Friends are great! They are there when you need support, they are your confidant when you have secrets, and they can be your partners in crime when getting up to mischief ;-)
But the question is: can you trust a friend to be your DJ on your wedding day?
I am not going to sit here and assume I know your friends! In fact your friend may be the best DJ this side of the country but here are a few things you should consider before asking them.
Does he DJ as a ‘Job” or as a “Hobby”?
We all had to start out somewhere, but remember professional DJs do this as a form of income. While having a set of decks and playing in ones bedroom is a lot of fun, it is good to know he has done this before in a ‘Real World” situation.
Is he a Wedding DJ or a Club DJ?
Club DJs are AWESOME! Their mixing can be off the chart and they know how to get a crowd dancing…in a club! Weddings are a completely different kettle of fish! Most club DJs would not have ‘Love Shack’ or ‘Footloose’ in their collection, yet that is the kind of music a large majority of your guests will dance to. Plus a Wedding DJ knows what to play during Dinner, Desert and Dancing as well as know how to get the “youngins” and “Oldies” up…a club on the other had tends to cater for a specific style of music and particular age demographic.
If he is a friend and the DJ, he might not be able to “Cut Loose”
He is looking after the most important thing at your wedding and he doesn’t want to screw it up! This means there is a massive pressure on him and also he is not going really drink and relax. Conversely, if he does act like the rest of your guests, how will the music sound later on in the night?
You may need to criticize your friend!
Like any vendor at your wedding, you will tell them what you want! As professionals, we don’t take offense if you think what we suggest sounds terrible. We take your wants and needs and usually come up with multiple ideas until it is exactly what you were expecting…some friends may not take that approach and may see it as a personal attack. This is where it can be very dangerous as the last thing you want is to have a falling out due to misunderstanding
Do you pay them?
Some friends say they will do it for free or for a case of beer…but how much can you demand from them really? Most professionals will have a contract outlining their responsibilities and what is covered/included in their service. The fact you are paying means that we have an obligation to fulfill what we promise you…with a friend the lines can be blurred and it is good to be aware of this.
The purpose of this blog is not to say “Don’t Use A Friend!” it is merely designed to give you a few pointers before asking. As a professional DJ, you can imagine the amount of requests I get to do shows for friends…but I always say I am happy to maybe give a "Mates Rate Discount” but at the end of the day I will have to take my friend hat off and become the professional DJ with ALL that entails (no drinking, etc) otherwise you run the risk of either loosing friends or ruining your business
(Photo courtesy of "yolevins.com")