As an award winning and top Rochester Wedding and Event DJ, and the owner of Kalifornia Entertainment, I have had the opportunity to hear many stories; some good, others… not so much about different weddings and events with all types of DJ’s. With the plethora of people looking to make a few extra bucks on the weekend, and with some of the horror stories floating around, it’s no wonder that local Rochester bride and grooms are becoming a bit skeptical when it comes to booking a cheap DJ for their wedding or event. So I felt the need to make a quick blog entry that explains how That Cheap DJ Might Be Costing You A Lot.
That Cheap DJ Might Be Costing You A Lot
Let’s face it, even a bad DJ can be a good talker and might make you believe they are a good choice. But the honest truth is you’ll need much more than talk for your wedding day in order to keep your guests engaged and your celebration stress-free, smooth flowing and fun. That cheap DJ might be costing you a lot by ruining the most important day of your life.
DJs these days are truly “a dime a dozen”, with every household claiming at least one or two somewhere in the family tree. Why are they so common? Well, unlike a doctor or a lawyer where there are laws requiring that they verify their knowledge and education in their field before opening their own business or practice, there is simply no such law for DJs. Anyone can do it, quickly and easily.
For a Rochester DJ, starting a business is about as easy as ordering a bunch of cheap business cards online at Vista Print. And they can often stay in business because most brides and grooms won’t learn what questions they should have asked their DJ before hiring them, until after their wedding when it is too late.
This scenario is a common occurrence not only in the Rochester wedding market, but worldwide. And it doesn’t stop at DJ’s. Other vendors hop on the wedding train to try and make a quick buck as well, such as Photographers, Videographers, Coordinators, Officiants, and so on. The lack of regulations, rules and guidelines for becoming a DJ combined with the ease of online access to music, as well as cheap audio equipment and lighting, makes for an enticing proposition for someone who wants to make some easy money.
Although it is easy to understand why someone might want to go into the DJ business for themselves, however, the desire by itself to start a business of their own does not magically invoke the skills, talent or experience necessary for keeping a formal wedding celebration and a ballroom filled with guests on the path to an exciting and unforgettable evening.
It is not uncommon to hear that a DJ got started because they went to a great wedding themselves and thought it looked so easy and fun that they could do it too, without realizing that what made that wedding so fun and look so easy was because it was being ran and directed by a really good professional wedding DJ business who has spent a lot of time doing the following:
- Learned and practiced their craft in order to create a celebration that would come off flawlessly
- Invested in top quality equipment and lighting
- Learned how to mix music by key and beat
- Learned how to read the crowd and shift things at the slightest change in energy
- Takes great pride in making their setups and equipment look polished and professional (no hanging cables, trip hazards, etc)
- Learned how to MC and announce different aspects of the event with perfect execution
- Built up a solid library of high quality music that can cater to all age groups
- Has a professional website and social media presence
- Has legitimate business insurance
- Has won industry awards and achievements
- Has many positive reviews on different websites such as Weddingwire, The Knot, Facebook, Google, etc
- Constantly has referrals from clients and other vendors
CAUTION AHEAD!
The honest truth when someone is looking for a DJ in the Rochester wedding market is Buyer Beware when it comes to choosing the person who will be running the entertainment for your event. It is very likely that the inexpensive DJ you chose, in order to save some money, most likely will contain limited knowledge, experience and professionalism whatsoever as to what is really involved in creating an exceptional wedding celebration.
This is also why there can be such a huge discrepancy in pricing among Rochester DJs. For the inexperienced DJ, it’s simply about showing up with whatever low-cost equipment they could scrounge up, play music for several hours and collect the cash. They don’t have much involved so they can easily give a dirt-cheap price.
For the more professional DJ who understands that a flawless celebration requires many hours of planning and preparation, the price points are a little higher but you are paying for that experience, professionalism and the many other things that make the great ones stand out (as stated in the bullets above).
The key to a successful celebration is in first knowing what type of wedding experience you are hoping to create, and then learning what types of questions you should be asking your potential Rochester DJ so that you can ensure to the best of your ability that your wedding DJ will have the skills, talent and dedication necessary to help you create that experience.
If you would like to learn more about what to look for in a Wedding DJ, and what questions you should be asking, please feel free to look at these links below from other articles I posted on my blog:
- Questions To Ask Your DJ
- 5 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Wedding DJ
- 9 Reasons Why Hiring an Amateur Wedding DJ Is a Huge Mistake
- 8 Signs Of A GREAT Wedding DJ
- Why Your Wedding DJ Must Have Insurance
- Wedding DJs Should Know How To Mix Properly
- The Jobs and Responsibilities Of DJ’s That Go Beyond The Music
- Are You Paying For Just Music Or Paying For A Plan Too
- Hire Your DJ First Not Last!
- Why Hiring A DJ Is Important
Best wishes and may you have the best wedding celebration ever. I hope you enjoyed reading a little here about how That Cheap DJ Might Be Costing You A Lot. If you would like to learn more about how Kalifornia Entertainment is the best Rochester DJ and entertainment vendor for your next big event, fill out this inquiry form with your details and we will get back to you right away with additional information.
Joshua V. – DJ Kalifornia
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