Wedding Receptions - What We Do Not Do

We do not set up after the reception has started. We always arrive early, well before guests are there. Dragging equipment through a crowded room and then being sweaty and having to immediately start emceeing or DJing is not appropriate for a wedding reception. We will not have a messy setup and will not be displaying any large advertising signs or banners. We do not spin records or try to beat match techno and rap music all night.

We will not be distracted, talking on the phone, or trying to "wedding crash" with one of the bride's maids. During the reception, all of our attention is dedicated to what your wishes.

We do not talk excessively on the microphone. It is necessary for an emcee to announce important happenings, or entice the crowd to participate in the dollar dance or grand march, but we will not call anyone out and embarrass them. It is their choice if they want to dance, and our hope is to convince them to through the music we play.

We do not play goofy games during the reception (if it was a children’s birthday dance we might arrange for some games). Our past clients have wanted music-based entertainment, and are not interested in starting a hula-hoop contest at a wedding reception, for example. If you want a DJ to be officiating games at your wedding reception, please consider hiring one of our competitors who has experience in this area.

We do not play verbatim a list of songs sent to us. The reason to hire a DJ is to have someone who can use their experience in music selection entertain the crowd and adjust the music for the crowd’s tastes. If you have a list of 100 songs you want played in order during the dance, consider getting an iPod and renting a PA system. If you have 5 pages of “Must Play” songs, please remember, we can only play 14-17 songs per hour, and this list may take away all of our freedom to adjust to the tastes of the crowd. Consider shortening the list to about five “Must play” songs (not including the first dances) and about 15 “Please play if possible” songs.

If a random guest approaches us with a CD or iPod, we will not play it without first listening to it to make sure it is appropriate. Many times if we do not have the song in our collection, it is either brand spanking new, or it is not appropriate. If it is a more trusted bridal party member, we may make a rare exception, but this is generally not the case. We discourage people from bringing music on iPod format. The best format is a CD.

We do not pressure the bride and groom to leave the reception before or even on schedule. We may check to see when they are planning on leaving, but the point is to have fun and not have to worry about watching the clock. We are not going to try to push the reception to end until you are ready for it to end; we are already there all day, and are happy to continue to be there for a little longer if the party is going too strong to stop. Of course, the facility timeline and consequences of going past the agreed ending time need to be kept in mind.