|
If you google "wedding DJ Austin," you'll get over 21 million results. You'll probably check out page 1 and 2, maybe page 3, but how do you determine which DJ or DJ company will best suit your needs? A great way to do this is to narrow down your results and get at least 3-5 quotes from companies who meet your price range, have available DJs, and are reputable. Once you've received quotes, the next step is to ask them questions, to determine who will best meet your needs.
Here's a great list of questions to ask your DJ! This is a list of our most frequently asked questions from our customers and our answers! Feel free to use our list of questions to ask your DJ, even if you're not booking with us! :) Question 1. Can we create our own playlist or request songs to be played? Answer: Absolutely! We encourage all of our clients to fill out our music planning sheet that will have the genres of music you prefer, as well as a list of favorite artists and any must-play or do-not-play songs! We do not charge extra to create your playlist. We have a huge online music library that has all genres of music. We even have a helpful "popular songs" section, which provides guidance and suggestions for key moments songs, such as first dance songs, father/daughter songs, etc. This is your wedding and you should be able to decide what we play! Question 2: How many people will be working the day of our wedding or event? Answer: It depends on the needs of your event. We typically have two people at every wedding/event that we do, but sometimes, just one person is available. We may have additional people come early, to help us set up, but by the start time, only one or two people will be at the entire event. Question 3: Will you need a dinner or drinks for you or your staff? Answer: We do require a vendor meal for any wedding or event that is 5 hours or longer. We ask this because our staff will arrive 2 hours before the start time of any event, and break-down for about 1 hour, after an event, which is an 8 hour day. Question 4: Do you or your staff drink alcohol on the job? Answer: Absolutely not. We've seen many other DJs, photo booth staff, photographers, and other staff, help themselves to a plate of food and help themselves to the open bar, which we completely do not understand. We've seen other staff intoxicated, while on the job, and we're always amazed at how they stay in business. We're professionals and we do not do this and require that all of our staff do not do this, either. We'll gladly accept water or non-alcoholic drinks. Question 5: Do you bring all the necessary equipment for our event or do we need to provide anything? Answer: We've heard of other DJs and DJ companies requiring the customer to rent the sound system, which is surprising! We bring all the equipment we need for every event we provide services for. For the DJ, we simply need an 8X8 area to set up, near a standard power outlet. The photo booth also has the same requirements. We do require a 6 foot table to be set up in the area where you'll want the DJ. We will bring our own linen, or a linen can also be placed on the table. We provide our own photo booth table. Question 6: Do you bring back up equipment, in case anything happens? Answer: Yes, we certainly do. All of our DJs are very experienced and know how to handle a situation where they may need to make adjustments, if equipment isn't working correctly. We always check-in with our staff during set up and are available "on-call", if problems arise at any time during the event. Question 7: Do you have other staff, available, if the DJ or photo booth attendant gets sick or has an emergency? Answer: Yes, we have 6 DJs that work with our team and we always check-in with every DJ, the week of the event. We also check in with the DJ and/or photo booth staff 24 hours before the event and then again, 4 hours before the event start time, to ensure they're going to make the event. If a DJ or photo booth attendant is sick or has an emergency, we will notify the customer immediately and provide an experienced, professional staff for the event. Question 8: What is your cancellation policy? Answer: Our cancellation policy states that all deposits are non-refundable. We will, however, refund 100% of any payments made toward the balance, outside of the deposit. Fortunately, our deposits are very reasonable. Most DJ companies require 50% of the total balance to book an event and the deposit is non-refundable. We do not do this. Our deposits are $100. Question 9: Is there an additional charge for special-requested dance floor lighting? Answer: If there is a particular light that you request that we do not have, then we can obtain the light(s), if needed, for an additional charge. Question 10: Do you provide an "MC" for our event, who will make necessary announcements? Answer: Yes, we will gladly be the MC for your event, at no additional charge. Many companies charge an extra fee for an MC, which to us, is crazy. So the DJ will not say a word, unless you pay him/her? Wow. Again, we're fair and don't do this. Question 11: Do you have bilingual DJs, who can make announcements in Spanish? Answer: Yes, nearly all of our DJs are bilingual, and can do this. If there is another language in which you need announcements, we will certainly let you or one of your guests make any announcement(s), with our PA system. We've done several weddings/events where other languages were spoken/used, (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, ASL, etc.) and clients designated a person to make announcements for guests, in addition to our announcements. Question 12: How long does it take set up and break-down your equipment? Answer: Depending on the needs of your event, the set up can take anywhere from 60 minutes, up to 2 hours or more. Most weddings and events that we've done in venues in Austin and Central Texas, take about 60 - 90 minutes, to set up. Break down takes about one hour (or more if using multiple systems). Question 13: Is set-up/break-down time included in the time we purchase or charged separately? Answer: We do not charge extra for set up; your time starts when the music starts, not when we arrive to set up. You are also not charged for break-down time, either. Exception: if you need us to set up earlier than 2 hours, or break-down later than one hour after the event ends, there is an additional charge. Example: wedding ceremony starts at 5 pm, and we'd normally arrive at 3 pm, to set up, but you need the DJ or photo booth to set up at 12 pm. Many companies do not include set-up/break-down time and charge additional fees for this time. Again, we do not do this, unless it is the above exception. Question 14: What do you typically wear? Answer: We always dress appropriately for the occasion. Our staff will wear slacks and a button up dress shirt. For outdoor, summer events, we have company Polo shirts we typically wear, with slacks. If we need to dress more formal, please let us know and we certainly can do this. Question 15: Is there a minimum amount of hours to book? Answer: Yes, we require a two hour minimum for DJ and/or photo booth services. Question 16: Will the DJ take requests? Answer: Yes, we can certainly take requests. We will do our best to play all requests, given that we have the song and there is enough time to get through the written playlist and must-play songs. We ask all our clients to let us know if requests are okay and ask for any restrictions on requests, such as: "Yes, play requests, but no rap, metal, etc." Question 17: If the crowd is shy or not dancing, do you motivate the crowd to dance? Answer: We rarely have to do this, but yes, we certainly can. We do numerous weddings and events, all year, so we know what people like and want to dance to. We play great music and people will dance! Question 18: Can you assist me in finding music for our ceremony or reception? Answer: Yes, we'll be glad to assist you in planning your ceremony and reception music. We also have numerous planning tips on our blog! Click, below, to visit our blog! Austin's Best DJs Wedding & Event Planning Tips & DJ Blog Question 19: Do you provide any other services for weddings or events? Answer: Yes, we certainly do! We provide: photo booth services, uplighting, monogram lighting, sound for live ceremony performances, custom music mix/mash-up, projector, projector screen and more! Question 20: When is the final balance due? Answer: The final balance is due 3 weeks before your event. We'll meet in person, or via phone, 3-4 weeks before, to go over your planning forms, answer questions, and collect/discuss the final payment. Many customer also opt to pay payments, and if they do, we send a new invoice, reflecting the payment and remaining balance, each time. Question 21: Do you take breaks during the ceremony/reception? Answer: Though most bands will take breaks at events, we do not take breaks. Question 22: What if my DJ becomes ill or cannot make it to my event? Answer: We have several DJs that work with us, and one of the owners is always open, in case this happens. Fortunately, this has never happened! We require our DJs to let us know as soon as possible, preferably at least 5 days before the event, if they cannot make it. If this happens, one of the owners will personally DJ the event. We will review all of the wedding documents, to be sure we have all the music and ensure that all the event needs are covered. Question 23: What time will you arrive to set up for our event? Answer: We arrive approximately 2 hours before the start time of any event, to set up our equipment. If the 360 package is booked, we will usually arrive 2.5 - 3 hours before the start time of the event. Question 24: How does it work if I have a band playing and only need you to play during the ceremony, cocktail hour, and for the band's break, later on during the night? Answer: We base our rates based on the time we start and end any event. If we start the ceremony and then stop playing since there are live musicians, we cannot technically be on "break," since we're there at the event and cannot leave. So we will charge based on the total amount of time we're there, from the time we start until the time we end (we don't charge for setup/breakdown time). Question 25: How will you decide which of your DJs will DJ my event? Answer: During our initial conversations, we'll discuss the music you want for your wedding or event. Based on your music choices, we'll select the DJ that best fits your needs. Although all of our DJs are very familiar with all genres of music, we have some DJs who really love certain genres. We'll do our best to match you with the best DJ for your event. All of our DJs are very professional and experienced, and have done hundreds of weddings and events. They're all sure to do a great job! We certainly hope this list of questions has been helpful for you. As always, if you have additional questions, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to help! - Jason & Diana Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths
0 Comments
Wedding planning can be quite challenging, since there’s so many details to consider. Luckily, we’re here to help you and save some time, too! Wedding ceremonies typically last about 15-25 minutes, depending upon the officiant and what will be included in the ceremony. Remember, your guests will be arriving before the ceremony begins, so you’ll need your DJ or live performer to begin approximately 10-15 minutes before the ceremony starts, to play the prelude music. Choose 5-7 songs to be played for the prelude, which will help in the event that not everyone has arrived on time, dressing time is taking longer than expected, etc. Most songs typically last about 3-4 minutes, so this will give you 15- 30 minutes of prelude music, if needed.
Next, choose the wedding party entrance song(s). One to three songs should be sufficient, depending on the song length and the number of people in the wedding party. Prelude and wedding party entrance songs are typically classical music, but feel free to make your wedding unique and choose songs that you love. Next, is the bridal party entrance song! Choose the traditional bridal procession song, or choose your own favorite song. There are dozens of different versions of the bridal procession and recession song, so be sure to research the options to choose which song/version you like best. If you’re doing a candle or sand ceremony, feel free to choose a background song for this moment, too. Finally, we have the couple recession song! Most couples like to choose their favorite “couple song” which also makes your wedding unique. This is a great, memorable moment, so choose a song that defines the moment for you! After the ceremony is complete, Cocktail Hour begins, to allow the couple and wedding party to take pictures. Most couples choose soft, background music to be played for the hour (sometimes 1.5 hours). Once Cocktail Hour is complete, the wedding party will make their entrance. Some couples choose to announce their parents and the entire wedding party, while others choose to introduce the bride and groom only. A song can be chosen for the wedding party and usually, a different song is chosen for the couple’s introduction. After the couple has been introduced, dinner usually begins. Most couples play a mix of soft, background music, but any music/genre can be played, depending upon the couple’s taste and preferences. Some couples choose to be introduced and then do the first dances (bride and groom, bride and father, groom and mother dances) immediately after. Most couples choose to eat dinner, first, then after dinner, do the first dances. There are many song choices for these dances (examples of common song choices are listed on another post on our blog). Toasts are also done, during dinner. After dinner concludes, the dance floor will open. Couples should choose the genres of music they wish to hear, along with other genres that their family and friends may enjoy. A good mixture of music works best, to ensure everyone will have an enjoyable evening. Other moments where songs will need to be chosen are: cake cutting, bouquet/garter toss, and the last dance/send-off song. Please see our blog for common examples of songs used for these moments. This is the basic timeline of how most weddings are done, but of course every wedding can be changed, according to the couple’s needs and wishes. We hope to have provided you with some helpful advice. Please feel free to email us, if you have any additional planning questions and we’ll be happy to help, congratulations! -ABDJs |
Austin's Best DJsWe've taken our decades of experience and compiled it into a few helpful articles, to help you plan your wedding or event! Categories
All
Archives
December 2018
|
RSS Feed
"Specializing in Music & Memories!"
Austin's Best DJs & Photo Booths
1401 Lavaca Street #58 Austin, TX 78701 |