Chicago DJ vs. Friend with an IPod

May 30, 2006

So many couples want to shave a few hundred dollars off their wedding budget the closer they get to the wedding date.  Some of them consider hiring their friend to DJ their wedding instead of paying for a professional DJ to entertain their guests.  Even though their friend is armed with an IPod & a laptop to act as a wedding DJ for a day, it doesn’t replace the experience professional DJs have to keep your wedding guests rocking all night long.

I can’t tell you how many times couples have asked me about hiring their friends for different aspects of their wedding.  With technology changing so much nowadays it seems like a good idea to save a few dollars and have Cousin Jimmy take care of the music for the night.  Here are a few things to consider before making this decision:

If you’ve ever been to different clubs around town, you can probably tell that not everyone knows how to DJ an event.  An experienced DJ can sense when the energy is lagging just a bit and will put on just the right song to keep everyone moving and having a good time.  An inexperienced DJ may not necessarily have this gift and might play songs that will have the wrong effect on your guests.

This is the moment when couples usually tell me that this won’t happen since they will program the IPod or laptop themselves so they’ll get exactly the right songs for the night.  While it’s always good to tell your DJ what songs you’d like him/her to play at your wedding, the DJ will still have to mix the songs and play the right songs at the right time. 

Another thing to consider is that your DJ is usually the emcee for the event, as well.  Your friend might be the nicest person in the world, but it takes a special person to emcee an event.  Usually that person has a sense of humor and will announce your speakers with just the right amount of charisma.  Again, it takes a great deal of time to hone that skill.

I went to an event last year that had a non-professional DJ provide the tunes all night.  For one thing, this person sat down the entire time and never made an announcement that night about anything.  And, he let every single song play out until the last quiet note at the end of the song.  That’s not how you DJ.  A good DJ will mix one cool song into another song BEFORE it plays out until the very end.  Otherwise, it feels like you’re at a talent show or a dance at the local grade school.

Here are a few DJs to contact:

Sound Emotion
SpecEvent Entertainment

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