Great Rate DJs Blog

On Saturday August 6, 2011, DJ/Emcee Mohammad Gharib performed at Terri and Chris’ wedding reception held at Weatherford’s Grand Lodge in Oregon City, Oregon. Great Rate DJs just received the following feedback from the groom.

‘DJ Mohammad was excellent! I could not have asked for anyone better. His willingness to “do whatever it takes” made the evening memorable. Mohammad was extremely professional, even when teenagers were requesting music. He went above and beyond my expectations. I would refer Mohammad to anyone that would ask. I can not say enough good things about him. He was prompt, even early with his equipment, and was ready to go when we needed him. He anticipated our needs. I wish the music every wedding reception could go as smoothly as ours did. Mohammad has a “do whatever it takes” kind of attitude that is invaluable. It was so nice not to have to worry about the music. He was THE BEST!!’ -Chris Brickner

Satisfaction Survey:

Event Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011

Event Type: Wedding

Event Location: Weatherford’s Grand Lodge

Event Staff: Mohammad Gharib

Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent

Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent

Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent

Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent

Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent

Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent

Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent

Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent

System Appearance: Excellent

Sound Quality: Excellent

Overall Volume Levels: Excellent

Music Selection: Excellent

Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent

Lighting Effects: Excellent

Equipment Appearance: Excellent

Overall Customer Service: Excellent

Planning Assistance: Excellent

Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent

Overall Performance Rating: Excellent

Would you recommend this service to others? Yes

On Saturday June 11, 2011, DJ/Emcee Mohammad Gharib performed at Alexis and Derek’s wedding and reception held at their home in Corvallis, Oregon.

Satisfaction Survey:

Event Date: Saturday, June 11, 2011

Event Type: Wedding

Event Location: Residence/Corvallis, Oregon

Event Staff: Mohammad Gharib

Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent

Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent

Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent

Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent

Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent

Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent

Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent

Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent

System Appearance: Excellent

Sound Quality: Excellent

Overall Volume Levels: Excellent

Music Selection: Excellent

Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent

Lighting Effects: N/A

Equipment Appearance: Excellent

Overall Customer Service: Excellent

Planning Assistance: Excellent

Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent

Overall Performance Rating: Excellent

Would you recommend this service to others? Yes

It can be difficult to choose which songs you would like played at your wedding, especially the first dance with your new spouse and mom or dad. Fear no more, go to http://www.greatratedjs.djintelligence.com/search/requested.asp to see the most popular songs in multiple categories such as Overall Top 200, Top 50′s, 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, 00′s, 10′s, Top Bride & Groom selections, Top Bride & Father songs, Best Groom & Mother dances, Most Popular Bridal Party hits, Great Bouquet & Garter Toss songs, Perfect Cake Cutting music, Best Introduction songs and more!

We get this question a lot. Ultimately it depends on if you need the DJ for just your reception or for both your ceremony and reception. Typically for a reception it’s about 5 hours but some will only do 4 hours to shave costs. If adding a ceremony then an average amount of time is 6 hours for both your ceremony and reception however we also have seen 5 hours for both to help shave costs.

For a typical reception the DJ provides the following services… 1. Background music during cocktail hours 2. Introductions 3. Background music the greeting line (if any) 4. Provides microphone for blessing (if any) 5. Excuses guests to buffet or asks them to take their seats if a plated meal 6. Background music for dinner 7. Slide show (if you have one) 8. Toasts 9. Cake Cutting 10. Bride/Groom first dance 11. Father/Daughter Dance 12. Mother/Son dance 13. Wedding party dance (if any) 14. Open dancing for all guests for about 30 minutes 15. Money Dance (if needed) 16. Anniversary dance (if wanted) 17. Bouquet/Garter Toss 18. Reverse Garter (if requested) 19. More dancing for everyone 20. Last dance 21. Send-Off (if you have one)

If you include the ceremony then this is what’s typical of the DJ: 1. Prelude music 30 minutes to start of ceremony as guests are arriving and being seated waiting for the ceremony to start. 2. Processional song for the wedding party 3. Processional song for the bride 4. Possible music in middle of ceremony for unity sand or other similar event 5. Recessional music for bride, groom and wedding party after being introduced as husband and wife.

As you can see there are a lot of different things to consider. Wedding ceremonies usually only need one hour for everything from the prelude music all the way to the recessional song at the end. Receptions typically require 2 hours of background music for cocktails and dinner and then 3 hours of dancing and everything in between.

Deposits guarantee the services of a professional for your event date. The deposit shows the event professional that you are serious about using their services so they will be glad to turn down other work for the same day. If you come across a DJ that does not require a deposit then at least get a contract for some type of verification on your end. Otherwise you will roll the dice if the DJ will even show up, especially if someone else wants to hire him or her at a higher price.

Thankfully with Great Rate DJs our deposit amounts are small, usually $95 unlike other companies that typically charge at least 50% of the total.

If you are having your event at a venue such as a hotel, then most likely YES! Liability insurance protects the venue in case of equipment falling and causing unforeseen harm as well as provides medical compensation to the patron or patrons in need. So if a venue requests a DJ to have liability insurance then plan to pay more for the DJ.

Why? Simple, it all boils down to overhead costs. The more investment a DJ has to make in his or her services the more that DJ will need to charge to cover those expenses. Thankfully with Great Rate DJs we can add supplemental liability insurance on a “per-event” basis for DJs that do not already offer this for an additional charge.

So regardless if you’re having a small backyard get together or a large event at a hotel, Great Rate DJs can match you with just the right services so you only pay for what you need and not what you don’t want.

More and more DJ’s and DJ companies are allowing clients to plan their entire event online including choosing their favorite music. As people are more cost conscious then ever before this can be a great way to save on costs. The less time a DJ has to spend meeting with clients the more time he or she will have to perform other events so this can be a win/win for everyone.

In most cases, brides and grooms share a special song or two and know exactly which selection they would like played for their first dance, but the music chosen after that is very important to determining if the reception is a delight or a dud.

If you are on a tight budget for your wedding, you may have thought of having an inexperienced friend be the DJ or (gulp) use an iPod. When going this route, here are some things to consider and questions that need answers: Which unlucky friend would have to “work” your wedding? How would you ensure a good flow and rhythm to your reception? What is your backup plan? Saving money is important, but at the expense of giving your guests a good time?

With Great Rate DJs, you will be relieved to find wedding DJs in your price range, who will make you feel comfortable throughout the entire process… from planning to performance. You can save the most by having a DJ assigned to you a few weeks before your event. However, for only a little more, you can also choose your DJ from our large network of affordable entertainers.

Most wedding DJs know that as long as you play the hits, the guests will be happy. However, even grandma will agree that some songs are too played out. I mean, we can only stand to hear “Celebration” and “YMCA” so many times. If you’re looking for a left-of-center playlist (that will still get everyone on their feet), consider these essential party-starters:

Outkast – Hey Ya! Lady Gaga – Telephone feat. Beyonce Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot Peter, Bjorn and John – Young Folks Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried Ke$ha – Tik Tok De La Soul – Oooh Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey Phoenix – 1901 Cut Copy – Lights and Music

Start creating your own wedding play-list list at www.greatratedjs.com/clients

Most DJs charge a grip of money and do not offer discounts for smaller events. They have a good reason to. Most people need a DJ on Saturday, sometimes on Friday and Sunday but rarely any other day of the week. Since the options of when a DJ may be hired are limited to a small number of days a DJ will have a set price regardless of how small your event is. This will most likely not be the best option for you if you’re on a budget. Instead look for a part-time or hobbyist DJ that does not heavily relay on the money he or she makes from DJ’ing. Part-time or hobbyist DJs will be your best bet as they mostly DJ for the pure enjoyment of it. Since they have a primary source of income, anything they make on the side as a DJ is pure gravy.