As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

This is the sixth in my series of bite sized tips
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You should have a reasonable expectation that the DJ you employ for your wedding has a range of skills to show that he is dedicated and proficient in their chosen line of work.

A basic skill that any Professional DJ should possess is the ability to move from one song to the next smoothly usually through a process called beat matching.

This is known as mixing.

Ask your DJ whether they are able to seamlessly mix the songs to create a smooth transition from one song to the next.

Without this basic skill the DJs transition between songs is likely to be erratic, the beat and rhythm between the two songs will clash or they will have to fade one song out and fade the new song in.

The energy on your dance floor will undoubtedly suffer as a result.

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

This is the fifth in my series of bite sized tips.

The sound quality from the disco can have a real impact on the overall enjoyment of your wedding disco.

Is the music too harsh, too muffled or distorted.

A little bit technical but three things are important here to ask the potential DJ about:

1. The quality of their music files ideally they should be in a lossless format such as WAV (highest quality but are very large files) or a lossy format such as MP3 are encoded at a minimum of 320kbps (High quality and less storage space required as they are compressed).

2. The DJ should use a good quality audio interface. Most DJ controllers have one built in so they will most likely be fine. A DJ who uses the headphone socket plugged into the mixer is unlikely to sufficiently concerned about sound quality.

3. The quality of the speakers. There are a vast range of speakers available from a few hundred to thousands of pounds. A quality DJ will invest adequately in their speaker systems. Ask about the make and model and check online.

www.icon-entertainments.co.uk

My Top Tips for Booking a DJ for Your Wedding

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

This is the fourth in my series of bite sized tips.

What kind of lighting effects does the DJ have?

Why is this important?

Well there are broadly two main types of lighting effect:

First there are lights that provide sharp beams of colour these can be a solid beam of light, a gobo (coloured shapes or lettering) and be static, a scanner (a rotating mirror which shines the light in different directions) or a moving head.

Secondly there are "wash" lights these provide a wash of colour and illuminate the dancefloor or room and these can be either static or a moving head.

If you want high quality photographs of your first dance etc you might find that a DJ who only has sharp beam lighting effects which cant be turned off without descending the room into darkness, could end up ruining your photo's as they create a coloured dot effect.

Wash lights are much less likely to have any detrimental effect on your photo's.

See below the 1st photograph typically shows the dots caused by sharp beam lights and the 2nd photograph has been taken under wash lights.

www.icon-entertainments.co.uk

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

This is the third in my series of bite sized tips.

How do you know whether the DJ your are thinking about booking is running a professional and legitimate business.

Well there are three main things you could ask about and seek evidence that they operate their business legally and safely.

1. Does the DJ hold Public Liability Insurance?

Public liability insurance cover a business if a customer or member of the public suffers a loss or injury as a result of its business activities. Even when a business does everything right there is always the chance of an accident happening e.g. a speaker falling over. With the right insurance cover, you know that should the worst happen, your guests property could be repaired, their possessions replaced and their medical costs paid for.

In the absence of the right insurance you could be held liable as the event host or organiser.

Some venues will insist on sight of the DJ's Public Liability Insurance before they allow the DJ to work in the venue. Imagine booking a DJ without Public Liability Insurance and the venue refusing to allow then to perform.

2. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

To be safe, it is recommended that DJ's should have all items of electrical equipment e.g. their lighting, speakers and DJ decks tested regularly.

The absence of a valid PAT certificate potentially puts the health and safety of your guests at risk. Additionally a venue has every right to cancel a performance if the equipment is not deemed safe.

3. Registered with HMRC for tax purposes

All businesses even if they are sole traders are legally required to register their business with the HMRC.

www.icon-entertainments.co.uk

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

This is the second in a series of tips.
Many DJ's businesses operate as sole traders but other DJ or entertainment businesses are multi operators.

A multi operator acts as an agent for other DJ's or employs other DJ’s to work for them.
The multi operators typically take a share of the fee you pay and employee other DJ's to actually undertake the DJing.

Tip Number 2

Check whether the DJ or Entertainment Company is a sole trader or a multi operator employing or passing work onto other DJ's

There is nothing wrong with a multi operator DJ or entertainment business.

As I identified in Tip 1 it is extremely important that you meet directly with the DJ who will be attending and DJing at your wedding to ensure you have confidence in them and are comfortable with what they can offer.

Meeting the owner of the business may not give you an accurate picture of the DJ that may turn up for your wedding.

When considering any reviews or recommendations make sure they relate to the DJ you are considering employing and not other DJ's working for the same multi-operator.

www.icon-entertainments.co.uk

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life.

When you start looking for a DJ for your wedding you will quickly find that there are lots to choose from.

Anyone can set themselves up as a DJ, there are no entry qualifications and as a result there is a vast difference in the experience and quality of DJ’s available.

So how do you find the right one?

Tip Number 1.

Do not book a Wedding DJ without first meeting with them.

Any professional DJ would be more than happy to meet with you to discuss your requirements before any payment or deposit is made.

In a face to face meeting you will quickly be able to assess whether the DJ is right for you.

Ask about their experience, their approach and service they can offer you and how they will add value to your special day.

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