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Wedding Professionals in Ventura and Santa Barbara: Entertainment / DJs

Wedding DJ and Dancers Choosing your reception DJ or band is one of the most important decisions you'll make that will determine the "tone" of your wedding reception. Five years from now, your guests probably wont remember what food they ate, what the centerpieces looked like and possibly even where your reception was held. They will, however, remember if they had a fabulous time. Your DJ or band leader is the person most responsible for ensuring that. The DJ or band leader will typically be the emcee for your reception as well, so personality is key. You'll want to meet with DJs and Entertainers in person so you can really get a sense of what kind of personality they have. Choose someone whose personality you like and you feel relaxed with. If you and your fiancé are planning a very formal event and are on the more serious side of the personality scale, you (and your guests) might feel uncomfortable with a DJ who is a joker and suggests you do "the Macarena" in the nude. Your guests know you as individuals and as a couple so hiring an entertainer that compliments what your friends and family are accustomed to will make everyone feel comfortable and more likely to have a blast.

   All DJ’s can play music, but what set the great ones apart from the rest? A great DJ can measure the crowd and from that, make a wise decision about what to play next. They keep the dance floor moving. He will pay attention to your personality and sense of humor and incorporate that into how he will work at your reception. He will do whatever he can to get a clear picture of how you envision your wedding reception and he will strive to make it happen. (This should be true of all your vendors)

“The entertainment you choose determines whether you and your guests have fun or not.” – David Jay Entertainment of Santa Clarita

   Most DJ’s also handle the announcements at your event (the emcee). You’ll want to be comfortable with his humor, personality and voice because you and your guests will be hearing it all evening long. Ask questions about the traditional order of events at a wedding reception to find out if he really knows how a wedding goes. Will he stay in communication with the other vendors (this is very important to me as your photographer) so everyone is in their places before he announces what’s next.

Questions to ask your potential DJ:

How many weddings have you done?
    Most DJ’s will have some prior experience before going into business for themselves. If they have very little, either move on or, if you really like him so far, ask many more questions until you feel completely satisfied that this person knows what he is doing.

How large is your music collection?
   If a guest requests a certain song (perhaps their wedding song) how likely is it that he will have it?

What do you charge for overtime?
    Sometimes the party just keeps on going. Find out what it’ll cost. You may be looking at anywhere from $100/hr - $300/hr for their extra time.

Do you bring all of your own equipment and do we pay for the time it takes you to set-up and tear-down?
    A professional DJ will have his own equipment, including microphones, speakers, etc. Set-up and tear down shouldn’t cut in to the amount of time you’ve hired the DJ for.

Do you have any special lighting or effects?
    Most professional DJ’s have some kind of lighting or special effects (such as fog, laser lights, video screens, etc) that you can pay a little extra for them to use at your event.

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Weddings and Engagement photography in Ventura County, without travel expenses including the cities of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Port Hueneme and Oxnard, Ojai, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Fillmore and Santa Paula, and Camarillo, California. Weddings in Santa Barbara: Isla Vista, Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria. In Los Angeles County: Westlake Village, Santa Monica, Malibu, Calabasas and Agoura Hills. Also available for destination weddings.

* Many local wedding professionals provided information for this article. Please see: Wedding Resources