Hiring A Wedding DJ The Easy Way

When a bride starts to plan her wedding, for most it’s the first.
It may also be the first time a bride has ever needed to hire a DJ.

Therefore brides are not sure what questions to ask a potential wedding DJ
other than for a price quote.
Many assume all DJ’s are the same and the cheaper DJ is the better value.
A DJ is just the music… right?   Well…..No!

A DJ has much more responsibilities than playing music for a wedding.

Hiring A wedding DJ The Hard Way

In the process of searching for a wedding DJ, the common bride will turn to the
internet then call or email several DJ’s for a price quote or pricing packages.
Some DJ’s are happy to quotes their prices over the phone, others will not
because they don’t have all the details they need about the wedding.

Once a bride contacts few DJ’s that quote pricing up front over the phone or by
email, the bride believes she has an idea of about how much it will cost for a
wedding DJ.
When she finds that DJ she believes has the most reasonable price,
or the cheapest price out of the group, will then set up a day & time to meet.
Only to find out latter on the day of the meeting that the DJ forgot about it,
and left the bride hanging around waiting and wasting her time at the local
coffee shop for an hour.

A few days latter after the frustration has worn off she sets up another
appointment with the second DJ that quoted her just a little more than
the first one, only this time the DJ, even though he was 10 minutes late,
made it to the meeting. However this the DJ pulls up on a motorcycle
wearing jeans, a tee shirt and worn out shoes. This DJ spends the first
hour talking about how good he is and how he can pack a floor with
his incredible sound system and killer lights, yet never asking her what
style wedding she wants.

Since the second DJ’s appearance was poor and he showed up late, so
she didn’t feel too comfortable with that DJ for her wedding.
Days latter she agrees to meet with a third DJ that quoted her a little
more than the other two.

Now the third DJ had a nice office where they end up meeting, dressed
well and was very friendly.
He begins to ask the bride about the details of her wedding. He asks
about hours of time needed, how many invited guests, if she wants music
for the ceremony too, dance lights for the reception etc… Photo booth is
another service they provide and convinces her that this is a must have
for any wedding. At the end of the meeting the DJ shows the bride the
price that is $1,000 more than the low price quoted in the email. The price
is much more than the bride wanted to pay for a DJ and by this time she is
really to exhausted to meet with more DJ’s agrees to pay the difference.
During the contract signing the bride notices a different DJ name on the
contract and realizes that a another DJ is assigned to her wedding day and
not the guy she spent the last 2 hours talking about her wedding details.
The fact is this guy she had been talking too is just the sales manager and
not a DJ at all.
A stranger she has never met will be the one representing her on one of the
biggest days of her life. At this point the bride feels tricked and is hoping
this DJ is experienced, and won’t embarrass her on her wedding day.

This method is called bait and switch, a very common practice with many DJ
companies.
Disc Jockeys are not the same, and you shouldn’t have to hope for a good DJ
on one of the biggest days of your life.
These scenarios happen every day to brides everywhere because these brides
have never had to hire a DJ before and these DJ’s know it.

A DJ is just one of many vendors a bride will have to meet with, and the whole
process of planning a wedding  is very time consuming enough.
There is nothing wrong with asking about price, but you should make it
your last.
You can save yourself a whole lot of time finding the right DJ to meet
with by asking the right questions up front.

A bride should always meet with a DJ (the one that will be at your wedding)
first before making any commitment. Because the DJ you choose will be the
one representing you in front of your family & friends for the first time
on one of the biggest days of your life.

Hiring A Wedding DJ The Easy Way

The best way to find a good wedding DJ is to get references first, mainly form
other wedding professionals since they work together with many different DJ’s
i.e. photographers, coordinators, videographers.
If you contact a wedding DJ and he is interested in your wedding details, your
style and the type of wedding you want to create, set up a meeting with him.
There is a good chance you won’t be disappointed. Find out what that DJ has
to offer then he will be happy to provide a more accurate price.

If a DJ gives you a quote before knowing all the details of your wedding, to
me, that DJ cares more about your money, than your wedding details, and
most likely will do the same cookie cutter performance he does for every
wedding.
Not all weddings are the same.

It won’t matter how much you pay for a DJ if he is not the right DJ for you.
Ask the right questions and save yourself a lot of time.
If the price sounds to good to be true 9 times out of 10 it will be.

Right Questions to Ask A Wedding DJ
The Truth About DJ Pricing
The 7 Costly Misconceptions About Hiring Wedding Disc Jockey’s

Mark Sanchez
www.PhoenixDJ.net

Wedding Reception Defined

Definition of a Wedding Reception: A formal party held after the completion
of a marriage  ceremony.
Definition of a party: A social gathering especially for pleasure or amusement.

When I talk to brides and grooms about the details of their wedding,
I will always pose this question. “In three words describe your wedding”.
Their answers will tell me what their top 3 priorities are for their wedding.
Ether the bride or groom or both will include the word “FUN” nearly 100%
of the time. By the time I meet with couples they have a venue, dress, picked
and more than half the time they will have a caterer & photographer booked.

What is the definition of a wedding reception? I would define it as a formal
party with family & friends celebrating the marriage and new beginning of a
couples life together.
When you begin to plan a wedding reception the first thing couples do is find
a location. Of course, you need a place to hold the reception.
To capture the memories of this celebration couples hire a photographer
and or videographer. Since a reception can last 4 to 6 hours you need to
feed guests, therefore you hire a caterer. Because it’s a formal event you
decorate with flowers, get fitted for formal wear, and purchase a beautiful
dress etc…
But wait, did I forget? This is a party and a party by definition is an
entertainment function. What about the entertainment?

In a national bridal survey…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.

Can the food make or break or even drive a reception?
Will the flowers and decorations make it fun?
Will the photographer make the reception a party?
Sure these things are important, but are they the driving force of a
reception?

Without entertainment your reception is just a formal dinner.
A reception will have a series formal events that transition
in a progression to keep your guests entertainment all night.
This is why a wedding reception is an entertainment function.
Whether it’s the DJ / MC or band leader someone needs to drive
your reception or there will be no direction, guidance, or fun.
The entertainment is the only vendor you hire can make or break your
wedding reception. So why is entertainment the bottom of a brides
priority list or even not on the list at all?

I have attended many bridal shows & open houses with many
different types of wedding vendors. I notice how brides are very eager
to get information and talk to all other vendors, yet not so much with
DJ entertainment.

In that same National bridal survey…When asked 81% of guests say
the thing they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment.

Years after your wedding is over, the one thing your and your guests
will never forget is how much fun you had, or just the opposite.
Your guests may forget what they ate, what the flowers or cake looked
like, but they never forget the fun.

Also in that same survey…Within one week after their reception,
78% of Brides say they would have made entertainment their highest
priority.
A week after the wedding is too late. I am not saying that entertainment
should be your highest priority, but as important as it is for a reception
it should be in your top three. It’s also very important to hire  professional
quality DJ entertainment, because as much as good entertainment can make
a reception fun, bad entertainment can break it.

If you want a fun filled smooth flowing wedding reception make entertainment
a top priority.

Mark Sanchez
PhoenixDJ.net