A Look Inside The "REAL" World Of A Wedding DJ/MC
When the phone rings in our office, one of the first things a potential client will say is “I just need someone for 6 hours to play some music and make a couple of announcements for my wedding”.
While it may seem like we just play some songs and make a couple of announcements – there is a lot more that comes into play for the DJ/MC that is performing at your wedding. Below, I have listed some of the things Sound In Motion DJ/MCs do both leading up to the wedding and on the actual wedding day so that it might paint a more clear picture of what it takes for us to deliver the best service possible to our clients!
Two In Person Meetings with your actual DJ/MC – The first is to see if the couple and the DJ have the right dynamic to work with one another and the second meeting is the final consultation right before your wedding to make sure “every t is crossed and i is dotted!” (with transportation, prep and meeting time, approximately 3 hours)
Multiple emails and phone calls whenever our clients have questions - We work very hard to make sure we are available and ready to respond as quickly as possible to our clients, because both to you and to us, nothing is more important than your wedding. We will also check in from time to time and make sure our clients are getting through the pre-planning process ok and offer our assistance. We love all the interaction we get to have with our clients: it helps us better understand their needs. (probably about 2 hours-ish total)
Pre wedding preparation – After you’ve done your final meeting with the DJ/MC, your DJ/MC will assemble the notes and create a form which will be the road map of your entire wedding celebration. From the very first song of your ceremony, through the formal introductions, toasts, first dance, cake cutting… all the way to the very end. We often share this form with your other vendors as well so that we all will be on the exact same page at your wedding! (about 1 hour).
Wedding day pre-prep, load out and drive time - Actual wedding day prep includes reviewing all your wedding day materials, revisiting all the names in the wedding party intros, prepping our attire, loading the vehicle with all the gear needed and leaving the office one to two hours prior to the load in time at the venue. Our arrival time will be two hours prior to ceremony, which gives us enough time to unload, set up (with flex time to deal with any unanticipated issues) and change clothes so that we are relaxed and ready rather than a stressed-out mess right before your wedding LOL! (3 hours)
Setting up gear for the ceremony and reception - This includes microphones and music, sound systems for the cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. (2 hours)
You say I DO! - Now the energy picks up – Wedding ceremony, cocktails, dinner, toasts, cake cutting, formal dances and jam packed dance floor. Plus we will keep in close contact all night with your vendor team to make sure we stay on schedule and you get to just relax and celebrate!. (6 hours)
And that’s a wrap! - The bride and groom give the DJ/MC a HIGH 5 as they leave the wedding reception as husband and wife! The DJ/MC now packs up and heads to the office to unpack. (2 hours)
The comedown - Get home and spend another hour unwinding from the adrenaline of the wedding day! Yeah - we really have to do this. It’s because of the energy level we need to sustain for such a long period during the day’s work. There’s just no way to come home and just be done and ready for bed - we gotta decompress : ) (1 hour).
Total time spent on one wedding – About 20 hours all told.Now, lest anyone think this is a sob story, let me say this, which I mean with utmost sincerity: We are passionate about what we do and nothing makes us happier than seeing the tears of joy and the smiles of a successful wedding day!
I hope this gives you a little insight into the world of a Sound In Motion DJ/MC, and more than that, I hope that it makes you think about calling US to be there with you on your big day!
- Raffi Nalvarian