Wedding DJs can be expensive. If someone offers to DJ your event for an incredibly low rate, use extreme caution. Remember that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”! In other words, there may be a reason why their rates are so low. Over the years, I’ve gotten many frantic calls at the last minute from brides and grooms looking for a DJ as their original one cancelled on them. Almost without fail, these DJ’s were quoting incredibly low prices which were much lower than industry rates. As it turns out, many DJ’s were offered a better paying gig and just decided to take the better paying offer instead of honouring their previous commitment. If someone offers you a rate that is just to good to be true, it probably is.

Another way to make sure that your DJ shows is to get a written contract. If your DJ doesn’t offer a contract or refuses to sign a contract for your event, you should refuse to book them. A contract protects both parties and ensures that the DJ will show up for the event and that he or she will get paid. I’ve discovered that the vast majority of the people who get let down by their DJ do not have a written contract. Instead, they are relying on a verbal agreement. Yes, it is ashame that some people can not be trusted to fulfill their promises, but that doesn’t change reality.

By following these tips, you should be able to find a Wedding DJ that shows up and shows off his talent at your event.

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In order to understand why this might not be a good idea, you need to know a little bit about the wedding entertainment industry. The goal of any small business, including the entertainment industry, is to make a profit. Wedding DJs earn a profit for providing entertainment at weddings. This sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Here is where it gets tricky though. In order to get business, DJ companies may quote an incredibly low price to a bride and a groom to appeal to their wedding budget needs. Then, in some instances a DJ agency is left to try to find a DJ that will actually want to work the gig for that amount of money.

In some cases, a DJ service may be looking for djs for wedding as late as days before! While you may think you are getting a good deal, you may actually not be getting a deal at all. In fact, you risk not having the DJ show up at all for your event. Even if you do get a DJ to show up at the last minute, you will be faced with choosing any wedding DJ that is available. This may mean hiring a wedding DJ that isn’t very experienced, or even very good.

The good news is that you can take steps to make sure that your entertainment isn’t a disaster. First of all, ask questions about a DJ service before booking. Find out if the DJ works alone or with a group. In addition, do not rely on verbal agreements! It is important to sign a written agreement with the DJ when booking.

Finally, and most importantly, remember that if something seems to good to be true, it usually is.

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Recently there has been a significant increase in the number of calls I have got looking to make last minute bookings for a DJ for wedding or other similar function. They are often surprised and disappointed when they find out that we have none  available. Many of these people call up a month in advance  (although my personal shortest has been 2 weeks) before their wedding and have to resort to using the Yellow pages to randomly call to book a DJ. However, chances are they may find a few who may not have a good reputation, hence the reason for their availability at such short notice.

In the same way some people wait until the last minute to book DJs, some DJs are unreliable. Many people have expressed their fears with having DJs not show up for the event for varied reasons. Some DJs have no scruples cancelling or “no showing” because they can get more money on a job from another customer. This is unacceptable and even in short notice bookings we still would urge you to get a written agreement with your DJ for wedding

Another reason why we receive last minute DJ booking requests is using friends to do the event. This arrangement is usually low-priced with no signed agreement and possibly a lack of commitment on the part of the friend. It is no fun calling to book a DJ a few days before your function because your friend’s friend has backed out of the arrangement. The last minute booking is often beyond your budget and you are left with having to face embarrassment, disappoint the group or find an unsuitable substitute.

You should never leave the booking of a DJ to chance. Therefore, it is important to book the right DJ in advance for your wedding reception and avoid last minute headaches.

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People who prefer the juke box might say that the guests feel in control of the music because they get to choose the songs they want to hear, however this can often be a bit more of a disadvantage than an advantage, can you imagine if everyone (including the younger guests who like to play with everything) got their request played… it would be the birdie song and agadoo all over the place! The wedding reception using a DJ is subject to the talents and abilities to adapt to a crowd – as most wedding DJs are very versatile and can change the music style pretty quickly. A good wedding DJ has the skill set to not only filter out some of the more “out of place” songs but also deal with the guests in a courtace manor explaining why it might not be possible to play their request at the moment. However if the client wishes, the DJ can of course make it a free for all and play anything and everything – but be warned this might cause a bit of dance floor action problems.

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Vintage Wedding Touches

One of the growing popular trends occurring with 2011 weddings is adding a vintage touch.  This is one of the top wedding trends for this upcoming year weddings it the vintage look. This popular vintage and retro-inspired with a modern twist will have weddings all over with a classic but sassy vibe at the wedding. In today’s society what’s old is defiantly new and has becoming a hot trend for 2011 weddings.

Vintage Trends Include the Following,

• Vintage Photography
• Photo Booths; which are set draped-cloth backdrops.
• Beautiful Textures
• Ornate Details
• Natural settings, including outdoor and backyard weddings
• Vintage Wedding Dresses with cap sleeves

Go Green!

Eco-friendly weddings have become at a rise in throughout the years and we will continue to see more people going green for their upcoming 2011 weddings. Environmentally friendly weddings can be a great idea. You can think of second hand and vintage wedding dresses. There are also LED lighting available, recycled paper invitations and programs. Food can be purchases from local farms and other providers. Charity donation popularity will continue to increase, instead of traditional wedding favors, more couples will be asking for donations to their favorite charity instead of receiving their own wedding gifts.

Modern Choices

The modern, contemporary wedding will always be great in 2011. Brides choose non-traditional choice of clothing such as: beautiful colors instead of the usual white or ivory shoulder former place of strapless cocktail dresses and short term the little white dress. They have also built bright colors and bold, lounge settings, and after the games, the choice of cupcakes instead of wedding cake, and allow the color to connect the bridesmaids as they choose different styles dresses.

DIY Weddings

“Do it yourself” is another trend of marriage; we’ll continue to see next year. Originally due to the economy, this trend is here to stay, because it not only saves money but also adds something special for the big day. Personal touches and small details are very important; couples incorporate their favorite interests, hobbies, places, and even sports.

Social Media Influence on Weddings

We will also continue to see social media in their share of wedding planning. Couples kept informed guests of the wedding website and send updates for their enthusiasm and plans to Facebook and Twitter. Messages like “We booked the band today!” You can give your friends and family to feel part of the design.

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The cool thing about having a cell phone is with all the latest technology available for us. One handy tool that we can use directly from our cell phones is applications, or apps for short.  Apps are the latest technology that will help you to stay even more connected to the world. Whatever you need and want there is an app available for you.  Are you looking for some local restaurants maybe you want to conduct some research with Google or Yahoo, there is pretty much an app for everything.  Some apps that have grown to become very popular throughout the years are the wedding apps. That’s right is you are planning on having an up and coming wedding there are wedding apps located for you especially if you have an iPhone. These apps will help you through are the binders and files out the window, and now you can keep track of everything directly from your fingertips. Future brides and grooms all over the country are falling in love with these wedding apps, it has defiantly made the planning of the wedding that much simpler. A lot of the wedding apps are free, but there are some that will cost you a few dollars.

WeddingDash

If you are interested in playing a wedding game them how about playing WeddingDash, this game is absolutely free, it just a free wedding game that you can play on your spare time. The lite version will allow play the entire first 5 levels for free.  This game helps assist couples in selecting all the details, such as cakes, flowers and whatever other items that is included in the wedding planning. Of course with every game there are pitfalls so you really have to beware of those, you have to keep the bride and groom happy, and run a successful wedding planning business to win this game.

iBridal

iBridal Gown is another wedding app that cost $3.99 and it was designed by a bridal salon owner, in this app it will help you to search for your perfect wedding gown.  Every bride wants to find the perfect dress for them and this app will defiantly will help you find the wedding gown you are looking for. As you go on your journey in visiting different bridal salons you can easily enter info about the different types of dresses that you love. Your favorite dresses can be stored on an easy use list, where you can view all kinds of details, pictures and even directions back to the store that you found your perfect dress.

Wedding 911

Another free app, called theKnow wedding 911, is designed by editors at the Know magazine and Knot.com, this free iPhone app is an on the go source to have the most expert wedding advice. Another great features that are available is that you can post questions and get instant answers from the other brides to be

Bride Guide

Bride Guide is a $4.99 app that can be a great wedding app all at once. There are tons of features that are included, which are a countdown timer, to do lists, budget calculator, and tons of articles that can and will inform you on what to do.

Thats just about all we have time for in this series on Wedding iPhone Apps

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Your wedding food trend is one of the many important items on your to do list while planning for your up and coming wedding.  One of the issues is learning what type of food you will be serving to your wedding guest. This is just one of the many important questions that you will need to address.  Of course on the list there will be plenty of food that your guest have already tried or the food on the menu might even been already tested and long time favorites of the menu. Some couples get completely fancy on their wedding day and want to do some very different with the menu. In 2011 there are some trends that have been heating up the year for weddings and I’m going to give you some of the latest trends for 2011 weddings.

Wedding Food Trends 2011

Cheese Wedding Cake

That’s right one of the growing popular tends for food at the wedding is a cake made out of cheese. This has grown to be a popular idea of switching the traditional wedding sweet, and fruit wedding cake to a fun and funky layered wedding cake made completely out of cheese. Just like the traditional wedding cake this cake can be stacked up in a cake style. The only difference about the cheese wedding cake is that each layer can be made with a different type of cheese. The traditional cutting style can still be produced by the bride and groomed and it can be served at the end of the meal or kept ready to be served for an evening buffet.

Miniature Desserts

When it comes to serving desserts at a wedding there is pretty much a small selection of options to choose from. If you are looking to bring variety to your wedding then you can a different twist to the dessert course. In 2011 you will defiantly see the trend of wedding parties choosing to select the restaurant idea of serving a wider variety of miniature desserts.  The miniature desserts can be served on a joint platter where guest can pretty much help themselves in choosing what they want. Some of the popular favorites that are included on the miniature dessert platter can include miniature lemon tart, mini raspberry cheesecake, and miniature brownies.

Rustic Carved Meats

A lot of wedding experts have concluded that rustic carved meats will be the trend of 2011 weddings.  Rustic carved meats can be served on wooden boards for the guest of the wedding.  Vegetables and potatoes will be served directly to the table along with boards that will include the following meats, pork, ham, turkey and chicken. Serving your guest rustic carved meets will defiantly reduce the need for to select ahead of time what type of meet they want at the wedding. Rustic carved meats are an informal way to serve food from the traditional style of wedding. This element can make the meal seem more relaxed.

Whatever food trend you select really depends on the couple who is getting married, but there are tons of hot 2011 trends to choose from this year!

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This is part 1 of a 2 section article on some of the handy Wedding Apps we found available to download.

Wedding Apps

iWedding
With iWedding you can plan every little detail about your wedding with . You can instantly track what you need to do to throw a dream wedding event.  You also have the ability to manage your guest lists and wedding activities like a pro. iWedding Deluxe is a great wedding planner and organizer. It will help you organize, guide and even inspire yourself while keeping all your vital information at your fingertips. Some of the features that are packed in this one app are Todo list, Budgeting, Guest List Organization and much more.

SmartStudio
This is one powerful app for photographers and anyone who has been given the task to take and prepare pictures for a wedding. This is another excellent wedding app because SmartStudio Pro was created for photographers to manage their entire studio. Yes, you can now manage your entire studio from the day a prospective client calls to the day of the final product is delivered. The SmartStudio Pro works for your iPhone, iPad and iPad touch this app gives you completed studio management software directly from your pocket. It’s a complete studio management in the palm of your own hand.

Wedding Day
With your own wedding your wedding day is one of the most important events of your life. With Wedding Day you can track how many days have passed you by from that date with Wedding Day.  If you are an enthusiastic bride and groom now there is an application that shows you a real time countdown to your wedding dat. When it comes to this pp, every time someone asks you how long it is until your big day, you can give them the exact answer to their question. All you have to do is to simply enter in your wedding date and time and let the countdown begin. Wedding Day app can count down the years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and even seconds.

Wedding Dress Look Book
This app is designed for those of you who are looking for that perfect dress for your wedding day. The best thing of all its free and it gives you the best ideas. This app is for all the busy brides out there who are looking for the perfect wedding dress. You can think of it as you’re on the go shopping source for the hottest wedding dresses, from beautiful ball gowns to modern mermaid styles. You can also get a listing of dress salons that carry the wedding dresses you been dying for.

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When you our hiring someone whether it’s a wedding DJ, live band or disco specialist a contract is very necessary. The contract will have both you and the other person being hired come to terms on prints. When people discuss a reception it’s probably the most memorable part of the whole entire wedding. So you need to have the entertainer agree that they will make your reception exactly on how you planned it out to be.

A contract is also essential because you will know upfront the pricing of everything and what the entertainer will be trying to charge you. The contract can include overtime, extra fee’s and so forth for you to agree upon. Having a contract developed is great because you can also include what should be expected the day of the reception, just in case something were to occur you can look back and reflect on the contract that both you and them have agreed upon. Let’s say the person you plan on hiring does not want to sign or agree upon a contract. If this is the case you should not do any business with this person. You should begin your selection process again to find someone that will agree to a contract. The contract is not only helping you but it is also helping the entertainer as well. You may also want to question the person you plan to hire, asking them their experience with weddings.

You may want to look over their wedding experiences when you plan to hire anyone. Once you have develop terms that you both agree on then a contract should be developed at this time which both of you should sign stating that both parties agree with the terms included in the contract. When you are planning your special day you always have to remember that this is your day and things should go properly just like you expected them.

No one once to face any bad surprises on the day of their wedding so adding a contract is just that extra security to make sure everything will go as planned.

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The normal selection for a wedding reception is either selecting a wedding DJ or a live band. Nowadays many couples have the choice to go with a hiring a disco specialist. If you are not familiar at all I am going to explain what a wedding disco specialist is. When it comes to a wedding disco specialist they are pretty similar to wedding DJ and a live band but combined with a little bit both. With a disco specialist they can play music which sounds similar to a live band but at the fraction of the cost. Another great thing about a disco specialist they can also play tons of different songs just like a wedding DJ.

The reason why a disco specialist really differs from the two is a wedding disco will bring all of these factors from a wedding DJ and l ive band all together with a twist. The reception can be similar to a live show; the wedding disco can provide a lighting element to really entertain your guest. The whole reception will be bound to hit the dance floor and dance the night away and the reception should be a big boom of success. When you are in the process of interviewing a disco specialist they can tell you what the options you have available for them to perform. This way both you and the specialist will have a perfect understanding on what you both look to expect for the day of the wedding.

Asking questions is very important to receive the answers you are looking for this is reception so you most likely want it to be conducted on how you planned it to be. It’s very important for you and the disco specialist to come up with a mutual agreement, so come up with some sort of contract. This way everything from pricing, to what is expected will be written into the contract so everyone will l be happy and satisfied the day of. Make sure your wedding disco specialist can agree to all the terms that you have laid out for him and her. If the disco specialist does not want to sign the contract or agree to it your best bet is to choose another disco specialist that will agree to the terms you provide.

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