All Weddings Are Threatened By The Wedding Killers Below:
The Venue
The Caterer
The Officiant
The DJ
The Photographer/Videographer
The Wedding Planner
Chances are you've heard of these wedding killers. Or worse, witnessed these slashers live at a family member or friend's wedding.
The good news is, virtually every wedding can eliminate their threat with these JMAN Productions tips & callouts.
Read on to understand the threat, so you can hire against it.
The DJ | Killer #4 | Part 3 of 4
No Show, Not Playing Your Playlist, Playing Your Do-Not-Play List, Not Having Your Ceremony Songs, Sub-Contracted DJ, No Mic/MC Skills,
Drinking, Sound Is A Tin Can, Not Enough Lights For The Guest Count, Makes The Wedding About Them,
No Redundant Equipment, No Backup Power, Giant Ad(s) Displayed During Your Reception,
Poor Cable Management/Trip Hazard, No Backup Music, Can't Handle Multiple Simultaneous Rooms,
They "Mix" With Spotify, A Redliner Not A Headliner, No Standard Operating Procedure To Keep Your Timeline On Track & Moving,
Wi-fi Only DJ For Rural Weddings, They Don't Play Any instruments/Aren't Musically Trained (This is HUGE!)
Okay, this list is HUGE, but I've seen it all.
No Redundant Equipment
Gotta have backup equipment.
Backup speakers, cables, mics, music players, everything.
Yes. I bring backup speakers, cables, mics, and mixers. I also carry every adapter imaginable, so if your maid of honor needs to play a surprise request from a newer iPhone with no headphone jack, we never miss a beat.
No Backup Power
Not a matter of if it's needed, but when.
There are soooo many rural wedding venues, barns, receptions, and simply Ag-zoned land close to the city, which has the family barn wire up by the family electrician. A breaker is going to trip eventually - and even in the best modern circumstance when a photo booth, caterer's food warmers, and the DJ happen to be on the same circuit. Now, how does your DJ handle that? Do they need the venue staff to find the breaker box and flip the breaker? What if it trips again? Say you change an outlet, and trip That circuit? How long are we gonna play whack a mole at your wedding? A 2000W DC battery is a solution. Does your DJ have one?
I bring a 2000W DC battery as a backup power source to every wedding. It's perfect for wireless ceremonies, so you don't have extension cords running across the grass where people walk and photos are taken. More importantly, it saves the day at sensitive venues or during unpredictable weather—which is the reality of beautiful rural barns and outdoor spaces. Whether a summer storm knocks out the grid or an overloaded shared circuit suddenly trips, my system and your dance floor are back up and running in seconds, while every other plugged-in vendor scrambles.
Giant Ad(s) Displayed During Your Reception
True Story!
Nothing is more gaudy and tacky than a giant 8' tall/wide canvas with your vendor's logo on it.
Story Time: During my undergrad I was a wedding DJ for wedding DJ company. One of the rules was for us to hang up an 8x8' tapestry with the DJ company's logo on it. I hated doing it. But it was my job. Know what's more classy? Business cards. Rugs. Know what sticks? Stickers. Shiny stickers. BIG shiny stickers. Someone on the dance floor does a backflip? Come on - get a sticker! I don't detract from your wedding, I add to it.
Poor Cable Management/Trip Hazard
Velcro, Rugs, Gaffe, Tidyness
Cables should be safe. Cables should be tidy.
No Backup Music
File? What's a file?
The only reliable music medium is pysical media: Records, CDs, and Files. I started on records when I was 13, my college WEdding DJ company had a giant binder of CDs with an accompanying index, and these days I have terabytes of music across multiple devices. And for on-demand requests? I have the option to use a paid streaming service for those, yes, but for a good DJ, the streaming service is the option - not the rule.
Can't Handle Simultaneous Room Setups
Can the DJ have your ceremony AND reception set up at the same time? Can they handle multiple reception rooms?
Example: Tamarack Village Resort has the dinner & dance area outside their chapel, but it has a simultaneous side-lawn where it sets up a bar and serves cocktails. Can your DJ play music in simultaneous places to make sure all guests are both immersed & entertained?; let alone able to hear announcements like your Grand Entrance!