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Archive for the ‘wedding djs’ Category

How to find a great DJ

Monday, November 7th, 2011

There are plenty of websites and blogs that go over the same information intended to help brides ask the right questions when hiring a DJ.  However, I have a few points that don’t seem to be promoted often.

1.  Talk to the venue
Talk to the staff, the management.  See who they recommend, but ask them WHY they recommend that DJ.  What stands out?  Is it just because they have a business card?  Or have they seen that DJ on a number of occasions?

Also, don’t be afraid to ask if the venue has any kind of “kick back” for giving out names.  It’s possible the DJ pays a cut to the venue for every event.  Ask the DJ if they “pay to play”.  You can apply the same logic to photographers or celebrants etc that may recommend a particular DJ.

 

2.  Talk to other brides.
This might seem obvious – talking to couples who have already gotten married and used a DJ.  But take it a step further and ask why they chose the DJ they ended up with.  Also, ask if they met with other DJs, and why they didn’t choose them.

3.  Talk to other wedding guests
Know anyone that’s been to a wedding in the last few months or know someone who’s going to one soon?  They can be your best source for info and recommendations.  While the bride’s opinion is valuable, a bride and groom are generally quite distracted all day.  They may not see all of the little things a DJ does – be they good or bad things.  Guests often see or experience things going on that the bride is understandably too busy to notice.

 

I hope this helps!
Regards

Nick Logan
Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies

Questions for a wedding DJ

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Posted in Planning the wedding, wedding djs, Weddings and wedding ideas | No Comments »

iPod Wedding Music

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

It’s not a new concept.  The idea of using an iPod and your own custom made play lists certainly has a few benefits for the bride and groom, and for a variety of reasons.

It’s not just DJs who talk about it either.  Check out this blog entry at the Wedding Cafe website for a different perspective.  Rather than rehash it all here, I’ve added a comment to that post.

iPod for wedding music

Posted in Ceremony music, wedding djs, Wedding Music, Wedding Reception, Weddings and wedding ideas | No Comments »

What will they remember?

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

What is the LAST thing your guests will be doing? Hands up if you think the answer is “admiring the flowers”, or “enjoying the personalised hand made individually named chocolates left at each seat”, or even”taking a long last look a the chair covers”.

The question is “What is the LAST thing your guests will be doing?”.  The answer: LEAVING.  Now consider why they’re leaving.   Is it late, closing time, and they’re wishing the venue went all night because they’re having so much fun?   Or are they wishing the DJ wasn’t so loud, the friend’s large music collection wasn’t 99% Pink Floyd or Snoop Dog, or that your downloaded play list had a little more direction instead of a stop-start feel with tempos all over the place….?

This isn’t to say that going with a less experienced DJ or DIY music will be a disaster.  In many cases it works just fine.  However, if it isn’t so fine, it will stand out for the wrong reasons.

If the entertainment is lacking, then all the time and effort and financial input you put into the little details like the décor and the likes will be largely wasted.

Will guests leave because they don’t like the flowers or chair covers?

 

Regards
Nick Logan
Wedding DJ
Auckland, New Zealand

Posted in wedding djs, Wedding Music, Wedding Reception, Weddings and wedding ideas | No Comments »

Mistakes Happen.

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

I’m human, I’ve made mistakes, we all have.  It happens at any level in any profession.  However, I believe how you recover (not cover up) mistakes that is where experience really pays off.

This vid has been doing the rounds on YouTube quite a bit lately from somewhere in North America.  The DJ plays the wrong song as the first dance eventually, but there’s much more to it both before and after that little technical glitch.

The guy made a mistake, he should have fixed the mistake and moved on without using the microphone. Watch the entire thing for full effect.

Regards
Nick Logan
Auckland Wedding DJ

Posted in First Dance, Wedding Dance, wedding djs, Wedding Music, Wedding Reception, wedding video | No Comments »

First Dance Nerves? Here’s An Idea

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Imagine – you’re introduced, everybody is standing and applauding your entrance to the reception.  You both head straight for the dance floor as your entrance music transforms into your first dance song.

Sometimes my clients just want to get their first dance out of the way.  They may be nervous, or just plain excited because they’ve practised it so well.  Others want to make an entrance to their reception that just a bit different and unexpected.

Whatever their reason, I love this when it happens.  It’s just so different – I’ve only done this maybe 3 or 4 times in my 20+ years.  It also means the dance floor is “open” for guests later at their leisure instead of politely waiting for that first dance to take place, and even your most senior guests will see that dance no matter what time they retire for the evening.

Just an idea.

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Posted in First Dance, Wedding Dance, wedding djs | No Comments »

One of the nice guys of the DJ world

Friday, May 14th, 2010

I listen and learn from some of the best wedding DJs in the world.

My friend and colleague Brandon Lindsey of Hey Mr DJ in Ohio recently shared this great video with me via Facebook.  While it’s a promotional production for his company, he makes some great points about the industry we work in, and why we do what we do every weekend.

Hey! Mr. DJ promo from Lifemark Studios on Vimeo.

And yes, he’d love to visit New Zealand for your wedding…

Posted in Random thought or observation, wedding djs, Wedding MC Master of Ceremonies | No Comments »

How long has your DJ been practising?

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Ever noticed that even the most senior medical professionals still “practice medicine”. They generally read medical journals, attend training conferences and participate in all manners of continued education in order to stay up to date with the changing trends in their profession.

It’s something that all professionals should do yet very few DJs do.

Here’s a question to ask the professionals involved in your wedding – what was (more…)

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Posted in General, Just someone's opinion, wedding djs, Weddings and wedding ideas | 1 Comment »

Is there a prize for “best dressed DJ” category?

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

I know how this will come across. But I’ll say it anyway….

On a return to a venue on the North Shore late last year, one of the managers said “Oh I remember you! You were dressed better than most of the guests”. The last time he saw me, he suggested I was “the best dressed DJ” he’d seen.

Then it happened again, just this month. The venue manager seemed confused when I introduced myself, and he said simply “You’re the best dressed DJ we’ve ever had here”.

Now, these venues are not dumps. They are nice, tidy, professional locations. So what worries me is – what on earth ARE other DJs wearing!?!?!

I dress smart, and appropriately. It’s just good manners really, but also it comes with being a professional. Just a shirt, tie, jacket and shiny shoes. I even wear trousers.

It seems yet again the majority of DJs consider a wedding just “somewhere to be” on a weekend. If the bride, the groom, the guests can make an effort, why can’t the DJ? I guess also – why aren’t venues telling them to smarten up?

This is how I’d normally look at a wedding…

Black is subtle. As I am part of the wedding support team, and NOT a guest, I try to stay out of the photographer’s way. However if I do end up in the background of some photos, I want to be sure I’m just that – background. I’m not there to be seen, only heard.

Unless specifically requested by the client, a hawaiin shirt, jeans, even a polo shirt is just not polite, and it’s certainly not going to blend into the background of many venues or weddings. Yet to some DJs, it seems to be the norm. ….and don’t get me started on baseball caps!

Regards
Nick Logan
Wedding and Event DJ

Got a question? Post here or visit my website

Posted in Just someone's opinion, Random thought or observation, wedding djs | 1 Comment »

All DJs are the same, right?

Friday, October 24th, 2008

I guess many are. And at the end of the day, really all we do as “DJs” is play music. That in itself is quite simple, in fact in all seriousness, monkeys can do it with a little training.

So what sets one DJ apart from the next? When it comes to your wedding it really depends what you really want. I think I’ll present more detailed and though provoking information here soon, but for now let me say this: if all you’re looking for is someone who will play the right music and read the crowd, you’ll find that DJ. There’s plenty of reliable, fun DJs who pay cool music from 8 til 12.

But if you feel like there could be more to it, read on.

What if your DJ knew there was more to a wedding than just music? For example (more…)

Posted in Flowers or bouquet, General, Just someone's opinion, Planning the wedding, Random thought or observation, wedding djs, Wedding MC Master of Ceremonies, Weddings and wedding ideas | 1 Comment »

Sharing the wedding bouquet – great idea!

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

March 29, 2008 – Kerryn and Samuel got married. I saw a couple of special things at the reception later at the Pukekohe Indian Association Centre which I’d like to share here.

I was the master of ceremonies that evening, and near the end of the speeches, the guests were all surprised when I introduced (more…)

Posted in Flowers or bouquet, wedding djs, Wedding MC Master of Ceremonies, Wedding Music, Wedding photos, Weddings and wedding ideas | No Comments »

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