Hey Mister DJ, Put a Record On

Hiring a DJ is, I think, one of the most important decisions you make about a wedding. This is the person who will be responsible for the entire flow of your reception. (S)He will be responsible for setting the tone, pace and attitude of the evening. If he (let's just assume he) is cheesy, corny, rushed, too excited, boring, slow, forgetful, or just annoying, he will have a huge impact on the evening.

"I guess," you say. "But Kristin, isn't the most important thing that the people you love are with you to share in the joy of your wedding?"

Of course. That's the most important thing. But I've already picked Mike and our friends, and our families kinda came with the package. But the DJ, the all powerful man with the microphone, will be in charge. And that's a little nerve racking.

So what am I looking for in a DJ? I suppose it's easier to talk about what I'm NOT looking for.
There will be no props. None. This means no leis,
no silly hats,
no bowties on ladies (or the macarena for that matter),
and you will not see me rocking an inflatable guitar in my wedding dress.
Now I'm not trying to suggest that these things aren't fun - or that for some brides and weddings, they really add to the evening. But for me, they remind me of a fourth grade birthday party. If I wouldn't have these things a regular party that I was throwing, I'm certainly not going to have them at a really big, fairly expensive, life altering party that I'm throwing.

So I guess what this all means is that the tone of the reception is important to me. I want it to be fun - I want it to be a TON of fun. I want it to most definitely be a party. But I want it to be a party that is characteristic of who we are. And we are not people who play with inflatable guitars in formal wear. Now if it was a Rock Band guitar... well that'd be a different story.

Mike and I looked at two different companies, and probably 50 DJ videos. Some of them we turned off after a few seconds, others we watched in abject horror. But there were a smattering of DJ's we liked. With consideration to availability and how much we like them, we are meeting with the ONE DJ from both companies that fits the bill. We're meeting him on Monday. If he shows up with a lei I can't guarantee I won't burst into tears.