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Published: Jan 20, 2015

What Wedding DJs Wish You Knew About Choosing One

DJs in New Jersey

DJs in New Jersey

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Wedding couples are sometimes frustrated. DJs are sometimes frustrated. There’s a disconnect here. But what exactly is the problem?

It depends on who you ask. DJs continually wonder why brides and grooms treat the DJ as a commodity. In other words, couples price-shop ruthlessly, as if any given DJ were interchangeable with the rest.

One observer from within the DJ industry puts it like this: “Well, your average couple spends hours deliberating over the dress. You hand-pick the caterers. You pore over flowers and sweat over the florist. You spend hours choosing just the right venue and church — not to mention the time spent on favors.’

“But then, you go out and hire a DJ because he’s ten dollars cheaper than the next one. Or he’s a friend of your brother’s, or he does Tuesdays at the local bar. You might never even see him work, check out his equipment, or meet with him personally to make sure he’s suitable.”

Most couples handle every other major item in their budget differently. You don’t choose one venue over another because it costs a hundred dollars less. Few brides with a budget to work with buy their cakes from the discount grocery store, even though that cake (saturated in loads of frosting) would be much cheaper than one from the designer bakery downtown. Instead, they investigate. They take pictures. They taste-test amaretto fillings and hors d’oeuvres. And eventually, they settle on the vendor who seems poised to deliver the best experience to their guests.

Why Is It So Different With New Jersey DJs?

Part of the answer is an image problem. People perceive that most DJs will turn up fifteen minutes ahead of time, with a couple of speakers and some cheesy circa-1970′s light screens, and play awful songs.

We all feel confident identifying an excellent meal or a sublime dessert. But few of us feel comfortable evaluating DJs in the same way. We know that a good one can “get the party started,” but we’re not sure how to tell a good one from a bad one.

Some people think so poorly of DJs, they prefer to eliminate them entirely, soundtracking the dance portion of the night with iPods or laptops. This isn’t easy — it requires you to rent expensive sound equipment, find someone to mind the iPod, possibly buy insurance, and somehow get around or ignore the technical issues, like the inevitable three second delay between songs you get on an iPod.

An iPod might well be better than a bad DJ. But the DJ is a key part of your five-hour reception, and many of them are very good indeed.

When She Was Good, She Was Very Good

Perhaps it’s hard for the average bride and groom to grasp the difference between a less experienced DJ with low-end equipment, and a seasoned one who knows how to transform shy and retiring Clark Kents into dance floor superheros.

If the DJ is a tech type,, he might even offer specialty lighting abilities you might not think of, such as the ability to shine gobos on the dance floor — gobos being customized templates that display things like your wedding monogram. Some DJs even offer giant video screens and live replays of key points in the reception.

But the most important skills a good DJ will bring to your wedding is a great personality, a formal-friendly image, and a complete mastery of what gets crowds on their feet.

Okay, so you get it. You understand that not all DJs are alike, and that a good one brings as much your wedding as any premium florist or baker. So how do you find him?

Choose New Jersey DJs that Take Their Job Seriously

Skip the part-timers — they’re still learning the ropes, and they’ll be practicing on your wedding. Instead, look for full-timers who show their commitment to you.

Meet with them in person, and take a look at their sound systems. A casual glance should tell you whether the DJ or company invests in good equipment. In fact, most will be delighted to run you through their top-of-the-line systems if you give them the slightest excuse.

While you’re there, take a look at their promotional photos and videos. Are they wearing tuxes? Do they look sharp? Does their sound stage sport garish self-promoting signs, or do they keep things discreet?

It’s worthwhile to spend some time speaking with an experienced NJ today. Contact Gemini DJs for more information.

#WeddingDJ #WeddingDJs #NewJerseyDJs #NJDJs

Jeff Rollin

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