Steve Hoffman - GOOD NOTE DJs's Blog (18)

In my previous post, I discussed how DJs might fairly come up with a price quote for your wedding.



Today, I'll address the unfortunate case of DJs who vary their price quotes based on illegitimate, unfair factors.



Most flagrant is the practice of pricing your event based on subjective factors reflecting what the DJ thinks you're willing to pay.



This sort of DJ may quote a higher price to eager-sounding callers than to those who seem cautious. He might charge… Continue

You'll find a wide range of prices for all wedding services, and DJs are no exception. And the same DJ might charge a different price for your wedding than he does for another. In most cases, there are legitimate reasons for this.



Legitimate factors in a DJ's pricing structure include:



* What month is your wedding? Fees for peak months like May, June, September, and October trend higher than those for off-peak months like November, January, and February.



* What… Continue

Tell your DJ where you're honeymooning. He may be able to suggest some music to evoke your honeymoon at your reception.



For example, music during your cocktail hour can be themed to reflect your honeymoon destination. Hawaiian music for a Hawaiian honeymoon; reggae, soca, or calypso for a Caribbean honeymoon; Celtic music for a honeymoon in the British Isles; beach music for a honeymoon by the ocean.



Or how about a song related to your honeymoon for your last dance or… Continue

I haven't seen the latest Hollywood remake of "Alice in Wonderland," but ever since childhood I’ve delighted in Lewis Carroll’s dark fantasy tale of that down-the-rabbit-hole world in which things get, as Alice aptly puts it, “Curiouser and curiouser.”



Remember when poor Alice, disoriented but plucky, meets a Caterpillar sitting atop a mushroom puffing a hookah? She’s hoping for friendly conversation, but the Caterpillar nonplusses her by curtly and haughtily asking: “Who . . . are .… Continue

When you call a DJ company, who are you talking to: the person who will actually DJ and MC your wedding, or a salesperson?



If you call one of the large entertainment companies, you are most definitely talking with a salesperson, NOT with your DJ. You can rest assured that person is good. Very good. At salesmanship.



He'll tell you he has the perfect DJ for you. But unless you meet your actual DJ in advance, you're don't really know what you're getting. Even if you select… Continue

Are you considering a photo presentation at your reception -- photographs tracing the lives of the bride and groom, compiled into a slideshow or montage on DVD or PowerPoint?



You can have the slideshow running on a continuous loop somewhere off to the side, for guests to view at their leisure. Or you can present it as a “show” front-and-center at a particular time while guests are seated.



Presenting it as a show gives you the emotional impact of an audience sighing or… Continue

Have you thought about what song you'd like to have played as the last dance at your wedding reception?



The last dance is not as significant as your first dance. As years go by, you'll remember the song you picked for your first dance as your "wedding song"; you might not even recall your last dance selection. And it's the first dance that shines the spotlight on you; for the last dance, everyone's on the dance floor with you.



But the last dance is still worth thinking… Continue

Typically, a wedding DJ will play background music during cocktails and dinner. There are many types of music suitable for these phases of your reception.



Jazz is one category that comes to mind.



However, to make sure the music suits your style and your taste, don't just think "jazz." Telling your DJ to play "jazz" is like telling your caterer to serve "beef." Just as there are many cuts of beef and ways of preparing it, there are many styles of jazz.



Here are… Continue

One of the standard questions wedding guides suggest brides ask prospective DJs is "Do you carry back-up equipment with you to each event"?



Good question. The only problem is, every DJ you interview will answer "Yes" regardless of whether it's true.



I arrive at each event in a full-size Chevy van chock-full with speakers, mixers, CD players, microphones, cables and cords, and various accessories. I have extras of everything with me on-hand -- not back in my… Continue

You might think that a DJ's place at a reception is always behind the table where his equipment is set up.



Most of the time, that's where the DJ should be.



But not ALL the time.



First, there is no way the DJ can ensure the music sounds just right -- not too loud and not too soft -- from behind his table. He needs to occasionally walk the room and check out the sound from where the guests are. Believe me, things sound much different in front of the speakers than… Continue

September 11 falls on a Saturday this year, 2010. That's the second time since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that "9/11" has fallen on a Saturday. The first time was 2004. Nobody in 2004 wanted to get married on 9/11 -- the horrific memories of 2001 were too raw.



Now, it is nine years later. It will be interesting to see if "9/11" is still a date wedding couples avoid. My guess is that most wedding couples still prefer that their anniversary… Continue

Consider cutting and serving your wedding cake during a break in dancing, NOT right after dinner. Let’s say you have a 5:00 ceremony and a 6 to 10:00 reception (cocktails at 6:00, dinner at 7:00, dancing at 8:00). A good time for cake-cutting would be 9:00 – after about one hour of dancing.



Here's why.



What I call "energy flow" is a key to your reception's success. By the end of dinner, your guests have spent three hours watching your ceremony, standing around for… Continue

By tradition, when the guests loudly clink their glasses together at a reception, the newlywed couple must kiss. In recent years, this ritual has fallen out of favor, but it's still common. It can be fun, but some brides and grooms prefer not to be put on the spot repeatedly, and some simply tire of all that clinking.



Here's a fun alternative: If a group of guests at a table want the bride and groom to kiss, they must stand and sing a snippet from a love song. It can be any kind of… Continue

It's easy to have your heart set on an outdoor wedding. Perhaps you envision your ceremony outdoors in a garden, in a grove, at a vineyard, on a mountainside, by a lake, or on a pleasant patio. Perhaps you envision your guests mingling outdoors during cocktails. Perhaps your reception site even offers a pleasant outdoor setting for dinner or dancing, or both.



If your dream wedding involves the outdoors, do give careful thought to your "plan B" in case of rain or other inclement… Continue

Most wedding couples tell DJs "We're looking for someone who will keep the dance floor filled!" Favorable reviews of DJs often say "He kept the dance floor full all night long!"



Yet, sometimes during the dance period, the DJ is requested to interrupt the music and invite guests to leave the dance floor for group photographs. Things like: "Will all members of the extended Smith family please step outside on the patio for a group photo" or "All University of Virginia alumni, please… Continue

Even though I work as a DJ, I would never criticize anyone's decision to hire live musicians to perform at their ceremony. Live music sounds wonderful and adds an elegant touch to a ceremony. Besides, many of my best friends are live musicians!



However, if you are having your ceremony at the same site as your reception, there are some advantages to having your DJ provide the ceremony music.



(1) You'll save money. Your DJ may charge a bit extra for the additional time,… Continue

You might not think of cake-cutting as a musical moment, but music can enhance it. Especially if it's the right song -- a song that somehow relates to that moment. The DJ plays the song in the background just after he announces the cake-cutting.



Some examples:



* "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You." A great choice, because it connects the sweetness of cake to the sweetness of love, and it's a song everyone recognizes. You can use the Motown original by Marvin Gaye or the… Continue

There's an old saying that the 3 secrets of real estate are location, location, and location.



There's a lot more to DJ'ing than location, but the location of the DJ relative to the dance floor and the dining tables is a crucial, and often overlooked, element in a successful wedding reception.



If your grandmother is seated at a table three feet from my speakers, the music is going to sound too loud to her – EVEN during dinner, when I’m playing SOFT background… Continue