They use an analogy that someone would not go into a restaurant and tell a chef how to make food. I believe djing a party is a wee bit different.  As djs we play for the people. The best requests are the ones that go with the genre that the dj is playing. For example, if the dj is playing Bell Biv Devoe and a guest suggests throwing in En Vogue.  That is applauded. Usually I put in on my prepare list and throw in as soon as I can. If it isn’t the right genre I can still put it on my prepare list and can throw it on when its appropriate.  If they ask for a song I already play, then I ask them if there is another song I can play for them or I give them suggestions they can choose from.

   When I play at an event, I use the playlist given by the client and I will include music suggested by the guests. I will happily play the suggestion. If every guest came with a suggestion, I would add it to my list. It can be a little much when the same guest keeps on asking for more and more songs and the event becomes more about that guest than the rest of the guests of the party. As a dj, I never ask another dj to play my song since I know its difficult to dj a party and maintain the dancing vibe.  Sometimes djs get in a zone and playing hit after hit and the floor is jamming.  Be aware the wrong request can kill the party and the concentration of the dj.

TRAVIS SCOTT SICKO MODE

BENNY BLANCO, HALSEY AND KHALID EASTSIDE

MAROON 5 AND CARDI B  GIRLS LIKE YOU

JUICE WRLD  LUCID DREAMS

POST MALONE  BETTER NOW

DRAKE  IN MY FEELINGS

EMINEM  KILLSHOT

CARDI B  I LIKE IT

6IX9INE FT NICKI MINAJ AND MURDA BEATZ FEFE

KANYE WEST AND LIL PUMP  I LOVE IT

TYGA FT OFFSET  TASTE

MARSHMELLO AND BASTILLE  HAPPIER

DRAKE  NONSTOP

ELLA MAI  TRIP

KHALID AND NORMANI  LOVE LIES

LIL WAYNE FT KENDRICK LAMAR  MONA LISA

BEBE REXHA I’M A MESS

I always had my style and way of doing things. If it is my business, then I can run it any way I see fit. When you do a job a certain way and always get it done a certain way, then I may become difficult if one switch things up since you are used to do it a certain way. Sometimes it is good to step back and learn from the change.

During the September month, I had a Saturday off and decided to help out another Dj Company with a wedding. I met with the company and I was impressed with their structure and that they have been around over 20 years in the business. They have multiple djs under their wings and keep busy the whole year. This is what I learned and want to incorporate in my business.

Dress to impress. Weddings should be djed in suits or tuxedos. I enjoyed wearing suits but it would get super hot setting up heavy equipment. I understood one can wear a polo while setting up then put on the tie and jacket once everything is set up. Now in my business, I make it a standard to wear a suit and tie for weddings.

I also learned to do a walk though with the venue if I never played there before so I can be at ease on the day of the event since I know where the set up is going to be and know where all the outlets are going to be.

Last but not least, I was able to use a dj cart during the wedding event. Before I would carry all my equipment by hand and make 4 to 5 trips . With this dj cart, I can make two trips and it made a huge difference and felt way more efficient.

When I am not compiling new playlists or looking up the latest music gear I am working at a public high school.  During the summer, I have the option of working or taking the summer off but I always opt to do summer school. I have the opportunity to run my own summer school program.

  On Sundays, a church rents out the school facilities and the church conducts their own services there.  One patron parked her car there and left with a friend to grab a bite to eat but once she came back the gates were locked and her car was stuck inside the school. The lady called me early Monday to make sure some one could open the gate and after talking to the custodian I assured her that her car could leave campus.

  Once she arrived on campus she called me again and I notified the custodian to open the gate for her. I then left to take care of school business. After I returned to the office, I noticed a missed phone call from the lady and I assumed it was her telling me the gates were closed and she is waiting for assistance. Quickly I called her back ready to apologize for the wait but before I did that I can tell she was driving on the phone. All she wanted to do was to call me to thank me for helping her get her car off campus. I was astounded since it is a rarity that someone goes out of their way to thank someone after they got what they wanted. I told her I appreciated her phone call and I shared it with the custodian. A little gratitude goes a long way.

Ways to Find your Wedding Vendors

One way to find vendors is to ask someone who recently got married and ask for their input. The newly married person can give their recommendations and who to stay away from. 

Also once you secured your wedding vendor then you can ask them if there are people they worked with that would be a benefit to the wedding.  People in the industry know other folks in the industry and have seen and heard of their work. 

Also the venue may have their own preferred vendors to help you get ideas of who to select. Usually the preferred vendor has been there a few times and knows how the venue does their business. 

Another way would be to go under yelp and see who has good reviews. It is quite humorous how people trust stranger’s recommendations. Yelp uses an algorithm rank the top performers. I would trust someone with more reviews than someone less that 15. 

A way to find vendors would be to search under Google. Google will rank based on how often the vendor is searched. If the business is registered as a business then they will have Google reviews. 

Another way would to go to a bridal show. To actually set up a display at a bridal show as a vendor is very pricey. Vendors who invest in a booth are serious about their business to invest so much. Beware of the folks who hide behind the table. The best vendors are in front of the table and make them easy to approach. Be aware of those vendors that seem too pushy. Ideally, you would want to select someone you chose as opposed to someone who bullies you to buy his or her service.

IMAGINE DRAGONS  NATURAL

MAROON 5  GIRLS LIKE YOU

CARDI B BAD BUNNY J BALVIN  I LIKE IT

DRAKE  IN MY FEELINGS

POST MALONE  BETTER NOW

TYGA OFFSET  TASTE

CARDI B  BE CAREFUL

BRYCE VINE  DREW BARRYMORE

YG BIG BANK

MEEK MILL  WHATEVER YOU NEED

MEEK MILL  ALL EYES ON YOU

DRAKE  NONSTOP

A way to save some dollars is to get married on a Friday or Sunday. If a Sunday is selected, then make sure a holiday Monday follows it to ensure your guest will stay longer.

If there is an option to have the ceremony and reception at the same location that can save time of commuting and places often give discounts since the couple are having both events at the same place. 

Having a buffet at the reception instead of a sit-down dinner will save money for the couple. Even if that is too much of a cost then appetizers can be served instead of a whole buffet. Brunch and lunch can be served instead of dinner to save on money.

Having liquor at the reception can be a high cost. It is more economic to have beer and wine at the reception and it can be done for a few hours or done the whole night unless the couple decides to do a paid bar.

Sometimes weddings are just for a small group of folks and it can be held at a restaurant. There is no need to pay for a rental space but only for the food and drink. Some restaurants have private rooms that may be reserved at no cost or a small fee.

An Officiate can help you with your budget or go over it. In California, officiants range from 250 to 500 dollars for the ceremony. And that does not even cover if they need extra audio for the ceremony if the venue does not provide it. In certain states, friends and family can be ordained and perform the ceremony. Please check if your state allows this.

It is just music and anybody can push play.

In essence, a monkey can push play, but are you going to trust a monkey with one of biggest days of your life? A professional dj prepares the playlist based on what the couple wanted. A true professional knows the keep the cocktail and dinner music at a lower volume, so the guests can socialize and not have to yell over the music. The party music is at a louder volume to get the party really started. With the excitement of the wedding, time zooms by and a true professional keeps the wedding within the timeline. 

They play the same music for every wedding.

You must be tired of the YMCA or the Chicken Dance or Celebration. To make sure the songs are not played at your wedding then make a DO NOT PLAYLIST.  Bride and groom work with the DJ to make a customized playlist. Cocktail hour can be classic Jazz sounds or can be 90’s R & B. Dinner music can be classical music or 80’s soft rock. Every wedding is different so the playlist will be different.

All DJs are the same.

This is not true by any means. Some Djs have the gift of gab on the microphone while others stand behind their music collection. Some djs do not know how to mix and fade songs out and put new songs in. Some djs can mix songs like you hear on the radio with a smooth transition. Equipment is not the same also and some djs would like a lot of bass and volume while others focus on the clarity of the music. Like other wedding vendors, there are so many choices out there.