For most young couples, their wedding ceremony and reception represent the biggest, most important event they've ever been a part of.
Their wedding reception very well could be the largest party they ever throw.
It will certainly be one of the most memorable days of their lives.
With that much riding on your wedding day, you want to be absolutely sure that the services you hire make - not break - your big party.
By the day of your wedding, the venue has been well vetted; you've already tasted a sample of the wedding cake and seen the baker's work.
You've tried the caterer's food, and have taken at least one whole round of photos with the photographer.
By the time your reception starts, all of these service providers have done the bulk of their work (yes, the photographer still has some work to do, but the most important photos have been taken by this point, and if your photographer does a bad job, your guests won't know).
The service that can make or break your wedding reception - the one you won't know for sure until the last minute - is your DJ.
There are lots of horror stories out there about bad DJs, like the one who was horribly late - delaying the reception; even the one that didn't show up at all.
How about the DJ who's equipment failed halfway through the evening, and he had no backup? Then there's the DJ who showed up on time, and his equipment was fine, but he had no experience and didn't know how to keep the reception moving and on time.
Oh, and how about that big national DJ franchise that hires so called "DJs" off the street for cheap, and sends them out to your wedding for you to meet the first time on the day of for a "bargain" price? Have no fear though, as there are some steps you can take to make sure you're not the victim of a bad DJ.
First and foremost, don't spend your entire budget on everything else first, then try to scrimp on the DJ.
Remember that as with everything else you buy, you get what you pay for.
The cheapest DJ you can find is probably not the one who is going to do the best job.
In fact, it could be quite the opposite.
You don't have to break the bank on the DJ though; there are some professionals out there who do an outstanding job for a reasonable price.
These are the DJs you're looking for.
Don't fall for the friend of the family, or "Cousin Frankie" who has a couple of turntables and has done some DJ work in his garage.
These days with all of the cheap DJ gear showing up on the market from China, it seems that there's a whole multitude of people who now think they're a DJ.
Unless your friend or relative is a true professional DJ who performs at weddings as a paid entertainer on a regular basis, you'd be best to pass on the favor.
Remember that your DJ isn't there to simply play some music; he/she is there to be the MC for your big party.
You want someone who will represent you well, and will energize your guests.
You want someone who knows music well enough and can read a crowd so that the right music is played to get them out on the dance floor and having a good time.
If all you want is some music playing in the background, set up an iTunes playlist and hook the computer into a rented PA system.
It's not going to motivate your guests, but it's just as good as a DJ who has no talent.
Make sure the DJ you choose is willing to spend some one-on-one time with you to put together a plan for your reception rather than simply "winging" it.
If the DJ doesn't insist on meeting with you face-to-face, then they either don't have enough experience to know that this is important, or they are only in the business to make money and don't truly care about making your day special.
You should use this time with the DJ to plan your song selections, dos and don'ts on your playlist, and a timeline for your reception which the DJ will use to keep things moving and ensure that nothing is missed.
Their wedding reception very well could be the largest party they ever throw.
It will certainly be one of the most memorable days of their lives.
With that much riding on your wedding day, you want to be absolutely sure that the services you hire make - not break - your big party.
By the day of your wedding, the venue has been well vetted; you've already tasted a sample of the wedding cake and seen the baker's work.
You've tried the caterer's food, and have taken at least one whole round of photos with the photographer.
By the time your reception starts, all of these service providers have done the bulk of their work (yes, the photographer still has some work to do, but the most important photos have been taken by this point, and if your photographer does a bad job, your guests won't know).
The service that can make or break your wedding reception - the one you won't know for sure until the last minute - is your DJ.
There are lots of horror stories out there about bad DJs, like the one who was horribly late - delaying the reception; even the one that didn't show up at all.
How about the DJ who's equipment failed halfway through the evening, and he had no backup? Then there's the DJ who showed up on time, and his equipment was fine, but he had no experience and didn't know how to keep the reception moving and on time.
Oh, and how about that big national DJ franchise that hires so called "DJs" off the street for cheap, and sends them out to your wedding for you to meet the first time on the day of for a "bargain" price? Have no fear though, as there are some steps you can take to make sure you're not the victim of a bad DJ.
First and foremost, don't spend your entire budget on everything else first, then try to scrimp on the DJ.
Remember that as with everything else you buy, you get what you pay for.
The cheapest DJ you can find is probably not the one who is going to do the best job.
In fact, it could be quite the opposite.
You don't have to break the bank on the DJ though; there are some professionals out there who do an outstanding job for a reasonable price.
These are the DJs you're looking for.
Don't fall for the friend of the family, or "Cousin Frankie" who has a couple of turntables and has done some DJ work in his garage.
These days with all of the cheap DJ gear showing up on the market from China, it seems that there's a whole multitude of people who now think they're a DJ.
Unless your friend or relative is a true professional DJ who performs at weddings as a paid entertainer on a regular basis, you'd be best to pass on the favor.
Remember that your DJ isn't there to simply play some music; he/she is there to be the MC for your big party.
You want someone who will represent you well, and will energize your guests.
You want someone who knows music well enough and can read a crowd so that the right music is played to get them out on the dance floor and having a good time.
If all you want is some music playing in the background, set up an iTunes playlist and hook the computer into a rented PA system.
It's not going to motivate your guests, but it's just as good as a DJ who has no talent.
Make sure the DJ you choose is willing to spend some one-on-one time with you to put together a plan for your reception rather than simply "winging" it.
If the DJ doesn't insist on meeting with you face-to-face, then they either don't have enough experience to know that this is important, or they are only in the business to make money and don't truly care about making your day special.
You should use this time with the DJ to plan your song selections, dos and don'ts on your playlist, and a timeline for your reception which the DJ will use to keep things moving and ensure that nothing is missed.