I’d like to preface this blog post by saying that I typically don’t like to share horror stories in order to make myself look better.  The work I do at weddings and other events looks great all on it’s own!  😉  With that said occasionally a story comes along about the disastrous results that happen when a couple decides not to hire a professional and goes with a “friend” to DJ their wedding.

I’d also like to point out that I have also DJ’ed a number of my friends weddings.  I’ve been told by a number of my friends significant others that when they were told, “Oh, we’ll get my buddy Dave to DJ the wedding.” they understandably got very nervous.  Then I met with them and helped them plan out their reception.  Then I performed at their reception.  That leads to reviews like this from one of my best friend’s whose wedding I DJ’ed:

“David DJ’ed my wedding June 20th, 2009. David has been a friend of mine for over 6 years now so my review does warrant some
thought of bias. However, since he did host my wedding he deserves my honest review the same as anyone else.
Honestly I was worried because of the “friend” element involved. It would be very natural even expected, to be more comfortable
with us, than with a new customer.
If I had any regrets it would be of me having that doubt in my mind, for even a second. David was by far over anything I could have
expected. He not only D’Jed my wedding, he was solely responsible for it running as smoothly and as stress free as it did. Thus, allowing  my wife and I to enjoy that expedited time to its fullest. His professionalism with guests and the event as a whole was impeccable and truly without flaw. Thank you Dave, as this experience you gave me on this special day only solidifies our friendship even more.”

This next story comes from Mr. Tom Haibeck whose book “Wedding Toasts Made Easy” is a gift I give to everyone of my brides to give to anyone who is making a toast at their wedding.

Tom has been around the wedding industry for over 25 years, so he knows what he’s talking about.

“I was a guest at a wedding this past weekend. The couple getting married were both in their Fifties and very accomplished in their respective fields. They did an amazing job with the wedding — wrote their own vows, planned the day out very carefully and celebrated their wedding in style at a very posh private club. Their bill must have been substantial.

But there was one big problem with the reception — someone “volunteered” to be the DJ. And he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

The couple’s first dance was a slow, romantic waltz that quickly filled the dance floor (it was a mostly older crowd). But the next cut was heavy metal, followed by a loud, in-your-face, angry rap song. The dance floor very quickly emptied — and remained that way for most of the evening (as the DJ continued to play music that was completely inappropriate for that crowd). By 9:30 most of the guests had left.

I felt badly for the couple, as their otherwise amazing day fizzled out and fell flat. Had they invested in an experienced DJ who had the ability to “read” the audience and play to their tastes, the day could have ended on the high note they had envisioned. And if they had a “do-over” I’m quite sure they would have gladly hired a professional.”

Folks, If you have a professional DJ that is a friend and is going to take your wedding seriously, by all means hire him.  But please don’t trust your once in a lifetime wedding day to someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.  Spend the relatively small amount of money it takes to hire a true professional so that your wedding reception is actually a PARTY,  not just an expensive dinner that everyone leaves after.

It is NOT “just music”.
It is NOT easy.
It is an art form that I spend thousands of dollars a year in workshops and seminars on in an effort to improve all the time.

Hey….it’s what I do!
Dave