Well, you’ve done it! You’re engaged to the love of your life and have now started the planning process for the Wedding of your dreams.

There are so many things to do now and choices to make. One of those choices will be “What kind of entertainment will we have? Band? DJ? Combination of both?

You will find that most couples are seeking a DJ/MC to perform for them on their big day. The term DJ is loosely thrown around these days and it seems like everyone and their mother claims to be a DJ. When selecting a wedding DJ, you must be very careful in picking the right person for the job. Someone that has the right experience, equipment, music knowledge, and personality to make sure one of the most important days of your life goes exactly like planned and that everyone, of all ages, has a great time. You want your night to be magical, a night to remember and using your cousin’s high school band, your best man’s iPod, or hiring the cheapest DJ on Wedding Wire is not going to cut it.

1. EXPERT PLANNING

You are probably deep in the planning stages of your wedding now and see how much work it takes…it’s a part-time job! A professional wedding DJ will walk you through the process and make sure you aren’t missing any important details like song selections when songs get played and for how long, what songs NOT to play, who is giving speeches, MC announcements, sound production configurations for the spaces used and so on. An experienced wedding DJ will act as a background coordinator, working with the venue and day-of-coordinator, making sure your timeline stays on time and flows from segment to segment without big pockets of “dead-air” or feedback.

2. SELECTING THE RIGHT MUSIC

There are millions of songs in this world and selecting the right songs for your wedding is a huge task! There is an average of 20-25 songs an hour that gets played during the dance portion of your reception and in order to keep everyone happy and excited, they all have to be a hit. Most weddings have a wide range of ages and it can be difficult to please everyone at the same time since each generation has their favourite dance tunes. A professional wedding DJ can take your requests and weave them into crowd-pleasing favourites that bridge your group together so that everyone stays on the dance floor all night. A professional Wedding DJ can also shape and design an existing playlist to get the maximum impact from your play-listed songs, this almost always needs to be “tweaked” on the fly by a professional DJ, your iPod or Ai won’t be able to do that!

3. EQUIPMENT

There is nothing worse than going to a wedding where the wireless microphones keep cutting in and out, the speakers sound like they are blown, or your guests in the back of the room can’t hear a single thing because the sound system wasn’t placed or designed with the entire room in mind. A professional wedding DJ will arrive early at your venue and set up the right gear in the best location for optimal sound. A Pro DJ will only use top-of-the-line sound equipment to make sure it creates the perfect audio atmosphere for your guests. True pros also have backup equipment available in case something was to go wrong on the day such as a guest spilling a drink on the equipment, etc. Ask your DJ if he/she has backup gear in case of an accident or something unfortunate on the day of your wedding, what about a backup DJ? Many DJs will have a hard time answering those questions, not a professional DJ, they’ll have a plan A, B and C. Expect nothing less on your important day.

4. PROFESSIONALISM

Sure, you could have a family friend set up some speakers and play some songs off an mp3 player, but there is no substitute for a real DJ. Pro DJs can read a room and play the right song, at exactly the right time. They can keep the night moving along like a broadcasted event, making necessary announcements to let people know what is happening and when. A Pro DJ/MC will organize your guests for speeches and give them proper intros along with your wedding party for the grand entrance and other traditional formalities. Weddings can be an occasion where people drink, party, and get loose, so it’s very reassuring to have someone who is all business and not participating in the festivities, but keeping it all on track and your guests entertained.

5. VALUE

When shopping around for DJs, you’ll probably notice a wide range of pricing for services and equipment. The old saying “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be truer when it comes to hiring entertainment for such a special occasion. Yes, it’s easy to find a cheap DJ to play at your wedding, but most likely you would be sacrificing experience, equipment, entertainment value and the peace of mind of having someone who is committed to the success of your day from start to finish and won’t disappear the week before the Wedding. Some very experienced DJs offer entertainment packages that actually tend to be less than many average DJs because these DJs are full-time Wedding vendors who generally own all their production gear, those DJs will not need to out-source or rent production gear, which often keeps some of the cost down, saving you money to put it towards more important things, like margaritas on your honeymoon.

6. DJ SKILLS

There are 2 types of wedding DJs in this world. I’m sure you’ve seen the first type…the “Cheesy” traditional wedding DJ that talks heavily on the microphone and continually creates crowd interaction by announcing songs, playing games, talking to guests, cracking jokes, and generally over-using the mic to help move the night along. The second type of wedding DJ is a contemporary-styled DJ that is more reserved on the microphone, almost surgical-like, making announcements only when necessary, announcements that add to the program, not distract from it. DJs that play a seamless mix of classic and current hits and tends to blend into the background of the wedding and not be a focal point.

7. APPEARANCE AND ATTIRE

You’ve spent countless hours picking the perfect colours, perfect flowers, perfect lighting and the perfect pair of shoes for your big day. Why shouldn’t you also pick a DJ that cares just as much as you do about the “look” of your event? A professional wedding DJ will be groomed and wear the appropriate clothing to match your wedding like a suit and tie for formal weddings, business casual for a relaxed wedding, or even shorts and some flip-flops for your destination beach wedding. The appearance of the DJ’s equipment should also be of importance, making sure the equipment is clean, there are little or no wires in sight, all cables are secured and taped in public and staff areas and the DJ area is clutter-free. We care just as much as you do about how our DJ area looks in your photos!

8. MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Unless you are having your ceremony, cocktail hours, dinner and dancing all in the same room, you are going to need someone with the experience and the right equipment to handle multiple areas at your Wedding. Many planners often forget or don’t realize this will be an issue until it’s too late. Music that can be heard in all the spaces used, decks, patios and adjoining rooms, cordless microphones need to be available on cue as guests get shuffled from one area to the next and having everything setup by a professional is really the only way to handle this. Ask your DJ about this, pro DJs will have great answers.

9. RESULTS

You want the perfect day. We want it too. We understand the importance of making sure each and every detail is taken care of. We spend hours and hours prior to your wedding compiling music, testing equipment, contacting fellow vendors, going over the timeline, rehearsing announcements, etc. so that there are no surprises on the big day. Because we have spent so much time organizing your wedding beforehand, there will be no need to bother you on the day of with questions or issues, just kick back and enjoy every minute of it, trust me, a great Wedding goes by very fast!

10. MEMORIES

Nobody forgets amazing weddings. On the other hand, nobody forgets really bad weddings either. A professional wedding DJ can help make a good wedding great and a great wedding unforgettable. A wedding is a live show, with no “do-overs” and it has to be done right the very first time. Your guests likely won’t remember your colour scheme, flowers or even what was served for dinner, but they’ll remember your DJ and how your wedding was the best Wedding they ever attended if you hire a Professional We