If you love music and have a decent collection, a good way to
make extra money may be to become a DJ for live events. To get
up and rolling may take a small investment as a DJ must have
top of the line stereo equipment and a music collection that
reflects a wide variety of musical tastes, but the financial
rewards can be well worth the initial expenditure. DJs are
hired for any of a variety of events from school dances to
weddings and Bar-Mitzvahs, and the manner in which you conduct
yourself may need to vary depending on the event that you’re
working. Weddings are a particularly valuable market for a disc
jockey and the wedding DJ often has one of the most fun jobs of
anyone associated with a decent sized wedding reception.
Following are some tips that can help you find success as a
wedding DJ.
Let’s Get it Started in Here:
A wedding reception is essentially a big party. Like any party,
the reception will evolve slowly over the course of the evening
and it is the responsibility of the wedding DJ to ensure that
it moves along at the proper pace. When the reception first
begins the wedding DJ will notice that people are milling
around and talking, eating, and congratulating the happy
couple. This is a good time to start playing music, making a
selection that is both in line with the requested genres or
tastes that should have been previously discussed with the
couple or the person that hired the wedding DJ. Something
upbeat but not overpowering is good here.
When it is time for the dancing to start, it’s time for the
party to start. Sometimes people are a bit shy to get going. It
is at this point that the wedding DJ needs to show some
personality. Get on that microphone and motivate people to get
on the dance floor and move. Make some congratulatory
statements to the newlyweds and tell the guests to get out
there and shake it.
Once You’ve Sold it, Don’t Buy it Back:
Now that you’ve got the music going and the dance floor is
full, shut your pie hole! No one comes to a wedding reception
to hear the wedding DJ blather on into the microphone like a
wannabe Howard Stern. If it’s fallen on you to announce mini
reception events like a dollar dance or the removal of the
garter, then do so, but speak as little as possible. Let the
music move the party and keep that microphone securely in the
upright and locked position.
Hey, Mr. DJ… Put a Record on:
Requests equal tips for the wedding DJ. If a guest approaches
you with a song request that falls into the category of music
that you’ve been hired to spin, get it on there post haste.
People get all warm and fuzzy inside when they hear a song that
they specifically requested.
Finally, two things that every wedding DJ should have in his
collection are copies of The Hokey Pokey and The Chicken Dance.
Treat these like the American Express Card of the wedding DJ:
don’t leave home without them.
About The Author: Kirsten Hawkins is an event planner from
Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.wedding411.net/ for more event
planning tips, strategies, and resources.
Kirsten Hawkins | 
