WEDDING PLANNER ADVICE

SHOULD I HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER?

Many clients think that they can plan their event alone and save money for their budget. Keep in mind that just like weddings; no two wedding planners are the same. Some have more experience and skills than others. Some are more professional than others. You would be amazed to know that many wedding planners sometimes wait until the night before the event to contact my company and go over details as far as the timeline, special music requests, the requirements as far as power needed for my equipment and lighting, and other details that are vital to making your special day run smoothly. As the owner of a professional Los Angeles Wedding DJ and Event Entertainment service I make it a duty to contact the wedding planner and/or bride to assure these details are covered; however, this should be something that the wedding planner handles his/her self.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider hiring an event planner for your wedding.

• You Will Save Time- Planning a wedding will take anywhere from 9 months to a year.  The wedding planner will help with the following:
• Choosing a Venue 
• Vendor meetings
• Suggest bridal dress and tux shops 
• Selecting floral arrangements
• Engagement parties

• You Will Save Money- Wedding planners will build relationships with vendors, and they often receive discounted rates that a quality planner will pass on to their clients. Over time, wedding planners gain extensive knowledge and wisdom; providing budget-saving secrets and details that you may not be aware of.

• You Will Benefit From Their Knowledge/Experience- They will have experience working with vendors and will recommend vendors that are truly professional which will make them look even more professional in return.
• Beware that some wedding planners will make referrals based on a referral fee they receive from vendors for securing their services. Be sure to check out the vendor they suggest since they might not be the best quality for your event.

• You Will Save STRESS- This is in my opinion one of the most important benefits of a Professional and Quality wedding planner. 
• On the day of the event, your event planner will make sure of the following:
• Your gifts are properly secured;
• The flowers for your event are properly placed;
• Place cards for the reception arrangements are placed; and,
• Your guest book, unity candle, toasting glasses and any other special items that are important to you are saved and stored safely.
•  They will be prepared for emergencies- A wedding planner is prepared for just about anything. They commonly carry an emergency kit filled with buttons, needles, thread and other times that in the heat of the moment can turn a near-disaster into a heroic save.
• Ask your wedding planner about the preparations they have made to prevent problems (or to resolve them, should they occur).

These are a few reasons why I suggest hiring a wedding planner for your Extremely Important Celebration.  If you decide not to hire a wedding planner, I will use the 14 years experience as a wedding DJ to help make sure your wedding runs as smoothy as possible.  For an example, the glasses are filled and ready for toasts, there is a knife next to the cake when it is time to to do the cake cutting, the parents are ready and available for their father/daughter, mother/groom dance(The last thing you want is for mom/dad to be in the bathroom when you call them out for their special dance with their child)

You can always feel free to give me a call or email if you have questions concerning your special day!

(213)465-4646 

beni@besthollywooddj.com

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WEDDING DJ ADVICE FOR BRIDES

Top Wedding Mistakes When Hiring their DJ.

Yes, it’s that time of your wedding planning to find a DJ for your special day, and for most brides this can be an adventure in and of itself. Contacting different DJ’s, getting prices, choosing prices, consultations, and the list goes on and on.

In this article you will learn the 10 biggest mistakes brides make when choosing a DJ for the big day, hopefully after this you can avoid the pitfalls of choosing the wrong DJ for your wedding.
Here’s a little quote that we always tell the brides we speak with, “Your wedding day is like Broadway, you only get one take, and you only get one chance to get it right.”

Not Taking “First Impressions” Into Consideration

More than likely your first experience with a DJ will be either on the telephone or through e-mail. If the first contact is by telephone, listen to how the DJ talks on the telephone. Can you understand them or the MC which will do the announcements during your wedding? When you meet the DJ (and sometimes MC also) are they dressed professionally? If a DJ carries themselves professionally during your consultation, more than likely they will Weddings be professional on your big day.

Thinking that All DJs are the Same

This couldn’t be further from the truth, every DJ has their own style, different skill level, different rates, and vary a lot in their “arsenal” which consists of their musical library. This is the heart of their versatility. If a DJ only has rock music but no R&B, they aren’t very versatile. A DJ who has both types of music and much more will be much more able to adapt to your wants and needs. Remember your favorite DJ that spins alternative music all night may be perfect for the club, but more than likely your grandmother doesn’t want to hear Good Charlotte all night during your reception.

Hiring the Cheapest DJ You Can Find

The phrase “you get what you pay for” holds a lot of water in the case of hiring a DJ… especially for a wedding.There are DJs who can cost as little as $300, or as much as $1,500 for a five hour wedding. Is the DJ that is only charging $300 no good at all? Who knows, he might do a decent job, but there is one thing that is certain, either the DJ doesn’t have the experience or just has bad business skills altogether to charge only $300.
Any DJ that has done a ton of weddings (100 or more) knows that they put too much into a wedding to only charge peanuts. On the other hand, remember that just because a DJ is the most expensive in town, doesn’t mean they’re the best for you. You have to take everything into consideration beforehand, sometimes they are, sometimes they’re not.

The entertainment for your reception is what you, your family and friends will remember, it’s worth more than the cost of invitations. Your DJ is an investment that you and your guests will enjoy the entire time frame of your reception, not half of it. Believe me, if half of your guests leave after dinner because loud rap music was playing during the main course, the venue isn’t going to give you a refund.

Not Communicating with Your DJ

Besides hiring the wrong DJ altogether, this is probably the biggest mistake some brides do when dealing with DJs, not communicating. There is nothing worse for a DJ (and for you too) than a rush job, especially a wedding. A seasoned professional can get through the event without noticeable incidents but I believe I speak for all wedding DJs when I say it is nerve-racking, even if we don’t show it. Keep your DJ informed of your plans, your special songs, any changes, your timeline, or anything else they may need to know. Don’t wait until the week or even a month before the big day to start communicating. This is the only way your DJ will know exactly what you want, and don’t want.

Not Having a Written Contract

Simply put… no contract, you very well may have no DJ! Every year I get a few phone calls from a bride (or her mother) saying that they hired a DJ and they didn’t show up. The first thing that I ask is did they have a contract… 80% of the time it’s a “no.” If a DJ doesn’t have a contract, runs out the front door, and doesn’t look back, there’s nothing you can do.

Not Making Sure the DJ has Liability Insurance

More and more venues and hotels across the U.S. are requiring that DJs have liability insurance, and most are asking to see papers. A true professional is going to have insurance for their business, and you should ask to at least see a copy of the policy. Insurance for DJs is generally not expensive, and there are a few major DJ organizations which offer a nice discount on insurance for joining. There’s really no excuse for your DJ not to have it.

Taking Complete Control of the Music Selection from Your DJ

You want to hear what you want to hear… That’s fine, but remember you’re not alone on your special day. You, your family (and your new family), your friends all have different tastes. Some brides want to choose every song that gets played for the entire night, and I can honestly say that I have only seen 2 song lists created by brides out of hundreds upon hundreds that actually worked for the majority of the night. Just two.
Let the DJ do their job, which primarily consists of making sure that the right songs get played at the right time. Also remember, giving your DJ 200 songs to play for the night isn’t going to work either… unless your reception is over 10 hours long.

And last but not least make sure you clarify which artist you want to hear for certain songs. Take the song “Three Times a Lady”, The Commodores, Kenny Rogers, Conway Twitty and many other artists all sing this song. If you want The Commodores version for your first dance, make sure you don’t end up with Conway Twitty instead.

Not Making Sure the DJ You Want is Guaranteed to be Your DJ

This is probably the biggest complaint from brides all over the country about DJs. You went to a DJ company that has more than one DJ, you requested a specific DJ, and another DJ shows up in their place. Any time you deal with a big DJ company, make sure you get in writing that the DJ you want is the one that will show up.

Not Going Over Back-Up Plans with Your DJ

In life, things happen which you or nobody else has control over, even on your wedding day! Find out from your DJ about their plans for back-up transportation, equipment, and personnel. If one of these three areas is out of commission, then so will be the music for your reception. If they don’t have any plans, start running.

Not Hiring a DJ Quickly

Finding the DJ you want is hard enough work as long as you don’t believe they’re all the same. Don’t go through all the work of finding the DJ you want and then end up procrastinating on booking with that DJ. Most wedding DJs that have good reputations in the business will get booked at least a year in advance, especially for the Saturdays in the summer. If you’ve found DJ “Benz” don’t wait to hire him. Remember if you wait a month or two before the big day, your choices are limited and you might end up with DJ “Yugo”.

Avoid these ten major mistakes and you will be better able to connect with your DJ, and know what to look for while hiring a DJ. Keep in contact with your professional DJ, and your reception will more than likely be worry free.

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