Wedding preparation: What you should pay attention to during the preliminary talk with your wedding DJ…
Booking a DJ for your own wedding is not something you do casually. After making contact and an initial exchange, a personal preliminary talk should definitely take place, in which you can develop a feeling for your counterpart – does this person suit us? Can we imagine having them on board as a DJ at our wedding? In addition, there are of course a lot of practical questions to clarify, which concern the DJ, but also the wedding preparation in general, for which I am happy to provide a guide here:
1. what is the layout of the venue? Which rooms (or outside areas) need to be covered with sound? Where should the music be played loudly, where only as background sound? Where does the DJ sit? Preferably close to the dance floor so that he is approachable (requests) and can react optimally to the mood of the guests.
2. what is the schedule for the event? Speeches, games and other program points should take place before the dance floor is opened. After that, the announcement of a possible midnight snack should be the only interruption to keep the guests in a party mood.
3. how many guests are expected? What is the age structure and the male/female distribution? As a rule, an audience with a high proportion of women is more willing to dance.
4. as the guests may wish to surprise the wedding couple with program items, it is important to appoint a master of ceremonies (best man, caterer, wedding planner), whose contact is communicated to the guests in advance, who is involved in the wedding preparations and to whom all activities are registered so that he can coordinate them. For example, speeches should not be made while the staff are clearing the dishes.
5 What kind of music does the bride and groom generally want? What are the no-go’s? How should the DJ handle it if, for example, the couple does not want hits etc., but the guests want strong mood music?
6. it is best if the bride and groom tell the DJ 10-15 songs that should definitely be played. I advise against 4-page lists – a lot of effort, difficult to keep track of and usually impossible to include all the songs. However, you should name a few must-haves so that the DJ always has important songs in his luggage.
8. the DJ needs a table for his equipment that is at least 80 cm high, 1.30 m wide and 55 cm deep. Should the DJ or bridal couple clarify with the location that such a table will be provided? 1-2 power sockets – preferably a separate power circuit – should be available for the DJ in the immediate vicinity of the table.
9. what is the dress code for the ceremony? The DJ usually appears in a suit. However, if, for example, the majority of the guests are dressed casually, the DJ is of course welcome to adapt his outfit – the DJ should not be dressed more festively than the groom…
10. where does the DJ sit down to eat? Some DJs like to eat at their desk so that they are always available if someone needs the microphone, for example. Personally, I think it’s nicer to only appear at the workplace in “action” and have the meal at a staff table, in a separate room or – if it suits and is requested by the bride and groom – at one of the guest tables.
Foto: www.photx.de Ernst Strattmann
