We love getting messages like this from our clients:

Hi Dave,

Scott and I as well as our families can’t thank you enough for the amazing services you brought to our wedding.  The music was perfect,  the lighting was gorgeous,  the monogram we loved and your enthusiasm made the party a blast! Everyone had so much fun and the compliments keep coming in. So thank you for making our wedding a day to remember!

Thanks,

Shana, Scott and family

Now this is awesome…..We did her sisters wedding over 4 years ago and she’s already planning on having us do her wedding!

Hi Dave,

That is good to know that you’re free; I’ve been to a lot of weddings and your DJ services by far are the absolute best! I really think the DJ is a huge part of what “makes” the reception…can’t wait! You’ll be one of the first to hear!!!

Thanks again,

Rebecca

A while back I saw an episode of “Masters of Reception”, a show dedicated to wedding receptions.  This one particular episode basically was about a wedding being the one day out of a year that people want to be treated like royalty. So why is it that so many wedding professionals feel the need to tell them what they are going to do instead of asking them what they want to do?

What makes your event successful is when your vendors take time to get to know you and what you envisioned for your event.  Instead of them saying “no” to what might actually be a simple request, they should say “Let’s see what we can do for you”.  If you really want to have that  unique event, hire professionals who really know what it’s all about….You and your guests!!  After all, a little extra can go a long way.

It seems more and more DJ companies are jumping on the band wagon of an all-inclusive package with DJs, Photo and Video. But what are they really offering and what are you really getting?  I decided to research this information a little further. What I found was rather disturbing.

One company I researched, I went through their pictures of DJs and saw your typical headshot photos. I then looked through the photographers and videographers and that’s when I was surprised. The DJs were also photographers and videographers, OR is it the photographers were also DJs and videographers. The point being what are they? What is their expertise? What are they really good at?

Another example is some companies will offer photography or videography as a service, but really they are a booking agent. They have a handful of companies that they will sub-contract out to do your event. This raises the question, Do you know what you are really getting?

It’s important to ask all the necessary questions to find out what you are really getting and who is really performing the service.  At DK Productions you will know exactly what you are getting.  Our DJs are DJs and Photographers are Photographers.

What makes a wedding cheesy?  Put simply? Lack of Relevance. Now what exactly does that mean? Well first when someone wants something we should ask why.  If they don’t want something we should also ask why. It’s just as important.  Most times a bride and groom come into my office and say they think lights, a game, props or a dance are cheesy.. Even sometimes they say the garter/bouquet is cheesy, overdone, tacky etc…When that happens I can tell them why with almost 99% accuracy.

Usually what happens is the Bride and Groom saw something at another event and they either got turned off by it, saw it way too many times, or just want something completely unique that fits them (which is the most popular reason I hear lately). The same thing applies to the music. Program your music to be “all about the bride & groom”.  If a bride and groom say they don’t want the dances or garter and bouquet, we need to get a sense for why they don’t want it and offer an alternative solution.  Then give it relevance.

From the introductions to the last dance there needs to be relevance. I can’t tell you how many times someone comes in and says “please don’t play old time rock n roll or celebration”, “don’t play the electric slide or chicken dance”. They aren’t saying it because they really think the song is cheesy. They are saying it because just about EVERY DJ is playing it (or at least every dj they saw). A wedding lacks relevance if everything we are doing is just for the sake of doing it because it’s a wedding. To me that’s what makes a wedding (or DJ) cheesy. Most people take the statement “All About The Bride” to mean the bride does or gets whatever she wants, and she can. After all it is her wedding! However, as wedding professionals we need to make it a true statement.  The only way to do that is by giving it Relevance. Then (and only then) is it really “All About The Bride”.

Ever been asked the question who’s your Hairstylist or where you get your nails done?  I’m pretty sure you would know the answer if someone did ask.  Well whenever I run into a bride who already has their DJ I ask them who? The answer I get is astonishing. “Ummm I can’t remember” seeming to be the most popular. It begs the following questions:

1.) Did the company make a proper lasting impression on them? If not this could have catastrophic effects. If they can’t remember their DJ because he didn’t make a lasting impression, what do you think that says about how their event will be? If any impression is made it is more likely to be a negative one.

2.) Is the DJ building a relationship with them?  More than likely the DJ company has had no further contact with them between the day they booked up until they day of their wedding. This really doesn’t encourage much of a relationship building process between the Bride and her DJ.

And finally,

3.) Have they even met their actual DJ?  Most companies with multiple DJs use a salesperson to do the consults or the business owner performs this task.  The actual DJ is not present.  The problem with this is you can see all the videos, read all the testimonials, but until you’ve actually met your DJ you won’t have that personal connection with the one you’ll actually be working with.  Unfortunately a month before your wedding could be too late to develop any type of relationship with the DJ for him or her to know what your expectations are.

In the end it’s all about relationship.  If you don’t build a relationship with your DJ, or even your Photographer or Video Specialist, your wedding could suffer!  Don’t let this happen to you.

Have you ever been to a wedding where it was too loud near the dance floor, but not loud enough on the other side of the room? Perhaps you watched a wedding video but couldn’t quite make out what the best man was saying during his toast. These types of disasters could have easily been avoided IF the entertainment and/or videographer was using a wireless broadcast system such as the one that DK Productions uses.

This type of a system allows us to do two things:

1.) We can transmit to a wireless speaker(s) to the other side of the room.  This allows us to balance the volume so that it is even across the entire room rather than blasting the sound so it’s deafening on one side and still barely audible on the other.  In the end we are creating a nice pleasant listening environment for all your guests.  If the need arises we can even send it to another room where there would otherwise be no sound.

2.) If you are having a videographer we can provide them with either a wireless receiver pack or a frequency code (if they have their own). With this capability the videographer can capture the audio from our system without having to use an external mic that could create distortion or feedback.

Any companies using wireless should also be using frequencies in the 600Mhz range or the “B” range. Avoid companies using the “A” range as their is a lot of interference there, and the “C” range (700Mhz) is now illegal as it is mandated by the FCC for emergency use only. I don’t think you want the fire dept. and police dept. showing up at your event or  broadcasting over the speakers! Be sure to talk with your entertainment and/or videographer specialists to be sure they are wireless ready! If not then give DK Productions a call.