During this time of the year, I'm constantly getting inquiries from prospective brides and grooms who want to hire me to be their Cleveland Wedding DJ. Oftentimes the "elephant in the room" is price. The inspiration for this blog actually came to me as I was having some custom prints done for some T-shirts. I had been making some small talk with the sales rep and told her I had seen another store in a different geographical area offering prices that were significantly lower than what I was being charged. What do you think her response was? "Well, you do get what you pay for." Perhaps that particular store offering the lower prices specialized in "quantity", rather than "quality". After I walked out of the shop, I got in to my car and immediately began to think about the age old debate of "quality" versus "quantity". As one of the best Cleveland Wedding DJs, I started to think how that debate relates to many types of businesses, but especially my DJ company here in Cleveland.
Merriam Webster defines "quality" as a "degree of excellence and a "superiority in kind", where "quantity" is defined as a considerable or great amount. Circling back around to the t-shirt printing company example, I can only speculate why one business is cheaper than the other. Perhaps they use a lower quality products to print onto their clothing? Maybe the system they use to do the pressing and and dying is of a lower standard? Maybe the higher priced print company company does "less" business, and in return puts more focus on the quality in the final product. Either way, let's talk more about "quality" and how you should seek a wedding DJ who cares more about a "quality" performance than the number of performances on their calendar.
Quality Vs. Quantity When It Comes To Hiring Your Cleveland Wedding DJ
My viewpoints on this topic might apply to many other different types of wedding vendors, but for the purpose of this post, I'll focus on why you need to hire a DJ whose sole focus is making sure the performance at your wedding is one of a high "quality".
"Your Wedding Day Is Not Just Another Party, It's A Day You'll Remember Forever" At the beginning of your wedding planning process, the both of you need to decide what it is you want on your wedding day. Do you want a "smallish" backyard party with a few friends and an Ipod, or a grand celebration at one of the finest wedding venues in town? If your choice is the latter, you'll want to continue to read on about why you need a "quality" wedding DJ.
One Cleveland Wedding Per Day. Yours!
For my company personally, I've never dreamed about expanding and having 50 DJs on staff. That gives me a headache just thinking about that! Part of the passion that I have for this industry is the extra focus that I am able to give my couples. That focus I speak of comes in many different ways, but the Number 1 focus is my dedication to you for your entire wedding day. During the beginnings of my company, I "once" was able to DJ two weddings in one day. It was a rare situation where a morning ceremony occurred and an evening reception occurring a good distance away. Truth be told, I was nervous about this, so in advance (since the events were so far apart), I drove out to the first wedding to time how long it would take to go from point A to B. Now, this was actually in the middle of summer and it took 56 minutes! Despite a 4 hour period between the end of the first reception and the start of the evening reception, there was STILL very little room for error, especially in my travels. What would happen if I got a flat tire on the way? Luckily I did not! Luck was on my side as I got over to the second venue by 5:00pm and was loaded in and still set up one hour in advance of the bridal party introductions. I even was able to get a parking spot in the middle of summer right on the street without delay. Once again, I had tremendous luck on my side.
You Want A Fresh DJ
Even though both of these weddings went off without a hitch and I received excellent reviews on the both of them, I'm not going to lie to you. I felt a bit drained as I began the second wedding reception. I drank some soda to give me a little caffeine jolt and snapped out of the fatigue that I felt was coming on. As I cued up the last song of the night, I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment that I had actually pulled this off. As I was tearing my equipment down, I felt massively relieved, but I told myself that this would be the first time and last time that I would attempt this feat. Midday wedding ceremonies and receptions are generally a rare event, and since this big day, I've only performed at one of them. Truth be told, the reputation I have forged as one of the top wedding DJs is far more important to me than a few extra dollars profit.
What If Those Worse Case Scenarios Had Happened?
I don't take being a wedding DJ lightly at all. I take it seriously, very seriously. The moment you get complacent about things is when you are a liable to have a disaster. To be a DJ with high quality, you've got to be on your toes and think about all the other things that might happen to potentially derail a couple's day. I remember the day after I was laying in bed still reeling in the great satisfaction that I was able to pull this off. Even the bride at the second wedding had texted me to thank me for such an incredible night. I believe it was the focus and my attention to detail that allowed me to make it through this big day for my company. After this experience, I decided it was more important to focus on just one couple per day, rather than try to juggle two playlists and two sets of bridal party introductions. Wouldn't that have been embarrassing to begin announcing the wrong set of names for the wrong wedding? What if I got a flat tire on my way to the second wedding? While a flat tire can happen at any time, the pressure that would be put on any wedding DJ who is in transit between two separate wedding receptions on opposite ends of town would be far greater.
Quality Will Always Win Out, While Quantity Takes A Back Seat.
Ever since my brief foray into being "quantity" DJ rather than "quality" DJ, I've honed my approach considerably. Do I want to be under that enormous pressure again and risk destroying my reputation because I want to make more money, or do I want to provide my clients with the proper finesse needed to really rock their socks off and make them remember their day for years? The answer to that question is simple. The latter!
One Stop Shop = Quantity
One of the biggest mantras I've developed over my years in business is not being a "one size fits all" or "all things to all people type of company". When I formed my company, it was my goal to focus on creating the best mix of music for each and every one of my clients. It's been my experience all along to leave all the extra frills to the companies that specialize in them. When I look at DJ companies providing all the features under the sun to increase their profit margin, I see this as an example of "quantity" where the company is trying to be successful in everything, rather than focus on what a DJ is designed to do. A DJ is there to orchestrate an amazing musical experience for you and your guests and keep the flow of the evening going, along with all the necessary announcements. Providing 3 or 4 different services to a client gives me a headache. There are photobooth companies. There are "professional" lighting companies, not an "add-on" to increase their bottom line. Get my point? You want to hire "quality" vendors who are specialists in their trade, not one vendor who does OK at a few things.
You Do Pay More For Quality, But It's Worth It.
If you have made this far into this post and aren't having a backyard barbecue for your Cleveland wedding reception, then you have decided that "quality" is of utmost importance to you. You are interested in getting married in one of the most beautiful cities in the world and deserve the very best so don't cut corners. While saving money is important, it does not mean you need to cut corners. If this means paying a little more for your wedding vendors because you've hired "specialists", then so be it. The money that you'll save by hiring a "jack of all trades" is not going to make you rich. You won't get rich by the savings, but you'll sleep easier at night knowing that you'll have some of the best vendors in their trades. Getting married to the man or woman of your dreams only happens to most of us once in a lifetime. Go all out, or go home. My business plan is not going to change any time soon. I will continue to provide the best "quality" service to my clients and continue to focus on that one very important part of your big day; the music. If a Cleveland Wedding DJ cares more about the "quantity" of weddings under his or her belt, rather than the "quality" of the performance, you must know that the chances you'll have an experience that knocks your socks off is greatly diminished. Plan accordingly and consider hiring a company whose sole focus is music and whose focus is on YOU by totally dedicating themselves to your big day.
Ready To Meet With The Wedding Coach About Being Your Cleveland Wedding DJ?
Thank you for making it to the end of another one of my blog posts. My blog has become one of the most popular on the internet. Please feel free to check out other posts as well. Hiring your wedding DJ is right up there in importance like finding the perfect wedding venue and outstanding wedding photographer to capture all the fun. Whether you'd like to talk to me about the content in this post or about me being the DJ for your Cleveland wedding, I love talking to newly engaged couples about their big day. Click here to see if we are available for your wedding day NOW.