What does it take to create an OUT OF THIS WOLD Reception?

High Expectations?

Picky?

Know what you want?

Creating your life-long dream wedding reception should be a breeze!

Most of my brides are very picky when it comes to their entertainment. They have certain genres of music that they want to be played at their reception and they want their event to flow smoothly. Additionally, they want everyone to have a great time. The DJ or MC must be a professional who knows what he or she is doing and will make the guest of honor look good for choosing their service. They want spectacular announcements; Clear and Concise, a great mix of music, and they want to have the best reception, ever!

Pretty standard and straight foreword right?!

Well… it is. I have to usually entertain two to three and sometimes even up to four different cultures. I don’t want to sound too, overly confident, but most of my Weddings and Quinceaneras are very successful and I usually get a big thank you from the bride and groom, Quinceanera, or the parents at the end of every reception. The majority of the people whom I entertain have High Expectations and standards, are Picky, and know exactly what they want. As a result, they are very grateful once their reception comes out as they expected.

So How do you Create that Out of this World Reception?

Practice & N-joy!

Yes, it takes practice and you have to enjoy what you do. The link above is a YouTube website for Brian S. Redd, a DJ in Milwaukee who likes to share his wedding experience on YouTube. I think I watched over 10 of his videos today and I was entertained to see how he works.

Back to our topic, What does it take to create an Out of this World Reception, and that is…

  1. Know Your Client

    As wedding professionals, we hear this over and over again. However, most don’t understand what it means. To me, this means that I have to know what they want, what will make them rest at night, what they have in mind when they book me, what their expectations are, what their needs are, and so on. On our first visit, I usually ask them more questions than what they ask me. And of course, the ones that have gotten informed through the internet always ask me the same questions, because they research online and find the top questions to ask your DJ. I will answer them, most of the time they can’t even remember them all. Once they are finished asking me those questions, I begin asking them my questions. I want to know who they are, how they met, how they fell in love, how they describe their parents, their family members, their friends, their bridal party. I want to know what they do for a living and if they love what they do, I want to know how they think how they talk, how they present themselves. Sometimes, I even ask them why they are getting married, some look at me weird, some answer. It’s not always the same reason, sometimes there are underlying reasons. Then I want to know what they expect from me, what is most important to them about their reception, about the music played. After all, how good of a job will you do if you don’t understand the people for whom you are serving (Working For).

  2. Know The Music

    This is very important, after all, approx. 90+% of the time the DJ is playing music. During The arrival of the guests, what styles of music fit best, During the Dinner, what styles of music is appropriate. What do you, as the wedding professional recommends for the traditional dances and traditional reception events. And of course, the reason you are hired, how do you keep the crowd on the dance floor all night long? By knowing the music and knowing how to switch between the different genres that keep the dance floor full. In my case, I have a wide variety of music to chose from, however, knowing what to play takes some specialized knowledge. There are the sure hits, the songs that you know will get people on the dance floor, once that song is over, there has to be a good song, and then another and then another. In the middle of that mix, you have to start thinking about how you are going to bring in the next group of dancers by switching the beats. Is your dance floor filled with teenagers and some adults? What will keep most of those teenagers and bring in more adults? Are the adults with their significant others, or is it a bunch of women having a great time? All those factors and a lot more have to be taken into consideration when you program music. And knowing the top hits of the year, or the year before is important.

  3. Know how to Plan, Organize, and Coordinate the Reception

    There are times when there is no wedding coordinator. Although it is not the DJ’s Job to coordinate a wedding reception, the DJ is someone who has been to many weddings, has an understanding of how a typical wedding reception runs, and usually shares the control and responsibility even when there is a wedding coordinator present. So it should be obvious that he should have the common courtesy in helping the bride and groom coordinate the wedding. I know that most DJs do not agree with this because it’s extra work, it’s something they don’t charge for, and it really is not their responsibility. Most DJs are just there to play the music and help the people that want to dance have a great time. But, if they want the bride and groom to be 110% satisfied, they will take on the extra responsibility and help with what they know. Now, this is not to say that wedding coordinators are not necessary, because they are, they can do a lot more than a DJ and they are usually worth what they charge. I would encourage people to hire a wedding coordinator, but if the budget does not allow it, then I usually provide some insight and share my Sample Wedding Itinerary.

  4. Know how to work well with the other Wedding Professionals

    This is huge, knowing how to work well with a team is one of the most important elements in life. Chances are if the DJ does not get along well with other people, he will be the one that starts to create a “bad feeling” between the wedding professionals present. At a recent ADJA (American Disc Jockey Association) meeting, there were a few Hotel and Venue Catering Directors from NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). As DJ’s we feel that we pretty much are in control and are very important to the overall success of the party. When that was mentioned, a couple of the people present from NACE made a great point. And that is, that everyone is equally as important. In a team setting, there is no team member more important than the other. That was a great statement made and it really made great sense.

  5. Know your Objectives

    Not only does everything happen for a reason, but the DJ should have a reason for everything he or she does. During dinner, the objective is to make people feel welcomed, feel at home, feel in a romantic family atmosphere where they can feel that they can talk and catch up with friends and family they have not seen in a long time. Soft, romantic background music can easily archive that. Every event and activity should have an objective and the DJ is the one in command making sure the objective is appropriate, good fun, clean, and meaningful to everyone present.

  6. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!

    Well if the DJ is not excited about having the best time of his life, how can you expect to help others do the same. Weddings are fun, they are exciting, they are full of emotions and people want to have a great time. So it’s easy for DJ to help others have fun, they already want it, they already expect it so now all the DJ has to do is play a few great songs, say a few great comments over the microphone throughout the night, and it will spark a fun-loving flame that will last all night long.

This is everything I do to ensure that everything comes out great and that every reception I DJ is an OUT OF THIS WORLD reception.

Happy Planning!


Francisco H. Perez
“Simply Frank”
Houston’s Premiere Bilingual Wedding DJ

By Simply Frank

Francisco Perez has been a Professional Wedding DJ in the Houston Area Since 1999 which has allowed him to grow into a leader in the community. Now he is sharing his wisdom with informative posts about the industry. Weddings are his passion because they are centered around LOVE and commitment that two people make to each other for the rest of their lives. The name Simply Frank describes his style perfectly, Simple and Frank or Simply Frank

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