I understand that choosing a DJ is something you’ve probably never had to do before, so I’d like to offer some advice and try to show you that not all DJs are the same.
Your wedding day will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and being the person organising, can put you under a lot of pressure. I guess that’s why some people just go with whatever and whoever the venue recommends as, after all, it’s often the venue that you book first and the wedding coordinator is only trying to help you right? Not always the case…
Let’s look at my area of expertise – wedding DJs and music.
Most people’s experience of a DJ is one of three;
- The club DJ
- The DJ down the pub
- Someone else’s wedding or event DJ
A club DJ isn’t what you want for a wedding. It’s very likely to be the wrong type of music for the vast age range of guests you’re likely to have at a wedding. They probably also haven’t got the right equipment to supply for your wedding.
The pub DJ, again is unlikely to be what you want. They tend to play the same old tunes week in week out and again, may not have the equipment for a wedding.
So, that leaves us with a specialist wedding DJ.
How did I become a specialist wedding DJ
I researched, I practised, I trained and I learnt… and I continue to do so.
I’ve just come back from The MEX Mobile Entertainment Expo (used to be MobileBeat) in Las Vegas, USA. This is the 12th time I’ve been. Why do I go? To meet and mingle with the best DJs in the world. But, I often also do a few training sessions whilst I’m there.
Continuous Development
You probably go to the gym or at least know you should do, to keep yourself fit so you can deal with day-to-day life. I see training to be a DJ in the same way. It’s me getting “fit” so that I can be the best version of myself at each and every wedding I perform at.
As a professional wedding DJ and master of ceremonies, I am constantly striving to make sure that everything I do for your big day is the best that it can possibly be. This is so that you can enjoy the day that we plan and create together, in the knowledge that you are having help from one the best wedding DJs Hampshire has to offer.
Not only do I have a huge amount of experience working with all different kinds of couples and venues, but I also do everything that I can to meet other experienced DJs to learn from their expertise. This means that I am always learning and improving the service that I am able to provide.
I also continuously train by attending courses. The “light bulb moment” for me was Marbecca, a series of courses aimed at Wedding DJs and Master of Ceremonies by my good friends Mark and Rebecca Ferrell and includes The Love Story. I’ve taken 10 of these to date.
Also The Entertainment Experience in London. This focussed on the power to create and was a workshop that taught advanced performance techniques. This was hosted by two friends and colleagues of mine, Bill Herman and Jason Jones, who are experienced American DJs. I spent three days learning lots of things about the industry and performance techniques, and very much enjoyed the performance classes that we were able to attend. I’ve now done three of these.
The MEX Mobile Entertainment Expo includes things like seminars and workshops giving the chance to talk to not only more experienced experts but also plenty of other people who are also in the industry. This gives me the opportunity to exchange ideas with a number of people from a similar backgrounds and professions, and I bring plenty of information and ideas back home with me that will help me to provide you with an even greater wedding than before.
I also attend the UK-based Pro mobile Conference each year. This is a networking event along with more seminars focused on improving my service, where like-minded DJs can get together to talk to and learn from each other, leaving with many more ideas and hits of inspiration than I came with.
You may wonder why I am choosing to do all of this. Well, the simple answer to that is that I am absolutely dedicated to planning and executing the best day of your life. I have attended weddings in the past where guests haven’t wanted to dance and have left the evening early, and I always felt as though there was a certain amount of magic missing from that. Instead, I spend the time getting to know the couples who I work with and learn what I can about them and their family to help plan and create the best wedding ever!
My continuous development is not only an investment into my own professionalism but also into your big day – and I am proud of the fact that I always go the extra mile for my guests. More often than not, an extra mile means an extra smile – and that is definitely something to aim for.
So how far will your DJ go? Well, I regularly go halfway around the world for mine in my quest to create and plan the best wedding ever.
