Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
You and your wedding guests look forward to dancing the night away. Music can make or break your big day, so it’s important to choose your DJ wisely. To guide you, we put together a list of questions to ask potential DJs.
It depends on the DJ’s experience, date, location, what sound and lighting is required, how many people will be there, the hours and package and the services required. As a guide purely, an average MOBILE DJ cost (where the DJ also brings all the sound and lighting) in Ireland ranges from €200-300 for a starter/hobby DJ, €250-450 for medium level DJ with perhaps 3-10 years experience and €400-900 for a professional DJ with 10+ years experience. Without hiring all the sound and lighting equipment, the DJ’s fee is often lower as Public Liability insurance would not always be required.
Every event we provide DJs for is different and involves various factors, therefore we do not have a standard price. The actual cost of our DJ services will vary depending on several factors.
The experience and the work involved. Unlike a standard party, most Wedding DJs will meet in person to help plan the event, so this often pushes the cost up as brides and grooms want to plan their big day more than an average birthday party for example.A wedding DJ usually commands a higher fee as they are more experienced in reading a wide range of ages at a wedding compared to a club or pub night. Another factor in the cost is the type of package. Some brides and grooms book a DJ only package for the full night, others for after a band and others book a DJ all day package to combine drinks reception , dinner, MC duties and sometimes even the ceremony. Therefore depending on the DJ package, you could pay anything from €300 to €1200 for a wedding DJ.
Weddings normally command a higher price. There’s a great deal more time spent by the DJs in preparation for a wedding DJ than corporate events and private events. Although corporate events in Dublin require more time allocated for the Job in question.
If you have many guests, then you’re probably having your special event in a much larger venue. Therefore the DJ will need a larger sound and lighting system to provide you with the same quality of service. So obviously the larger your venue the higher the cost will be for our DJ services.
Our DJ services for a midweek winter wedding or corporate event, will normally cost you less than a wedding in Kerry or corporate event in Dublin on a prime Saturday in the peak of summer.
The cost of our DJ service will depend on the location of your wedding, corporate event or private party. Obviously if your event is being held locally in Dublin it will cost considerably less than the same event being held in Cork. The main factors that decide this are, venue access times (some venues in Cork will not allow the supplier to load out DJ or Sound & lighting equipment at end of night, so they have to return to collect it the following morning) parking restrictions, congestion charges, extra travel time needed.
Usually you pay a set fee for a DJ as it’s usually a night’s work. The bill for the sound and lighting hire and this would not be an hourly but rather a nightly rate. Most DJs charge for a 4 hour event and then might charge per hour after that rate.
Most MOBILE DJs including our company bill out including sound and lighting hire. But always check this when booking as some DJs quote for their fee without equipment hire.
No! We do not charge VAT for any of our DJ services, there are no hidden charges, so the price we quote is the price you pay!
Many venues nowadays don’t allow contractors on premises without Public Liability Insurance. Check if your event venue require it. ALWAYS ASK if your DJ has this.
Any DJ that specialises in weddings will also specialise in the unknown. None of us ever want to be in a situation when something goes wrong and there is no solution. Our DJs come with two complete sets of equipment and multiple laptops (wait no more cds?!) just in case something were to happen. Some DJ companies go above and beyond when it comes to emergency preparedness, and some just skim the surface. Don’t be afraid to ask the DJ how they prepare for emergencies.
DJs are now offering some pretty great add-ons. For instance, we offer Ceremony sound systems and microphones for the officiants, multiple options for dance floor lighting to create some energy focused on the dancing space, jaw-dropping up lighting design both inside and outside of the venue, and of course photo stations!
Planning a wedding is all about having a system complete with checklists of items that you need to do before your big day. The most popular venues, photographers, and DJs will all book up faster than some of the less popular companies and options. We always refer to these as “the big three”. Once you book these three wedding vendors, the rest can more easily fall into place as time goes on.
If your wedding day is nearer to a Saturday in mid summer than a week day in Winter then I recommend you book as soon as possible. I do get booked up many months in advance.
Your booking will be confirmed in my diary once I’ve received the deposit and the signed contract. I will always hold the date of your wedding for one week from the day you receive your quote, so you don’t feel you have to make any rushed decisions.
When you first contact Right DJs®, our wedding experts will take the time to go over all of the details for your dream wedding reception. Once we have all of the details, we will then let you know the availability of our wedding DJ’s and advise you on who we think would be the best fit for your event based on your personality and preferences. That DJs name will also be specified on your contract.
Absolutely! A written legal Right DJs® contract secures the DJ’s obligation to the client and lists exactly what is required and expected for the event’s success. It will explain the entertainment setup requirements and other factors related to the company’s performance. This document will also clearly state the fee structure for payment of the services provided, the name of the entertainer, and any additional services being provided by the company. All reputable wedding DJs should use an agreement.
Your entertainment balance is due and must be paid on the DJ’s arrival, after set-up for your event. You can pay the balance before your event date for convenience through the provided payment button in your Invoice. Tipping Right DJs® Wedding DJs is never necessary, but is always appreciated if you feel they exceeded your expectations.
First, you need to check DJ availability and get a quote for your event’s date.
Black tie or smart casual or I will wear whatever you would like me to wear. If you’re having a seventies theme at your wedding I can turn up in a funky seventies vibe.
Our personal philosophy is that we never like to rush! We always give extra time, not just to set up, but also for travel time to get to the wedding venue. The amount of time a DJ needs to set up is directly related to three things.
How professional their set up is? The more professional the equipment the shorter the set up time. Second, how much equipment is being used for that specific event. Third, how challenging the load-in might be with regard to things like elevators, stairs, loading docks, parking, etc.
For example, did the client only hire them to DJ? Do they have to set up a second sound system for a remote location or ceremony site? Did the client contract any lighting design for the event? Is there a photo booth or any multimedia add-ons? In reality each DJ knows how long it takes to set up for the event at hand. One to two hours in advance is the most common time frame a DJ would arrive before the first guests arrive. That way there is plenty of time to set up, change into professional attire, and review all of our notes one last time before the celebration kicks off!
Companies in our category know what it takes to get the job done. It’s our opinion that there should never be any fees for setting up or breaking down. The only fees that are customary to have added (and they would be made clear prior to any commitments being made) are things like travel fees. For instance, there are some venues in Maine that require you to take a vehicle transport ferry to a small island off the coast. The costs of getting to the venue in a situation like this would be added into the event cost in these rare scenarios.
With all the fancy add-ons DJ companies offer their clients, your total package price might be anything from €300 to €1200.
As explained above, we usually require a mandatory and non-refundable 10% deposit payment online in-order to secure and book the date and services. We would be wary of any company that asks for 100% payment up front, or offers you some “back-door” discount if you pay in full months or years in advance.
In the unfortunate circumstance of needing to cancel or reschedule, there really is no perfect time. You want to alert your contracted vendors as soon as possible so that they (and you) can take the appropriate steps based on the terms of the agreement you both signed at the beginning of your working relationship. Most companies are fine with moving the date (assuming the new date is still available) but cancellations are a bit trickier. Usually company policies change based on how close the wedding date is to the date of cancellation.
Of course! I’ll play any kind of music you want – this is your special event, not mine. If you do not give me any idea of your music preferences then I will skillfully read the crowd and use my talents to have everyone up on the dance floor, I will accept music requests if they are appropriate.
Some DJs take requests, and some don’t. We actually leave this one up to our clients. We’ll talk to our couples and ask them what they want us to do. Some say they want us to take requests and some say they don’t. Even if they tell us to take requests, we are always very careful never to play something similar to a song that might have been listed on the do not play list. Also, we use our judgement when it comes to requests. If it’s a great song, sure, we will play it. If it’s a song we know will clear the dance floor, we’ll stay away from it. The DJs goal is the same as the couple that hired them. DJs want the dance floor filled with people as much as possible!
Sure, no problem. We have worked with many different styles of bands. We know some absolutely amazing bands perfect to compliment your wedding or corporate event.
When we work with a band, everything we do compliments them nicely. We always make sure there is a smooth transition between us and the band, also making sure there is music playing where appropriate.
Pricing; some clients have had an expectation that the DJ would be much cheaper than the usual price in this scenario because he is only playing for a couple of hours. He still has to be at the event the whole night regardless of the actual hours that he’s performing, so we do not offer a lower price because we’re working with a live band or artist.
Yes, but from experience this more than likely will kill the party. You are paying top money for your DJ, you are paying for experience, so make sure you use them. Great DJs know many genres of music and have tracks that will bridge your request list together to create a DJ set that is fresh, but is as seamless and flowing as possible.
Generally I do not speak between the music, however I make clear and well articulated announcements as and when they are required. I DJ with a very high standard of mixing to club standard, so you will not find me talking nonsense on the microphone, I only talk on the microphone when something is worth saying! or if there is a spotlight moment that needs highlighting, such as introducing the cutting of the cake or the opening dance at your wedding.
No. All of our wedding DJ’s are experienced MC’s, and work with an assistant. The DJ you hire is comfortable and qualified to communicate with you, your guests, and work with other vendors in a professional manner, throughout the entire event. The assistant with them aids with setup and breakdown, and allows the DJ the ability to move about the event and not be “stuck in the booth”. We find that frequent communication and coordination with function managers and other vendors like photographers and videographers ensures a smoothly running, on time event!
We’ll take as much guidance as you want to give us. If there’s something you’d like us to say, just let us know. We’re even happy to help in areas where you might not know what needs to be done or said. When we receive little or no guidance, we generally work with the “less is more” mindset using simple, concise, professional announcements that don’t annoy guests, or detract from the event. We’re always about less talking and more dancing!
If the DJ does not offer at least a telephone consultation and some planning tips before your event then be wary of hiring them. Most experienced DJs have run and performed at many parties and can offer a wealth of guidance as to what will work well for your event.
Find out more planning tips for your event by contacting us on (086) 3550039.
Although Right DJs® is based around Dublin, Ireland. We provide our DJ and disco hire services for weddings, corporate events and private parties in Dundalk, Cork, Galway, Belfast and Dublin frequently. We will travel anywhere in the world providing you have the right budget!
Right DJs® have provided DJs for location weddings and corporate events in a number of different countries in recent times. Thinking of getting married in another country? Send us a message to find out how we can help you.
Sure, we can! Tell us your question and we will send you the answer promptly! You can contact us here.
One thing that sets Right DJs® apart from our competition is that we’d rather hear about you, than tell you about us. Most companies are quick to explain what they will do at your wedding. For example, how they will introduce your wedding party, how they will help arrange the timing, and why they are the best choice for your reception. Our question is, how can our wedding DJs do those things well unless they have taken the time to learn about you and to understand what YOU envision as your dream wedding?
Below are some popular questions to ask your DJ before you book a DJ or entertainer for your event. Booking the right entertainer will make or break your party.
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
Questions To Ask Before You Hire a DJ
229 Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, Co Louth, Irleand.
+353863550039
To Whom and Where Should I Send Your Free eBook Download?