DJ Advise Needed Please

Personally I would want to meet the DJ or at least speak on the phone.. However when we booked our band we hadn't met them but we did go and see them at a gig shortly after!! We have a DJ as well who is a friend of my OH's again a week before is a little late in my opinion to meet and discuss what you want...

Definatly want to meet him!! ours set up his stuff at our venue and invited us along to see the lighting, stage, screen and what not. I wouldnt feel comfortable booking a Dj without meeting them first!!!

Thank Ladies.

Those were my thought too. Me and Mum are currently putting together a play list and to me to give this OVER THE PHONE to a DJ THE WEEK BEFORE the wedding is a stress I certainly don’t want thank you very much.

I rang the venue earlier and told them what a certain DJ company from their list told me and they said basically what I have just said. They have given me their favourite DJ from their list who they use for their own family functions so going to have a look on his website now and then give him a call to arrange meeting up.

I also think a week before the wedding would be cutting it a bit close for my liking!

We've booked our DJ and paid a deposit in March, even though we've not met with him yet. Having said that we've talked to him a fair bit via email and we do plan to meet up with him next year to discuss playlists etc - I think he actually wanted to meet up earlier, but as OH and I haven't really thought about what we want music wise, I don't see the point in doing that just yet.

Yes...you're totally right. I always offer to meet people before booking. You need to be sure that the person you book is right for your remit. You can't find that out from a website alone. If you need a wider choice give me a yell, but it sounds like your venue have been very helpful.

No I didnt - I believe I spoke to him on the phone but that was only because he rang me to explain why he hadnt replied to my email yet and to apologise!

To be honest - meeting a DJ in person isnt really going to show you whether they are a good DJ or not is it? But as I dont live near the venue I didnt really expect to meet them beforehand anyway iykwim?

I was contacted by my DJ last week (so just over three weeks to the wedding) and he asked if we wanted to meet in person. I said no as I didnt see the point! His website has all the space for me to put the songs we want and all info about timings etc so what would we have to talk about? He did ring me though and he asked me the questions that I'd filled out online anyway. So it was a bit of a waste of time!

I didn't meet mine. I e-mailed him and then we spoke on the phone, I explained my preference in type of music. He has directed me to his website where I have my own account where I can select my playlist of "must plays, maybe play and do not play" and even my make payments directly on there. When I e-mail him with a query he is very helpful and polite. It helps that he plays a lot in my county in well known venues so that was enough to get my deposit. In fact he is on Hitched now too.

The reason I am really reluctant to now proceed any further is he only want's to take the deposit at this stage then no further contact will be made until 1 week before the wedding. To me this is cutting it to fine as I will have a long play list for him and say on the day I don't like the DJ or he don't like me.

Maybe i'm being a bit silly but upto now I have met with every person who is playing a part in my big day. And alot of the reason I have gone on to book them is beacuse I felt they were really nice and had my best intrests at heart therefore taking some stress away from me.

Gosh who would have though booking a DJ could be so difficult ☹️

No... not silly at all. You've hit the nail on the head. Your DJ is actually an integral part of your day and very important to the success of your evening reception. What if you don't get on...or he has a mannerism that grinds on you....or your personalities don't click? You need to be confident in your choice to be able to trust him totally and then ultimately leave the evening in his capable hands while you relax and enjoy yourself. I don't think you can make this judgement by website or email alone. Meeting him might not show if he's a good DJ.... but it could allay any fears of a DJ with a beer gut hanging over his trousers, talking with an accent noone can understand with inappropriate chat and comments. DJing at a wedding is much much more than just playing the right tunes. Your DJ needs to be approachable and have good interpersonal skills too. Has anyone had a tog turn up for their day without meeting them first?

? ?

That would be my worst nightmare.

Thanks for all your advise ladies. I'm off back to the drawing board to send some more emails and check out a few websites x

Hey Mrs P 2 Be,

I think you're definitely making the right choice going back to the drawing boards. As a Wedding DJ I find it almost impossible to believe that a DJ was not willing to meet a potential Bridal client! I believe it's almost a necessity for a DJ to meet a client, specially for a Wedding! There are advantages to both the DJ and the couple. The biggest advantage is the fact that you build more of a personal relationship between yourself and your DJ. This can be done over the phone but not to the extent of meeting in person and almost impossible via E-Mail as it's just words on a screen. You're unable to see a smile or the way people react to ideas and suggestions, it's almost like you can read the words but when meeting someone you can read the person! With reference to a post above I too have the event planning system with the request feature, however having the meetings and building a personal relationship, having the online system and contact over the phone and e-mail all gels together in providing a better service and a better event!

Hope you find your perfect DJ

Adam

Very well said, Adam. An important point I missed was that it is a two way thing.

If you want a wider choice to have a look at try popping in an enquiry here https://www.weddingdja.co.uk/index.php Our guys are more than happy to meet up.

Whilst I enjoy meeting Wedding clients, it is not always possible. Last weeks Wedding for me was in East Sussex, a strong recommendation from the manger of a Venue to his best friend. I'm the recommended supplier at this other venue (which is much closer), so wanted to quote. It was further than I would normally travel (most of my Wedding work is Hertfordshire, Essex and Middlesex)

We've had good communications on the phone and via email, but a physical meet-up has been very difficult to arrange as the client has been busy, and we could only realistically meet on a Sunday.

By the time of the Wedding, we did know them fairly well - a meeting would have been great, but the specifics of the evening had been discussed in detail, and the night was a big success.

For local clients, we normally meet in the evening, and the meeting takes about 45mins-1hr.

If you peel away the facts/requirements aspect of the meeting, you're left with what for us, is a fairly casual chat. I enjoy meeting people, and small talk is helpful. When we meet on the day, its nice to know what they look like, and I'm "Jason", and not "The DJ".

Last nights 1st dance was the couples actual first dance... they met aged 16 (11yrs ago) and wanted the same song played again.

This could have been conveyed as "1st dance- TRUE" via an email, or a few mins to explain the background really put the choice into context allowed me to announce this to their guests as they were walking to the dance floor.

Only a few guests would have known this, so it was a touching moment for everyone, and small touches like this go a very long way to personalise the evening.

The venue was Ponsbourne Park, a venue we've previously played so know the layout and the legendary "Des" the MC, during our meeting last year, they asked if we have played there before. We had, and could tell them how we normally work at that venue. We obviously got the booking and dispute a 1am ending (which can be tricky if guests get tired), the night was very good, with the bride and groom very pleased.

So, 2 weddings, one with no meeting, the other with a meeting. I don't think much was lost due to not meeting up, its something I'll always offer if practical.

For many couples using a venues supplied DJ, or a DJ supplied by an Agency, a meeting is not often offered with the actual DJ.

As someone getting married this year, our Photographer is based in Dorset, but her mother (also a photographer) is 1 mile away from our Venue.

We met up and had a long chat, and then had to decide between her, and another photographer (who we also met and liked). This part was very, very hard! (both pros, different styles, and similar price)

The next meeting is the engagement shoot, but with my commitments (most weekends providing weddings) and her commitments (shooting weddings!), we're struggling to find a date.

Jason