What is a Wedding DJ?

There is a common question that I get asked a lot;

What is the difference between a DJ and a Wedding DJ?

It may sound like a dumb question but I assure you… It’s not.

There is indeed a difference between your regular DJ and a Wedding DJ.

First, before I got into detail about the two, let’s define the different types of DJs that you may come across.

1. Disc Jockey (DJ): According to wikipedia, “A disc jockey (also called DJ) is an individual who selects and plays prerecorded music for an intended audience.” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_jockey
   In addition, the term Disc Jockey came from the old days of the Black Vinyl Record Discs, not CD’s as some may think. So, according to this definition anyone is a DJ if you play prerecorded music for an intended audience, which means there really is NO CERTIFICATION, Accreditation, or anything else required to be a DJ. Scary, Huh!
   
2. Club Disc Jockey: Club DJ’s are those who just regularly play music at clubs. Pretty basic huh. So they normally deal with large crowds, usually do not have to come over the microphone, the club promoters do that. And they usually stick to a few genres of music. Those genres are usually they styles of music they like or like to mix. Club DJ’s are not required to own any equipment, as all they really need is their music and themselves, the club provides the rest of the equipment. They do have to be very skilled at matching beats seamlessly so that the entire night’s experience feels like one looong, danceable fun song.
3. Radio Disc Jockeys: Radion DJ’s are, of course the ones you hear in the radio. They are sometimes the same person doing all the talking on the radio and sometimes they are not even heard at all except for the mixes they create. Sometimes they are the Club DJ’s doing a mix, live for a radio station. Radio DJ’s do not have to match beats, in fact they play very little music now-a-days. Additionally, they do not require any additional equipment other than the music they need and their mixing skills.
4. Mobile Disc Jockeys: Mobile DJ’s, are as their, title states, mobile, or able to move from one place to another and provide not just music, but the equipment required to create the desired atmosphere. Mobile DJ’s can do just about any party and their skills do not have to include beat mixing, which I think is a vital skill of any Disc Jockey. But some do great without beat mixing any song all night. Additionally, Mobile DJ’s must be able to play the majority of the genres out there, or know at least a few songs of each genre. Basically, they have to cater to all the guests and make sure they play music suitable for people of all ages. Mobile DJ’s can do any type of event, from Weddings, Quinceañeras, Birthday Parties, Bar / Bat Mitzvahs, Company Parties, Holiday Celebrations, Corporate Events, etc..
5. Wedding Disc Jockeys: Wedding DJ’s, are the ones who only do Weddings, or at least the majority of their events are Weddings. I consider myself a Wedding DJ because I Love DJing Weddings, I spend a lot of time and effort finding ways to improve a wedding reception (from what I can control), 95% of the events I do are Weddings. By doing a wedding every weekend of the year, I create some failsafe techniques that allow me to create that fun, memorable and enjoyable atmosphere that the brides are looking for. If I go just one week without doing a wedding, I feel like I have to work extra hard to make sure I help the Bride and Groom create an amazing reception for them and their guests.

Q: Can Non-Wedding DJ do a great job at DJing a wedding?

YES! Absolutely. However, they might not be familiar with the ins and outs of running a wedding reception. For example, a wedding, from the view point of a DJ, can be broken down into 3 major sections: The Ceremony, Dinner, and The Celebration. Those are the 3 major parts of a wedding and each one is handled differently as far as music used to set the correct mood. Another thing that DJ’s are not used to is running an event from a time line, or Itinerary. This is very important because All the announcements have to coordinate with what’s happening, what the DJ says over the Microphone has to coordinate with what the staff is doing, so that requires constant communication with the catering director or the room captain. The DJ has to be aware of where the Bride and Groom are as well as where all the other wedding professionals are throughout the night. If he announces that the first dance is next and the bride and groom are not ready for it. He just made EVERYONE look bad, himself, the bride and groom, and the staff at the venue. Next comes the blame game… of course it gets worse from there.

Again, by only focusing my efforts in doing weddings, I can foresee a lot of the common challenges and be in a great position to adjust to any unforeseen challenges.

Public Speaking!!!!

One of the top 5 fears in approx 80% of the I’ve seen is……

THE FEAR of PUBLIC SPEAKING!

On some surveys, they even list Public speaking as #1 over the fear of spiders, death, and flying!!! So, there are A LOT of DJ’s who do not come on the microphone at all during your event. For weddings, can you imagine a DJ not announcing the first dance, the person doing the toast, the introductions of the bride and groom along with their bridal party… How awful would that be? Even if you get an uncle or cousin to do it, it will not be the same… Well unless your uncle or cousin is used to doing public speeches, then you might be ok.

Don’t assume your DJ will be doing all the announcements at your wedding. There are some DJ Companies in Houston who charge an additional fee for the DJ to speak. I love to do all the necessary announcements, and I, like you, feel that it is the responsibility of the DJ to make sure that all the announcements are done in a Professional, Presentable, and memorable manner. After all It’s a WEDDING for God’s sake! A day people will cherish and remember for the rest of their lives matrimony.

What do you think, is there any difference between a Wedding DJ and a Regular DJ?

Happy Planning!
—
Francisco H. Perez
Your Bilingual Wedding DJ in Houston