Top 7 Biggest Music Mistakes Seen By Some Of The Best Charleston Wedding DJs

Can you imagine what the world would be like without music?  It sure would be boring, wouldn't it? It would definitely be a world where I don't think I would last more than a few days.   If you are like most modern brides and grooms, you probably have an Iphone or Android full of your favorite music. The music is probably arranged into numerous playlists. Perhaps you have a "girls night out" playlist, or a playlist you use for your yoga class on Saturday mornings, or even a playlist you use for those heavy duty cardio days.  Well, if you are going to go to that great an effort to organize and compartmentalize your music into various activities of your life, then why wouldn't you do the same for one of the most important days of your life.  Your Wedding day here in Charleston. You've dreamed about this day coming up here in Charleston. Your guests are coming here from all over the country.  The wedding DJ / entertainment you choose for your Charleston wedding must be looked upon as one of the vital pieces of the puzzle to ensure you and your guests have the best time ever. But, still, even as we get ready to turn over into 2019, brides and grooms are still making the same mistakes when selecting their Charleston Wedding DJ. If you've just gotten engaged or will very soon, you'll want to read on.

During the time I've been in business, I've seen it all when it comes to the major mistakes that brides and grooms make when hiring their wedding DJ.  It's not really their fault for making these mistakes, but it's up to some of the best Charleston wedding DJs to educate future engaged couples on what NOT to do. Before I get into these 7 mistakes, I have to tell you that your wedding DJ / entertainment is SECOND in importance behind your wedding venue.  You can make the case that music is more important than food and alcohol. After all, how fun would it be if you were drinking your adult beverages WITHOUT any great music? How would your nicely catered entrees taste without any dinner music? In order to avoid these 7 mistakes, brides and grooms must look at their wedding DJ with the utmost of importance.  Scroll down now for the 7 biggest mistakes made when hiring a wedding DJ.

Hiring An Amateur Wedding DJ
Your typical "amateur wedding DJ" who advertises on Craigslist and has a crappy, non-classy website is doing it to make a few extra dollars.  If something breaks, they really don't care, as they will just go on to the next victim who calls upon them for $350.00. The consummate professional wedding DJ treats every single client with the greatest of care. They treat every single client as though their life depends on it because they have a pristine reputation to protect.  Amateur wedding DJs are far from polished and since they won't be looking at your wedding seriously, they will most likely have sub-standard equipment and probably not know how to speak on the microphone  or even write a sentence,  nor have all your music. 

Hiring an amateur wedding DJ may net you a set up that looks like this. You've spent in some cases thousands of dollars on decor and don't want it messed up by an unsightly amateur rig setup.

Not Hiring Your Wedding DJ Right After Your Venue
As I mentioned up above, in order to prevent making any of these 7 mistakes, you must take hiring your wedding DJ VERY SERIOUSLY. That serious approach toward your wedding DJ begins immediately after signing the contract for your wedding venue here in Charleston. The very best wedding DJs have their calendar booked well in advance.  If you wait til the last minute to book your wedding DJ, all the great ones will be gone and the chances that your wedding will become forgettable will increase greatly.  Do you really want to hire an inexperienced amateur wedding DJ who might not even be in business by the time your wedding day comes?

Up above, you see a glimpse of the landscape out at Middleton Place. Right after you book your wedding at Middleton Place or other gorgeous wedding venue in Charleston, be sure to get a top DJ under contract as soon as possible.

Not Taking The Time To Meet Your Charleston Wedding DJ
Meeting with your DJ is the right thing to do. Meeting with your DJ is the best way to get to know their personality. If you don't live in Charleston and would like to take the time to vet from a remote location, schedule a call with a few DJs. How do these DJs talk with you? Their personality should come through to you (even through the phone).  When you do meet your DJ, bring some questions with you.  Check out this fairly recent post about 8 Quick Questions To Ask When Meeting Your Wedding DJ  Planning a wedding can be stressful, but meeting with your wedding DJ and getting to know them a little bit will go a long way in letting you know that you are in great hands and have made the right hiring decision.

You should always make it a point to meet with your wedding DJ at least one time before your wedding. During the days and weeks leading up to your wedding, your DJ should be very responsive to emails.  Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

Zero Involvement In Selecting Your Wedding Music
The best Charleston Wedding DJs will sit down with you and get to know your musical likes and dislikes. Those same DJs will often allow you to log into their website and begin selecting your music.  If the wedding entertainment is going to be one of the most important aspects of your wedding day, then the music has got to be perfect.  The music should be about YOU, your fiance, your family and close guests.  The day is about you, so the music should about you. Do I sound like a broken record yet? Ok, let me say it one more time. "The music should be about YOU". When you are walking around your wedding reception and greeting all those 150 people you invited, you will be in a great mood and you'll be smiling. You'll be smiling for many reasons, but one of the big reasons you'll be smiling is for all the wonderful music you love that you'll hear coming out of the speakers. 

Being involved in selecting your wedding music is important because it ensures you get the type of sound and vibe at your Charleston wedding you've always dreamed about. It's easy as being on your Macbook, PC or tablet with my company. Log in from anywhere to begin selecting the music for your big day. 

Lack Of A Do Not Play List
As you begin to put together a list of songs that you love, grab a separate sheet of paper and put a heading on it called "Do Not Play List". The music that you do not like has no business being played at your wedding. Your wedding DJ should talk to you about this and don't sign any contracts until you talk to them about this very important part of your music preparation. 

Does hearing that corny line dance make you cringe? Don't like hearing the same old wedding music? Professional wedding DJs will sit down with you and ask you exactly what you want. This means the creation of a Do Not Play List.

Trying To Save Money On Your Wedding DJ
The lower cost Charleston Wedding DJs are charging less because they lack the arsenal of professional grade equipment required to perform at a wedding at a high level.  That same amateur wedding DJ isn't going to have the backup equipment needed to fall back on in the event of a technical issue. Remember what I said up above? Those DJs are doing it for fun. If a speaker blows or their mixer shuts off in the middle of a song, they'll just laugh it off and ruin your wedding day.   Do you really want to take a chance and save money by hiring a "cheap" wedding DJ?  Does it make any sense that you spent $9,500 on your wedding venue but want to hire a "cheap" wedding DJ? NO. Does it make sense that you have decided to have a plated meal by one of the finest caterers in Charleston and you still are thinking about hiring a "cheap" wedding DJ? NO. Do you see a pattern? Don't cut corners on your wedding entertainment.   If you try to save money on a wedding DJ, you will end up losing it all when you find out a DJ has taken your money and run, taken down their website, and stopped answering the phone as your wedding day approaches.  Each year in Charleston, there is always word on the streets that this happened. It's sad that this type of activity still happens, but you can prevent it from happening by finding the right professional wedding DJ that fits you both as a couple.
Other Things To Ponder As You Consider Hiring A Cheap Wedding DJ
1.  They won't be as polished.
2. They won't be as professional and might use your wedding reception as a time to audition for stand-up comedy.
3. They won't know how to read the crowd like a professional wedding DJ.
4. Their music collection will not be that great. 
5. Their music knowledge will not be that great.
6. They could be out of business by the time your wedding day arrives.

Photo Credit: Hollis Johnson | I still have not been able to find a brand new bright red Ferrari for $500.00 yet. When I do, I'll be sure to let you know. For the best wedding DJs in Charleston, you will be paying a premium price. Cheap DJs are never great. Great DJs are never cheap.

Thinking That A Wedding DJ "Just" Plays Music

That "cheap" and "amateur" wedding DJ you've contemplated hiring will try to tell you that this is all that DJs are there to do. But, once again, look at the source.  There are lots of hour put in before the DJ ever gets to your wedding venue on the day of your wedding. Check out some of the duties that a professional wedding DJ has when you hired them.
1. Music Research And Playlist Creation
2. Wedding Planner Consultations About Timelines
3. Wedding Venue Site Surveys
4. Providing Master Of Ceremonies duties
5. In-Person Or Facetime / Skype Consultations With Couples
6. Playing The Right Songs At The Right Time
These are just "some" of the many things that go into each and every one of my events.  When you book your wedding with my company, I will do whatever it takes to make your wedding day the most memorable ever.  That is NOT something you'll get when you hire a "Cheap" Wedding DJ.  I remember talking to a prospective client a few months ago who told me she was at a wedding recently and the DJ looked to be a little trigger happy and played "Blurred Lines" during dinner and then walked outside to smoke a cigarette. When he got back, there was no music playing, and it took him another 2-3 minutes of fiddling around trying to cue up another song. Professional wedding DJs don't take a break at your wedding. We don't have time to take breaks or even eat vendor meals.  Most all of the time, my vendor meal gets eaten on the way home.  Pushing buttons is 1/100 of a DJ's job.  

Conclusion
The reputation that I have achieved as one of the top Charleston Wedding DJs is something I have worked VERY hard to achieve.  I'm not in the habit of leading anyone the wrong way when it comes to hiring their wedding DJ.  What you've read in this blog post as well as every other post on my website about finding the best DJ for you is based on tried and true results I've seen over the years with my clients. Everything you read here is what works for my clients.  Everything you read here is tried and true and will prevent you from making these 7 mistakes when hiring the DJ for your Charleston wedding.  When I set out to create my brand, I analyzed ALL the mistakes I've seen DJ's make over the years and created a formula for how I treat my clients, and a formula that would eliminate all of those mishaps. This is what you get and then some when you hire my company, Mike Bills Entertainment.

Wanna Check  Mike's Availability As Your Charleston Wedding DJ?
Finding the best Charleston wedding DJ is like anything else. You do get what you pay for.  There are lots of reasons why some DJs might be higher in price than your Gigmasters or Craiglist wedding DJ. Most all of those reasons were touched upon in this post.  To put it into more simpler terms: "Cheap DJs are NEVER great, and Great DJs are NEVER cheap".   The success of your wedding DJ / entertainment is the leading factor in whether or not you are going to have the time of your lives. Don't ever let price be your deciding factor in who your Charleston Wedding DJ will be. The best wedding DJs here in Charleston are going to be higher in costs than your amateurs I've spoke of.  You are only going to get married once, don't scrimp on your wedding DJ budget and be sure to hire a great one who will knock it out of the park for you.  I want very much and would love to help you create the best soundtrack for you and your fiance. Thank you very much for making it to the end of this blog post. My blog is a labor of love of mine. You'll find so many great articles about finding your wedding DJ, as well as music and tips.    I've recently added a new page on my website that brings together a lot of the most informative articles over the past several months.  Charleston Wedding DJ Tips & Music If you'd like to set up a time to talk with me about being the DJ for your Charleston wedding, please click HERE to tell me a little more about your big day. I'm available by email, phone, or even Facetime and Skype. Click the image down below for another informative post about why you should hire me to DJ your wedding.