Playlists & DJs

[hat0112]

My WC gave me a list of all the songs the dj has (it is a VERY long list) but I am going to bring cds and my ipod with the songs that I have to hear at the wedding just in case.

 

I think I will ask the WC if I need a list of all the songs I want or if I can just point the dj in the right direction.

[tanyasdream2010]

Sorry, I know this is long, but I think everyone here will find a lot of value in this!

 

My friend is a wedding DJ and has been for well over 10 years, not sure exactly how long though. From everything that I have seen him do, it sounds like a lot of people on this forum have not hired a DJ before & really don't know what kind of value they are getting when they hire a DJ... or at least if they hire a good DJ. So hopefully this will truly give you a new perspective when & if you make a choice to choose a DJ.

 

Thankfully, I have seen some of the DJ work he has done and I think you will agree that if you can find a DJ like this in your area, I would recommend hiring them immediately, before they are no longer available for your party.

 

Here are some things that I have heard him talk about that I believe will help everyone here when choosing their DJ:

1. Don’t hire a DJ on price alone. SERIOUSLY!!! I personally have been to several of my friends weddings and I am here to tell you (which you probably already know from your own experiences) the  DJ can either make or break your party. Here is a valuable tip for you. When you are buying a product, such as a television or CD, it is okay to buy these things based on price alone because they are all the same exact thing, regardless of where you purchase it from. But when you are investing in ANY KIND of service, there are generally no 2 services that are exactly the same. So when comparing price, you aren’t comparing apples to apples. From what he has told me, the same is true in the DJ world. That is why you may find a DJ as cheap as $300 or as expensive as $3,000. The cheap DJ will most likely be in-experienced, possibly un-professional, and use un-professional equipment and the top-of-the-line company will hold your hand through the whole planning process giving you tips & suggestions along the way, and possibly incorporating theatrical aspects to the party (like low-flow fog for the first dance and light it up so it looks like we are floating on clouds(which our DJ is doing… this is going to be sooo cool. I hope our pictures turn out as good as some of the pics he showed us)).
2. I guess the most common misconception that I have notice everyone here speaking of is that a DJ ONLY handles the music. Well, maybe if you are looking at the low-end DJ's, this may be true. But this certainly is not true for my friends company. He teams up with the caterers, photographers, videographers, and anyone else that he feels he needs to and makes sure everything goes smoothly. He is also in charge of keeping our timeline, so things don’t drag out too long (I have seen this happen way too many times before, especially when I have been to an “Ipod Wedding†LOL). He is also handles the introductions, toasts, and various other announcements. Also, he is going to personally control all of the lighting for our wedding (I can’t wait for thisJ). Just to give you an idea of what I am talking about, he is going to project our wedding colors all throughout our hall. Also, he is going to have a projector that will light up our initials on the wall. I think he called this a monogram. And to top of this off, he is going to be in charge of projecting & maintaining our photo-montage. So, as you can see, there are a lot of other things some DJ’s do.

 

I could probably go on and on about some of the cool stuff I have seen him do but I am sure this post is long enough. If anyone has any questions though, he is a really nice guy and I am sure I can ask him if you just post what you would like to know about.

 

I hope this helps anyone in their decision to go with a DJ or not.

[hat0112]

Thanks for the information!

 

My FI and I decided to hire a DJ even though we wil only have 13-18 people including us.

 

I do have a question, can a DJ provide a sample playlist for a wedding? I am HORRIBLE at picking music and making playlists so I'm not going to do that but I want to make sure the DJ plays the right music.

[tanyasdream2010]

Yes, most DJ's can provide a sample list for you. But just to help everyone out, here is an excellent resource my friend gave me http://www.mobilebeat.com/top-200/ . This is the top 200 songs requested at wedding receptions.

 

But when I asked my DJ friend about this, weird enough he said that you shouldn't worry too much about knowing what songs you are going to pick. As long as you hire a professional DJ, they should be able to read the crowd and give you the best mix of music based off what your crowd is responding to. But he said that it wouldn't be a bad idea though if you choose a few songs that you definitely wanted &/or songs that you definitely don't want. This will help your DJ when deciding certain music selections.

 

I hope this helps!!

[rkingtx]

Great advice. Thanks!

[hat0112]

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!!

 

That website is exactly what I wanted! It has the right mix of songs I want for the reception.

 

We are hiring a DJ, and he is someone who works with our WC all the time, but you never know. I wanted to put together a few songs just in case.

 

Thanks for the help!

[SKing24]

That website was awesome, thank you for sharing!

[kingshead]

just what i was looking for! thanks...rebecca

[Ms.H]

Thanks for posting the Top 200 list, it's SUPER helpful!

[Susan'n'Dean]

Thanks for the info. I am not having a dj in jamaica but am having a family friend as our dj for out uk reception. He wants afew songs to start off with and then will just play whatever the crowd responds to best there on after.