Booking Your Wedding DJ: How Far in Advance Should You Plan?
Unsure when to book your wedding DJ? Learn why timing is crucial and how to find the perfect DJ for your special day.
Right now you’re probably googling the hell out of looking for wedding vendors for your upcoming wedding. Maybe you were engaged on valentines day of this year. Maybe it was during Thanksgiving break, Christmas, or New Years Eve. Either way, it’s time to start looking for the perfect wedding team to help you celebrate your special day.
Most people book a DJ on average 2-3 times in their life. Graduations, Corporate Events, and of course, Weddings.
Have you ever been scrolling through a website and you saw the “LIMITED TIME OFFER” verbage? The same can be said for when it comes time to book your wedding dj.
Now you might look at the price tag and get a little sticker shock. (Which is perfectly normal) But, why do DJs charge what they charge for weddings? It’s more than just the 6 hours that you spend with them that you’re paying for.
A seasoned wedding DJ will spend roughly 25-30 hours on each wedding they host. From meetings, to planning, to music gathering, practicing, loading, unloading, performing the wedding, and then loading back up, driving home, and unloading again. Are you tired just reading that? That’s what we do EVERY weekend and in many cases, a few times per weekend.
The first thing many people will tell you is, “Don’t rush. You’ve got plenty of time.” And that may be true however, the GOOD DJs that EVERYONE wants are typically booked a year to 18 months in advance. Think about how challenging it was to find the venue you wanted. I’m willing to be that there were quite a few that were already booked with the date you had in mind. The same can be said for your wedding dj.
We’re not just selling gear to play music and lighting to brighten your room, we’re selling time and experience. If you’ve ever booked a hotel or vacation, you know exactly what I mean. Go to any hotel or airline website right now and try to book the exact room/flight/package with the exact amenities that you want for next week. You might not get exactly what you want but you may find, “good enough”.
When you think about the amount you’re investing in your wedding experience, leaving it to chance by booking the wedding DJ that is “good enough” should never be an option. The truth is, we make or break your celebration.
So if you’re asking the question, “How soon should I book my wedding dj?”, the answer is as soon as possible. Don’t settle for anything less than your wedding deserves.
Wedding Advice from a Real Bride: Tips and Tricks for a Stress-Free Day
Wedding Advice from a 2024 Bride – 6/27/24 From the Connecticut Brides to Be Facebook Forum
I got married Sunday(!!!) and while it’s fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some thoughts from the planning process and the day itself. Some are budget related, some are just general planning tips, and some are for those who are just generally anxious or “stressy” about things.
**This is a long one just FYI,**
Starting off strong…
1. Splurge on the things you truly want to enjoy on your day and save on everything else.
This one is super common, but I feel it’s worth emphasizing. We went all out with the venue, music (live band), and photo/video, and kept everything else more conservative. Our centerpieces were simple and minimal, including our decor, and we have no regrets. To be completely honest, we didn’t even have time to notice most of anything. The day goes by so fast that you really only are able to take in so much. Prioritize what you want to enjoy on your day!
2. If you have family contributing monetarily, you still can stand your ground on decisions.
Every family/support system is different, but in the end it is a day for YOU and your future spouse! As someone with a “high-maintenance family”, what worked well for me was having family focus on things that really didn’t make-or-break the day. Think flip flops for the dance floor, bathroom baskets, etc. If you give them something they can control completely, you’d be surprised at how easily things will go.
3. Choose a venue with a legitimate rain/weather/indoor plan.
One of the main reasons we chose our venue was not only was their outdoor ceremony area incredibly beautiful, but their indoor plan was also just as beautiful. I am a very anxious person, but I had no anxiety regarding the weather that day because I knew that whether it was outside or inside it would still be beautiful. We toured some other venues and way too many places have a less than ideal option or no option at all if there’s inclement weather or it’s too hot/cold.
4. Pick a venue that suits your personality and tendencies.
I get anxious about a lot of things, so what was important to me was the following:
* Having the venue all to ourselves for the day
* Having everything in the same place (getting ready, ceremony, reception)
* Having a solid weather option (see above)
* All inclusive – no need to worry about catering/bar/tables/linens/etc
All of these aspects were important to me but may not matter to you! Think about how you may feel on the day and use that to your advantage when choosing a venue and vendors.
5. Pay vendors in cash for a discount.
This may not work for all vendors, but we were able to save 10% on photo and video by paying in cash. Ask your vendors if this is an option!
6. Seriously consider going digital, especially for RSVPs.
We used The Knot for our whole RSVP process. I created our invites on Canva and included a QR code for RSVP. No return cards or tracking needed. It made that piece so much less stressful.
A few notes on what I think made things easy for us:
* In the RSVP form, we also asked for email addresses. This allowed us to send reminder emails about our wedding day as we got closer.
* About a month after sending invites out, we reached out to folks to make sure they received our invite (very politely). I think this made a huge difference down the line with having to only chase down a handful of people after the deadline.
* Nobody complained about the digital RSVP, and if there were issues, they reached out or we sent them the link directly.
It may feel like too much communication, but we had full attendance day of, which surprised both of us!
7. If you want to make time for you and your spouse alone, do a first look.
We went into this wedding fully expecting to pop into cocktail hour. Instead, after the ceremony and family photos, we had about 30 minutes to ourselves up in the bridal suite to process and decompress. It was extremely worth it after being in “go mode” for the first chunk of the day. I also was grateful to have most of our pictures done before the ceremony. There are many reasons to do a first look, but I just wanted to share my perspective on how motivations can change! Obviously, this only really is helpful if you haven’t seen your spouse all day prior to, but you do you!
8. If you are Type A/like to plan, make time once a week to work on “wedding stuff”. Also delegate stuff to your non-Type-A partner.
There is no need to think about your upcoming wedding every single day. Especially if you have a longer engagement (we had about 2 years), allow yourself the space each week to really hone in on anything that needs to be done. Pick one day a week for you and your partner to look through the to-do list (yes I know you have one) and see what can be taken care of. And if there’s nothing pressing to do, make it a date night!
Also, please delegate certain things for your partner to work on/manage. It will save you so much stress.
9. If you are walking down the aisle, nothing will prepare you for how that will feel.
I was basically crying the entire time from stepping out of the suite to the aisle and even walking down. It is a surreal experience and feeling, and very hard to describe. All of your closest people standing there supporting you and envying you. Honestly not much to say here except that there is really no way to prepare for this.
10. There is such a thing as too much partying.
My single regret is not telling our band to have a set with more laid back/jazzy vibes in between the dance sets. They were still incredible, but the general tip is make sure your DJ or band knows to slow it down a bit for those who don’t want to jump around and dance hard. I’ve even been to weddings where the DJ was just all high-energy music the entire night and it became super tiring and un-exciting.
11. Have non-dancing activities for your reception.
I made a crossword puzzle that was at each guests seat and it was a big hit! When we made our rounds, we constantly had people asking us what the answers were (to no avail obviously) We also had a photo booth too! Not all of your guests will want to or like to dance, so it’s definitely worth catering to those folks.
12. And lastly, you can literally do what ever you want! It’s YOUR DAY!**
Do or don’t listen to me, an internet stranger. Do what feels right to you! You (ideally) only get married once and will probably never have as many people from so many parts of your life in one room again. Make it your own and I promise that all the little things you are worried about won’t matter as much on the day. It’s really about the people and the incredible human you are choosing marriage with!
If you made it all the way through, I hope these thoughts and tips help those who are still planning!
We hope you enjoyed reading this very detailed entry to offer wedding advice from a 2024 bride.
Aaron DeMarestGetting married made me a better wedding vendor.
Weddings are exciting times for many couples. They can also prove to be very stressful during the planning process. That’s where having a great wedding vendor comes in to play.
I’ve been married once before and I’m about to get married again in just 3 weeks and the Mrs and I are VERY excited to start this new chapter in our lives. We were both married before, have kids, and have plenty of experience between the both of us with weddings. Angela was a pastry chef specializing in wedding cakes and I have had an amazing 28 year career as a wedding dj. But even with our “industry insider” knowledge, we were still just a bride and a groom planning their wedding. Of course, there are some nuggets we gained over the years to help us plan out our wedding. And we of course have our past experiences from our previous marriages to go on. The great part of getting married a second time is that you learn really quickly what your priorities are and get to plan the wedding you always wanted.
My first wedding was 21 people at a country club in Watertown. We didn’t have a formal photographer and our DJ was thrown in with the venue as a package deal. (Not my first choice but, it was a compromise I made to keep the peace) Our DJ was terrible, unprofessional and un prepared. So much in fact that I walked to my car to give her my book of CDs I was using for my own weddings at the time for her to use. Our invitations were designed on the computer and printed at staples. Dinner was a buffet with staples like pasta, salad, and roast beef. There were grocery store flowers on the tables and standard table cloths. The wedding turned out this way because my then wife insisted she didn’t want a big celebration because in her previous marriage, money was no object and she had a big wedding. Also, her dad paid for the wedding which meant all of his colleagues, friends, etc were invited leaving her and her ex husband with just a few close friends.
My fiance’s first wedding was also a lavish affair with lots of detail and a couple hundred people in attendance. They had a DJ, Videographer, Photographer, 4 course meal, a massive cake, and many guests that they did not know that were invited by her parents because, you guessed it… they paid for the wedding. As a result, some family feuds took place and created some tension. Never a fun ordeal to deal with when you’re planning the happiest day of your life.
Fast forward to our wedding. We are paying for our own wedding. Which means we get to make choices that are important to us. Choosing the right wedding vendors was important. We both know that it is very easy to rack up a massive bill with all of the trimmings but as we both learned, the majority of guests remember the venue, cuisine and of course the DJ the most after a wedding. We talked about just eloping. We talked about a private ceremony in the middle of a field with just a few family and friends. But at the end of the day, we both agreed on a Christmas themed wedding. Why Christmas? It’s usually the holiday where everyone gets together. A family reunion so to speak.
Our guest list was 120 people which by our estimation left about 20 people who might not be able to make it. We were right! We’ve got just under 100 guests attending our wedding. Choosing a guest list was not hard at all. We learned from our previous weddings to invite only the people that are near and dear to us and be selective with colleagues and acquaintances. This not only lightened the bill but ensured that everyone in attendance were the people that we really wanted to be there.
The first step was finding a venue. We thought about renting a space and having it catered. But then, we’d need to clean up after. When you’re wearing a fitted dress and tux for 12 hours on your wedding day, the last thing you want to do is roll up your sleeves and clean. We decided on a traditional venue. Grand Oak Villa was calling our name. We had visited several other venues which were nice but they really had everything we were looking for.
When it came to the food, we both understood that all of our 100 guests don’t all like the same thing and some had dietary restrictions. To alleviate the stress of trying to appease everyone, we elected to do hot hors devours and food stations for dinner. We have a wide variety of options for everyone to enjoy and they can have as much or as little as they would like. Plus, for the venue, it’s a lot easier to serve a tray of food as opposed to plating 100 three course meals. This allows their staff to be more relaxed and have an easier day. Happy staff equals happy guests!
I had been asked probably a hundred times in the last year and a half of planning, “Are you DJing your own wedding?” I’m happy to announce, I took the day off and leaving the music to the professionals. But how does a DJ choose one of his peers to host their wedding? The same way any couple would. By making sure they are a good fit. We happily chose Todd from Jock in the Box entertainment. Todd has been a DJ just as long as I have and has the experience and diversity to keep a captive audience across all genres and walks of life. As an added bonus, we both have a knack for the 90’s and Y2K so seeing as how the Mrs and I are 43 & 45, it just made sense to have Todd. Another feature we love about Todd is that he puts his personality into his weddings. Todd is a very outgoing, positive, and energetic DJ. Being a daytime wedding, having the right DJ for the job is even more important because regardless of the time of day, they can execute the vibe you’re shooting for. Sidenote, we told Todd that even though he’s working that day, to please sit and enjoy a meal, have a beverage, and if possible, come on out and dance with us. His job is so very important that I wanted to give him every opportunity to feel his absolute best and have FUN! Because a happy DJ equals a happy dance floor.
When it came to a photographer, we chose a tried and true photographer. My good friend and sidekick Corey will be shooting our wedding. Corey is a professional wedding photographer and 2nd shooter for Fritz Photography. His eye for detail, fun personality, and willingness to think outside the box were just a few of the reasons we love Corey. Much like Todd, we encouraged Corey to relax and enjoy the day.
For a cake, we chose Sweet Marias. My fiance used to work for Maria as a cake decorator and with her extensive experience working along side her, we knew that she’d make a cake for us that was not only beautiful, but absolutely delicious as well. We went to her bakery in Waterbury for a tasting and tried all of the flavors. And there were so many to choose from. We decided on a simple yet flavorful cake. This way, no crumb would go wasted.
Our justice of the peace is Eva-Torres Luciano. Eva is a bilingual JP that is very passionate about her job. She took the time to really get to know us and is creating a custom short ceremony for us that we can’t wait to see!
And now that you’ve met our wedding team, you can see why we chose the people we did. They had all of the qualities we were looking for and they felt that we had similar qualities that they like to work with. Now more than ever before, I am a firm believer of finding people who are a good fit for your special day. They all know that they are working with a peer (which also can cause anxiety) but they also know that we want them to not only work our wedding, but to be a part of it with the creative freedom to really let their talents shine. When you pick your dream team, your event will be everything you want it to be and more.
We invested in what we felt was most important, and as a result, we need or want for nothing. Every single one of our vendors made us feel very comfortable and took the stress out of planning our wedding. They reminded us about meetings, tastings, payments, and more which helped us keep on track and ease a lot of the stress for us during our planning. We are truly grateful that we did things this way and can’t wait for the big day! I learned more about how to make my meetings more fun and helpful to my couples. I learned more about the importance of follow up and being choosier in who I work with to ensure we’re a good fit. And lastly, I learned to relax and let the process happen naturally. We’ve got 5 hours to celebrate. Instead of counting the moments, we’re going to make the moments count!
Are you creating a wedding playlist?
You’ve got the venue, the dress, photographer, and guest list on lock and ready to go! It’s time to talk about the soundtrack to your celebration. Weddings in CT are typically a 5-6 hour affair from wedding ceremony to the last dance. So how many songs per hour should you consider listing? Most songs are on average 3 and a half minutes in length. Over a 6 hour ceremony and reception, back to back, that’s about 107 songs.
So which ones should you choose? Our rule of thumb is, give us 10-20 of your absolute must haves for your wedding. This still leaves over 80 songs left. But generally, we’ll play between 2-300 songs throughout the festivities. How do we bend the space/time continuum? By seamlessly mixing and blending songs together. We can do this because we are constantly reading the audience, how they are reacting to what we are doing, and switching things up depending on the vibe we’re getting.
This is why pre-stacked wedding playlists are generally a no-no for events such as weddings. Wedding DJs know that weddings are a melting pot of people of all different age ranges and walks of life. One person’s Elvis is another person’s Drake and so on. Now I know what you’re probably thinking… The most commonly shared story that we hear about past experiences is that the DJ they experienced was playing a lot of non-danceable music. This could happen for one of a variety of reasons.
The DJ may have had explicit instructions not to derive from his client’s wedding playlist and it may have contained a lot of music that his clients enjoyed but not too many floor fillers. Or, maybe the DJ wasn’t a good fit for his client and wasn’t as compatible with the audience then they should have been. Either way, these situations can be removed from the equation by working with a quality wedding DJ that is attentive and knowledgeable.
Another tricky bit about music at weddings is that there are occasions where the timeline might be running a tad behind. And in those cases, with a pre-stacked wedding playlist, you’d have to be able to add songs on the fly that would extend the time and or create a event where it speeds things up and gets the day back on track. You have much more flexibility when you book your wedding dj. And finally, when you send your wedding dj a playlist to play with no possibility of deriving from it, you now take the reigns on the success of your wedding reception.
Your DJ is there to guide you and assist you and your guests to experience the best celebration they’ve ever attended.