Are you...
available on my wedding day? Whenever we start planning a big event, one of the first things that comes to mind is: how much is this going to cost me? It's a valid question. If you have never hired entertainment before you may not even have an idea of what other questions you should be asking. I hope you will find this list helpful. Obviously the first one is to find out if the DJ, band, or singer you are interested in is even available. You don't want to waste your valuable time talking to someone only to find out that they cannot help you anyway.
Are you experienced with weddings? A club DJ probably doesn't know or understand that he is also going to be the person to coordinate with your photographer, videographer, caterer, and venue. He may not realize that he will be expected, in a clear and distinct voice, to make announcements and keep your guests informed as to what will be happening when.
Do you have a contract? A contract provides all the details you will both need to know; the who, what, where, when, and so on. It is your protection. Be sure to read it so that you understand everything it says and that it is fair to both of you. If you don't understand part of it then ask more questions until you are clear. How long should a contract be? Generally between one and three pages. The longer contracts tend to provide more information about what you can expect from the entertainer and what he expects from you. BTW, if you are generally okay with a contract but would like one or two sections changed, ask. Depending on what you are requesting the DJ may be willing to accommodate your request.
How much is the initial payment your require, and what forms of payment do you take? You should expect to pay anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total fee when you initially book your entertainer. He wants to know that you are truly invested and not going to change your mind leaving him with an open date and no event. You should feel comfortable with this arrangement. If you do not, ask yourself if you have some gut feeling that is making you question giving this person/company so much money in advance.
Payments should generally be made to a company, not an individual. Checks made out to a company name are a small but significant indicator that you are working with a professional and not someone who has questionable business ethics. If they aren't willing to pay their taxes, what other ways are they willing to skimp on providing the best party possible? Do they take charge cards? If you are accumulating frequent flyer miles this may be important to you.
When is the balance due? Sure helps in budgeting if you know in advance when the final payment is due. Please do not be surprised if your DJ asks for final payment in advance of your party. Neither you nor the entertainer want to spend time at the close of the evening chasing each other down so a final payment can be made. Time when you could be saying good-bye to your friends and family or evening slipping into that limo for the ride to your honeymoon suite.
What is your cancellation policy? Every entertainer should have one. You want to know who is responsible for what in the event one of you has to cancel. If the DJ cancels, will he refund ALL of your money? Will he find a replacement for you? How much notice will he give you? Why might he cancel on you? Has he ever cancelled an event?
If you cancel the reception, the DJ wants to know that he didn't block out an entire day for your wedding, only to have you bail on him a week before, leaving him with no income. Policies may state that if you cancel anywhwere from 30 to 120 days before the wedding you will still be responsible for the FULL amount. Read the contract! No contract? Run, Forrest, Run.
Am I required to feed the DJ? Some will say yes, others will say no. Some will require the same meal you are providing everyone else. Others say that a sandwich is fine. Find out and plan accordingly. Your photographer and DJ will generally be involved in your wedding for six or more hours when you include travel, set up time and the actual performance time. Imagine how you would feel if you went six to eight hours without eating. Doable, but not a whole lot of fun. BTW, some venues automatically include the photographer and the DJ in meal counts, especially if you are having a buffet. Check with your venue first. Some venues will charge you outrages amounts of money for something as simple as a sandwich and a bag of chips as a vendor meal. You may want to pay less and have the DJ grab something at a fast food restaurant before your event begins. Never hurts to ask.
What kind of Bride Are You?
Hi, Diana here, and since I don't have a blog I figured I would share a few thoughts with you on this page. Based on over 22 years in the business I have discovered that there are a lot of different kinds of brides.
One is the Showcase Bride who really wants her wedding to be a production. She is willing to spend whatever it takes to have a wedding that impresses people. If you are this type of bride, we are not the best choice for you. Thank you for stopping by.
Another is the Do It Yourselfer. If you are a DIY you are a talented person with a flair for knowing what you want and you like the satisfaction of doing it yourself. I understand this as I am often a DIY myself in many things. You know exactly the music you want for your ceremony and reception and the order in which you want it played. You don't really need a us, but you might want to consider our Sound Rental System. You can hook your iPod or CD player into the system and it even includes a microphone for someone to make your announcements for you. However, it is not designed for parties over about 80 people or "knocking down the walls" volume levels. It rents for $300.00 per day.
One of Scott's favorites is the Great Party bride (GP). No, not the falling down drunk party bride, the other kind. If you are a great party bride, you truly want your guests to have an incredible time and to enjoy helping you celebrate. You are not interested in all the traditional trappings of a wedding reception. You know your guests won't remember or care about Jordan almonds, little tinkly bell favors, or if you have roses instead of Calla Lilies. You just want a fun party with some great music for dinner and dancing. You may want to suggest a few songs, but you trust your DJ to do an awesome job in creating the party you want. In fact, you would not be at all surprised if your party goes into overtime. You recognize that you want a professional and know that you will need to spend more than $600 for a four hour wedding.
Next is the Great Party plus Tradition bride (GPT). You want the great party, but you also want some of the traditional pomp and circumstance that goes with a wedding. And you deserve it! It's not everyday that you get married. How often will the two of you be formally announced into a room with your friends and family applauding and cheering? You need someone to take charge and make sure that everything flows smoothly. In fact, you really want a disc jockey, master of ceremonies, and event coordinator all rolled into one. You want someone who knows how to give you the great party but is willing to accept some input from you. You are smart enough to know that the guy who DJs for beer money with his home stereo system is not for you. You know that getting the DJ/MC and event coordination you want will require a little more of your budget. You also know that the memories are well worth the investment. Spending between $1,000 and $1500 for four hours is a reasonable amount for the reception of your lifetime.
Scott and I both love the Great Party Creative bride (GPC). Your wedding is going to be unique and you need a little extra help to make it happen. You heard about Brittney and Carlo with their "Parade of Cakes". You know Nick and Nadia absolutely loved their "Princess Bride" themed wedding with sound bites from the movie in their ceremony. You know what you want to do that will make your wedding reception a great party as well as a truly unique, memorable, and fun event for your guests. Or maybe you want to add some lighting that will turn your ordinary venue into a magical room where enchantment happens. You are looking to give your DJ/MC/Event Coordinator the amount of input necessary to create the vision you have in mind; but expect that as a professional he or she will take your idea and make it happen.. You recognize that creating your wedding dream will require some of your time, your input, and yes, some extra money for the extra time involved in making everything happen. You also know that a real pro won't be able to give you pricing without knowing what you want your dream to look, sound, and feel like. You know that the more elaborate your plans, the more time and equipment needed to make it happen and you are willing to pay for that talent and expertise. But, you also want a good value for your money so you are not expecting to pay an outrageous sum of money that will buy your DJ a new boat.
BRIDEZILLA - Often not as bad as you are portrayed on TV. You just want to make sure that you have a party that everyone will enjoy. On the other hand, trust your professionals. That's why you hired them.
How Much Does a Wedding DJ Cost?
Finding the right wedding disc jockey or entertainer for your wedding can be a bit stressful, especially if you have never hired a DJ before.
The very first thing you should do is set what I call a priority budget. Write down a list of all the things you will be spending money on for your wedding and then prioritize them in order of importance. After the honeymoon, when you look back over the whole wedding day, the dress, the location, the ceremony, the food, the flowers, the cake, the photography, the entertainment, the little wedding favors, what parts will you remember the most? What parts do you want to remember the most? Then you will know what is most important to you. As you start planning you financial wedding budget you can adjust as needed so that you are spending your money where it will create the memories you want.
Creating both the priority budget and a financial budget will help you know if you can shop at WalMart, Kohls, Macys, Nordstrums, or Neiman-Marcus. What I would encourage you not to do is try to do it all yourself to cut costs. Certainly you can do some things. My sister designed and sewed her own wedding dress and it was beautiful. I had some college training in floral design so I used silk flowers and created my own bouquets. If you have time, talent, and desire, then by all means save some money by doing parts of the wedding yourself. On the other hand, if you have no time or desire, then pay to have wedding professionals create the wedding of your dreams.
Wedding Vendor Prices: What brides are really paying for...
By Pink Lady Krista Chapman
Published: April 7, 2011
Do you wonder what "hidden" costs your wedding vendor's is trying to conceal in their prices? Afraid your vendors are taking you for a ride with such high fees? After all you've been to Costco and things just don't cost that much. Who does this wedding vendor take me for, trying to pass off such exceptional prices?! I'm no fool!
Ummm... if I can interject.
There's a lot more to it than simply flour or sugar or roses or steak. With any purchased goods you're paying for a lot more than the stated service or product. All the behind the scenes adds up as the cost of running a business is not cheap.
Business licenses, Insurance and Taxes. Oh the beloved government... this is not an expense you can escape. These monthly and yearly costs have to be paid because we are now a culture that sues for millions when burnt by obviously hot coffee and the government wants their share. But brides need to think beyond sales taxes and car insurance. For small business owners in the state of Tennessee, taxes and necessary insurance are daunting to say the least. Employee taxes, taxes on business assets, property taxes, social security, worker's comp, local, state and federal taxes are just the beginning. For some vendors insurance costs are even higher as they insure multiple vehicles, employee's health and their general liability upwards of a million dollars for all those coffee drinkers. Real costs to the vendors can be thousands of per year and only increases the larger the company gets.
Overhead. Gas, electricity, water, internet connection, phone service, stamps, paper clips.... this list is endless and while $20 here and there seems insignificant, when multiplied over the course of the time and these turn into larger yearly expenses. And I haven't even touched on major equipment. Top quality cameras, walk-in coolers, stand mixers, high powered dishwashers, commercial sewing machines, professional audio equipment and music, computer work stations, delivery vans and mobile phones with all the bells and whistles are just the beginning. When used over and over on a daily basis wear and tear is dramatically increased. For some wedding vendors a single piece of equipment will run tens of thousands of dollars, require regular, costly maintenance and have to be replaced in a few short years. A company can't do business without these items and the expense is passed along to the client over time.
Training and education. How much did you spend on your college diploma? How many years of your life did you dedicate to honing your craft and skills? I am not going out a limb guessing that you expect all this time and effort investing in your future will in turn make you more than minimum wage. Your experienced and professional wedding vendor jumped through similar hoops and has similar expectations towards compensation. And what about continuing education? The ongoing effort and cost to be up on all the latest and greatest wedding trends and techniques makes for better wedding vendors but like you businesses need to cover these investments.
Marketing and Advertising. How did you find said vendor? How do people find the company you work for? Answer: Through high quality marketing and advertising programs that communicate the quality of the company to a potential bride. Those glossy full page Ads you see in bridal magazines cost a vendors thousands to print, not to mention the design and photography costs. And that's for a single advertisement. When was the last time any successful company only advertised in one publication? Just like any other expense, the money a company spends to get new business is passed onto the customer via product and service prices. And for weddings this cost can be particularly high as vendors are forced to find new clients over and over each year.
Labor and Time. This seems obvious but ask yourself how much your time is worth... Time away from your family, hobbies, interests or fiancé. Unless you're a Monk, the answer is NEVER free. Asking someone else to price their time according to your values is like asking someone to choose a stranger over their family... you would never want the tables to be turned on you. And remember... for every hour you interact with a vendor, they spend 2-5 additional hours preparing, creating, editing, setting up and cleaning up all the pieces of your vision. As a result most full-time stand alone vendors will max out at 30-50 weddings a year, leaving some tough number crunching to make it all work. While certainly a passion, this is still a business and not a hobby for nearly everyone that wants to stay in business.
What my point, dear readers? Please look at this not as a lecture of the hardships of owning a business. Passionate wedding vendors love what they do and are lucky to have found their life's calling but so are landscapers, plumbers, graphic artists, restaurant owners, teachers and doctors. They're not giving away their talents, services and time for free.
Instead, I sometimes wonder why Cheap has become so highly valued in America.
Cheap travel, cheap food, cheap clothes, cheap furniture, cheap weddings... cheap life. It is not about finding the cheapest deal, but rather the best value. And prioritizing what matters most. Would you rather have a wedding full of cheap elements and tacky pieces or invest a few key elements that will make your day remarkable? The secret to weddings is no different that the secret to life...Quality, not quantity.
I want to hear what you think! Leave a comment for ml at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on your thoughts relating to this or other wedding topics.
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is long forgotten!