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 4 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,
DJ 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.
Spotify DJ
A Wifi DJ is a high risk & inexperienced choice, and also the low skill choice. Unfortunately you know until it's too late.
While your experience may be good, it likely won't ever be great - and great weddings are the ones guests rave about & remember. Ask your DJ what they are mixing with. If they don't specify a controller or mixer to go along with "my laptop.", unless you're trying to book an $800 human jukebox, (and if you're reading this you're not) - RUN.
And if your wedding is rural, e.g. in the McCall/Cascade countryside, without internet/cell reception? Your Spotify-DJ, and your wedding ceremony & reception, are dead in the water.
A Red-liner Not A Headliner
Red-lining is a vocational term.
Red-lining means they are pushing their mixer into the red, distorting the audio to make it 'louder.' It sounds like a blown car speaker, causes ear fatigue, and drives older guests out of the room. "If you're not red-lining, you're not headlining!" If you hear this, run, because what this means is your DJ is screaming that they don't know what they're doing.
No Standard Operating Procedure To Keep Your Timeline On Track & Moving
DJs work in tandem with your wedding planner, and if you don't have a wedding planner - many don't - then your DJ _IS_ your wedding planner, and to keep your day organized, your DJ needs to have a template they use to help you plan _together_. Your DJ will be able to help you customize your wedding day plan as little or as much as you want.
Your wedding planner will be with you side-by-side to guide you throughout the day e.g. ceremony backstage, photos, grand entrance. Your wedding planner & DJ have the same macro timeline, but we have separate responsibilities.
Your DJ will be with the main room, managing the ceremony + all announcements while you're taking photos, adjourning guests to the cocktail room, Grand Entrance Announcements, dinner prayer + tables + speeches + announcements, hosting The Shoe Game, First Dances, the Anniversary Dance, and so much more. The DJ is the voice of your timeline. If they don't have a bulletproof Standard Operating Procedure, your reception will feel chaotic and rushed.
Does Your DJ Have Actual Stage Presence?
A great DJ needs real microphone experience. I didn't just learn to talk in my bedroom; my background includes theater, chorus, radio, and public speaking. You need a DJ who can confidently command a room, make announcements clearly, and even start a line dance if the floor needs a push. You also need a DJ who can start a line dance even if they are the onyl one dancing.
A good litmus test is if your DJ can talk on the phone. Texting is fine, but you should be able to call your DJ. Or put another way, plenty of blogs these days say how folks are scared of talkign ont he phone, just make sure your DJ isn't scared of the phone!
They Don't Play Any instruments/Aren't Musically Trained (This is HUGE!)
DJs and musicians exist at the exact intersection of psychology, biology, and musicology. Yet, the number of DJs who don't play any instruments - who rely entirely on software screens because they literally can't hear if a mix is out of key - is astounding. In fact, It's most of them.
Having a intuitive and technical understanding of musical affect, entrainment, psychoacoustics, phrasing, and tension-and-release is critical. Understanding why a song makes a crowd feel a certain way is what separates an average DJ from an elite one. I grew up playing instruments - piano, percussion, guitar - and I apply my lifetime of musical experience & intuition with deliberate purpose to your dance floor.