DJ Duty

I have commented before on the importance of hiring professional for your wedding. There's so much money, time and effort that goes into the planning, don't you want it to go off without a hitch?

Vinny Valentino of Valentino Productions
Photo credit: Studio 1923

Then PLEASE don't hire a "friend" to DJ your wedding (unless your friend IS a WEDDING DJ). There is a huge difference between a wedding DJ and your best friend's brother who DJ's down at the club. Much more goes into DJ'ing a wedding, like emceeing for example. There are certain things that the person with the mic has to do: announce the bridal party during the formal introductions (AND get the order, titles and pronunciation correct), announce when the bride and groom will cut the cake, dance with their parents, toss the garter and bouquet (AND get the all the singles up on the dance floor for this ritual), just to name a few. Not to mention be able to feel out the crowd to see what the guests are dancing to and get the party started!!!

Photo credit: Nikki Nicole Photography

It's not as easy as hitting "play". I have been to many weddings where the DJ has asked me, "What's their introduction song again?", "Oh, don't YOU announce the bridal party?", "So you want me to introduce the bridal party as they're walking on the beach to the ceremony?", "Are they going right into their first dance?" A wedding DJ would not need to ask such questions. He or she would ask these kinds of questions ahead of time and have the information on the day of the wedding. By the way, I ALWAYS ask for a copy of this information as well JUST IN CASE.

Side note: when hiring a larger company for ANY of your vendors, make sure you know who will actually be at your wedding and get it IN WRITING!! And if you hire a one-man show, ask who his backup is in case of an emergency.

Timing is another thing that wedding DJ's are aware of. It's a good idea to work backwards. So if the cocktail hour is from 6:00-7:00pm a wedding DJ should know how long it takes to set up the equipment and arrive at a minimum of a half hour earlier than that time. Sometimes if there is a daytime wedding at your venue the DJ can't get in that early and he or she needs to know that (although this is something that I confirm with the venue as well and incorporate into a timeline for the day). The timing of the entire reception is important. What time is dinner? Are there speeches or toasts before dinner? When will the bride and groom cut the cake? Again, this is all incorporated into a detailed timeline and I work WITH the DJ (photographer, venue, etc.) to make this flawless.

I don't mean to offend anyone in writing this post, but part of my job is to advise and educate you from the other side, whether you take my advice or not. It is still my job, however, to make sure that the bride and groom (and guests) stay in the dark with any issues that may arise during the wedding, so when I am confronted with these questions, I handle it like a professional.

Happy planning!
xo