On today’s episode of The Forever Bride Show, we are talking with Anna from Adagio Djay Entertainment about how a DJ can make or break your reception!

A bit about Anna: DJ and Venue Relations Representative at Adagio DJ. Former Pre-K teacher (8 years), moved here 3 years ago from New York!

Point 1: How to pick a DJ – deciding what you value most: cost, reputation, experience, style. prioritizing what feels like the right “fit”

A bad deejay: They do not listen. They often are there for themselves. And it’s about performing in a way, I think.

And and that’s the opposite of what you should have in a wedding deejay. Your wedding is about you. Your deejay is there to serve that. And so we always say to our clients, you know, if we’re getting on the mic, if we’re doing anything, it’s in the service of you and your vision.

A professional deejay is crucial because we can anticipate things happening. But also we can respond in the moment to anything that comes up and there can be so many snafus.

The thing that I think is most important and that I always recommend to potential clients is to come in and meet with the company so that you can experience their, quote, vibe. Face to face, it’s not as easy to do over the phone or just through email. And so if you’re able to meet with the deejay companies that you’re interested in, do it, because that is how you’re really going to figure out who is a good fit for you.

One thing that is really important is knowing that the company you’re working with is highly professional in a technical sense. So learning about what specifically they offer in terms of equipment, but also, can I be sure that there will be a D.J. there on my wedding day? And that’s something that a really good professional deejay deejay company will offer is obviously a deejay scheduled for your event, but also one that is on call to take over in case there’s an emergency, because that can happen. It’s very unlikely. But maybe your deejay got food poisoning and you do not want to be in that position. The day of your wedding. And so that’s something that you should always, always check with any deejay company that you talk to. What is the backup plan if there is an emergency?If you are comparing deejay companies with a larger staff and a just one person because they’re not going to have a backup.

And then I think the most important thing and this is because this is what would matter most to me if I were looking for a deejay.

But what is the what are the values of that deejay company and what kind of persona do they project as a company? Because that really varies. And we kind of touched earlier on the way deejays get a bad rap and you know, that comes from somewhere. And it’s because there are a fair amount of deejay companies that do that stereotypical comedy deejay.

Point 2: Role of a DJ – amateur coordinating, behind the scenes facilitating, preparation

It’s one of the most noticeable mistakes that can be made because it’s so obvious, the sound. You know, if you can’t hear the ceremony… you can’t hear your friends getting married! And that’s weird.

oftentimes the deejay is functioning as an amateur wedding coordinator.

We are planning ahead a lot. We’re looking over the schedule that you’ve given us. We’re talking to you as a couple ahead of time about what you’re wanting, going over potential playlist, ideas, all of that stuff. So we come into the day very prepared and then we really take over that amateur wedding coordinator role. So we talked to the photographer, we talked to the caterer, we talked to your videographer, anybody who is involved, the officiant, the wedding party, making sure that everyone knows what’s coming up. And we do that in the background because ideally we don’t want you as the bride and groom to even notice that time is passing. It’s so easy at your wedding to forget that time even exists. And that’s how it should be. You should just be having fun. And so we think of our role, particularly before the dance starts as that facilitator. And that’s something that, you know, I think not everybody who hires a deejay knows ahead of time that we do. And so I think it’s really important to kind of get the word out about that, because that is part of what is making or breaking your day is, you know, if there is no one paying attention to the fact that it’s time for toasts, you’re gonna lose a half hour of your wedding reception. And, you know, often people will hire day of coordinators or have a wedding planner. But increasingly, as a deejay, I’m seeing that people are not doing that. It’s a lot of DIY. And if that’s the case, we are the people that step up and help out. So that’s a huge part of our role. And then when we get to the dance, like I said, it’s really about creating that mood and and putting that energy out there to the guests that it is time to light up the floor!

Point 3: Why DJs are so important – we are professionals! It’s hard to know ahead of time how crucial we can be, especially if you’ve never organized a large event before. Importance of: crowd reacting, going with the flow, attentiveness, experience, music knowledge

“A deejay is really a mood creator.

And a lot of that comes from literally the music that we’re playing. You know, starting with the ceremony often. Often we are doing the music cues for the ceremony and then into the cocktail hour dinner and onto the dance floor. And so we’re setting that tone sonically. But also it comes from the type of energy that the deejay puts out as themselves and the way that they interact with the guests. And that’s a key piece of a deejays role that I think a lot of people don’t consider when they are starting to look for one. And it’s absolutely crucial.”

Adagio’s Forever Bride listing here

Adagio means: To be performed in slow tempo

Social media handles: @adagioentertainment