Wedding | 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 Introduction Custom Grand Entrance

Dude Walker — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:58:36 +0000

Grand Entrance Introductions can be customized to fit your tastes and style.

This is not only a courtesy to your guests, it is the first impression and statement that your reception has officially begun.

Imagine how you, as the Bride and Groom, want to be presented to your guests by your DJ or Emcee when you arrive at the reception along with your wedding party.

Whether you choose formal or informal, your options can be as varied as your imagination.

Options:

* First Name Introductions
* First and Last Name Introductions
* Introductions and Relationship
* Personal Bio’s
* Customized Music for Group
* Customized Music for Each Couple
* Spotlight Entrance
* Lighted Runway

The post Wedding Introduction Custom Grand Entrance first appeared on Dude Walker.

3 Essential Tips in Hiring A Wedding DJ or Band

Dude Walker — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:53:10 +0000

Wedding DJs, Bands and wedding themes come in all shape & sizes.

Abilities, credentials and actual experience are directly related to whether or not your wedding reception will be a successful, well planned, family oriented event.

During the selection process you’ll discover Wedding DJs and Bands that range from timid to theatrical.

Understanding the “differences” between entertainers and how to plan a wedding is your responsibility when you serve as your own wedding planner.

Making the best informed choice can begin by visiting a good wedding website, picking up an informative wedding magazine or finding a useful wedding guide. You need to feel confident, when planning a wedding reception, that your DJ or Band entertainment won’t make it look like you planned a cheap wedding…whether or not you are working with a small wedding budget to keep your wedding affordable.

Hiring a Wedding DJ or band to fit your wedding theme can be simplified by applying 3 Essential Wedding Tips in your selection process.

KNOW – Your DJ or Band

LIKE – Your DJ or Band

TRUST – Your DJ or Band

KNOWING YOUR DJ or Band; requires involvement and interest on your part to discover experience, behavior and traits that will compliment you, your wedding guest list and your great wedding ideas.

What do you really know about your DJ or Band?
Does your DJ or Band have good wedding etiquette?
Has your DJ or Band performed several successful wedding receptions?
Does your DJ or Band possess good wedding planning skills?
Does your DJ or Band work well with other wedding services?

Ask questions that require more than simple yes or no answers. Try to discover whether you have things in common with your DJ or Band that can establish a positive working chemistry to benefit you and your wedding program.

LIKING YOUR DJ or Band; is essential in fostering a successful wedding plan. One of the most common mistakes people make is to focus on finding cheap wedding ideas or the lowest price rather than taking the time to discover the greatest value for the dollar. Liking your DJ or Band has less to do with price and more to do with what your DJ or Band is capable of handling for you on your behalf so that you many enjoy your wedding day. Assuming that your DJ or Band will provide a service, skill or item will almost always lead to resentment for all parties involved. You should always have a level of comfort to be able to ask questions or whether or not something is included. Most Professional Disc Jockeys or Bands are willing to go the extra mile if they are given the opportunity to cover costs incurred on your behalf.

TRUSTING YOUR DJ or Band; should be the basis of your entire entertainment decision BEFORE you book your Disc Jockey or Band. Trust creates a safe environment to allow you to reveal to your DJ or Band who you really are and what your “wedding picture” is along with your unique wedding ideas to keep your wedding planning timeline on target. Your DJ or Band has to get to know the real you and your wedding plans to properly assist in keeping your guests feeling invited. Trust opens the door to honest communication in wedding planning. You can’t communicate honestly if you’re always second-guessing how your DJ or Band will react to your creative wedding ideas, wedding songs or whether they try to change your wedding plans to fit their agenda.

The post 3 Essential Tips in Hiring A Wedding DJ or Band first appeared on Dude Walker.

Understanding DJ Skill Level vs Pricing

Dude Walker — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:28:24 +0000

Living in a Search Engine driven world gives a person the opportunity to compare pricing with relative ease.

However, most search engines were designed with retail items or commodities in mind. Finding a “great deal” can always make you feel good, but, is the DEAL really that good?

Understanding DJ Pricing and Skills can be a daunting task. Perusing websites of DJs becomes confusing by the unending ploys, pitches and schemes that are designed to entice you into making an urgent entertainment choice to fill up some DJs calendar. Calling around or emailing vendors to determine the average price or lowest rate to create your wedding budget, without considering experience and skills, generally speaking, produces wedding disasters.

Two commonly held misconceptions are that all DJs are equally qualified or do the same thing and price is the only determining factor. In reality there are qualified wedding djs and bad wedding djs. Myth-Busting the “just as good as ploy” takes some initiative on your part to dig a little deeper into qualifications and abilities. This can safeguard you against hiring a nightmare DJ with bogus credentials or embellished experience and talent claims that could potentially ruin your event.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid bogus credentials:

1. Never hire a DJ that is NOT REGISTERED with the Secretary of State or Tax Department.

ND Secretary of State Business Registrations — ND Law —
MN Secretary of State Business Registrations — MN Law —

2. Demand a copy of an enforce Certificate of Liability Insurance for your records.
3. Meet in person, whenever possible, to interview potential entertainment.

Illustration Detailing DJ Skill Level vs Pricing

DJ Skill Level vs Price

The post Understanding DJ Skill Level vs Pricing first appeared on Dude Walker.

Wedding Up-Lighting

Dude Walker — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:51:08 +0000

Wedding Up-lighting

Wedding Up-Lighting

Create the perfect atmosphere in any room that transforms ordinary into extraordinary. Enhance classic into classy when you accent your wedding color theme for a unique, dramatic and elegant look. Let our Professional Up-lighting services add beauty and stimulation to your event giving your guests another reason to compliment your sophisticated wedding tastes.

Wedding Up-lighting and Event Production is separate division of Dude Walkers Music On Wheels. Our unique lighting production services can be used by themselves or in conjunction with our DJ services.

LED Lighting fixture have become the industry standard for safe, close proximity lighting applications. Minimal heat output with deep saturated colors, durable and low energy draw. It’s rare to attend a wedding where small children aren’t drawn to colored lighting.

Wedding Up-lighting

LED Lighting fixtures are safe enough for curious small hands, only slightly warm to the touch (no more burned fingers) even after hours of continuous operation.

Up-lighting is Economical and Eco-Friendly! The perfect decoration to enhance your theme! Up-lighting can add impact to your event without emptying your wallet and filling a dumpster.

Uplighting Options and Effects

Uplighting – Wall Wash

Wedding Uplighting

Create the look you want by washing any wall in the static color or timed rolling color fade or your choice.

Up-lighting – Pendant
Accent any wall, corner, column, plant or alcove in the color you desire.

Up-lighting – Under Table
Enhance your wedding theme by having each table warmly glow in your color scheme.

Up-lighting – Center-Piece
Subtle glow, big impact! Set off your center-pierce and get the full value out of your decoration.

Before - Up-lighting

After - Up-lighting

Before - Up-lighting

After - Up-lighting

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