"If you think its expensive to hire a professional Wedding DJ, wait till you hire an amature"
What most couples who are planning a wedding don’t know is
that saving money by hiring an amateur DJ for your wedding comes with a high
price tag. Before you make a decision you regret, here are some things you need
to know.
1. There’s a high probability that a cheap (or free) DJ
won’t be in business by the time your wedding arrives.
Many low-priced DJs aren’t charging enough to support their
own businesses for the long term; you’re just financing their hobby. Meanwhile,
your wedding is 6-12 months away or more.
We’ve received those calls from desperate couples who had a
“friend of a friend” DJ cancel on them last minute. It’s not pretty.
Do you want to risk the possibility that the cheapie DJ is
bankrupt and out of business before your big day?
2. Amateurs are less invested in their performance than a
wedding professional.
The amateur DJ is doing it “for fun,” and if something goes
wrong, it’s not a big deal. A wedding professional, on the other hand, risks
his entire reputation and livelihood with every performance. One bad review can
destroy his business and he knows it.
At one wedding, the DJ brought along his wife and newborn.
Their table was littered with MacDonald’s bags and his wife decided to
breastfeed the baby during dinner.
Would you rather have an entertainer who is 100% invested
in his business and performance on your wedding day or someone who does it as a
hobby?
3. A wedding is a unique event that require the skills and
experience of a wedding specialist for a smooth, flawless ceremony and
reception.
It’s about more than just playing music. Your wedding DJ
is responsible for coordinating the timeline, orchestrating the introduction and
flow of events, working with your other vendors, managing the guests, reading
the crowd and making sure the right song is played at just the right
time.
Even a DJ who is quite experienced in the club setting will
be at a loss because she simply isn’t familiar with the flow of events and how
to prevent disasters when something goes awry.
One inexperienced DJ mistakenly announced a special dance
with the bride and her grandfather because he forgot to update his notes. The
entire family started crying because Grandpa had passed away two weeks
earlier.
Are you willing to place the outcome of your wedding in the
hands of someone who doesn’t “do” weddings for a living?
4. Your guests won’t dance without an experienced
entertainer who can read the crowd and keep the momentum
going.
You have to play the right songs at the right time and in
the right order to maintain dancing. Oftentimes, the mood changes and your
entertainer needs to change the program to maximize the dancing along the way.
If she can’t mix from one song to another, you’ll have gaps
of “dead air” or awkward rhythms that will frustrate your guests and clear the
floor.
Many couples think that providing an amateur with a set
list of songs they love will be enough to make a fun wedding. It’s not. You
need someone with experience to work with your requests and what your guests are
responding to in order to avoid an empty dance floor.
One bride regrets hiring her DJ because he played
“Unforgettable” five times during the wedding because he didn’t know any other
slow songs.
Are you willing to sacrifice the fun at your wedding to
save money on a cheaper DJ?
5. The MC (the guy or girl on the microphone) has a huge
impact on the mood and outcome of your party, for better or
worse.
An obnoxious DJ with an abrasive voice will irritate your
guests and dampen the mood of the entire party. Professional DJs invest in
vocal training and practice to optimize their performance.
I personally witnessed one DJ and embarrass everyone by
making suggestive comments to the bride over the microphone.
Do you want just anyone acting as your wedding host or do
you want a professional speaker you can trust?
6. Your special events may not happen if you don’t hire a
specialist who’s experienced in channeling the flow of
events.
Who will direct your bridal party and guests at the
ceremony? Who’s going to line them up for introductions? Who’s in charge of
making sure the toasts, special dances and dedications go without a
hitch?
Just having the equipment and knowing how to push play
doesn’t guarantee the people wrangling skills you need for a fun, smooth
reception. In most cases, your entertainer is the one who makes sure your
special events are executed as you’ve requested.
One inexperienced DJ forgot to bring the couple’s First
Dance song; they were forced to dance to Barbra Streisand, who they can’t
stand.
Will you risk leaving your special events to chance or do
you want to ensure that everything is done according to plan?
7. An amateur doesn’t have the experience to include your
unique requests in a way that truly expresses your personality AND keeps people
dancing.
You can’t make your guests dance to the songs you like if
they don’t feel the same way. Your DJ needs to read the crowd and have the
experience to build sets of music around your preferences.
An amateur DJ can play the songs you request, but lacks the
experience necessary to make it work.
One bride told us her DJ played the unedited version of
Sexxy Back during dinner and had five minutes of dead air while he queued up the
next song.
Do you want your guests on the dance floor all night or is
it acceptable to have large chunks of time with no dancing?
8. An amateur DJ has inadequate or non-existent backup
equipment, which means that if something fails you have no music at your
wedding.
A fully functional backup system on the premises is
essential to making sure you have music at your wedding no matter what. Most
amateur DJs won’t have a backup plan if a speaker blows or a laptop
crashes.
We were approached at the end of one wedding by a DJ in the
next room who asked if he could “borrow our speakers” because his were
broken.
Are you willing to takes your chances without a backup on
your wedding day?
9. DJs who charge less invest less into their equipment,
which means you have inferior sound and performance at your
wedding.
A stereo system that sounds great in your living room
doesn’t sound good in a spacious wedding venue. Professional speakers and
equipment are necessary for clear sound that has impact at low volumes, so your
guests can speak at the tables even while the dance floor is
thumping.
If you want your guests to actually hear your exchange of
vows at the ceremony, you’ll need professional equipment and an onsite tech to
make sure that happens.
One DJ showed up at a venue for the first time without ANY
speakers or mixer because he’s been told that he could, “use the venue’s sound
system” and he didn’t call ahead to verify.
Are sound issues like blasting music or impossible to
understand audio acceptable on your wedding day?
If you’re not planning to have any formal events at your
wedding, and you’d like a cocktail party more than a dance party, it may make
sense to save money by hiring a non-professional. But if you’re investing
thousands of dollars on creating the perfect day, please don’t jeopardize it by
hiring someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Your wedding day only happens once; make sure you hire a DJ
who gets it right.
Pic Source - Craigslist DJ Lito
About Stephanie Padovani
Stephanie is a Hudson Valley wedding insider, blogger, writer, and wedding business coach.
