What to ask each vendor to guarantee your big day is a success.
By: Deborah WittWhat to Ask Your Musicians or DJs
"DJs and musicians set the tempo for your party," says Rabideau. "You want to make sure you find the right professionals who can keep your guests entertained."
Photo Credit: Three Nail Photography
1. What genres can you cover? Do you have any particular specialties?
2. Do you have a DVD from a previous wedding you performed at that I can view? And where can we see you perform live?
3. Can my fiancé and I give you “do play” and “do no-play” lists?
4. Do you have ideas to encourage more guests to dance? (For example, are they willing and able to deviate from their set list to try and energize the crowd?) What’s your game plan if you notice guests aren’t dancing?
5. Do you provide the sound equipment or does it have to be rented elsewhere? And do you have backup equipment should something go wrong?
6. Do you have a technician who stays on site if there’s a problem? (This is especially important if you have an outside event, or are booking a venue that doesn’t typically handle weddings.)
7. Do you provide any lighting design? What kind of space/staging requirements do you have?
8. Does your pricing include set-up and breakdown? How much time do you need for set-up, breaks, breakdown?
9. How many breaks do you need and for how long? Will you play recorded music during breaks?
10. What will you be wearing — can I make specific attire requests?
