider hiring a DJ for your reception if they hadn't done a wedding before, but other events like graduation parties, etc? 

Fiance and I met with a husband/wife DJ team that have been in business about a year. They were very upfront with us that they haven't worked a wedding before, but said that they were hoping to get into gigs like that in 2013. (Our wedding is next summer, by the by.)

I got a good feeling from them, and they didn't seem like the kind of DJs who would be obnoxious or disrespectful. They have some great planning tools on their website (which the fiance likes), and we did ask them if they were comfortable MCing, which they said they had done at other events.

Not gonna lie, part of me is thinking it might be cool to give them their break in the wedding industry. And I'm OK working with them a bit more to explain how we want the reception to be structured. But maybe in my early wedding planning naivete, thinking "how different can a wedding gig be?" attitude is out of place. Hoping for some thoughts and/or DJ stories to help us with our decision!

artbyallie

If they've done something similar in size to what your wedding will be, I would go for it and, assuming they do a good job, recommend them to friends and family after the wedding.

jessicabessica

Friends of ours used a club DJ, and it went fine.  I think part of it depends on how much you plan to rely on the DJ for planning purposes.  Do you have a coordinator at your venue or are you hiring someone?  DJs help with the timeline and planning of events, so if you feel comfortable doing that mostly on your own (or have a coordinator), I wouldn't have any hesitations if you otherwise like them.

JoanE2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_how-much-experience-for-dj?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:cd5411f1-e8e1-4bee-baa2-b392d19c3189Post:b7e47a1e-d170-4c62-8b6a-999face6e4e9">How much experience for DJ?</a>:
[QUOTE]Posted on music board, but thought it'd make sense here too. Would you consider hiring a DJ for your reception if they hadn't done a wedding before, but other events like graduation parties, etc?  Fiance and I met with a husband/wife DJ team that have been in business about a year. They were very upfront with us that they haven't worked a wedding before, but said that they were hoping to get into gigs like that in 2013. (Our wedding is next summer, by the by.) I got a good feeling from them, and they didn't seem like the kind of DJs who would be obnoxious or disrespectful. They have some great planning tools on their website (which the fiance likes), and we did ask them if they were comfortable MCing, which they said they had done at other events. Not gonna lie, part of me is thinking it might be cool to give them their break in the wedding industry. And I'm OK working with them a bit more to explain how we want the reception to be structured. But maybe in my early wedding planning naivete, thinking "how different can a wedding gig be?" attitude is out of place. Hoping for some thoughts and/or DJ stories to help us with our decision!
Posted by lttlkasa[/QUOTE]

Me personally?  I'd love to say I'd give them a chance, but reality is I probably wouldn't.  Music is very important to me at a wedding (along with food and bar) and I think people judge weddings mostly on these three things so I'd probably stick with someone that is experienced.

s-aries8990

Before you sign with them, are there any events they will be working  that you can peek in on? It ill give you a better feel for how they operate IRL and the mood they will set. If you're happy with how they performed, give them a break.

lttlkasa

We actually met them while they were doing a low-key gig for a car dealership. Which isn't really the same thing at all, they just had music playing while the dealer's "customer appreciation day" was going on, but we got to see their equipment. One of their graduation party clients gave a rave review, so maybe that counts for something as well. 

Fiance and I are still planning to meet with more experienced DJs to see what they're like, for sure.  

loca4pook

I guess I would be hesitant because that last thing you want at your wedding day is be "worried" they won't do it right. If you are worried NOW enough to ask the question, you would probably be worried that day until you knew it went "well". You want your day to be stress-free which it won't be if you are gonna be worried the DJ's dont have the experience to pull it off.

As others said, I would make sure they are used to helping keep with the flow of events..intros, cake cutting, first songs, etc...Graduation parties don't usually have that many things that need to be done at certain times, ya know? If you do take a chance on them, make sure you really have that structure down to a tee (unless that job is assigned to someone else)