Wedding DJs
Discover what makes a great wedding reception and learn how to avoid a horror story.
The whole success of your wedding ceremony or reception will rest on the shoulders of one man or woman, is that person up to the task?
- If your guests are not entertained, how long will they stay at the reception?
- Punishing the ear drums with heavy volume will make guests leave early
- Bad music results in bad reactions
- In a recent survey the thing guests remembered most about wedding receptions was the music and the standard of the DJ
- Good DJ's will not advertise at your wedding. Why should the DJ display a hugh banner with his name and number on it.
- Music will set the tone of your reception, food and drink may only assist.
- Your guests will want to dance but could be prohibited by the DJ playing the wrong music
- DJ announcements should be clear,entertaining and above all correct
- Professional DJs who interact in a fun but elegant way are not easy to find but they are available at Academy DJ's
- The DJ who invites you to one of their weddings means that you will also have his or her potential clients at your wedding too. There are much more effective ways of demonstrating performance and ability .Ask us how to view one of our professionals
- Late or untidy DJs are out there !. We arrive in plenty of time for your special day and then change into our formal attire
- Planning before your wedding is the key and we provide you with all the tools. We are always available to work with you.
- Please ensure that you only choose a professional Disc Jockey company
Our staff ensure your wedding is a dream come true and make sure memories are made to last a life time. What follows now are some examples of why Academy DJs are the only true choice.
So what makes us different and what do we offer?
We offer an all inclusive service and do not offer any complicated packages to choose from. You simply receive our price and this will include everything.
- Professional experienced DJ
- Full Digital sound system with backup
- Complete sound library with catalog
- Smoke,Fogger,Bubbles and other effects if required
- Wireless Microphones for your use
- All Announcements
- Full consultation at any time with your DJ
- Free on line planning software
- Music online selection system
- Printing of your own planning
- Free setup and tear down fee
- No Tips except if you would like to give to your DJ at the end
- No Tax or hidden fees
- No mileage or travel expenses
- No packages just one fully inclusive show
- A truly excellent service delivery
So lets assume you have the venue booked or are considering one for your wedding reception and have the ceremony location and timings organized. You are starting to organize your wedding dress and have already had a fitting or certainly have scheduled one. Have you noticed that it is hard to see the difference between all those wedding DJ companies that you have spoken to ? Do you get confused with various different packages or equipment descriptions, and look at the variety of quotes you have received. What we aim to do here is help lift the confusion that sometime arises and help you understand and plan your wedding reception.
Planning your wedding Venue and DJ considerations.
VENUE It really is useful to know exactly what you can and cannot do at your actual venue. The DJ may ask you if he or she can use a smoke or bubble machine at your venue so it is worth asking if you do want these machines at your reception. Also some venues do have sound limiters that ensure DJs do not go over a designated volume. It will be worth asking as the DJ will need to know about these devices, if they do not know how they operate their could be serious consequences for your reception and the DJs equipment.
When consulting with the venue ensure you know how long you have to set up your reception. The DJ will need to know the earliest access time and also how long they have to pack the equipment away at the end. Ensure you understand the designated dance floor area and establish whether you will need to hire a dance floor yourself or if the venue will lay one down for you. If they do lay one down ensure the size will be sufficient for your guests and that it is actually non slip. The position of your DJ should be in close proximity to this dance floor and not obstructed from view of this dance floor. The DJ should not be placed in a postion where he or she is obstructing the fire escape or bar area. Another consideration is to ensure your DJ does not get boxed in or has to set up their equipment in such a manner that the speakers become to close to one of your guests tables.
If your reception is to be held outside ensure you do have emergency provisions should the weather become unstable. Rain and DJ equipment certainly do not mix and you will need to have some cover arranged just in case. Ensure there is a suitable power outlet that can run the DJs equipment in isolation without having to have your DJ plugging the equipment into a domestic extension.
To recap items on your venue check list should be:
- Check the earliest time your DJ can arrive to set up
- Check the exact start and finish time for the DJs performance
- Check how long the DJ has to tear the equipment down at the end
- Check whether a sound limiter device is installed
- If you want it check whether smoke or bubbles are permitted
- Check if the venue requires the DJ to produce liability insurance
- Check if the venue has a safe adequate dance floor
- Ensure the venue supplies at least a skirted 6ft table for DJ use
- Ensure the venue has an adequate and safe power supply for DJ use
- Inform the DJ of any obstructions ( Stairs or difficult equipment install)
- Ensure prominent positioning of your DJ
- Inform your DJ if there is a stage
- Inform the DJ of the name of the room and exact venue location
- Inform the DJ of an outside reception and provide adequate shelter
- Provide contact information for the venue manager or host
- Try to ensure reasonable parking exists or area for equipment load and unload
- Any information your DJ may need about your venue must be provided as soon as possible
- Consider taking a photograph or drawing an outline plan
- Collect and copy the brochure or provide the venue web site or phon number
- If we do need to set up by a certain time please let us know what it is
Our planning includes whether to bring a set up crew or arrive extra early for a potential difficult to find or hard to set up venue. The age of the building or height of the ceilings can contribute to our decision of what sound system to supply you so if the building appears very old and the ceilings are very large please inform us. We usually do not like to be up on the stage as the star of the show is you, not us so consider decorating it with flowers instead and position us to the side. Of course if you do want us on the stage then we will be happy to be on there but usually if we are at ground level with your guests it is actually easier for them to make requests and for us to relate to the dance floor. The venue layout is crucial to a successful reception so try to follow some of our do nots.
- Do not have too much activity in another room as half a potential dancing crowd may get lost
- If you have a Bar in a different place to the dance floor you will lose your bar flies from the main room
- Be careful if the caterers use the dance floor area to serve the food. The prevent early dancing which is not uncommon
- Never have your wedding cake set on or near the dance floor
- Balloons and decorations cannot be too close to hot DJ lighting equipment
- Inform the DJ if you have a guest book to sign
- IMPORTANT Ensure your DJ arrives and plays music before your first guests arrive.
- CONSULT in fine detail with your DJ regarding ideas of how to best use your venue
Other Wedding Professionals are usually going to be at your reception performing their various respective roles and responsibilities. Most of the time the only person with a take charge attitude is your Disc Jockey. If you have a great DJ he or she will ensure your event runs smoothly and as near to your time schedule as possible. Put another way I have never seen a photographer yet that organizes and arranges the cake cut or first dance, it is always the DJ. You need to trust your DJ not to be overbearing or pushy but to actually in a tactful way steer the whole production team (Vendors) through their functions during a reception.
Everyone has a role at a reception no matter how big or small, whether at your back yard or large banquet facility and the DJ must manage the joint effort to ensure success. The bride and groom certainly should not be worrying about what is happening next and who is performing what role at what time. I have heard of wedding vendors not communicating with each other or not actually cooperating with one another. This must not happen on your special wedding day as it will disrupt the smooth flow of your event. Academy DJs always introduce themselves to your vendors and quickly establish a great working relationship. The DJ will need to know the information and contact number of
- The Photographer
- The Caterer or chef
- The Videographer
- The banquet or venue manager
- The bar manager if hired locally
- Any other musicians or entertainers
- Anyone who will be present in an official capacity at your reception
The reasons for needing to make early contact with other vendors are endless but in a sense it is all about creating harmony and setting up a quick and professional working environment with your hired vendors present at the reception.
Examples of why your DJ must be a Professional with vendors are
- The DJ should not announce dinner is served without consultation with your caterers, after all if it is not ready the DJ will give incorrect information
- There is no point the DJ playing a significant song if the photographer or videographer are not in the room or ready to capture the event.
- The DJ should announce the cake cut only when a knife has been arranged and after full planning with caterers
- The DJ must ensure all Bar announcements if required are accurate
- The DJ should make sure your caterers have completed pouring the toast before announcing it if you are having one
- Photographers sometimes like to plug batteries and lights into the DJ power distribution equipment
- Videographers often can record the music direct from the DJ equipment to enable a CD quality playback on your wedding video
- The venue manager will provide vital safety information and give the DJ some house rules
Academy DJs have worked with hundreds of other wedding professionals up and down the country and always create a great working partnership. Please provide your vendors with our contact information if you hire an Academy DJ. We would also like their information in return so we can work together and plan together before your big day.
FOOD AND DRINK plays an extremely important part of your reception. You can plan exactly what your guests will be eating during the cocktail hour or dinner depending on what you organize. The food can be sit down service or buffet or a combination of the two. More and more creative ideas are seen with different ways of providing a variety of food to your wedding guests.
The food though is usually not the main reason why your guests come to a reception. The first reason obviously is to share your special day with you because they are a friend or relative, but consider the fact that if wedding receptions were all about the food bride and grooms would in the main just hold the reception in a good local restaurant. Studies have shown that more money is spent on food than on the entertainment, yet the food is consumed in under two hours and the entertainment lasts anywhere from 4 hours onwards. Also most people actually expect to be entertained at a wedding reception and do not anticipate a great plate of food.
The point here is catering for your guests and family is important and necessary but what should be more important is ensuring your DJ is a talented and experienced individual who can keep your guests at your reception for the majority of the evening and above all creates the mood you want and ensures people are having FUN. The DJ you hire will need to know what type of meal you are having and a time frame of the length of your meal. The DJ will need to know seating arrangements to identify where the bride and groom will be sat as well as those involved in speeches or other activities. Vendors are usually provided with refreshments and either eat at an assigned table or will sit in another designated room. A good DJ will not pause very long for food to ensure the music flows gently through dinner. Bar timings are important too and the DJ will need to understand your alcohol policy.
Academy DJs will not drink alcohol during your reception and will always ensure the DJ area is tidy of bottles or glasswear. These items can be left by guests requesting music and also dancing guests tend to leave these items on the side of the dance floor, your DJ will assist in their removal to prevent injury or potential damage. Some useful considerations,
- In a recent survey conducted in St Louis 79% of brides interviewed stated if they were to plan their reception again more money would be used for entertainment.
- Food and drink while important, should be ancillary to your entertainment and socializing.
- A good DJ will organize your cake cutting and toast
- Inform you DJ of the exact manner in which dining will take place
- DJs will play an arrangement of quality dinner music ranging from light jazz to great fun classics or mood music.
- Consider dividing the entertainment cost between all your guests to establish the per plate food and entertainment costs.
- Do not position the wedding cake on your dance floor
- Receptions outside or at home need an extra degree of care during the cake cutting ceremony
You can create a timeline of events to give your vendors an idea of dinner arrangements and the general flow of proceedings. Visit the time lines we use here at Academy DJs by clicking on the link below.
MUSIC SELECTION is a vital part of your reception. You have in your mind the type of music you would like to hear at your reception so please ensure it is played. Gone are the days when the DJ used to just turn up and play music he or she liked. Now you can have much more influence regarding music choices and policy. Ensure you tell your DJ what types of music you would like and also what you do not want to hear. If you want line dances or the YMCA tell the DJ and if you do not want the CHICKEN dance we need to know too as it does form your music policy we create. Consider how long you would listen to a Rap radio station if you did not like it or how long would you tune in to the radio station playing country if its not your preference. An experienced DJ will read your crowd and assess age ranges and groups and the DJ will enter into full music consultation with you before the reception. Professional DJs will,
- Encourage you to choose music before your reception
- Create an music policy and play list with you
- Help you with suggestions and ideas for songs and dances
- Accept requests at your reception and encourage guests to contribute
- Read the crowd and play appropriate music at relevant times
- Will not play the music too quiet or too loud
- Will have a music library of at least 55,000 songs
- Allow you to browse their library online and will get music for you they do not have.
- Will understand music programming and rotation of types of music
- Your DJ will blend quality fun tunes for all age groups
Different music can be selected for different phases of your wedding. The mood of the music should match and influence the mood of your guests. The phases are
- The ceremony and initial anticipation music
- Background upbeat or classic while guests arrive
- Upbeat and grand entrance music for the arrival of the bride and groom
- Subtle mood music during dinner
- Cake cutting music
- Programmed fun music for boquet throw and garter toss
- Upbeat party and dance for main reception
- Classic love songs for couples dances
- Farewell or end of the night dance
you can of course program music for a cocktail hour or theme presentation too as well as specific music for the dollar dance or honeymoon dance and special dances like the Anniversary dance. Music is the food of life so celebrate with quality music played using industry standard high performance equipment. To browse our music library please visit our music page or when you become a client you can activate your own online music area with our password.
Visit back soon for more reception articles including
- Planning your grand entrance announcements
- Table items during dinner
- The Kiss policy
- The garter and bouquet explained in detail and alternatives
- The dollar dance in a fun yet different way
- The couples or marriage dance
- Levels of DJ interaction
- Items to introduce into your reception
- Fun ideas to use during the reception
- Adding additional extras
- The exit arch or circle
- The conclusion and not just turning the lights on !
Please call for your quote now on (877) 383- 6057 or complete our quick quote form
