I got a message from someone in this comment thread about Wedding “Hacks”:
“The first would definitely be about pricing. How exactly does a DJ gauge their price? Obviously you have equipment you have to set up and take down, but does it matter how many people are there? How interactive you have to be? If the bride and groom request certain music? We’re very budget conscious, our venue is insanely cheap considering (especially considering it’s in Orange Country which is the devil when it comes to cost of living). They have their own sound system, speakers we essentially can hook up an ipod to, but I see the value in having a DJ who can keep the energy and party going. My fiance initially thought we could just have a friend do the announcements, but I disagree. Basically what is the value of having a good DJ? And what are good questions to ask while looking for one?”
I’ll split this up into parts to make it easier:
Q: How exactly does a DJ gauge their price?
A: There are a few different ways DJs set their prices.
– Whatever people are willing to pay
– Based on experience of the DJ (ie people with more experience tend to only do more expensive gigs)
– Usually the easier or more fun the gig will be, the cheaper the DJ will quote
Q: Obviously you have equipment you have to set up and take down, but does it matter how many people are there?
A: Equipment is a big problem with mobile gigs as 99% of customers won’t know the difference until the event starts. Better DJ companies have full backup systems in case something goes wrong. Best thing to do is ask them what equipment their DJs use and ask a friend that knows if they’re using professional equipment. If theyre not willing to tell you what equipment they use then that is a big warning sign.
Q: How interactive you (DJ) have to be?
A: Depends entirely what type of wedding you would like. Some couples prefer it to be chilled out, others to party hard.
Q: If the bride and groom request certain music?
A: Yes, check that the DJ is happy to play requests and if they can bring them or if you have to supply them. DO NOT book a DJ that isn’t willing to take requests from your guests unless you are 100% sure they will play the right thing.
Q:They have their own sound system, speakers we essentially can hook up an ipod to, but I see the value in having a DJ who can keep the energy and party going.
A: Check that the sound system is actually built to be played loud, a lot of venues say that you can play music through it, but it may not be very loud as a lot of venues have speaker systems built for speeches and background music.
A: This goes against most DJ company owners in that I believe that an iPod is entirely fine to use for a wedding. I think that if you dont have the budget for a DJ then an iPod is actually better than a crap DJ. The benefit of having a good DJ is that they can make the evening go smoothly, they can modulate the music for the whole night on the fly and they can try and please as many of your guests as possible. If you want a dancefloor all night then that is hard to achieve with an ipod. There are some more thoughts on ipod vs DJ here.
Q: My fiance initially thought we could just have a friend do the announcements, but I disagree.
A: Either way is fine. I recommend if you have someone that is a good MC in the family then that works best as they can make some jokes and they already know at least half the people in the room already which makes it a bit more personal. If you don’t have someone confident then get a DJ that can MC or you can even get a separate MC. Either way check when you are booking if the DJ can MC and if it costs extra. Also check with the venue to see if you need the DJ to bring a microphone as well and get this quoted up.
Q: Basically what is the value of having a good DJ? And what are good questions to ask while looking for one?”
A: The value of having a good DJ is:
– To entertain your guests
– To take care of everything to do with the entertainment of your guests (kind of an insurance policy) so that you don’t have to worry about it.