Text by Kenny Sauter
President, Masters of Music

There are three things you should always do before hiring entertainment.
1. Meet with the person who will be doing your wedding reception.
2. Get references on wedding receptions that were done by the person with whom you met.
3. Have the company put into the contract that the person with whom you met will be the person who actually does your wedding reception. This one is the most important. If the person's name is not part of the contract, the company can legally send anyone they want. They could send someone with no experience. Don't take that chance with your wedding reception.

Biggest Misconception About DJs
All DJs coordinate the events at a wedding reception. A DJ is hired to play music and make announcements per your requests. There will be events at your wedding reception such as the introductions, cake cutting, toasts, first dance, etc. The coordination of these events are critical to the success of your wedding reception. You have probably been to wedding receptions where things never seemed to get going; the lack of coordination of the events is the reason. Some companies offer coordination of events with their service. To do this efficiently, it takes two things: (1) many years of experience, (2) two people- one person to DJ and one person designated to be the coordinator. Some companies will claim they can do it with one. There is no way they will be able to be as efficient as having two people. The companies that offer "professional" coordination will charge more. The best way to find out which companies do the best job of coordination of events is to ask references from previous wedding receptions, your reception facility, your photographer, and your videographer.

The price you pay will be in direct proportion to the service you receive. Be careful of companies that charge a lot less but claim to provide same service as a company that charges more. Some companies will use "show specials" or "discounts" to lure you in. A DJ charges what they are worth. If a company is worth more, why don't they charge more?

The biggest mistake made by past brides and grooms is hiring a DJ because they charged the cheapest price. All brides and grooms realize the value of entertainment after their wedding reception. Some are glad they paid a professional to do their wedding, others wish they had hired a professional.

Claims by Entertainment Companies That are NOT True
"We are the biggest or best company," "Our DJ's are rated the highest in the area," and "Our DJ's are the most experienced," are not to be accepted as truth. There has never been a rating system of DJ's or companies in this area.

Questions You Need to Ask Your DJ
· Do you have liability insurance? (All DJs should.) Can you show me a proof of insurance certificate?
· How long have you been in business?
· How long have you been doing wedding receptions?
· For how many wedding receptions has the person who would be doing my reception performed?
· Do you have any referrals of wedding receptions on the person that would be doing my reception?
· Will I be able to meet the person that will be doing my wedding reception?
· Will the DJ be able to stay as long as we want if we would like the reception to go longer than the scheduled times? (extremely important for day receptions)
· Do you coordinate the events (intro, cake cutting, first dance, etc) or do you just make the announcement?
· Give me an example of how you would announce one of these events.
· Do you have one person dedicated to the coordination of events and another person who is the DJ or do you use one person for both?
· How many DJs will be at my reception? If the answer is one, what happens if the DJ gets sick? What is the backup plan?
· Do you have a written contract? (All professionals should.) Make sure you a get a written contract with all the stipulations in it that concern you.
· Will you please put in the contract the fact that the person with whom I am meeting will be the one doing my reception?
· Do you have backup equipment? (mixer, CD players, amp)
· Will your backup equipment be at my reception? What is your policy if the equipment fails and my reception is over?
· Is entertaining your primary occupation?
· How does the person dress at the wedding reception?
· Do you or your entertainers drink alcohol at the wedding receptions?
· Will you be advertising your business at my reception? How?
· Will you have a banner with your logo, phone number etc., displayed at my reception?
· How extensive is your music collection?
· From what do you play your music? (CDs, records, cassettes) CD is the highest quality, cassette tapes are the lowest.
· Do you take requests from the guests?
· Will you play the music we request?
· Will you allow us to control the volume of the music?
· Do you have lights?
· Can I see your setup?
· Do you do more than just play music at the reception?
· Make sure you check out your entertainment, your wedding reception depends on it!