Reception part 5

The most stressful part is finally over.  You’ve done all the traditional dances and you’re so close to open dancing.  It’s all downhill from here.

            This time, it’s ladies first of course.  That’s right, I’m talking about the bouquet toss.  This can be pretty fun, and I’ve noticed that most of my couples choose the song “Single Ladies” by Beyonce.  It works really well, and I’m pretty sure that’s why it was written.  I usually start the song and call the single women up while the music is playing.  I then lay down the ground rules telling the girls not to scratch, bite, pull hair, and things of that nature.  After that, I simply tell the bride to fire when ready.  She does, some lucky girl catches it, and it’s on to the garter toss.  On a side note, if there is any obstruction between the bride and the girls such as a ceiling fan, it will be hit.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself “She’ll never throw it high enough to hit that fan,” only to see the bouquet smash into one of the blades.  I’ll admit, it never gets old.

            The next event is the garter toss.  I’ve heard DJ’s at other weddings say pretty suggestive things during this part, but that’s just not me.  I don’t think it’s the DJ’s place to say anything like that, and really find it creepy.  It’s always best to figure out how this event is going to happen way beforehand.  Sometimes they opt to put the best man on his hands and knees for the chair, but it’s always better to figure that out at your initial meeting with the bride and groom.  Opposite of the bouquet toss, I tell the guys not to run away, and to at least make an effort to catch the garter.

Reception part 4

After the cake cutting comes the dances.  The first dance is named so because it’s not only the bride and groom’s first dance as husband and wife, but also because it’s the first dance of the evening.  When it’s time for the first dance, I make sure that the photographer is ready and that everyone else has their cameras out too.  After that it’s simply pushing play, stepping back, and letting it happen.  I always like to do the dances back to back, but it’s important to have a couple segway songs in between the dances so there is no dead air.

            The next dance is the father/daughter dance.  I ask the bride to stay on the dance floor and have her dad come meet her there.  When he gets close, I start the song.  This way they can ease into it and it flows nicely.  After this dance I call the groom and his mother back to the dance floor for their dance.  It’s the same routine once again; push play and let it happen. 

            Sometimes the bride and groom will request that their parents dance as well.  Usually when this happens, about halfway through the song, I will invite anyone else from the wedding party who wants to dance to the floor as well.

            If you’ve done your homework, you should have every song ready to go, and this part of the reception should be a breeze.  The most important thing to remember is to do your best and make sure everything flows.  For safety, I generally like to take a couple steps back from my equipment to make sure I don’t accidentally hit the mouse or something while their song is playing.  That’s never happened to me at a wedding, but it has happened to me at karaoke shows.  I don’t want to be the guy that cuts off a first dance song in the middle.

Reception Part 3

Ok, I'm just going to jump right into it this time.  The first order of business is to play some background music for the guests at the reception.  On my worksheet, the music choices are classical, jazz, traditional, new age, classic soft rock, or contemporary soft rock.  Chances are, the bride and groom will pick a mixture of everything.  At this point, you're waiting on the bride and groom, and it's always good to coordinate with someone so that you can play their music (if they've requested music) the moment they walk in.  This may seem like simple common sense, and it is, but ALWAYS make sure you say the right names, and pronounce them correctly.  They will remember their introduction for life, but if you mess it up, the memory will be tainted forever.  I've never personally messed up, but heard a story of a DJ taking the wrong worksheet to a reception and actually calling the bride and groom by the wrong names.  Do you think they or anyone else in the wedding party forgot that?  Probably not.  Do you think the DJ ever forgot that?  I would bet a million dollars that if he's still DJing weddings, he sweats profusely when he's about to announce the newlyweds.  Next is the cake cutting.  This part of the reception is pretty straight forward.  I always like to coordinate with the photographer and videographer during this time just to make sure they don't miss any shots and I'm on cue as well.  It goes like this: play a funny song such as "Hit me with your best shot," tell the crowd to give them a round of applause, and let everyone know it's time for dessert!  Ok, so I'm running a little short on time here, but I promise to give you a detailed, in depth description of the rest of the reception in my next couple of posts! 

Recption Part 2

The most important thing about the reception music is making sure you have every song that the bride and groom want played.  The second most important thing is having enough music to play during the times when you’re not playing their songs.  Luckily, with wi-fi connections all over the place, and the ability to download music via cell phone, you should never have a problem fulfilling a request.  Never be so cheap that you won’t download a song for someone at the reception.  It’s going to cost you no more than a couple dollars and could reward you with someone else’s business.  My basic principle is to have as much music that I possibly can relevant to the occasion.  Make sure to have a good stock of love songs from every genre and time period, and don’t forget the new top 40 hits as well.  Once you make the announcement that the dance floor is open, anything goes!  

            My next entry will be about the traditional order of the reception and how to get the most out of your crowd.  I’ll also talk about variations such as the dollar dance and more, so keep checking back with me!

Reception Part 1

Wow, I just realized I gave you a double dose on wedding ceremonies.  I think they both had some good information though!  Today’s blog is part one on how to DJ the reception.  I really think this subject deserves more than one entry. 

If you’ve spent a lot of time in the planning phase, the reception should be a breeze for you.  As I mentioned before, I always send out a worksheet for the bride and groom to fill out that goes over every detail of their reception.  I also meet with them beforehand to discuss everything.  You should too.

First I’ll talk a little about setting up.  As a professional or even aspiring DJ, you should know how long it takes to set up your equipment.  Allow yourself at least a half hour more than that.  I prefer to get there as early as possible to set up.  There are a couple reasons for this.  The first reason is that it makes you look professional to the client.  The second, more important less obvious reason is this:  Being rushed will affect your general attitude during the reception.  It’s way better to be ahead of the game and on your toes than behind and unaware.  For me, it’s always better when I can get set up early and have a chance to walk around the venue a little and get comfortable.  Now, it’s time to play some music.

The next post will be all about preparation of music, the order of events, and more.  Check it out!   

The Ceremony

Ok, back to reality.  This post is about how to DJ the actual wedding ceremony.  This is a pretty subjective topic and I’m sure it depends on who you ask, but I’m going to let you in on how I do things.  As always, I think the goal is to find a blueprint that works for you, and evolve your own style around it.

Small budget weddings can be done with one person.  It’s pretty easy to set up a mid-size PA system and small lighting set up on your own.  If it’s a larger wedding and the bride and groom want all the bells and whistles, it’s probably better to have two people at the wedding.  It can be overkill at times to have two people, but when it’s time to set up and tear down, it’s a definite plus.  On a two person job, usually one person takes the role of DJ and the other, Emcee.  It’s better if both individuals are cross trained and can do both jobs, but not completely necessary.  

The ceremony is the most important part of a wedding with the least room for error.  If you make a mistake during this part, it better be because your laptop or other equipment spontaneously combusted.  Obviously, I’m really big on perfectionism when it comes to weddings, but let me just get something across.  If you do make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world, just don’t make another one.  People will forgive you, but it’s never a situation to be taken lightly.  It may just be another gig to you, but it’s a huge day in their lives, and every wedding needs to be treated with care.

If you are providing the music for the ceremony, it’s pretty simple.  Stay on cue, make sure the audience can hear everything, and make sure there’s no feedback in your system.  As I said in the previous blog about wedding planning, the more preparation that you do, the easier the actual ceremony and reception will be for you. 

A Steak Dinner With Ron Jeremy

Let’s take a break from the straight forward direction this blog is taking and take a detour this time.  As promised, I’m going to tell you the story of how a stolen coat led to Ron Jeremy making an almost free appearance at a club I work at.

When I host karaoke, I always like to have a co-host with me.  I don’t discriminate, but it usually works out better when my co-host is an attractive female who brings an entourage of other guys and girls with her.  On the night before the debate, I was hosting karaoke with a great looking girl named JJ.  We spent all night giving each other a hard time and putting on a show for the audience.  At the end of the night, her coat was missing.  I figured that she was just a little tipsy and didn’t remember where she put it. 

I went down the street to a restaurant with some friends and acquaintances to eat before I went home.  During the meal, one of the girls at the table said “I found an awesome new coat at the bar!”  I immediately butted in and said “You have to give me the coat.”  “That was my co-host’s coat tonight and she left the bar really upset.”  The girl that took the coat was very apologetic and gave me the coat after we got done eating.

The next day, I went to the bar and returned the coat.  The owner of the bar was really happy I had retrieved it, and so was JJ when he called her.  He asked me what I was doing later that evening and I told him I was going to a debate about pornography between adult film actor Ron Jeremy and pastor of the XXX Church Craig Gross at Missouri State University.  The club owner said, “I know Ron, we hung out in Vegas a few years back.”  “I wonder if we could get him here tonight.”  I told him it was worth a shot and invited him to the debate.

The debate was good and each side made good points about their views on the issue.  Surprisingly, both parties had opinions that weren’t what one would assume based on their professions.  After the debate, there was a meet and greet, and the club owner and I were first in line.  Ron recognized my boss, and literally all it took to get Ron to agree to come to the bar was telling him that there was food there, and that he could have whatever he wanted.  Apparently, feeding Ron and Craig wasn’t in the deal their company made with MSU and they were both starving by this point. 

Immediately after Ron agreed to show up, the owner was on the phone to an employee telling him to send a mass text to over 400 people on their VIP text list, and let them know that Ron Jeremy was coming to the bar that night.

I was still skeptical even after witnessing Ron say that he would be there.  When I made it to the club, we frantically tried to get things ready and actually had a takeout steak dinner delivered to the club and on the table just in time before Ron arrived.  When he showed up, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards him as the DJ announced “The man himself is here!”  He waved to everyone and was escorted to the table as we all sat down and enjoyed our steak dinners. 

Throughout the night, Ron was very social and took time to get his picture taken with every single person there.  He made himself very approachable and talked to everyone.  The bar made record sales that night, and the event has since generated a buzz throughout the town increasing the overall business there. 

What a great impromptu promotional move huh?  I do have to say that personally I’m not into what Ron does for a career, but I think it’s pretty cool that I got to hang out with a pop culture icon.  I mentioned DJ P in the last blog, and how I hung out with him that night too.  I did, but even he knew he was taking a backseat to what was going on, and just enjoyed the night.  We all did.  This is the first time I can honestly say that a theft may have inspired something positive.  Even then, I think it’s in the eye of the beholder.

The wedding ceremony

As promised, this week’s entry will be about how to DJ an actual wedding ceremony.  I do, however, have to say that next week’s blog entry will be a story about how a stolen coat led me to meet and hang out with both adult film actor Ron Jeremy, and nationally known Disc Jockey DJ P.  After that entry I will come back and tell you how to DJ a successful wedding reception.  It's too good a story not to tell, and it will also illustrate how thinking outside the box can earn you money as a Disc Jockey. 

Playing music for a wedding ceremony is pretty simple, but there are a few things to watch out for.  First, you want to set the scene and figure out where your equipment will provide the best sounding audio for the people in attendance, and where your system will be the least obtrusive.  I always try to set up at the back end of the room facing the altar.  If you’re lucky, you might be at a venue that has a built in sound system and you will just be able to plug directly into it with either a laptop, iPod, or a CD player they might have.  It’s always important to research what equipment the venue does have beforehand so that you can come equipped with the adapters and cords to make things easy on yourself.  An even better DJ would do a sound check at the venue a couple weeks before the event to ensure the equipment he was going to be using was working properly. 

If you are responsible for the ceremony, that means you are most likely responsible for the preacher’s audio as well.  I like to use a wireless lapel microphone clipped to his or her jacket.  Being a battery powered condenser microphone, its range is very good and can easily pick up everything the preacher says along with the vows.  It’s always a good idea to do a small sound check if you can so you can find your feedback threshold before the wedding rather than during.  There’s nothing more effective at getting people to look back at you than a high pitched squeal during the vows.  Don’t forget, if you’re doing the reception too, you have to be around these people a while.

Usually the bride and groom pick the songs they want for each event in the wedding ceremony such as the seating of the parents, the song the bride walks down the aisle to, and every other important action in the ceremony.  This makes the hardest part of the ceremony simply playing their music at precisely the right time.  The only thing worse than awkward silence, is when it is followed by more awkward silence.  A good way to make sure you know exactly what is going on is attending the rehearsal if possible. 

            With everything said here, you should now have a good basic blueprint to go by when you DJ a wedding ceremony.  Building from a foundation such as this is a great way to find your own individual style later on.  Good luck!!

Booking A Wedding

Wow, it’s been a busy week!  One of my many adventures this week was hosting a new karaoke show on Tuesday night.  It went great, and as an extra bonus, nationally known disc jockey DJ P left his records and equipment in the booth.  Out of respect, I didn’t even remove the sheet that was over his turntables, but I did take a good look at his effects processer which was out in the open.  I would love to tell you all about it, but I’m going to have to do some research first. 

Today’s post is actually about weddings.  It’s almost mid February and that means wedding season is quickly approaching.  Weddings can be some of the most profitable events that a DJ can book.  They can also be the most stressful.  With weddings, there is no room for mistakes. 

The most important thing to do when calling your client or when you receive a call is to be prepared.  I have a sheet that I use for every phone call that lists everything I need to know about their wedding like the time, place, date, contact information, etc.  I begin filling it out even if I don’t actually book them so that if they do book, I don’t have to ask them again.  Even if it’s something as simple as saving them time, I always strive to do everything I possibly can to provide good customer service to my wedding clients. 

After I get the information, I immediately send out a contract and a wedding reception worksheet.  Both forms can easily be found online and are a necessity.  It’s never a good idea to DJ a wedding without a contract, even if you know the person.  It may be uncomfortable to ask a friend to sign a contract, but it’s really uncomfortable to not get paid. 

When I get the contract and the worksheet back, I then set up a time to meet with them.  Usually we’ll go to a coffee house to discuss their wedding and reception.  It’s there I try to cover everything I can possibly think of that needs to happen at their wedding.  We go over the sheet in detail, discuss pronunciations of names, what songs they want played, and what songs they don’t.  I always make sure to clarify whether I can play songs on the do not play list if they are requested by the guests.  Usually they say it’s okay, but occasionally they are completely adamant about leaving out a song.  I also use this time to build trust with the clients.  They need to know that I know this is one of the most important days of their lives, and that I’m taking it very seriously.

After that, all that’s left to do is DJ the wedding.  Stay tuned to my blog for some tips and tricks about how to DJ the actual wedding.

Welcome to my blog!

Thank you for taking a look at the Disc Jockey Source.  I hope you stick around!  This blog is meant to be a source of useful information for aspiring and professional DJ's of any type.  I've spent most of my time working as a DJ for sporting events, weddings, and karaoke shows.  I've worked over 700 different events to date.  I'm not, however, limited to these types of events.  I even do some "wiki wiki" type DJ work.  (I promise I'll get more technical later.)  I spend my spare time working on mixes and mash ups that I can use either professionally or personally depending on the content.  In this blog, I plan on writing about every aspect of all the types of events listed above.  I will also talk about the various equipment and software that I have used throughout my DJ career.  I may even share some heavily guarded secrets while I'm at it. 
Let's start at the beginning.  If you're reading this either you are or want to be a Disc Jockey in some capacity.  You're obviously intelligent if you're reading this blog, but I'm going to start very slowly just in case you're a beginner.  The first thing a person needs to get started as a DJ is music and a way to broadcast it.  One must decide whether to use vinyl records, CD's, mp3 files on a computer, or a combination of the three.  A lot of it has to do with what you're comfortable with.  There are still vinyl purists out there that say there is no other way to go than vinyl.  Others may not even know how to operate a record player.  My opinion is that you should probably start in the digital realm and go from there.  Why?  It's the cheapest way to get into the business and If you do start making money, you can spend it on the other stuff.  Also, who really wants to haul all those records around?  You may be able to fit a lot of records into a crate, but you can fit way more high bitrate mp3's into a laptop.  I've never been one to really mess with CD's but that's only because I started becoming serious about being a professional DJ after the invent of the mp3.  I saw where the industry was headed and quickly realized that going digital was definitely the right choice for me.  We've barely scratched the surface (pun intended), but I have a karaoke show starting in just a little while.  If you are a beginner, spend some time thinking about which format is right for you.  If you are already an established DJ, it would probably benefit you to think about where you're at in your career and what you could do better.  Is there a program or piece of gear that's been intimidating you?  Do you really know what your system is capable of?  Be honest with yourself and take a look, you'll become a better DJ for it.  Thank you for reading, and I guarantee another post within the week.