As you know we run a very very active twitter if you'd like to follow us please click here
I've been twittering with some of the very best in wedding information and then just recently realized that both of these ladies with great information are right here in the DC Metro area.
First is Katie Martin, Katie has an impressive 2588 followers over her and she has over 3000 tweets. But that't not all. I watch Katie's twitter @greenwed because she gives out such great information but if you take a minute to click through to her site is filled with ideas on elegant weddings and keeping them green. So much money is forked into weddings every year and the average wedding wastes so much in the end, take ideas from her site Elegance & Simplicity and not only have a beautiful wedding but do it greenly and we're not talking about spending a lot of green we're talking about saving a lot of green.
Follow Green Wed Click Here
Check out her site Click Here
the url is http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com
Now let me make sure you know I really don't favor either one of these two ladies over each other, in fact that's why Im only doing two.. The next is Leslie (@sparkleparties)
I have a secret to tell you, there are a lot of people that tweet about weddings who are just retweeting others' information or regurgitating out of books in other words they don't really get their hands dirty with brides and grooms like myself or either of these two ladies, they are fakes.. they are everywhere. I won't call them out but I know at some point they get found out.
I don't know what the event count is for Katie or Leslie, but with 18 employee djs we do over 1200 parties/events a year and of those over 700 are weddings... And you can tell by their tweets, blogs and feedback online that both Katie and Leslie are real in the flesh weddint nexperts (net experts)
Check out Leslie on Twitter she is @sparkleparties and on line you can find here Here
Take a few minutes and read up on either of these great ladies and follow them on Twitter
KA
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Important Questions Part 2
before we dive back into the questions I am shocked at how many dj websites copied one dj's answer here at 1st djs yes we are copying the questions but answering them for our company and not copying the answers... please be aware of this..
Can we meet with you before we sign the contract?
The short answer is absolutely YES. Hiring the DJ is a very important part of your wedding process. We may ask that we meet halfway but we can certainly facilitate that. However, the reason that the short answer is YES is that a lot of clients are wanting to do a quick search and book. Our business has adapted to that lifestyle. If you want a quick search and book you'll get a fantastic dj and we will use our award winning online planning system, emails, chat sessions, google wave sessions and our pre-wedding or pre-event meeting to match you with a great dj! If you want a meeting beforehand though that is certainly fine. Please see our answer to "Will you be the dj at our wedding" on the previous blog for more on this.
Have a question call us:
Washington DC Area: (301)799-8181
Baltimore Area (443)630-0108
Toll Free (800)311-41DJ
How Long Will you Hold Our Date for Us:
We will hold your date for you for 7 days from the time you enter your information into our system WITHOUT ANY OTHER CONTACT. We will send you a quote within 24 hours once you get that the clock starts, we will reach out to you at least 3 more times and if we don't hear from you after a week we keep your date penciled in for another 7 days if we don't hear from you after that then we drop your date. Now that is just for NO contact.
Once we get in contact with you we will hold your date within reason, need time to talk to your FI or your family, we will certainly allow that. If you are trying to get a deposit together, we will certainly hold that we are very reasonable. With the economy the way that it is we are much more lenient because we know a lot of brides, grooms and event planners are just trying to make ends meet or make the best decision for their money.
We will hold a special rate for you until 5 days after the calendar month ends. Again we're reasonable though so if you have a question or need more time than email or call us
info@1stdjs.com
(301)799-8181
(443)630-0108
(800)311-41DJ
Do you work exclusively for this DJ Company
YES. We don't do subcontracting and we hire our djs to work as employee djs so yes our DJs are exclusive to us. We do allow our djs to work in clubs on days that don't conflict with your date. Our djs are under agreement where our Friday, Saturday and Sunday events prevail on their scheduling conflicts. We ask for their vacation days 6 months in advance and know the New Years Eve availability in February of the previous year. Unless you've paid a premium dj fee to hold a specific dj we don't assign our djs until 4 weeks before so we know that you will get the dj we promise you. In the RARE event that your dj leaves us (we had one get deployed) then one of our management team djs will assume the role as your dj and if need be come to your home or place of choosing to meet with you.
How Experienced are your DJs
Our lead DJs on weddings have had to attend a minium of 50 weddings as an assistant and another 25 as the lead dj with a management team trainer serving as assistant. In our process we will let the client know the options for example, we may tell the bride that we think Scott has a great personality and would do a great job now he's been on 50 weddings as an assistant and 25 as a training lead dj but you're his first full lead wedding. In these cases the Bride and Groom sometimes like it. We're up front with all of these kinds of decisions.
"xxxxx DJ'd my best friends wedding and I want that DJ"
We can certainly do this for you. If your dj isn't already a premium on another event we will lock that particular DJ in for you for a $50 fee (But its good to note we give a $50 referall discount too so it cancels itself out ) then you're locked into that dj. On lots of occassions our djs will come back to the office and tell us "Hey the MOH says she's getting married in November and wants me to do it here's the number" from there we will tie that dj down for you.
And of course there's more questions we'll keep answering them...
Got questions email us at info@1stdjs.com
Comment below or call us!
(301)799-8181 or (443)630-0108 or (800)311-4135
Can we meet with you before we sign the contract?
The short answer is absolutely YES. Hiring the DJ is a very important part of your wedding process. We may ask that we meet halfway but we can certainly facilitate that. However, the reason that the short answer is YES is that a lot of clients are wanting to do a quick search and book. Our business has adapted to that lifestyle. If you want a quick search and book you'll get a fantastic dj and we will use our award winning online planning system, emails, chat sessions, google wave sessions and our pre-wedding or pre-event meeting to match you with a great dj! If you want a meeting beforehand though that is certainly fine. Please see our answer to "Will you be the dj at our wedding" on the previous blog for more on this.
Have a question call us:
Washington DC Area: (301)799-8181
Baltimore Area (443)630-0108
Toll Free (800)311-41DJ
How Long Will you Hold Our Date for Us:
We will hold your date for you for 7 days from the time you enter your information into our system WITHOUT ANY OTHER CONTACT. We will send you a quote within 24 hours once you get that the clock starts, we will reach out to you at least 3 more times and if we don't hear from you after a week we keep your date penciled in for another 7 days if we don't hear from you after that then we drop your date. Now that is just for NO contact.
Once we get in contact with you we will hold your date within reason, need time to talk to your FI or your family, we will certainly allow that. If you are trying to get a deposit together, we will certainly hold that we are very reasonable. With the economy the way that it is we are much more lenient because we know a lot of brides, grooms and event planners are just trying to make ends meet or make the best decision for their money.
We will hold a special rate for you until 5 days after the calendar month ends. Again we're reasonable though so if you have a question or need more time than email or call us
info@1stdjs.com
(301)799-8181
(443)630-0108
(800)311-41DJ
Do you work exclusively for this DJ Company
YES. We don't do subcontracting and we hire our djs to work as employee djs so yes our DJs are exclusive to us. We do allow our djs to work in clubs on days that don't conflict with your date. Our djs are under agreement where our Friday, Saturday and Sunday events prevail on their scheduling conflicts. We ask for their vacation days 6 months in advance and know the New Years Eve availability in February of the previous year. Unless you've paid a premium dj fee to hold a specific dj we don't assign our djs until 4 weeks before so we know that you will get the dj we promise you. In the RARE event that your dj leaves us (we had one get deployed) then one of our management team djs will assume the role as your dj and if need be come to your home or place of choosing to meet with you.
How Experienced are your DJs
Our lead DJs on weddings have had to attend a minium of 50 weddings as an assistant and another 25 as the lead dj with a management team trainer serving as assistant. In our process we will let the client know the options for example, we may tell the bride that we think Scott has a great personality and would do a great job now he's been on 50 weddings as an assistant and 25 as a training lead dj but you're his first full lead wedding. In these cases the Bride and Groom sometimes like it. We're up front with all of these kinds of decisions.
"xxxxx DJ'd my best friends wedding and I want that DJ"
We can certainly do this for you. If your dj isn't already a premium on another event we will lock that particular DJ in for you for a $50 fee (But its good to note we give a $50 referall discount too so it cancels itself out ) then you're locked into that dj. On lots of occassions our djs will come back to the office and tell us "Hey the MOH says she's getting married in November and wants me to do it here's the number" from there we will tie that dj down for you.
And of course there's more questions we'll keep answering them...
Got questions email us at info@1stdjs.com
Comment below or call us!
(301)799-8181 or (443)630-0108 or (800)311-4135
The Important Questions
IMHO (In My Honest Opinion) Your wedding and event DJ Entertainment may be the most important decision about your event. The DJ keeps the party going and helps dictate whether your guests had a "good time" and whether or not they had fun. If you put a microphone on the guests as they leave you would most likely hear about the great time they had, the food, and how great the Bride & Groom Looked.
Hiring the DJ is the most important part of the DJ Process. There are Questions to ask the dj all over the net so lets address some of them. Here we go.
Do you offer a written contract:
Of course 1st DJs offers a written contract. We don't typically give our contract away to someone not planning on booking but if you go to our site and request information we will definitely let you see what your exact contract would look like. There are no crazy stipulations and the contract guarantees that we will be there to perform for your event. The contract outlines what you can expect from your DJ and DJ's assistant and what the DJ and DJ's assistant need from you in order to perform to the best of their ability and provide an excellent time for you and your guests.
Will You be the DJ at our event:
Chances are with 1st Djs you'll be speaking on the phone and corresponding with either the owner Kip the General Manager Kyle or one of our other 2 event specialists. This team of 4 has over 3500 events between the 4 of them and knows the questions to ask and the information to gather. From there we select our Dj that we think would be best for you. 4 weeks before your event we have a meeting and introduce you to your dj. Your DJ takes it from there and is guaranteed to be your DJ.
Why aren't there pictures of your staff djs on your website:
We are in show business so of course we make sure that all of our djs are well groomed, dress appropriately and "look the part" having said that, in talking with the other djs in our company and even our spouses, our best looking dj is actually really really good at School Dances, Sweet 16s and birthday parties. He is NOT good at weddings, he likes more free flowing party events. However if we put his picture on our site he would end up the most requested dj (we've tried this) for weddings. You have taken an interest in trusting our experience so trust us with this one too.
It's a rare occassion but in some instances our choice of dj just didn't gel with the prospective bride and groom or vice versa, in that case we will chance your dj for you and introduce you to our new dj, no harm no foul and the dj that you decided wouldn't work out will end up with an event that weekend don't worry.
Lastly, the management team schedules themselves out last unless the premium has been paid to have one of them at an event so if need be we can usually step in if the DJ isn't going to gel with the client.
There are a lot more questions to be answered and we're going to do that for you right here.
Hiring the DJ is the most important part of the DJ Process. There are Questions to ask the dj all over the net so lets address some of them. Here we go.
Do you offer a written contract:
Of course 1st DJs offers a written contract. We don't typically give our contract away to someone not planning on booking but if you go to our site and request information we will definitely let you see what your exact contract would look like. There are no crazy stipulations and the contract guarantees that we will be there to perform for your event. The contract outlines what you can expect from your DJ and DJ's assistant and what the DJ and DJ's assistant need from you in order to perform to the best of their ability and provide an excellent time for you and your guests.
Will You be the DJ at our event:
Chances are with 1st Djs you'll be speaking on the phone and corresponding with either the owner Kip the General Manager Kyle or one of our other 2 event specialists. This team of 4 has over 3500 events between the 4 of them and knows the questions to ask and the information to gather. From there we select our Dj that we think would be best for you. 4 weeks before your event we have a meeting and introduce you to your dj. Your DJ takes it from there and is guaranteed to be your DJ.
Why aren't there pictures of your staff djs on your website:
We are in show business so of course we make sure that all of our djs are well groomed, dress appropriately and "look the part" having said that, in talking with the other djs in our company and even our spouses, our best looking dj is actually really really good at School Dances, Sweet 16s and birthday parties. He is NOT good at weddings, he likes more free flowing party events. However if we put his picture on our site he would end up the most requested dj (we've tried this) for weddings. You have taken an interest in trusting our experience so trust us with this one too.
It's a rare occassion but in some instances our choice of dj just didn't gel with the prospective bride and groom or vice versa, in that case we will chance your dj for you and introduce you to our new dj, no harm no foul and the dj that you decided wouldn't work out will end up with an event that weekend don't worry.
Lastly, the management team schedules themselves out last unless the premium has been paid to have one of them at an event so if need be we can usually step in if the DJ isn't going to gel with the client.
There are a lot more questions to be answered and we're going to do that for you right here.
Monday, December 21, 2009
ummm no
Here's one of the most popular misconceptions about wedding djs...
"I love the Macarena". More often than not I have a wedding meeting with a prospective Bride and they say "we know you djs love these songs but we don't want them" yes picture it now me and my ipod in my daily driver listening to the Macarena, The Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle just tapping along...
NO!!
They are wedding favorites and staples because they get crowds going. 1st Djs doesn't need those songs to get the crowd going but undoubtedly they will be requested. It's your night so if you want those familiar songs that all your guests know thats perfectly fine. If you don't that's fine too...
There's a rumor going around that we can make a dry crowd dance too... and it's true
KA
Sunday, December 20, 2009
What to do when the photographer takes too long..
So here's the scenario, quickie wedding ceremony finished in 20 minutes but the photog has an hour or more of photos.
First tip: Make sure that you've hired the dj for the second your ceremony is over until the end of your reception. A good wedding dj will play at minimum cocktail music. Do you have over 5 kids under 8 attending this reception, you may want your dj to go ahead and play some games with the kids before they start running around your reception with their shoes off. Trust us, the dj starting the chicken dance or the hoky pokey for your 20 kids in attendance is a GOOD thing. We've seen way too many weddings where little joey knocks over a glass of red wine or even worse the Cake.
Make sure there is a plan for the guests after your nuptials. AND PLEASE make sure you have something, anything, being passed. The open bar is great but these guests need some kind of food too.
Save time and party early, have your photog take the separates BEFORE the wedding the bride and the girls the groom and the guys. If you're keeping to tradition and not seeing your about to be spouse prior to the wedding GREAT FOR YOU!!! so take the separates before hand!
And by the way just so you know, any photog that says the pics will only take 15 minutes is just flat out Lying...
KA
First tip: Make sure that you've hired the dj for the second your ceremony is over until the end of your reception. A good wedding dj will play at minimum cocktail music. Do you have over 5 kids under 8 attending this reception, you may want your dj to go ahead and play some games with the kids before they start running around your reception with their shoes off. Trust us, the dj starting the chicken dance or the hoky pokey for your 20 kids in attendance is a GOOD thing. We've seen way too many weddings where little joey knocks over a glass of red wine or even worse the Cake.
Make sure there is a plan for the guests after your nuptials. AND PLEASE make sure you have something, anything, being passed. The open bar is great but these guests need some kind of food too.
Save time and party early, have your photog take the separates BEFORE the wedding the bride and the girls the groom and the guys. If you're keeping to tradition and not seeing your about to be spouse prior to the wedding GREAT FOR YOU!!! so take the separates before hand!
And by the way just so you know, any photog that says the pics will only take 15 minutes is just flat out Lying...
KA
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tipping and the Envelope before the end of the event
So did you ever hear the story of when P Diddy went into a club that he frequents a lot with an entourage of about 20 and the server added 20% gratuity off the bat on two bottles of Champagne? What was wrong with this? Well the other servers who had served Diddy and his entourage would brag about how they would get tips from the diddy meister of $200, $300 even $500 dollars. This server of course only got the $50 or so that he tipped himself in. Absurd right I mean it's diddy.
I hate when I rent a limo or do some other kind of service when the gratuity is already built in. If the service provided does a crappy job I may have paid too much but what if the service provider did an outstanding job, I'm usually a bit put off by having already tipped out so the server gets whats in the bill or contract...
Same thing for wedding Vendors.
We were sitting around the table at the Double T diner a couple of Saturday nights ago after our jobs and David, one of our star djs, told this story. He had a very elegant wedding at a Howard County Country Club. The Bride and Groom seemed Very Very Satisfied and kept complimenting his performance.
The Maid of Honor came up to David about 10 minutes into the wedding and handed him a card of course with a nice note and a $20 bill in it. David didn't look at the envelope until about 2 hours in when he went to the bathroom.
David is a top notch professional so the wedding rocked on but after all that he had done and the compliments he was getting a $20 was nice but maybe at the end of the night would they have tipped out better?
Weddingchannel.com has a really great blog on tipping. They say set a tip fund aside and tip out based on service. Just like at a restaurant, my server is happy, tentative to my needs, and on the mark they will usually end up with a 25-30% tip Tipping should be based on service at the end of the service. As weddingchannel.com says even a tip in a thank you note after the wedding is great.
Of course if you choose not to tip 1st Djs will still do an over the top excellent job. And remember we NEVER include gratuity in our contractual cost the gratuity is for the performer. Also overtime money goes directly to the performer. Overtime is a tip in itself.
For more check out the entire blog post on weddingchannel.com by clicking here
Check out more information on 1st djs online at http://www.1stdjs.com
Kip
I hate when I rent a limo or do some other kind of service when the gratuity is already built in. If the service provided does a crappy job I may have paid too much but what if the service provider did an outstanding job, I'm usually a bit put off by having already tipped out so the server gets whats in the bill or contract...
Same thing for wedding Vendors.
We were sitting around the table at the Double T diner a couple of Saturday nights ago after our jobs and David, one of our star djs, told this story. He had a very elegant wedding at a Howard County Country Club. The Bride and Groom seemed Very Very Satisfied and kept complimenting his performance.
The Maid of Honor came up to David about 10 minutes into the wedding and handed him a card of course with a nice note and a $20 bill in it. David didn't look at the envelope until about 2 hours in when he went to the bathroom.
David is a top notch professional so the wedding rocked on but after all that he had done and the compliments he was getting a $20 was nice but maybe at the end of the night would they have tipped out better?
Weddingchannel.com has a really great blog on tipping. They say set a tip fund aside and tip out based on service. Just like at a restaurant, my server is happy, tentative to my needs, and on the mark they will usually end up with a 25-30% tip Tipping should be based on service at the end of the service. As weddingchannel.com says even a tip in a thank you note after the wedding is great.
Of course if you choose not to tip 1st Djs will still do an over the top excellent job. And remember we NEVER include gratuity in our contractual cost the gratuity is for the performer. Also overtime money goes directly to the performer. Overtime is a tip in itself.
For more check out the entire blog post on weddingchannel.com by clicking here
Check out more information on 1st djs online at http://www.1stdjs.com
Kip
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Here comes engagement Time
It's our favorite time of the year the 2.5 months we call engagement season. Really it doesn't start until Christmas eve but we get the most inquiries for new business between Christmas eve and Valentines Day. Share your engagement stories with us at info@1stdjs.com we'd love to hear them.
Here's one:
(received October 14, 2009 wedding May 2009)
Dear Kip,
Thanks for doing our wedding last May, we had so much fun and I feel like I'm telling someone 1st Djs every single day. You made our night fun and affordable just like you said.
Marcy told me that you were looking for proposal stories here's mine. It was Thanksgiving 2007 and Black Friday was the next day. We were visiting Marcy's family outside of Philadelphia. I coordinated with Marys sister Karen and we decided this:
Karen and Marcy were going to one of their favorite clothing stores that was having a black friday sale and I went but not with them. Karen still lived at home with mom and dad and Marcy slept over in Karens room they were going to have a girls night after turkey so they could get up early and shop. I slept in the guest room which is one of those rooms over the garage with a private entrance. I knew Marcy wouldnt come in overnight and so right after they left I put on Karens dad's jacket, hat and scarf and went to the same store but stood way behind them in line.
When i got in the store I put Karens dads coat, hat and scarf in the buggy and made sure I was wearing a very recognizable outfit.
I went to the aisle where one of the things Marcy wanted for Christmas was and Marcy and Karen saw me I turned around and they walked toward me and I pivoted on one foot and got down on one knee and asked Marcy. She said yes. She got two presents right then, the purse in the aisle and the engagement ring.
We set our May 2009 wedding and had a blast with 1st Djs
Rick
** send us your great holiday season proposal story
Here's one:
(received October 14, 2009 wedding May 2009)
Dear Kip,
Thanks for doing our wedding last May, we had so much fun and I feel like I'm telling someone 1st Djs every single day. You made our night fun and affordable just like you said.
Marcy told me that you were looking for proposal stories here's mine. It was Thanksgiving 2007 and Black Friday was the next day. We were visiting Marcy's family outside of Philadelphia. I coordinated with Marys sister Karen and we decided this:
Karen and Marcy were going to one of their favorite clothing stores that was having a black friday sale and I went but not with them. Karen still lived at home with mom and dad and Marcy slept over in Karens room they were going to have a girls night after turkey so they could get up early and shop. I slept in the guest room which is one of those rooms over the garage with a private entrance. I knew Marcy wouldnt come in overnight and so right after they left I put on Karens dad's jacket, hat and scarf and went to the same store but stood way behind them in line.
When i got in the store I put Karens dads coat, hat and scarf in the buggy and made sure I was wearing a very recognizable outfit.
I went to the aisle where one of the things Marcy wanted for Christmas was and Marcy and Karen saw me I turned around and they walked toward me and I pivoted on one foot and got down on one knee and asked Marcy. She said yes. She got two presents right then, the purse in the aisle and the engagement ring.
We set our May 2009 wedding and had a blast with 1st Djs
Rick
** send us your great holiday season proposal story
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
When the dj doesn't fit
1st Djs would love to do every wedding on earth :) But really we can't we don't have the manpower to do it and sometimes the fit just isn't right.
Right off the bat:
If you're spending $100k on your wedding and you want us to show up and play dinner music all night long without dancing etc. We might not be the group for you. We like to have fun, more fun, we want your guests and yourselves leaving thinking you had the time of your life.
Some brides don't necessarily want that, which is fine. So what do we do, we have and will continue to network with other DJ companies of our size and caliber and be able to refer you to some of the other best djs in the area.
We pride ourselves on getting along with others not just photographers, caterers, cake bakers, and florists, but other dj's as well.
I've personally done thousands of events and been djing almost 20 years but I definitely don't know everything and I am learning so much by networking with other dj companies.
So don't be afraid to tell us or another company it doesn't fit, you'll be nervous enough already without worrying that you made any kind of mistake with your vendors
Right off the bat:
If you're spending $100k on your wedding and you want us to show up and play dinner music all night long without dancing etc. We might not be the group for you. We like to have fun, more fun, we want your guests and yourselves leaving thinking you had the time of your life.
Some brides don't necessarily want that, which is fine. So what do we do, we have and will continue to network with other DJ companies of our size and caliber and be able to refer you to some of the other best djs in the area.
We pride ourselves on getting along with others not just photographers, caterers, cake bakers, and florists, but other dj's as well.
I've personally done thousands of events and been djing almost 20 years but I definitely don't know everything and I am learning so much by networking with other dj companies.
So don't be afraid to tell us or another company it doesn't fit, you'll be nervous enough already without worrying that you made any kind of mistake with your vendors
Jewish Weddings
Jewish Weddings are a treat a Mitzvah of course! We love doing Jewish weddings as much as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Also, we really do Jewish Weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. (all the pictures on our site and blog are of our events)
What do we mean by that, well although the party part is pretty much the same Jewish weddings typically call for a Motzi and a Kiddush (variety of spellings) which is the blessing over the bread, Challah, and Wine. Please please please don't confuse this blessing with "saying grace" Being Jewish myself I attended a cousins Bar Mitzvah where the dj said "Ok who's going to say grace"
Really? And you told my cousins mother you've done a Bar Mitzvah before. The same thing happened 2 weeks ago. I was at one of the nice Inner Harbor hotels waiting for my wedding to start and I looked in on a dj I actually know performing at a Jewish wedding reception, Keepah (yamaka) in tow this dj said "and now the father of the bride is going to say grace"
And of course, this wedding had a videographer.
At any rate If you're looking for a great Jewish Wedding DJ 1st Djs has 3 jewish wedding djs on staff, including that cousin of mine who had that Bar Mitzvah experience
Kip
Monday, November 23, 2009
So you want to hire a dj?
We hope that you make 1st Djs your last stop along the way to finding the DJ for your event, we don't care who you call 1st as long as you call 1st Djs last...
In the meantime how do you hire a dj? Sure you've seen the standard list of questions to ask so lets answer some of them:
Do you have insurance? Can you show me proof of liability?
Our answer: Absolutely to both. Why would a dj need insurance, here's a couple scenarios. Dj is loading equipment into your venue. Within the rental agreement for the venue you probably signed something that said you are liable for damage during the time you rent.
What if the DJ busts part of a window pane out with a speaker stand? Accidents happen. Are you eating that cost?
If your dj doesn't have insurance sure they may offer to pay it but really do you think the $200 dj on Craigslist is going to pay $300 for a window pane he/she broke? Probably not.
If your dj has insurance let their policy cover it?
That's just a small accident. What if your 7 year old nephew has been staking out the candy buffet all day long and is all sugared up, what if he decides he wants to dance with the speaker stand while the dj is not paying full attention?
Sure its an accident but that's what Insurance is for and any reputable full time DJ Entertainment company is going to have insurance.
More tips to come!
In the meantime how do you hire a dj? Sure you've seen the standard list of questions to ask so lets answer some of them:
Do you have insurance? Can you show me proof of liability?
Our answer: Absolutely to both. Why would a dj need insurance, here's a couple scenarios. Dj is loading equipment into your venue. Within the rental agreement for the venue you probably signed something that said you are liable for damage during the time you rent.
What if the DJ busts part of a window pane out with a speaker stand? Accidents happen. Are you eating that cost?
If your dj doesn't have insurance sure they may offer to pay it but really do you think the $200 dj on Craigslist is going to pay $300 for a window pane he/she broke? Probably not.
If your dj has insurance let their policy cover it?
That's just a small accident. What if your 7 year old nephew has been staking out the candy buffet all day long and is all sugared up, what if he decides he wants to dance with the speaker stand while the dj is not paying full attention?
Sure its an accident but that's what Insurance is for and any reputable full time DJ Entertainment company is going to have insurance.
More tips to come!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Twitter is like
Twitter is like a business after hours where interruption is expected. Oh come on if you're halfway the networker then you've been to a business after hours event for your leads group or chamber.
So you do the newbie hustle and you go back and forth from the food and kind of say hey but what do you notice, well just like most things, everyone is clicked up it's like these people go back 50 years, oh wait they're only 20 or 30 somethings, still the sentiment is there, we know each other, we don't know you go away. So you stand off to the distance and they say something that you happen to know a lot about, and not for an ego stroke but just to break into the conversation or give some good advice you jump in and feel all weird and stuff
(if youve read this far you've been there)
Well Twitter is just like that but interruptions arent just permitted they're encouraged, just jump in the conversation you'll never know who you might meet or what friends you might make.
It's really funny watching non-social people being non social on social media.
Oh and for a wedding tip: Our contract calls for food for the DJ and the DJs assistant. We point that out in every consultation and don't take jobs where the dj is not fed. At the end of the night if the dj hasnt been fed or tipped and you danced all night and had the best time of your life.. just remember that ok?
Kip
So you do the newbie hustle and you go back and forth from the food and kind of say hey but what do you notice, well just like most things, everyone is clicked up it's like these people go back 50 years, oh wait they're only 20 or 30 somethings, still the sentiment is there, we know each other, we don't know you go away. So you stand off to the distance and they say something that you happen to know a lot about, and not for an ego stroke but just to break into the conversation or give some good advice you jump in and feel all weird and stuff
(if youve read this far you've been there)
Well Twitter is just like that but interruptions arent just permitted they're encouraged, just jump in the conversation you'll never know who you might meet or what friends you might make.
It's really funny watching non-social people being non social on social media.
Oh and for a wedding tip: Our contract calls for food for the DJ and the DJs assistant. We point that out in every consultation and don't take jobs where the dj is not fed. At the end of the night if the dj hasnt been fed or tipped and you danced all night and had the best time of your life.. just remember that ok?
Kip
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tell it like it is?
We got an email the other day I had twittered that our blog tells it like it is, and while with a relatively new blog we haven't really said anything earth shattering, let me explain the basis for that.
1. The customer is always right or of course should always be treated as right however the Wedding Vendor, especially vendors with multiple events every week, must know a lot about what they do right? Just remember with most vendors you're hiring experience. If your Best Friend Kenny from college who used to dj really could handle your wedding you would have asked him right? There's a reason you hired us or the caterer, the planner etc. You may have great ideas that would work but you want someone to help someone with EXPERIENCE. And we have that.
The biggest place that this comes up is in music lists. Time and Time again we see someones "Sunday Drive" ipod list for wedding music.
That's great it really is if you want your guests to hear that and not "Dance" that's fine we will help you explain it really well
"Ladies and Gentleman as a token of their gratitude for attending this festive evening John & Mary had prepared tonights music playlist it's their Sunday Drive list from their ipod, and as such we are not taking requests.. enjoy"
A simple statement like that saves the DJ and also the bride and groom because most wedding guests have been trained for a wedding
-beautiful ceremony
-vows
-cocktails
-dinner
-dancing
when the music isnt conducive to the dancing part than a lot of guests are going to think that your wedding dj sucked or nobody danced.
So what should you do?
Why not take your best danceable songs off that ipod, then take the most danceable songs off your fiances ipod and roll with those
Or better yet 1st djs (http://www.1stdjs.com) offers all of their brides access to our award winning online planning system which has a portal where you can send a link to guests or put it on your wedding website and they can request songs for you. Imagine that actually adding to your wedding the songs your guests will dance to, that would be a great party.
There is a reason that time and time again we are booked for overtime and extra hours in leiu of an "after party" want to know why? This is part of that answer.
1. The customer is always right or of course should always be treated as right however the Wedding Vendor, especially vendors with multiple events every week, must know a lot about what they do right? Just remember with most vendors you're hiring experience. If your Best Friend Kenny from college who used to dj really could handle your wedding you would have asked him right? There's a reason you hired us or the caterer, the planner etc. You may have great ideas that would work but you want someone to help someone with EXPERIENCE. And we have that.
The biggest place that this comes up is in music lists. Time and Time again we see someones "Sunday Drive" ipod list for wedding music.
That's great it really is if you want your guests to hear that and not "Dance" that's fine we will help you explain it really well
"Ladies and Gentleman as a token of their gratitude for attending this festive evening John & Mary had prepared tonights music playlist it's their Sunday Drive list from their ipod, and as such we are not taking requests.. enjoy"
A simple statement like that saves the DJ and also the bride and groom because most wedding guests have been trained for a wedding
-beautiful ceremony
-vows
-cocktails
-dinner
-dancing
when the music isnt conducive to the dancing part than a lot of guests are going to think that your wedding dj sucked or nobody danced.
So what should you do?
Why not take your best danceable songs off that ipod, then take the most danceable songs off your fiances ipod and roll with those
Or better yet 1st djs (http://www.1stdjs.com) offers all of their brides access to our award winning online planning system which has a portal where you can send a link to guests or put it on your wedding website and they can request songs for you. Imagine that actually adding to your wedding the songs your guests will dance to, that would be a great party.
There is a reason that time and time again we are booked for overtime and extra hours in leiu of an "after party" want to know why? This is part of that answer.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Go Green we found a way
1st Djs was challenged at an event of wedding professionals as to how we could help go green for weddings. Granted we couldn't find a revolutionary new way to DJ through non powered equipment we did realize in a way we were already green.
We have a dj buddy of ours, a single op, he does a Great Great job at weddings. He is extremely thorough and its partially because of his 42 page planning packet, on paper. He copies this packet in triplicate for the wedding day. Not only is it a lot of paper but you need whiteout or pencil if the bride messes up in their planning stages.
We use an award winning online planner it's great because everything is kept in once place. We then print one hard copy, if need be and send soft copies to co-vendors on wedding days. Our djs also get a soft copy on their smartphones thus saving all that paper. Even better though Mom in Kentucky, MOH in Orlando and Bride in Old Towne can all look at the same planner online during the planning stages.
This is Great for Green Weddings in DC and for just about anywhere. Just another way 1st DJs is Simple Affordable Fun
Baltimore DJ, Washington DC DJ, Alexandria DJ, Delaware DJ
We have a dj buddy of ours, a single op, he does a Great Great job at weddings. He is extremely thorough and its partially because of his 42 page planning packet, on paper. He copies this packet in triplicate for the wedding day. Not only is it a lot of paper but you need whiteout or pencil if the bride messes up in their planning stages.
We use an award winning online planner it's great because everything is kept in once place. We then print one hard copy, if need be and send soft copies to co-vendors on wedding days. Our djs also get a soft copy on their smartphones thus saving all that paper. Even better though Mom in Kentucky, MOH in Orlando and Bride in Old Towne can all look at the same planner online during the planning stages.
This is Great for Green Weddings in DC and for just about anywhere. Just another way 1st DJs is Simple Affordable Fun
Baltimore DJ, Washington DC DJ, Alexandria DJ, Delaware DJ
Sunday, November 8, 2009
But I gave you a list of 100 songs why didn't anyone dance?
1st Djs does over 450 weddings every year here are some things we can definitely do
- We can make 200 people dance at a totally dry wedding where only ice tea and water are served, and we can keep the dancefloor going all night.
- We can make 200 people dance all night without ever hearing YMCA, Chicken Dance, Cha-Cha-Slide, Electric Slide and yes even the Cupid shuffle. Take away all the "cheesy " wedding songs and we can do it.
- We struggle though making them dance to a bunch of down tempo songs by The Muse, Neutral Milk Hotel and TV On The Radio.
Don't get me wrong if you went on my ipod right now you'd see everything TV On the Radio has ever done, I grew up with one of the guys, I even had the last Muse album and everything by Neutal Milk, but would I play them during "dancing time" at a wedding?
Chances are you're going to have a core group of friends that like the same artists as you but besides that youre going to actually have people who enjoy "poppier" music.
We will most certainly do what you want but be careful of what you ask for.
Think about it for a second, theres a good chance when you went to a tasting you never had, pecan crusted turkish talapia, but it was REALLY REALLY GOOD, and you put it on your menu, why because your caterer who caters 100s of weddings per year, suggested it, and it went over a lot better than.. Fish Sticks and Fries... right?
Think about trusting your wedding professionals.
- We can make 200 people dance at a totally dry wedding where only ice tea and water are served, and we can keep the dancefloor going all night.
- We can make 200 people dance all night without ever hearing YMCA, Chicken Dance, Cha-Cha-Slide, Electric Slide and yes even the Cupid shuffle. Take away all the "cheesy " wedding songs and we can do it.
- We struggle though making them dance to a bunch of down tempo songs by The Muse, Neutral Milk Hotel and TV On The Radio.
Don't get me wrong if you went on my ipod right now you'd see everything TV On the Radio has ever done, I grew up with one of the guys, I even had the last Muse album and everything by Neutal Milk, but would I play them during "dancing time" at a wedding?
Chances are you're going to have a core group of friends that like the same artists as you but besides that youre going to actually have people who enjoy "poppier" music.
We will most certainly do what you want but be careful of what you ask for.
Think about it for a second, theres a good chance when you went to a tasting you never had, pecan crusted turkish talapia, but it was REALLY REALLY GOOD, and you put it on your menu, why because your caterer who caters 100s of weddings per year, suggested it, and it went over a lot better than.. Fish Sticks and Fries... right?
Think about trusting your wedding professionals.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Timeline Tip
When should we do our 1st dances?
Well with 1st DJs it's entirely up to you. Based on own experience 1st Dances typically work better right after introductions for a couple of reasons
1. If the guests have been waiting a long time (45 minutes plus) for the bridal party to arrive from a post ceremony photo shoot they are ready to get on with the event, the grand introductions seem to signal the beginning to the rest of the wedding. Once the Bride and Groom are introduced they simply go right into their 1st dance and then if they'd like, father/daughter and mother/son or whatever variations of those dances that they have planned.
2. If either the bride or the groom are messy eaters you may want to get the 1st dances out of the way before enjoying that tomato basil sauce. You're paying big money for a photographer to capture your special day you don't want that special sauce on your beautiful white dress or tuxedo shirt.
3. A lot of brides and grooms are preferring to get all of the "formalities" out of the way quickly and then start to party.
4. If you didn't book your photographer for the duration of the event there is no telling what kind of scheduling fiasco can happen later in the evening. If the Bride and Groom took to long talking to Aunt Betty from Rhode Island they may have to pay the photographer an extra hour to capture those memorable moments
Of course there are benefits to having the 1st Dances after dinner. One of the big benefits is it can signal the beginning to the party. One scenario we really like is when we end the formalities with a mother/son dance and then invite all the mothers and fathers out at the end of the dance. That packs the floor in and the dj can easily pick one of your really danceable songs to start the flow of a great party.
Do you have advice on this topic email kip@1stdjs.com
We welcome interaction
visit us on twitter at http://www.twitter.cm/1stdjs
Well with 1st DJs it's entirely up to you. Based on own experience 1st Dances typically work better right after introductions for a couple of reasons
1. If the guests have been waiting a long time (45 minutes plus) for the bridal party to arrive from a post ceremony photo shoot they are ready to get on with the event, the grand introductions seem to signal the beginning to the rest of the wedding. Once the Bride and Groom are introduced they simply go right into their 1st dance and then if they'd like, father/daughter and mother/son or whatever variations of those dances that they have planned.
2. If either the bride or the groom are messy eaters you may want to get the 1st dances out of the way before enjoying that tomato basil sauce. You're paying big money for a photographer to capture your special day you don't want that special sauce on your beautiful white dress or tuxedo shirt.
3. A lot of brides and grooms are preferring to get all of the "formalities" out of the way quickly and then start to party.
4. If you didn't book your photographer for the duration of the event there is no telling what kind of scheduling fiasco can happen later in the evening. If the Bride and Groom took to long talking to Aunt Betty from Rhode Island they may have to pay the photographer an extra hour to capture those memorable moments
Of course there are benefits to having the 1st Dances after dinner. One of the big benefits is it can signal the beginning to the party. One scenario we really like is when we end the formalities with a mother/son dance and then invite all the mothers and fathers out at the end of the dance. That packs the floor in and the dj can easily pick one of your really danceable songs to start the flow of a great party.
Do you have advice on this topic email kip@1stdjs.com
We welcome interaction
visit us on twitter at http://www.twitter.cm/1stdjs
Friday, October 30, 2009
Weddings on Holidays- Real Talk
Please let me preface this if you didnt already know our company plans over 500 weddings every year so we have experience in this kind of thing. We know a lot of planners who will offer similar advice to what we are about to dispense however there are a handful of planners who would rather take your money then tell you, thinking of having a wedding with no kids on a holiday? Think Again.
I spoke with one of our brides for tomorrow who was in tears as we talked Monday that only about 30% of her 250 invites said yes they would come to her halloween wedding. This wedding is supposed to be kidless and this bride is 32 years old. I love her to death shes been great to work with and gave me permission to blog about this because she said if she could she would have picked a different day. The problem with this 32 year old bride is that most of her girlfriends have kids between 3-10 and well Halloween is a very important family holiday. How are you going to tell your kids they have to stay with a sitter when they want to go trick or treating with mommy and daddy, you don't.
The same goes for New Years Eve and a lot of the time around Christmas. New Years Eve would be quite a romantic evening for.. a proposal.... we book the most wedding business between January 1-14 and February 15-25, but there are a lot of parents, newlyweds or new families themselves who want to celebrate New Years Eve alone together as a couple and then New Years Day with a pancake breakfast and football with the kids.
Yes Yes Yes we agree a wedding day is a brides day but remember the non-hallmark holidays are family days.
Halloween seems so trivial to some especially after you yourself have outgrown trick or treating and binge drink parties, but when you have your 3 year old son and 4 year old daughter all decked out to go with their friends who is going to win... the wedding or your babies dressed as batman and the princess...
If you're thinking about a halloween weekend wedding next year or a new years eve wedding please consider this advice, its from experience.
Kip A.
I spoke with one of our brides for tomorrow who was in tears as we talked Monday that only about 30% of her 250 invites said yes they would come to her halloween wedding. This wedding is supposed to be kidless and this bride is 32 years old. I love her to death shes been great to work with and gave me permission to blog about this because she said if she could she would have picked a different day. The problem with this 32 year old bride is that most of her girlfriends have kids between 3-10 and well Halloween is a very important family holiday. How are you going to tell your kids they have to stay with a sitter when they want to go trick or treating with mommy and daddy, you don't.
The same goes for New Years Eve and a lot of the time around Christmas. New Years Eve would be quite a romantic evening for.. a proposal.... we book the most wedding business between January 1-14 and February 15-25, but there are a lot of parents, newlyweds or new families themselves who want to celebrate New Years Eve alone together as a couple and then New Years Day with a pancake breakfast and football with the kids.
Yes Yes Yes we agree a wedding day is a brides day but remember the non-hallmark holidays are family days.
Halloween seems so trivial to some especially after you yourself have outgrown trick or treating and binge drink parties, but when you have your 3 year old son and 4 year old daughter all decked out to go with their friends who is going to win... the wedding or your babies dressed as batman and the princess...
If you're thinking about a halloween weekend wedding next year or a new years eve wedding please consider this advice, its from experience.
Kip A.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Unique, Elegant, Wedding favors you and your guests will remember
Before I start this blog entry I want the brides who read our blog to realize one thing, right now you are at the top of your pre-wedding world, you've probably made friends with knotties and other girls getting married, remember though that the bulk of your guests well attend only 1-3 weddings this year, and yours is one of them. The chance that they will run into the same combination of vendor provided services, unless bridesmaids are getting married with similar vendors, are slim to none.. having said that though let me tell you about some really cool wedding favors all provided by the same company, http://unlimiteddogtags.com
Unlimited Dog Tags is an on-site favor creation company speciailizing in photo favors, video favors, engraved favors and shared favors. This company sends their professional staff to your reception site for traditional photo booth favors, video set in favors or even laser cut engraved favors.
Their photo booth is like no-other their 3d photo booth literally puts you in the picture. There are a lot of brides and grooms doing the photo booth thing this year but you can always tell when looking at a photo booth photo that its just that, their unique 3 d sandwich like system puts you IN the picture.
These guys are wedding and event professionals and offer things that are a lot different but not a lot more costly. For more information visit them online at http://www.unlimiteddogtags.com or call them. For the location nearest you visit their website, like 1st DJs their phone numbers are in plane site and this is ALL the do, weddings and events.
Kip
Unlimited Dog Tags is an on-site favor creation company speciailizing in photo favors, video favors, engraved favors and shared favors. This company sends their professional staff to your reception site for traditional photo booth favors, video set in favors or even laser cut engraved favors.
Their photo booth is like no-other their 3d photo booth literally puts you in the picture. There are a lot of brides and grooms doing the photo booth thing this year but you can always tell when looking at a photo booth photo that its just that, their unique 3 d sandwich like system puts you IN the picture.
These guys are wedding and event professionals and offer things that are a lot different but not a lot more costly. For more information visit them online at http://www.unlimiteddogtags.com or call them. For the location nearest you visit their website, like 1st DJs their phone numbers are in plane site and this is ALL the do, weddings and events.
Kip
What about my step-dad
The best thing for everyone when it comes to the Bride's step dad is if both the father and the stepfather recognize the most important thing and that it's the daughter's day, not yours. Regardless of how you ended up the "Step Father" your little girl is hoping for the best which is that her vows are forever. Bickering over father/daughter dancing is going to make an already awkard situation a little more awkward. Here are some things to consider:
How do you want your father identified? Father? Dad? Mr So and So, first name only etc.
How do you want your stepfather identified.
How does the stepfather perceive his relationship with you (the bride) is he an all out parent, did he give you space and guidance? Did he totally take your dads place? Did your mother remarry after you moved out of the house?
If the relationship is good with both the father and the stepfather than its not unnatural to pick two father/daughter dances or do a cut in halfway through. You may want to opt for a song not as heart wrenching as "Butterfly Kisses" maybe something a little more subtle.
Whatever you do make sure that you convey to your DJ in your pre-event consultation how you want both men identified.
If you are having a traditional wedding where the bride's parents are handling the bill, are the brides parents handling the bill, is it mom and step dad or Dad and step-mom.
1st Djs has plenty of experience dealing with all of these scenarios and can help make this process as painless as possible just ask for help, email info@1stdjs.com or call us toll free at (800)311-41DJ
Any of these songs below could work for the step-father scenario, they could also work for a traditional father/daughter dance:
What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
One Friend - Dan Seals
You Don't Have To Let Go - Jessica Simpson
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Smile - Nat King Cole
Moon River - Louis Armstrong
Feel free to add more to the list
Kip August
1st DJS
How do you want your father identified? Father? Dad? Mr So and So, first name only etc.
How do you want your stepfather identified.
How does the stepfather perceive his relationship with you (the bride) is he an all out parent, did he give you space and guidance? Did he totally take your dads place? Did your mother remarry after you moved out of the house?
If the relationship is good with both the father and the stepfather than its not unnatural to pick two father/daughter dances or do a cut in halfway through. You may want to opt for a song not as heart wrenching as "Butterfly Kisses" maybe something a little more subtle.
Whatever you do make sure that you convey to your DJ in your pre-event consultation how you want both men identified.
If you are having a traditional wedding where the bride's parents are handling the bill, are the brides parents handling the bill, is it mom and step dad or Dad and step-mom.
1st Djs has plenty of experience dealing with all of these scenarios and can help make this process as painless as possible just ask for help, email info@1stdjs.com or call us toll free at (800)311-41DJ
Any of these songs below could work for the step-father scenario, they could also work for a traditional father/daughter dance:
What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
One Friend - Dan Seals
You Don't Have To Let Go - Jessica Simpson
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Smile - Nat King Cole
Moon River - Louis Armstrong
Feel free to add more to the list
Kip August
1st DJS
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
1st Dance Suggestions, based on our last 25 weddings.
Maryland DJ, Washington DJ, Baltimore DJ. 1st Dance Suggestions based on past weddings.
While there are plenty of blogs and sites on the net that promote great first dance songs, Our General Manager had this great idea, instead of coming up with some list of Random 1st Dance Songs we're just going to go down our last 25 Weddings and use those. Bare in mind we do over hundreds of weddings a year so this is just the last few weeks.
We love to help suggest songs so that not everyone does the same ole thing.
Here we go:
1. Plain White Tee's " 1,2,3,4 ( I Love You)"
2. Lone Star "Amazed"
3. Common "Come Close"
4. Kris Allen "To Make you feel my love"
5. Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing"
6.Otis Redding "I love you more than words can say"
7. Dave Barnes "Loving You, Loving Me"
8. Otis Redding "That's How Strong My Love is"
9. Michael Buble "Everything"
10. OAR "Nassium June"
11. Nat King and Natalie Cole "Unforgettable"
12. Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
13. Brad Paisley "Then"
14. Etta James "At Last"
15. Clint Black "When I say I do"
16. Michael Franti & Spearhead "Say Hey" I love you
17. Jefferson Starship "Count on Me"
18. Surface "The First Time"
19. Jack Johnson "Better Together"
20. Amos Lea "Sweet Pea"
21. David Barnes "Nothing Fancy"
22. Luther & Mariah "Endless Love"
23. Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
24. Jason Miles Goss "Twilight Serenade"
25. Etta James "At Last"
We hope you enjoyed this list more to come
While there are plenty of blogs and sites on the net that promote great first dance songs, Our General Manager had this great idea, instead of coming up with some list of Random 1st Dance Songs we're just going to go down our last 25 Weddings and use those. Bare in mind we do over hundreds of weddings a year so this is just the last few weeks.
We love to help suggest songs so that not everyone does the same ole thing.
Here we go:
1. Plain White Tee's " 1,2,3,4 ( I Love You)"
2. Lone Star "Amazed"
3. Common "Come Close"
4. Kris Allen "To Make you feel my love"
5. Aerosmith "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing"
6.Otis Redding "I love you more than words can say"
7. Dave Barnes "Loving You, Loving Me"
8. Otis Redding "That's How Strong My Love is"
9. Michael Buble "Everything"
10. OAR "Nassium June"
11. Nat King and Natalie Cole "Unforgettable"
12. Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
13. Brad Paisley "Then"
14. Etta James "At Last"
15. Clint Black "When I say I do"
16. Michael Franti & Spearhead "Say Hey" I love you
17. Jefferson Starship "Count on Me"
18. Surface "The First Time"
19. Jack Johnson "Better Together"
20. Amos Lea "Sweet Pea"
21. David Barnes "Nothing Fancy"
22. Luther & Mariah "Endless Love"
23. Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
24. Jason Miles Goss "Twilight Serenade"
25. Etta James "At Last"
We hope you enjoyed this list more to come
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Numbers of songs
When Brides use our award winning online planning software they often times ask why 25 must plays and 40 please plays, isnt that a little low?
Actually it's not and here's how we got those numbers.
Take an average song time of 4 minutes and multiply that by 65 and that' s 4.5 hours. Most of our wedding bookings are 4 and 5 hours.
Take this into consideration your 65 songs does NOT include cocktails and dinner. Typically we know what to play for that but we will allow your style, suggested artists, a list of songs for that period etc we do not count the 65 songs in cocktails and dinner which at a typical reception accounts for the first 1.5-2 hours.
That's why we limit the songs... It's also based on our experience and the fact that we do about 475 weddings per year.
Actually it's not and here's how we got those numbers.
Take an average song time of 4 minutes and multiply that by 65 and that' s 4.5 hours. Most of our wedding bookings are 4 and 5 hours.
Take this into consideration your 65 songs does NOT include cocktails and dinner. Typically we know what to play for that but we will allow your style, suggested artists, a list of songs for that period etc we do not count the 65 songs in cocktails and dinner which at a typical reception accounts for the first 1.5-2 hours.
That's why we limit the songs... It's also based on our experience and the fact that we do about 475 weddings per year.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Why are you guys so affordable?
We put affordable right in our slogan this year, why because we are. While most DJ Companies are trying to charge between $1200-$2000 per wedding in the economy we have now, we typically charge much less, why? Because we know most everyone has felt a pinch this year.
How? well we are a multi-operator, we are not a booking agency, we are not a referral service and we do not use sub-contractors. Having said that we have a staff of about 20 that have performed at over 100 weddings each. With a larger staff we can do more events and can charge less.
Also at this time in our economy in the United States we do make sure we make a small profit but making some money is better than making no money.
Finally, music and entertainment is the best way to relieve the stress. Often times stressed out people will go to the club, bar or restaurant, we also want to make sure that DJ services are available for their events.
Although with the technology and software out there today and of course the ipod a lot of people think they can dj and sure they can but when most of our clients who thought they would self dj, started taking on the task they realized a few things:
They don't want to be responsible for playing songs that all their friends like
Being the go-to guy with the suped up stereo was cool in high school
They don't want their home stereo gear to get messed up
and finally
Being stuck playing dj all night means you can't have as much fun with your friends.
(For weddings theres a million reasons not to use an ipod for your wedding we'll post that later)
Well there you have it, that's why we are so affordable.
Kip August...
Have an idea for a blog email kip@1stdjs.com
Follow us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/1stdjs
How? well we are a multi-operator, we are not a booking agency, we are not a referral service and we do not use sub-contractors. Having said that we have a staff of about 20 that have performed at over 100 weddings each. With a larger staff we can do more events and can charge less.
Also at this time in our economy in the United States we do make sure we make a small profit but making some money is better than making no money.
Finally, music and entertainment is the best way to relieve the stress. Often times stressed out people will go to the club, bar or restaurant, we also want to make sure that DJ services are available for their events.
Although with the technology and software out there today and of course the ipod a lot of people think they can dj and sure they can but when most of our clients who thought they would self dj, started taking on the task they realized a few things:
They don't want to be responsible for playing songs that all their friends like
Being the go-to guy with the suped up stereo was cool in high school
They don't want their home stereo gear to get messed up
and finally
Being stuck playing dj all night means you can't have as much fun with your friends.
(For weddings theres a million reasons not to use an ipod for your wedding we'll post that later)
Well there you have it, that's why we are so affordable.
Kip August...
Have an idea for a blog email kip@1stdjs.com
Follow us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/1stdjs
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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