By: Terry Tunks, Event Specialist/DJ, VJ & KJ, Spectrum Sound
No one DJ can be all things to all people. You may be attending a reception, sitting next to a friend of yours who’s also getting married. The DJ jumps up and says, “OK, let’s do the Chicken Dance!” and at the exact same time that you’re saying, “this DJ’s sooo corny,” your friend says, “I love this guy, we’ve gotta’ have someone like him” (or vice-versa).
How does a couple choose the right DJ for their reception?
Finding a staff of wedding-trained entertainers who have a variety of personalities who will spend time with you to find out what music you like and what kind of personality that you desire in a DJ is of utmost importance.
Any DJ that you select should be able host all of the wedding traditions and fluidly introduce the bridal party. He or she should offer a wide variety of music and be able to motivate the crowd using both music and the microphone. Using these guidelines as a starting point, there’s quite a lot of room for interpretation. It’s up to you to tell the potential DJ for your reception what you’ve seen in other DJs that you’ve liked and disliked, and a professional DJ should ask you about aspects of the “show” and how you feel about it (do you want them to play the “Electric Slide?” Would you prefer that we demonstrate it if necessary?).
Your DJ should be able to motivate the crowd and host the reception, all while keeping the bride, groom and their families the center of attention (instead of themselves). As long as your wishes are clear and you’re confident that the company you’ve selected can deliver your vision, your day will happen just as you’ve planned it.
How do you
balance out your musical wishes with those of your guests? It all depends
on how involved you want to be. At one end of the spectrum is the couple
that knows what their song will be (and not worry about the rest of the music)
and at the other end is the couple that has a five-hour schedule, complete with
the start and end times of each song and a timed itinerary of wedding
traditions (including when the guests may clink their glasses). In either
case there is a significant potential for happy couples to be disappointed with
their guests participation in the celebration.
The first couple (the
hands-off variety) should tell their DJ at least the following: the kind
of music they’d generally like to hear for dinner/cocktail (classical, jazz,
easy listening, soft rock), some of their favorite groups, any ethnic music
that your family may need (polkas, Italian, salsa).
The second couple should do the same and limit their requests to about half of the songs played, considering the time taken for traditions that comes out to about five or six songs per hour. That would leave their disc jockey with at least the other half to his or her discretion. In both cases the couples need to let the DJ know about songs that are must have or don’t play, no matter what; after all, the “Electric Slide” could be a must have for one and a don’t play for the other.
In all matters relating to the selection of your DJ, communication – both ways – is the key to what’s important at the reception: Having fun!
Relevant contacts: terry@spectrumsound.com • spectrumsound.com •
myspace.com/spectrumsound.com
