DJing for weddings!

thenashlegend

Hey all!
Just started thinking today about wedding DJ's...I've been at this job for over a year now and Im trying to prepare myself to get into this area in the future!:) I've been playing in mainly disco bars and even though I have some of the classic 80's and country tunes I was wondering what do the pro's play at weddings? Where can we get good quality tunes from the 60's, and 70's?? Are there any compilations that you find are essential at typical Irish weddings? Obviously the older crowd will want to jive and what not so I was just hoping to get some advice on how to go about building a collection for wedding especially??
Cheers in advance!!;)

Scubadevils

Just buy all of the 'Now Hits' collections since they started.

I hate, with a serious passion, wedding DJs. Well by that I mean - Abba Megamixes into fkcin grease lightning etc. I'm even getting annoyed right now just thinking about it!!!

But yes, all of the Now Hits should have you sorted!

Executive Steve

Thing is, anyone could go and do likewise, and what with the recession you can bet your bottom fecking dollar that they will and are going to be doing likewise, and that they are going to undercut you and the old grizzled heads who've been caning the wedding-and-21st circuit for years charging 300/400 snots for a few hours of Abba and Now 76 played through an alarm-clock speaker sized rig with occasional mid-atlantic ******** toasting...

OR you could offer heads with taste (who tend to be the market with more money as well) a bespoke service where your ability to zero in musically on their exact musical specifications is the number one asset that sets you apart from every other John-Joe in the county with a knackered pair of all-in-one CD decks and a Behringer mixer, three disco lights and a pair of blown tweeters he got off Adverts.ie for twice the going rate...

It's up to you squire, I'd say there's more dough taking the latter path than the former, but if you need to be asking people on forums what the right ish to play is then I have to ask whether or not you think you're going about things the right way...

Executive Steve

Scubadevils wrote: »

Just buy all of the 'Now Hits' collections since they started.

I hate, with a serious passion, wedding DJs. Well by that I mean - Abba Megamixes into fkcin grease lightning etc. I'm even getting annoyed right now just thinking about it!!!

But yes, all of the Now Hits should have you sorted!

I did a few weddings in my time, I reckon I learned more about DJing by trying to keep Grannies dancing with Abba tunes for three hours in a function room than I learned in a year's worth of spinning underground DnB tunes in basement clubs, TBH.

Scubadevils

Executive Steve wrote: »

I did a few weddings in my time, I reckon I learned more about DJing by trying to keep Grannies dancing with Abba tunes for three hours in a function room than I learned in a year's worth of spinning underground DnB tunes in basement clubs, TBH.

Can well imagine, in that underground situation you've a room full of people there to hear DnB, and that's what you give them... at the wedding you've 300 odd people looking to hear everything from The Spice Girls to The Stone Roses in age brackets ranging from 0-100!... and keep them all on their feet or swaying to some love song.

I still absolutely hate those megamixes, and especially the grease lighting one :mad:

In saying all that, if/when I fall victim to the recession in terms of my job, a mobile disco might be on the cards to keep the bread on the table... :cool:

dubsbhoy

I spent 3 grand on my kit last year and said i'd do a few weddings,21sts etc etc to pay it back....nearly had my self convinced to justify spending the money

Quiggers

you need a bit of everything but more importantly, you need to know how to say no when someone asks for something that will clear the floor.
the arse has already fallen out of this market and when someone asks you to do a wedding but wants to haggle, chances are someone will undercut you, let em, if they want to lug
a full PA, travel, do the meetings and songs lists for a few quid, let em. if you drop your price they'll simply drop theirs. I was recently told that another DJ was willing to travel further and charge less, i simply said "sounds like he's your man"

An awful lot of prep work goes into doing weddings and you should charge for it. chances are the undercutters aren't doing the prep, just showing up and saying this is what you gots love.

DarkJager

I've got a box full of creepy records here that I bought in a car boot sale 2 years ago. This is the kind of stuff wedding DJ's would **** themselves silly over (All original vinyls of Barry White, Spandau Ballet, Kool & The Gang etc). Although I have thought of launching a superstar career playing tunes for drunken 50+ year olds, I simply cannot bring myself to do it.

acman

Well, whatever you guys are up to in the wedding DJ world, it cant be worse than this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwLIT7TnKS8

dubsbhoy

acman wrote: »

Well, whatever you guys are up to in the wedding DJ world, it cant be worse than this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwLIT7TnKS8

thats some funny ****

Actually looking at him reminds me of what scares me the most........using a microphone :eek:

thenashlegend

Executive Steve wrote: »

It's up to you squire, I'd say there's more dough taking the latter path than the former, but if you need to be asking people on forums what the right ish to play is then I have to ask whether or not you think you're going about things the right way...

:mad:
Thanks for that....but what's the point of having Boards at all if you cant ask questions and get a decent answer?!
I'm 19, I have been to 3 weddings in my life, none of which were in the last 5 years....So forgive me for not being up to standard on what music is appropriate for said occasion! I'm more than willing to put in the time and prep. work for these events and with 5000 euro's (which I went and worked for) spent on equipment in the last year I don't think you could say I was the average John Joe....
We all know the age groups that attend weddings so what I wanted to find out was...
What tunes do you find are successful in keeping people dancing??
How do you structure the night?....Most probably leave the chart hits till later on in the night!?
Thanks dudes!

Quiggers

generally, keep it cheesey, any cheese from 1950 onwards will do,

most importantly, find out the names of the couple, you dont want to invite the bride and best man up for their first dance and wish them many happy years together,

and if you fancy a break, use the break glass in emergency boxes, there red, you'll see them dotted around everywhere, very handy.

the_syco

thenashlegend wrote: »

and with 5000 euro's (which I went and worked for) spent on equipment in the last year I don't think you could say I was the average John Joe....

I've actually been to a few weddings in the past while. Most of them seem to have an older version of this, with the main function being to play music, with usually just the two speakers hooked up.

Most DJ's don't take requests, as those that request will want the latest chart music, which if played, will scare the older people from the dance floor. The best way to do it is to find out what age the bride and groom are, and play tracks that were popular when they were about 18 years old, with a few "classics" thrown in. Or that seems to be what happened to the weddings that I went to.

sweetie

you will find that most couples today will have specific tastes that they will want represented in their wedding entertainment and generally ask for the cheese to be left out or sprinkled sparingly. I've done gigs with lots of old skool, electronica, indie, ska, punk, you name it. I use really good martin lighting, a Qsc active pa with bassbins and hercules rmx as main playout. I use the mic when necessary without overdoing it. I've had residencies in clubs in the past but find what I do now to be more reliable and fulfilling. I've never played the birdie song or rock the boat and I tell prospective clients that from the onset!

unclebill98

My 2 Cents.

Wedding Dj'ing is a strange career to do. One night can differ totally from the next. I've recently had to go from Ring of Fire to Lady Ga Ga.... As Scubadevils said, you've got many different music taste to cover, so preperation is key.

There are plenty of heads out there with the basic set up to those who have serious gear that represents a night club vibe when in full swing.

My advise is to have all your genres covered. You got to have at least a few hours of each genre to play. I agree with Sweetie, most of my clients are very specific to the type of music they want played, but more importantly what they do not want played. Some even design an entire setlist for you to work off. I use itunes for 99% of the music I use. Its handy to download certain tracks from albums and cut out the crap songs.

Always have more than you need, better looking at it than looking for it. Also, mobile broadband is a must for those last min requests that you may just not have.

Preset No.3

Scubadevils wrote: »

Just buy all of the 'Now Hits' collections since they started.

I hate, with a serious passion, wedding DJs. Well by that I mean - Abba Megamixes into fkcin grease lightning etc. I'm even getting annoyed right now just thinking about it!!!

But yes, all of the Now Hits should have you sorted!

Wow! Where would I lodge a complaint about a MOD? That comment is unnecessary, and abusive to those of us that have made that section of DJing, their career.

As a DJ of 22 years, and yes kiddies Ive done the big clubs in the past and all that and played the chunky tunes and done all that. Its not a way to earn good money, so these days I am proud to call myself a wedding DJ.

I have yet to play an Abba megamix at any of my gigs, so I would like to hear about the weddings you have been to.

A wedding DJ has one principal job and that is to entertain the bride and groom and then entertain the crowd. A wedding can be as cheesy or as cool as the couple want.

I have had brides that insisted on doing 'rock the boat' and Ive had brides that have sworn blind they will rip out my eyes if I play 'rock the boat'!!!

Notable weddings include, starting after the band with The Prodigy - Smack my bitch up! Why? Thats what the bride wanted! Every wedding is different, and after all these years, I still love it!

Scubadevils, I invite you to climb off your high horse and respect all aspects of DJing, if you are unable to do that, then I suggest you remove yourself as a MOD.

Scubadevils

Preset No.3 wrote: »

Wow! Where would I lodge a complaint about a MOD? That comment is unnecessary, and abusive to those of us that have made that section of DJing, their career.

As a DJ of 22 years, and yes kiddies Ive done the big clubs in the past and all that and played the chunky tunes and done all that. Its not a way to earn good money, so these days I am proud to call myself a wedding DJ.

I have yet to play an Abba megamix at any of my gigs, so I would like to hear about the weddings you have been to.

A wedding DJ has one principal job and that is to entertain the bride and groom and then entertain the crowd. A wedding can be as cheesy or as cool as the couple want.

I have had brides that insisted on doing 'rock the boat' and Ive had brides that have sworn blind they will rip out my eyes if I play 'rock the boat'!!!

Notable weddings include, starting after the band with The Prodigy - Smack my bitch up! Why? Thats what the bride wanted! Every wedding is different, and after all these years, I still love it!

Scubadevils, I invite you to climb off your high horse and respect all aspects of DJing, if you are unable to do that, then I suggest you remove yourself as a MOD.

Calm down, and if want to lodge a complaint you are more than welcome to in the feedback section or send a PM to one of the category mods listed at the end of the page.

I am perfectly entitled to express my opinion on music AND be a mod here at the same time. If you read my post that got you so worked up you would see that I specified Abba megamixes (and the like) that I personally hate - I've no problem with wedding DJs or any other DJ of any variety... and yes I have heard 'Abba Megamixes' many a time at 21st, weddings, 50th etc and they do drive me mad.

Oh and for the record I also detest 'Rock the Boat'.

clayton1

Scubadevils wrote: »

Just buy all of the 'Now Hits' collections since they started.

I hate, with a serious passion, wedding DJs. Well by that I mean - Abba Megamixes into fkcin grease lightning etc. I'm even getting annoyed right now just thinking about it!!!

But yes, all of the Now Hits should have you sorted!

i know what you mean, but i am a wedding & party DJ and there is serious money to be made in it. Ok, i do like the cheesy stuff myself otherwise i couldn't bring myself to Dj at those events, but nice pay packets come with it too. I'm doing a wedding this friday, and this is the play list i got from the couple

> a-ha - Take On Me
> Abba - Mamma Mia
> AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
> Beatles - Twist And Shout
> Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
> Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
> Brown, James - Get Up I Feel Like Being Like A Sex Machine
> Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
> Diamond, Neil - Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)
> Franklin, Aretha - Respect
> Girls Aloud - Love Machine
> Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
> Jackson, Michael - Billie Jean
> Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
> Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire
> Lady Gaga - Poker Face
> N-Trance - Set You Free
> Orbison, Roy - Oh, Pretty Woman
> Presley, Elvis - The Wonder Of You
> Richie, Lionel - Dancing On The Ceiling
> Rihanna Feat. Jay-Z - Umbrella
> Sinatra, Frank - My Way
> SL2 - On A Ragga Tip '97
> Source feat. Candi Staton - You Got The Love
> Springsteen, Bruce - Dancing In The Dark
> Take That Feat. Lulu - Relight My Fire
> U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
> Valli, Frankie - Can't Take My Eyes Off You
> White, Barry - You're The First, The Last, My Everything
> Wilson, Jackie - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
> Wonder, Stevie - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours

unclebill98

You should no problem mixing all that.....