Your Disc Jockey
and Wedding Event Planner
by Rob
Alberti and Michelle Scagliarini
Give us credit. As a professional mobile disc jockey for the past 20 years,
I've endured so much criticism. The banquet managers sometimes won't acknowledge
my existence or tries to dictate to me what I have to do and when. I am
forced to haul my $15,000 worth of sound equipment through a greasy kitchen
or up a rickety flight of stairs because they don't want me to be seen
loading in the nice ramp in front. We all need to work together because
we all have the same goal - please the customer (our bride and groom).
I think so many times other professionals forget that fact too easily.
Let's look at the basic facts. We rely on the banquet facility to provide
the meals and drinks in a timely fashion for the guests. They will help
coordinate timing to line up with meal service. Some facilities even go
as far as supporting us during introductions by directing the wedding party
and collecting their flowers. For the most part, once the meal is done
- you won't see the staff until it's time to clean up. They will walk away
from your event and leave everything in the hands of the entertainment.
Without entertainment, people will just leave after the meal. It's up to
us to entertain your guests for the next three hours. If you took them
to a 2-hour movie, you'd pay $9.75 per person to entertain them. You probably
just paid $75 per person to feed them (before the 18% gratuity). The $500
ice sculpture, $300 printed napkins and the $3 per person champagne toast
pretty much go unnoticed and unappreciated. It is so easy to get caught
up in the wedding planning that you just think that you "have"
to have it. Sometimes you have to step back and look at the big picture.
A wedding reception is an "entertainment" function. Your entertainment
choice will clearly make or break your event.
If a party is a flop - the DJ is blamed. Never do you hear the guests complain
that the meal was dragged out over 2 hours and that it killed the party.
People don't realize that by having a photographer pull a couple out of
the festivities for 45 minutes can drain the energy from a wedding reception
just as quickly as having the banquet manager turn the lights on full or
strip clear the tables to push guests towards leaving.
With that said - your professional disc jockey does more than play music
and make a few announcements. They are your event coordinator for the day.
We will guide you every step of the way - from telling you where to stand
while waiting for the start of parental dances to guiding you to return
to the room when you've been out too long. We will make your party come
alive with excitement while still maintaining a professional demeanor and
not rely on cheesy antics and props. We will advise you when it is time
to get the party started after dinner or if the meal is slow, we might
suggest that you do some dancing between courses to mask the fact that
the banquet staff is behind.
We will play the music you want and avoid the songs that you have placed
on your no-play list. We will make sure things go as planned. If your uncle
comes up and says he wants to sing you a song in the middle of your reception
- we'll stop him until we've cleared it with you first. There will be no
surprises with a professional disc jockey.
The fact that we mimic so many of the duties of a professional wedding
planner during the wedding reception are not by accident. It is what we
do. Some of us have even gone as far as to now provide pre-wedding coordination
and planning duties (including menu review, vendor contract negotiations,
vendor approval, invitation wording, wine pairing and so much more) through
an in-house dedicated wedding planner. This way your wedding planner and
your entertainment are working together in harmony with your plans.
In order to facilitate better events, we have started to email our clients
a week before to give them every opportunity to have the best event possible.
Here are some of the hints we provide them with:
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Hello, it's your DJ. Your wedding is about a week away and I just wanted
to email you and let you know a few things that you can do to help make
your event run smoothly and get the most out of your time at the reception.
Please circulate this email to your parents and everyone in your wedding
party. The more people that are in tune with what to do that day - the
better your event will be.
- If there
are any last minute changes to your itinerary - LET US KNOW AHEAD OF
TIME. We need to be prepared and can help you orchestrate things much
smoother only if we know about them before it's too late. We can help
guide you as to the best way to flow from one event to the next. Call
or email us with those changes immediately. Thank you.
- All formal
photos should be completed by the end of dinner. That means - if you
need to get a group photo of your college friends, grandmother or whomever
- by the time they clear the main entrée away - that photo needs
to happen. If you pull people (and yourselves) out of the party for a
group photo - you lose about 25 minutes of dance time. Yes, the photo
only takes 5 minutes, but it takes 10 minutes to gather everyone up.
It takes you about 10 minutes to walk back into the room as you will
keep getting stopped by friends and family. It's never just a quick shot.
- If you
need to socialize with your guests - do as much of it between courses
as you can. Get up, visit a few tables and then go sit back down and
eat the next course. If you wait until after dinner to start walking
around - you will lose valuable dance time. Be careful not to get behind
in the meal. If your guests finish before the two of you, that is not
good either. When the next course is set for you, go and eat. You can
always finish talking to people later - or better yet - meet them on
the dance floor.
- The end
of the meal is critical - both you, your parents and the wedding party
need to be in the room. Once you start seeing the wait staff clearing
plates - you should STAY IN THE ROOM. We could delay the start of dancing
by 10-15 minutes trying to get the key players back in the room. The
longer we wait to start - the harder it is to get people focused on the
party. We will give you and your parents a 10 minute warning before activities
are about to get started - use the bathroom, freshen up, take your smoke
break or whatever you need to do - BUT BE BACK IN THE ROOM AND READY
TO GO.
- Once we
open dancing up - the more people that come out - the quicker we can
get the party on the way. If you really want to help prime the party,
both you, your parents and the entire bridal party (and their partners)
should spend the first 15 minutes (~3 songs) on the dance floor. Everyone
is looking to you to set the tone of the event - if you are out dancing
- your guests will follow.
- If you
have to leave the room (and you should really leave the room separately
(never together) - leaving one of you in the room to play host for your
guests at all times), make sure you quickly go and do what you have to
do and return. The longer you are out of the room - the more energy is
drained from the party. Also, if you are standing talking with guests
be aware of WHERE you stand. If you position yourself next to the exit
- you will draw people to you and out of the party. Always position yourself
so you pull people away from the exits and near to the dance floor.
- We will
be able to play more of the music that you've selected if you dance.
If people are not dancing - our first concern is to get people involved
before they decide to leave instead. Once we have a good dancing crowd
- it's much easier to fit in more of your & your guests' requests.
- Have fun.
If you are not having fun - how can you expect your guests to be? Be
part of the festivities. Socialize, dance and have the time of your life.
Your DJ will be there to guide you every step of the way. If you are
unsure as to what to do next - we can help. We will be touching base
with you over the course of the event and will let you know if you have
been out of the room too long or if we need you to help us refocus attention
on the dance floor.
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Whether it is a low-key event or a "dance-on-the-tables" feel
that you want for your wedding; your professional mobile disc jockey should
be able to paint the scene for you. Discuss your needs. Tell them what
you've seen before - both what you liked and what you hated at other weddings.
But most of all come and have the time of your life at your wedding! Remember,
if you remember the music, you'll never forget the times.
Rob Alberti is owner of After Hours DJ Service based out of Westfield,
MA and serves the MA/CT/RI areas since 1983. Michelle Scagliarini has years
of experience in both banquet hall, catering and in the entertainment field.
Michelle has worked with hundreds of brides, celebrities in the music and
entertainment industries as well as corporate clients and has a unique
background with After Hours DJ, giving her a well-rounded approach to event
planning. www.afterhoursdj.net
You can contact Rob or Michelle via email at info@afterhoursdj.net
.
Rob Alberti
After Hours DJ Service / The DJ Network
241 East Main Street #182
Westfield, MA 01085
www.afterhoursdj.net
1-800-782-3033
info@afterhoursdj.net
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