Tips For Hiring a Wedding DJ

Wedding Entertainment - Choosing a DJ over Live Wedding Bands...

Organising a wedding is stressful at the best of times - taking into consideration the outfits of the bridesmaids, catering and the venue not to mention who makes the invites list, the last thing you need to worry about is the entertainment. When it comes to wedding entertainment, there is quite a lot to choose from, a wedding DJ, live wedding bands, a musician or a performer. So making the right choice can be the difference between a cracking wedding reception or a disaster. So how would you go about booking a wedding DJ?

Booking the Right Wedding DJ for your Wedding Reception...

Booking a wedding DJ is one of most important tasks in regards to your wedding reception, but one that can be fraught with difficulties. For some people it's easy to rely on recommendations or find a friend who DJ's, but being a wedding DJ is more complicated than playing at a club or bar and many DJ's can be keen to maintain their integrity by not playing the sort of music required at a wedding. So how can you find your big day's entertainment without the hassle?
As mentioned before, asking friends, especially those who may have been married recently, can yield excellent results. Venues that regularly host weddings also often have an in-house DJ or wedding bands that one can often book for an additional fee, often the best option if the wedding is taking place in an unfamiliar locale.
Sites like Gumtree are often good places to find popular wedding DJ's in a particular area as well as doing a general web search - sites like Google Maps will be dotted with DJ's touting their business. DJ's with flashy websites will show their pedigree and professionalism but often cost more than a company with a more low impact advertising campaign. It's also worth considering what else you need from your wedding DJ; most will bring a light show and smoke machines, but some can be more high impact than others - you do get what you pay for and a more expensive DJ should bring a fairly extravagant set up. Some established DJ's can bring their own marquees or at least be affiliated with a company that provides marquees or space for outdoor entertainment.
Hiring a wedding DJ can vary greatly in cost, with prices in the popular summer months soaring by anything from 100 - 500%, if you can find someone who is available. Booking your entertainment in advance is highly advisable and as well as ensuring you aren't panicking at the last minute also ensures you have the best choice. The best DJ's can be booked up at least a year in advance, especially for the popular UK August bank holiday weekend.
A good wedding DJ will be keen to make sure they make your big night go off spectacularly and will be in contact just before the day. Most DJ's will have a broad spread of music and will want to check what your first dance is, if you have any requirements for the night and what time you're expected to finish. Being a DJ, your booked entertainment should have an in depth knowledge of music and be able to play anything from the 'Birdy Song' or Justin Bieber to the latest house or r&b tunes without batting an eyelid. Some can be stuck in their ways, especially wedding DJ's who have been playing for years, so it is worth discussing, preferably at the booking stage, exactly what you require.
Remember that your wedding night is your big night and that the entertainment should accommodate all attendees. Old and young will need a reason to get involved and an excellent wedding DJ will know how to make any wedding go off with a bang!