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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: First Wedding! - Page: 1

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Anyone have general tips for a wedding? i am actually a top 40, hip hop turntablist but i am meeting with a couple of fri. Any specific tips?

also, do i need a contract? how much do you charge for weddings? i usually charge aroung 75-100 per hour for regular parties...

im kinda short on idea, anything outstanding that would help me?
 
geposted Thu 27 Mar 08 @ 1:47 am
No.1 ALWAYS get a contract. No.2 Your price is up to what you think your worth and what your area supports. No.3 Meet with the couple at least once for at least an hour. Make sure they and you are comfortable with each other. No.4 Start a new event (garter toss, Dollar Dance, etc.) every 20-30 minutes apart this helps keep the evening flowing. And just relax with the table tricks. Weddings are more about the event and less about the DJ show. Good luck I hope that helps.....
 
If you have no experience in this type of gig you should of passed or at least watched another dj do an event of this type. This is someones special day, not dollar shot night. Do you have any idea what responsibilities of a DJ are at a typical reception vs what they are of a club dj. Can you mc? I hope so because you are expected to mc the entire event keep things going there are many traditional things that have to be done, you should of already discussed it with the couple. Personally coming from a club to mobile background the job of a mobile dj is much harder then that of a club dj don't let anyone tell you any different.
 
well i kinda started out more of a mobile dj and got into a club setting... not the other way around

i have observed many weddings and talk with many djs about this type of thing but the reason is that it's my first - i know i have the skills and the mc, but just some tips that i were looking for. anyone had like a blueprint for a contract? despite my many gigs, i never used a contract because nothing was ever this big...

but thanks, those tips did help and i am meeting with the couple TMR, not last friday - i need to make a contract for them
 
TearEmUp wrote :
No.1 ALWAYS get a contract. No.2 Your price is up to what you think your worth and what your area supports. No.3 Meet with the couple at least once for at least an hour. Make sure they and you are comfortable with each other. No.4 Start a new event (garter toss, Dollar Dance, etc.) every 20-30 minutes apart this helps keep the evening flowing. And just relax with the table tricks. Weddings are more about the event and less about the DJ show. Good luck I hope that helps.....


I think this iis the best advice anyone can give as a guideline. Everything else is personality, tricks of the trade, instict, knowledge that comes from experience. We can tell you the whats and how to's but remember each event is different. Remember something ALWAYS go wrong but to the experienced person it's just routine and the DJ doesn't think about it. He just fixes it subconciously.

Like Terry said - keep it flowing with good timing and it doesn't matter how much you know about music or turntablism. Find the basic wedding songs and vibe off those to make that event different. One season I told myself that I wasn't going to play the traditional wedding songs unless someone requested it. More to test myself but to keep each wedding different.

Every wedding DJ can say that they are sooo tired of hearing " you shook me all night long " but if you play it at the right moment, its a refire to the dance floor. Now you can go anywhere with that party. Things that that makes a great event.

I'm a people person and I will talk to everyy person if I could to get feedback on music and getting to know them as well. I'm hardly behind my booth ( no I don't use automix ). People see how hard i'm working to touch each table. I'm saying this to put your personality into the event. The only thing people care about is how can you make my event special for dollars. I believe in giving them more than they paid for.

Your going to be nervous. Every event I get nervous. If you don't then your not intuned with the event and your senses and awareness will be off track.

It's OK to make mistakes just make sure you hit the "KEYNOTES" of the evening and everything else will be forgotten or just part of the event.
 
thanks man. as much as looks at wedding videos, playlists, etc, i dont wanna copy - i really wanna make every wedding my own you know?

but i have good instincts and am a good people person... nobody knows but i am a very young dj *<20 but i am confident that i can work it

thanks
 
For dance music, I like to meet with the clients at least a couple weeks in advance and ask them for a list of songs they want played, not long enough a list to cover the whole night (gotta leave a little wiggle room) but long enough for an hour or two. I'll take the list, get as many of the songs as I can, then use the list (if I'm not already familiar) to research simmilar songs & artists from the client preferred genres. This insures the clients get the music they want;^]
 
Lamont PM me with your email ... I have some training material that might help you on your quest.
 
Here are a few things that have worked well for me. every event is different so there is no true set blueprint into doing mobile gigs. the difference between a Club DJ and a mobile is, a club dj has a set format he follows, a mobile dj constantly reacts to the audiance (there are always execptions so don't crucify me on that comment). There is no showing off or showing your skills. All you have to do is play good music and be personalbe. You might not even have to mix the whole night.

1. the customer is the boss, you can make suggestions but do not be overly aggressive with them.

2. a contract is good because if there is a misunderstanding that will be your saving grace since the customer is always right. Make sure in the contract they list what the music format is going to be for the night, if you are to take requests and finally beside the bride or the groom list any other designated people that can give instructions to the DJ (do not take instructions from anyone else and if someone does try to give instructions, politely tell them that you would have to get authorization from the bride / groom or disignated person in order to do so). Make sure they list in the contract any special songs they want played for any traditional dances.

3. make sure you have all they songs they requested at all costs.

4. keep the music at a low volume during cocktails and dinner.

5. if you can, raise your speakers above the crowds ear level. there is always the eternal fight that the people in front of the speakers are complaining that the music is too loud and the people in the back are complaining that it is too low.

6. Suggest to the bride and groom to try to knock out as many of the events during cocktails, dinner or right after dinner all at once. this maxuimizes the amount of time to dance and drink. this eliminates what I have seen at all to many weddings. you get the crowd dancing and then have to stop to do one event, get them dancing again and then stop again, and so on and so on.

7. if you take requests, do not let one person who is going to ask for the dance floor killer song make you play there song right away. Let them know you will work it in.

8. do not play songs with ANY swear words unless the bride and groom say it is ok. most of the time it is not. If the bride or groom says they want to hear hip hop and you know all your hip hop is not the radio friendly version let them know an occassional swear word might happen.

9. If it is a mixed old and young crowd, i usually play to the old crowd 1st. they generally leave early anyways and once you get them in the mood to dance then might even dance to some of the newer stuff.

10. make sure speak clealy and slowly into the mic. do not echo your voice!!! if you have to announce the weddding party make sure you go over the way the names are pronounced.

11. if this is something you want to continue to do, make sure you have plenty of business cards. I usually pass them out at every table after everyone is done eating to every adult. Some people like to leave them on the table but if you pass them out you can interact with the crowd and there are people out there that are to shy to go up to the Dj.

12. have a pen and paper for requests because you will forget.

13. it is nice to have a playlist on paper because you will get someone asking what type of music you have. they will want to request a song but not sure which one.

14. this suggestion is completely up to you but i have been burned before and that is why I recommend it, I do not accept personal checks. cash or money order. I also tell them that i am to be paid immediately after set up. I had checks bounce on me, I had it where the bride and groom leave the party early to go on there honeymoon amd no one else wants to be stuck paying me. Let them know if the event is cancelled or stopped for any reason after you set up there are no refunds.

$100 to $75 an hour is fair but itt all depends on what your time is worth to you. I go by how many hour, the type of even,thow much equipment i need to bring and the milage.

All this stuff is off the top of my head and I am sure there is more I am missing. these rules are for any mobile gig not just weddings. i hope this helps you and good luck.

Dj VooDoo






 
Just make sure you get a shot at the bride's maid or maybe even the bride's mother.
 
Please post back and tell us how it went.
 
well the wedding is in june... but i met with the mother and daughter about what they need

good people, really short wedding (4 hour reception) and they offered me 800 actually... surprised me so i took 700.
ill keep you guys posted... used a sample contract and used the above links for paperwork... thanks everyone
 
800.00 is a fair price for a wedding reception dance.

It's also nice that you offered a 100.00 discount.

When you are at the wedding and have a nice full dance floor going and you see smiles on peoples faces - make an announcement that your business cards can be found at the DJ table. Usually about 5 - 10 people will come up and get a card. Be polite and ask they're names and phone numbers, and what they need a DJ for. Then let them go back to the dance.

After the wedding is done and over with, send your clients an email thanking them for their business and ask them for referrals. I also bribe them a little for referrals, I offer $50.00/deposit paid referral.
 
Wow 800 or 700 for 4 hours is real good. Large crowd?
 
SpeedDemond29 wrote :
Wow 800 or 700 for 4 hours is real good. Large crowd?



I hope I don't insult anyone but how much would you charge for a 4 hour reception. That seems about right to me. Of cource we don't know what the details are. Hell, he might have to play babysitter for 20 kids during coctail and dinner. You know the ones that have a 5 minute attention span during dinner and there play tag on the dance floor and running into the speaker and light stands.
 
well i was going to charge around that either way - but i though it was gonna be a 6 hour or so reception

but 2 hours off for the same price, great for me

less than 25 kids in a group of 150 invited... probably 125 show up so not too bad, ive done father daughter dances with 200 plus

i have most of th must plays, but they are more heavy into rock, any oldies that i MUST play for rock that is danceble?
 
I know this is a little off topic, but it's not too far off the path....I was actually thinking of organizing my music by event type...i.e: wedding, house party, club, ect,ect....just wondering if you could put up the type of songs that you guys mostly play at weddings or the most requested...Any help would be great...Thanks and good luck Lamont with your virgin wedding...let us know how it goes.

Yosef
 
lamont76 wrote :
any oldies that i MUST play for rock that is danceble?


Are you looking for suggestions Lamont?
 
eh why not? i got a good playlist right now, just looking for some songs that you guys always use to get people (mostly old people) on the floor

and sure, ill post the playlist we made today - just to give you an idea, she mostly likes rock and oldies, HATES rihanna, justin timberlake and crank day, all usual regulars for me when i cater to younger people... but im confident in this
 
OK older rock..here goes off the top of my head

Some Kind Of Wonderful

Old Time Rock and Roll

Hurts So Good

Shook Me All Night Long

Legs

Money Money

Brown Sugar

Man, its late..let me chew on this a bit...put some more up....Also, I am sure you'll get more suggestions.....also Motown is good for weddings and older crowds....
 
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