Requesting Music from your Wedding DJ with Elegant Event Entertainment
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
We’ve heard horror stories from Brides and Grooms who have been to weddings where the DJs played terrible music, where no one danced, or worse when they knew the DJ did not adhere to the client’s specific request list. Luckily, with EEE, you don’t need to worry about that. As a member of the Los Angeles Wedding DJ community, I am proud to say that our company Elegant Event Entertainment has had great success in playing music for our clients that suit the client’s unique music tastes and keeps the dance floor packed at the appropriate dance times at weddings. This is due in large part to our adherence to the client’s very own personalized music request list which we allow every client to create and provide to us.
Every one of our clients has a personalized Online Event Planner; they can log in from our website and are able to choose as much music as they would like to hear at their event. Using an international database of songs and artists, our Clients can tell their DJ which songs are MUST PLAY, DO NOT PLAY, as well as some additional choices of music that perhaps isn’t found in the database. This information is kept safely in their personal online event planner file for our staff, the DJ, and the client to see 24/7, and both client and DJ can make changes to the list as it’s necessary.
Our clients love this feature of our service, because they truly have a say in the overall feel that the DJ helps create with music programming. The skill of the DJ is to take a specific list of music that a client provides and program or place it in sequence that makes sense to the audience and flows well throughout the event. The DJ should also be able to fit the client’s specific songs in with additional music that people will dance to or enjoy throughout the event.
And of course, we’ve all heard about DJs who play songs that are cheesy or outdated, and that’s where the Do Not Play list comes into play. We ask clients to tell us the names of songs or artists that they simply cannot stand and would rather die than hear them at their wedding. Inevitably, this list always includes “The Chicken Dance” “The Macarena” “Achy Breaky Heart” and at least one of the following “Celebration”, “YMCA”, “Electric Slide”, and “Brick House”. Please don’t be offended if you like those songs, you can always request them to be played at your event, but the vast majority of clients say “we’ve heard those songs at too many weddings, and we don’t want them at ours!” With EEE, you can count on us honoring your wishes!
Now, here’s the important thing to remember: It’s a DJs job to play great music and to entertain your guests with his/her music choices while honoring your request list. So, don’t feel as though you have to request 100 songs, or even 50…we suggest 20 songs that you love and 10 that you hate…this way we get a sense of the type of music that says something about you as individuals or as a couple. You want your guests to experience nostalgia through the music at your event and you also want them to say to themselves periodically “Oh that’s the song that he (the groom or guest of honor) loves” or “This is the song they heard on their first date” It seems hokey, but it adds to the overall feeling of comfort, inclusion, and uniqueness of your event or wedding.
We find when requesting dance music, most of our clients choose similar list of dance songs…but this is a good indicator that our clients understand the idea of choosing danceable music that everyone in attendance will know and love, and this can absolutely be accomplished with or without the cheesy songs you’ve heard 1000 times before. It’s completely up to you!
Basically, we want our clients to know that they have a say in the music and the feel of the event, but we always ask clients to allow their DJ to work the magic that he/she is renowned for and give the DJ the freedom and artistic license to help create a magical event for you and your guests! When a client tries to assert too much control over the DJ, it always spells trouble for the dance floor.
Make sure you interview your DJ before you hire them, either in person or on the phone at the very least. Get references and read other articles on our site about Wedding DJ Pricing and the 7 Steps to Hiring a Wedding DJ. If you have a great connection with the DJ and trust him/her as well as their business practices, you should hire them as quickly as possible, the good ones always book fast!
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3 Responses to “Requesting Music from your Wedding DJ with Elegant Event Entertainment”
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Dan Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 11:37 amGreat ideas!
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mark houghton Says:
October 27th, 2010 at 11:01 amhi.. just wanted to say that i am a dj in orlando florida and that i went to a wedding that these guys did and was VERY IMPRESSED. Great job!
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Jason Says:
October 27th, 2010 at 4:30 pmThanks so much for the comment and compliment, that really means a lot coming from another professional DJ. Whose wedding was it?
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients, 