June | Dude Walker

How Much Do You Charge?

Dude Walker — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 09:11:11 +0000

How Much Do You Charge

How Much Do You Charge?
By Dude Walker

How Much Do You Charge? Perhaps the 5 most dangerous words you can ask any vendor as your initial question, especially entertainment. Date availability, areas of expertise and event length can play a significant role in determining the investment.

How Much Do You Charge has become the question that traps many of those planning a wedding, and setting them up for buyer’s remorse after the hysteria around the wedding subsides. Planning your wedding today is fraught with seemingly endless options. You may find yourself long on want, but short on means. Finding qualified and experienced wedding vendors is very important and needs to be a priority when starting your wedding planning process. There are few areas of your reception that are as important as entertainment, being as music is absolutely vital to the overall success of your reception.

There are some very simple steps that you can take to help turn the wedding bell whoa and woes into WOW’s.

Step 1:

Put yourself into the right frame of mind. When it comes to quality, it can’t be the best if it’s cheaper than the rest. No matter how long you polish a penny you can’t turn it into gold.

Step 2:

Set two budgets.

Budget #1: The Ballpark Budget: Generally speaking around 30% of the bride and groom’s total annual income or around $100 per guest.

Budget #2: The Commitment Budget: Generally speaking your comfort zone. Pick an amount within reason, in reference to your ballpark budget, that you and your fiance can feel good about as you plan your special day. Don’t be scared, but be cautious about exceeding your commitment budget.

⇓ DOWNLOAD ⇓
Sample Wedding Budget Checklist Here

Step 3:

Get your priorities straight. Prioritize your wedding plans by importance. If a wedding dance is not a number one priority to you, go without and consider using that portion of your wedding budget elsewhere. However, if you recognize that entertainment is the lifeblood of your reception, consider prioritizing your budget to reflect your needs. Keep in mind that a hasty decision to hire an under-qualified low priced mobile DJ, in reality, ends up costing you more when they fail to connect with your guests and your guests end up wandering off or leaving early.

Step 4:

Set up a separate account for your wedding. It will help you keep an eye on costs and assure you that you only use those funds for your wedding purchases.

Step 5:

Choose your wedding date and reserve your church or reception site immediately. Wedding costs can vary greatly depending on the time of year they occur.

Step 6:

Get control of your guest list. Build a guest list of family and friends that are closest to you and work your way out to your outer circle friends and co-workers who might not make the guest list cut if cutbacks need to be made. Keep a close eye on your commitment budget. Difficult as it may be, you may find it necessary to trim the guest list or go without to stay on budget. Sacrificing quality for quantity is one of the quickest ways to experience wedding buyer’s remorse.

Step 7:

Choose wedding entertainment wisely. Make your entertainment selection based on experience and talent first, price second. Be wary of false testimonials and credentials. The wedding industry is filled with impostors that are long on promise and short on delivery. Don’t hire entertainment that is not fully insured and registered with the secretary of state. Insist on meeting in person to interview potential entertainment and require that you get everything in writing.

Step 8:

Know what you want and why. Wedding vendors want your business, however, there are real costs involved in making your dreams come true. There’s nothing wrong with asking to scale back the services offered by the wedding vendor you want if those services don’t fit you or your wedding day. However, not asking guarantees you’ll make the wrong choice by focusing on price associated with things you don’t want or need.

Step 9:

Avoid the iPod, iPad, personal laptop or MP3 Player! There has been a recent trend among today’s couples to load an iPod, iPad, personal laptop or MP3 Player with songs and let that be their wedding entertainment. One thing most of them forget until they are in the midst of a failing DIY reception, is that the entertainer, not the equipment, can make or break your wedding reception. Qualified mobile DJs know that there is little margin for error when reading a room, crowd and dance floor. An iPod, iPad, personal laptop or MP3 Player completely ignores the essence of drawing upon experience of knowing what to play and when to play it to keep your dance floor alive. If your reception is a back yard barbecue without any desires for dancing, then maybe an iPod, iPad, personal laptop or MP3 Player would be for you. But, very few have looked back on the DIY route as a good decision for their reception.

Step 10:

Avoid the friend, friend of a friend, college buddy, roommate, co-worker or relative that thinks they can DJ! Music is subjective, people are judgmental. Trying to save money this way can lead to hard feelings and resentments that can last years, if not a lifetime.

Investing a little bit of time and asking your potential vendors the right questions and basing your decisions on the things that truly matter will go a long way in assuring you that WOW wedding most couples dream of!

Check DJ Pricing & Packages

Dude Walker can be reached at : dudewalker@dudewalker.org

The post How Much Do You Charge? first appeared on Dude Walker.

Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 4th Holiday Inn

Dude Walker — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:53:52 +0000

June 4th | 10 ★ Rating Wedding DJ, Fargo, ND

“Thank you for making our wedding dance one to remember! We had a great time out on the dance floor and playing Pucker Up with all our guests! We can’t thank you enough for all the music and entertainment!” – Matt & Valerie of West Fargo, ND

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Dude Walker’s
Music On Wheels
Wedding DJ’s of Fargo ND
in Fargo ND

Sub Category:
FargoDJs
Wedding DJs in Fargo
DJ Fargo ND

Venue:
Holiday Inn, Fargo ND

The post Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 4th Holiday Inn first appeared on Dude Walker.

Halloween Party Dance DJ

Dude Walker — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:41:41 +0000

Halloween DJ in Flames - Dude Walker © {dudewalker.org}

Portable Club System {dudewalker.org}

“ROCK-tober 31st!
The night of fun and fright!

Feel your pulse increase to the rhythms
of great music that can move your spirit!

Your Halloween Party Dance or Costume Ball
can be frightenly awesome with the right mix of
Halloween Party Decorations and Halloween DJ
music playing the right mix of classic
Halloween Music and fun party hits.

Get your Groovy Goblins, Dancing Draculas,
Madskill Mummies, Cupid Shuffle Skeletons,
Partying Pumpkins, Freaky Frankensteins
Whirling Witches & Zombies Stomping with
Dude Walker’s Halloween Dance Party DJ’s.

Killer Laser & Eco LED Lighting {dudewalker.org}

The Rocker Dude Walker’s
Halloween DJ’s
can present a unique blend of scary
Halloween sounds, laser light shows
and the hottest dance music, perfect
for any haunted house or
Halloween Party Dance or Costume Ball.

Planning an awesome Halloween Party?
Take your Halloween Dance Party Costume Ball
to the next level with Unique Halloween Projection Lighting options.

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Wedding DJ International Falls MN June 30th

Dude Walker — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:01:25 +0000

June 30th | 10 ★ Rating Wedding DJ, International Falls, MN

“Excellent!!!” – Patti, of International Falls, MN

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Dude Walker’s
Music On Wheels
Wedding DJ’s of Fargo ND
in International Falls MN

Sub Category:
International Falls DJs
Wedding DJs in International Falls
DJ International Falls MN

Venue:
Thunderbird Lodge, International Falls MN

The post Wedding DJ International Falls MN June 30th first appeared on Dude Walker.

Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 29th

Dude Walker — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:01:59 +0000

June 29th | 10 ★ Rating Wedding DJ, Fargo, ND

“Great work Dude! You are truly the BEST and led the way for a memorable evening for our family! Thank You Very Much!” – Best Regards – Anne & Rodney. of Fargo, ND

<< Back to June Ratings Reviews Comments Testimonials

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Dude Walker’s
Music On Wheels
Wedding DJ’s of Fargo ND
in Fargo ND

Sub Category:
Fargo DJs
Wedding DJs in Fargo
DJ Fargo ND

Venue: Avalon, Fargo ND

The post Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 29th first appeared on Dude Walker.

June | Dude Walker

How Much Do You Charge?

Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 4th Holiday Inn

Halloween Party Dance DJ

“ROCK-tober 31st! The night of fun and fright!

Wedding DJ International Falls MN June 30th

Wedding DJ Fargo ND June 29th

“ROCK-tober 31st!
The night of fun and fright!