For Brian and myself, picking the DJ seemed to be the most “iffy” vendor to choose. For example, you know how to judge photographers and videographers. You view their portfolio and you either like their work or you don’t. Done. But with DJ’s, how can you judge their work? It’s not like you can just take a setlist they’ve used at weddings because (hopefully) that set has been customized for the bride and groom specifically. Judging that setlist is NOT a reflection of the DJ’s work. With that dilemma in mind, we realized that the only way to get this vendor out of the way was to look at price and how well we “clicked” with that vendor.
Before meeting them, Brian and I set our base parameters. Our budget was $2000. We needed them to be there at 5 PM for the ceremony to provide the microphones and speakers. Also, since the cocktail hour is gong to be held in the same courtyard as the ceremony, then some light music for the ceremony. Then our wedding reception is set to end at 11:30 so it would be roughly 6.5 hours of service that we would need the DJ for (minus setup/cleanup time). Also, we were possibly interested in having some lighting options just to provide more of an ambiance on the dance floor.
The first DJ we met with was DJ Raffi. I had heard great things about him and was really eager to meet him. Honestly, I really did like him. He was extremely professional and personable and had DJed for weddings at The Charles before. He had created a slideshow of the last wedding he had been there and was extremely helpful in answering all our questions. He seemed to be the most experienced DJ we met and seemed like he would be the most prepared for any catastrophe (should it occur). However, with experience comes the price for experience. There were extra charges to set up the sound system in the courtyard for the reception and cocktail hour as well as pretty high hourly rate charges to extend service beyond the 5 hour basic service. As a side pro, DJ Raffi did have very affordable lighting options that we liked. For people that have a slightly larger DJ budget, I would definitely recomend for them to meet with DJ Raffi.
On the same day, Brian and I also met with Tom Laquidara . Of all the DJs we contacted, his prices were the most affordable. I liked him and he seemed very passionate about his job and about serving the customer. He had a more laid-back approach and seemed like someone who would not try and overtake the wedding. However, I was really worried about getting people on the dance floor and about the lulls in the wedding where I would need the DJ to get people pumped up again and we decided to keep looking.
At this point, I felt like Goldilocks searching for the perfect porridge. Luckily, we hit the mark with our third DJ - DJ Seth from BeatTrain. Our main contact from BeatTrain was extremely professional and gave us reassurance that because they had multiple people in the company, there would always be a backup in case something happened to DJ Seth. Then he disclosed that DJ Seth's wife is pregnant with their first child and is due to give birth sometime around our wedding. This worried me for a quick sec but, honestly, it's not a huge dealbreaker for me. I just appreciated their honesty from the beginning. Also, their prices were juuuust right. :)
My suggestions for DJ hunting:
- Set your budget
- Set the services you want and the length of time
- Know what kind of DJ style you want - someone more involved with the wedding, less involved, etc
- If you need them for the ceremony, ask what microphone/speaker systems they use
- Ask what type of equipment you need to provide (i.e. tables, coverings, etc)
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