The Charleston Wedding DJ: Hire A Real Pro Or Your Uncle

Brrrrrrr. We've been truly spoiled these past few Decembers in Charleston. As I write this blog, it's 39 degrees and raining. Perfect for your fiancee (if you just got engaged) to light a fire and begin thinking about your music for your upcoming wedding in 2018. The jewelry commercials are playing all over the radio and TV. The Christmas music is just inescapable too. We've reached that time of the year. ENGAGEMENT SEASON. Ah yes! As the temperatures continue to get colder and the nights continue to get longer, we will soon be celebrating amongst friends, relatives, and colleagues. Upwards of 45% of all engagements occur between November and February. In the days and weeks after those engagements, you'll begin to have those thoughts about how'd you'd like your wedding ceremony and reception to play out. If you are thinking that an engagement is imminent, welcome to my website and blog. If you are a guy getting ready to pop the question and are already what your first dance will be and want a head start on picking your song, welcome to my website and blog. With a new set of newly engaged brides and grooms ready to scour the internet for the top wedding DJs possible for their Charleston wedding, I feel it's time for another informative blog post outlining 5 of the biggest reasons you need to hire a true professional wedding DJ versus your uncle or even a friend for that matter.

I remember sitting down with a  couple several years ago who were very excited to book my services. After an in-person consultation, they were all ready to book. Then, the bride made a simple phone call that changed everything. She had called her dad back in Ohio to let him know how excited she was about booking me and what I was going to do for her.  Her dad talked her out of booking a DJ and instead using his brother, who had some DJ gear that he wanted to "dust" off and bring down and set up and play for his niece. After learning of this development, I was quite dumbfounded. Then, after thinking about it, my dumbfounded feelings turned more into sadness. I was sad, not because of the lost booking, but because there are big risks that brides and grooms take in letting an amateur DJ your wedding. These types of decisions tend to end all the same way. Simply put, the DJ that you book for your Charleston wedding should either bring down the house or just go home. There really is not any middle ground here.

The Professional Emcee
Part of "bringing that house down", is hiring a professional wedding DJ who has proven him or herself to be an incredibly great emcee. It takes many years of experience to master the art of being a great emcee. You need a great voice. If you bring your friend in or have your uncle dust off his equipment and drive it down from Ohio, do they really have the experience and ability to drive the crowd and create the proper flow needed for you to have an incredibly fun wedding reception? The answer is. "Probably not."

The Purchase Of Professional Grade Equipment
Do your uncle or friend have backup equipment? What's going to happen if he gets into an accident on the way down here ot Charleston and the accident ends totalling all of his gear? True professional wedding DJs bring with them an arsenal of backup equipment. Backup speakers, backup mixers, and additional images of all music should be brought to all weddings to ensure your event is not ruined because equipment malfunctioned.

Maintaining The Professional Image
No matter how fancy you intend on your wedding being, your DJ should NOT show up in a Hawaiian shirt or a t-shirt with a tuxedo screen-printed on the front of it. Mike Bills Entertainment is one of the only owner / operated DJ companies in Charleston and because of that, brides and grooms reap ONE tremendous benefit. There won't be any suprirse who your DJ is going to be. Are you getting an experienced and polished professional wedding DJ showing up at your venue or are you getting a "kid" who is still a bit hungover from his little bar gig the night before who is dressed unprofessionally and embarrassing you and your guests when you make contact? Boy, that is kind of scary, isn't it? If what you prefer is the "latter", then I am certainly not what you are looking for in terms of one of the top wedding DJs in Charleston.

The Dependability Of Professional Wedding DJs
We've all heard the saying when trying to make an impression and move up in the workforce. "Get in early and stay late." That could not be more applicable when thinking about the wedding DJ industry. It really begins with a visit to the wedding venue (long before your wedding day) to make sure the DJ's area will have adequate power and that there are no surprises. I'll be arriving at least 60-90 minutes in advance to load in, set up, do a sound check, test my levels, and tweak any and all other settings needed for the best sound possible. If you have hired me to do your wedding cermeony, I could be arriving as much as 2 hours in advance due to the extra set up required where your ceremony will be occurring.

The Professionals Have Excellent Communication Skills
During the weeks and months leading up to the biggest day of your life, professional wedding DJs will respond in a very timely manner to all emails and phone calls. Simply put, when you are a true professional, you are going to conduct yourself as one. Being a professional and calling yourself comes with it many responsiblities. The timely responses to emails are very important for the bride who might be stressing from a distance trying to work on the details for her Charleston wedding.

The Conclusion

So you can see that hiring your friend or uncle might save a few dollars off your wedding budget. But, look at what you are sacrificing in lieu of those savings. A professional wedding DJ spends hours and hours getting ready for your wedding. Your decision as to who you hire for your wedding in Charleston should not be one to take lightly. If there is one category on your wedding budget that you should not cut costs and actually more on, it would be your wedding DJ. Are you enjoying this website and blog as much as I am producing the good, quality content? Have I told you how much I love sitting down with a brand new couple to begin mapping out a plan for their own perfect soundtrack for their Charleston wedding day? It's a big passion of mine and when you are as passionate as I am, it comes through in every single wedding performance you do. I'll be meeting couples this weekend for 2018! Get ready for a new tradition beginning this Monday as I try to structure my posts a little. #MusicMonday begins this week and will feature even more playlist ideas.