"If you are getting married one of the first wedding vendors you need to book is your wedding DJ but you didn't do that, so what now?" - Ramsey from U7 Austin DJ
Ah yes, you're feeling pretty good now that you've booked all your wedding vendors and can relax and let your wedding planner take the lead. Wait a minute, something is missing, oh snap! You and your partner just realized that you still haven't booked your wedding DJ! No worries, you still have 3-4 months to go and you'll just reach back to the DJ's you were planning on booking for your wedding. But as you reach out to all the Austin wedding DJ's you favorited for your big day, you find that every one of the DJ's you were considering are all booked for your wedding date! Now the panic set's in and the scrambling begins to find an Austin wedding DJ that ticks all your boxes and fits the part begins!
If you find yourself in this situation, you've procrastinated so long and assumed that all your favorite wedding DJ's would still be available for your wedding date which is a serious newbie mistake. However, this might be your first wedding, I don't judge, so I'll let you off the hook. In fact, this blog is to guide you to finding the perfect wedding DJ.
So your favorite DJs are booked, you ask your wedding planner for help and your wedding planners favorite Dj's are booked! Yikes! What now? Are you now stuck gambling on all the Austin wedding DJ's that don't exactly meet your requirements?
Not exactly, Austin Texas is a music capital of Texas, some say the world but come on??/ That's laughable. Nonetheless, if you take my solid planning advice you will find the perfect DJ for your wedding day. Ok, since you've gotten this far in this wedding DJ blog, let's talk about the top ten questions you need to ask your last minute wedding DJ before you book them and pay your deposit.
Are you Insured? Will you send my venue your C.O.I.?
What does your booth look like? How old are the photos?
How many weddings have you performed at?
Do you have reviews that I can read?
Have you ever worked at my venue?
Have you ever worked with any of the wedding vendors I've already booked?
Do you have Deco rentals? Photo booth? Sparklers? Co2 Guns?
Do you have a legal binding contract?
Are there any hidden fees? taxes? discounts?
Do you have wireless microphones for the ceremony?
Let's go over why these are legit questions to ask a professional Austin wedding DJ
Are you Insured? Will you send my venue your C.O.I.? Any Austin Wedding company worth their weight in salt will have insurance and can provide C.O.I. to your venue. What is a C.O.I you ask? Great question, it is a certificate of insurance that says they covered when working on site. Most venues I work with already have my certificate of insurance on file and only ask once a year for my updated certificate. DO NOT HIRE A WEDDING COMPANY THAT IS NOT INSURED! All wedding vendors DJ or not should and will be insured. Ask them straight up and if they can not provide the C.O.I. you should run as far from that hustle as possible. Nothing good will come form hiring uninsured wedding vendors, the money you save might cost you so much more in the end, like a ruined wedding day that you can never live down!
What does your booth look like? How old are the photos? U7 Austin DJ has the highest standard of equipment and comes with all the bells and whistles, I have an all white look that adds class to dance floor. I'm not saying my look is the best but you do need to make sure the Austin Wedding DJ company you hire has the "look" you want. A black table cloth on a table with black speakers is not the wedding look my clients go for. My Brides and Grooms love my all white look that helps pull of the fancy elegant look that they envision for their dream wedding dance party. So ask for photos of their set up and remember that they should have more than one set up. I have a set up for ceremony and a completely different set up for dinner and dancing. So if you need high production to pull of the luxury white wedding look you have as your wedding day vision, speak up and don't settle for black gear and a black wedding facade or DJ set up. As my own wife reminded me when I wanted to have the all black wedding look because it was "cool"... "this is a wedding not a funeral", the all white look softens the room up and creates the luxury most brides and grooms are looking for! I'm not going to tell her, but she was right, folks!
How many weddings have you performed at? I have been DJing weddings for over 5 years and am a full time wedding DJ company located in Austin Texas. I serve central Texas and have done so many types of weddings from Large grande affairs that cost more than my home to intimate micro weddings. Because all weddings are different, you have to know how to DJ for different types of events and sizes. If your wedding DJ is a newbie remember you will get what you paid for and they might make rookie mistakes. In all honesty I did, so I speak from experience when I say wedding experience matters, as a dj that had performed thousands of times, I wasn't ready for the world of weddings when I first jumped into the Austin wedding DJ scene, it is stressful in ways I did't realize and it took years of weddings to get to the level of DJing emceeing that I am at today. So experience counts and bars, festivals and house parties just aren't the same thing, sorry to say!
Do you have reviews that I can read? All Austin wedding DJ's will have reviews that you can find from a simple internet search. So you should read over those reviews and make sure that you like what you read. And, if you see something that flags your attention ask them why, what, when and where? Make sure you feel comfortable with their answers to why they got less than stellar reviews. After all we are only human and some people will find fault in anything and everything so you do have those kinds of reviewers that are terribly negative and never have anything nice to say. Nonetheless, make sure that the Austin wedding DJ you hire has a history of 5 star service and has gained your trust before you sign on the dotted line.
Have you ever worked at my venue? While this isn't the end game question it does help when they have already have experience with weddings at your chosen venue. It will help with organizing and the flow of the event when all the staff has had past experience with that venue and the venues staff.
Have you ever worked with any of the wedding vendors I've already booked? Hiring an Austin wedding DJ that has already worked with your booked wedding vendors will help to make sure your wedding day is flawless and it will ease your mind knowing that your wedding professionals are familiar with each others work style. I am always willing to work with new people however it is easier when I already know their communication style or work ethic so that I can adjust my own wedding companies needs to the teams. Team work makes the dream work!
Do you have Deco rentals? Photo booth? Sparklers? Co2 Guns? Professional Austin wedding Dj companies will have all the bells and whistles because they have been in the game long enough to have collected a rental catalog. Finding an Austin wedding DJ company that also has rentals makes it easier on everyone. Not just is it one less vendor you have to add to the team but Austin wedding Dj companies will have deals with their DJ service. Often their wedding dj service will come with a photo booth or up-lighting. Ask to see their design catalog and what deals they have.
Do you have a legal binding contract? I am always dumbfounded when I hear that a bride and groom went with an Austin wedding DJ company that didn't have them sign a contract and they got hustled. NEVER DO THAT! A friend of a friend that DJed your cousins sisters wedding for cheap still should have a contract of service, period. All your wedding vendors must have legal binding contracts that are clear and without any concerns or questions on your end. Contracts are set up to protect both you and the Austin wedding DJ company that you hire. Why would any professional DJ company not want that? So if they cannot provide you with a contract of service the answer is ... NO CONTRACT... NO DEAL... period!
Are there any hidden fees? taxes? discounts? Ask straight up about extra fees and hidden cost. This is a common practice hire in the south to advertise one price and then hit them with all the extra fee's. If your Austin wedding DJ is not being transparent about cost that is a sign that they aren't professional and that said DJ company is not a good fit. Why hide the price from a client? I would never do that! Why do they need to do that? I cannot answer that question because I'm always confused when I hear that clients got hit with hidden fees from wedding vendors. What is there to hide? Is that their sells pitch? U7 Austin DJ will never do that because it's shady and unprofessional. Taxes is the Austin area are currently 8.25% which if you are from outside Travis County is higher than the 6.25% of smaller Texas counties or other states in The States. You will most likely be charged for a sales tax rate of up to a maximum combined state and local rate of 8.25%. However, you will never be charged more than 8.25% for sales tax, anywhere in the state of Texas.
Do you have wireless microphones for the ceremony? This is the number one question I am asked by Austin Brides and Grooms that want to hire me for their ceremony. Do I have a lapel mic or handheld wireless microphone. I cannot imagine a professional Austin wedding DJ company saying no to this question but I have heard from leads that that is very much the case. If they do not have something as simple as a lapel for your officiant you should run the other direction because they aren't ready for this wedding jelly!
There it is folks! I hope this blog helps you find an Austin wedding DJ company that will add to your wedding day and not subtract from it. If you have more questions check out my FAQ. If you think U7 Austin DJ would be a match for your wedding, I'd love to talk with you about what you envision for your dream wedding day dance party. You can schedule a free consultation with U7 Austin DJ where I can better understand the needs and desires you have for your big day. Feel free to head on over to the contact page to get the ball rolling and congratulations on your engagement to your best friend.
