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.

General Sales DJ Price Quote

Dude Walker — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:57:04 +0000

Planning an event on a Budget?
-or-
Do you know EXACTLY the atmosphere you want to create?

To check a date’s availability and/or to receive a price quote, please fill out the form below.
Upon receipt of this form, we will send you the selected date’s availability
and specific package quote based on the location and upgrades you choose
via email and/or telephone.

Fields marked with ** are required fields and must be filled out.

If you are unable to see this form please send us a direct e-mail
concerning your event: admin@dudewalker.org

[contact-form-7]

The post General Sales DJ Price Quote first appeared on Dude Walker.

DJ Contract Request Form

Dude Walker — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:57:38 +0000

I Would Like To Book My DJ

To receive a contract for your event,
please fill out the form below.

Upon receipt, we will contact you
to confirm your booking request
– and –
send you a contract for
the date you’ve indicated.

If you are unable to see this form please send us a direct e-mail
concerning your event: admin@dudewalker.org

[contact-form-7]

The post DJ Contract Request Form first appeared on Dude Walker.

Rates Request Prom DJ Price Quote

Dude Walker — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:44:08 +0000

Planning a Prom on a Budget?
-or-
Do you know EXACTLY the atmosphere you want to create to fulfill your Prom dreams?

Fields marked with ** are required fields and must be filled out.

If you are unable to see this form please send us a direct e-mail
concerning your event: admin@dudewalker.org

[contact-form-7]

The post Rates Request Prom DJ Price Quote first appeared on Dude Walker.

Rates Request Wedding DJ Price Quote

Dude Walker — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:13:04 +0000

Planning a Wedding on a Budget?
-or-
Do you know EXACTLY the atmosphere you want to create to fulfill your wedding dreams?

Fields marked with ** are required fields and must be filled out.

If you are unable to see this form please send us a direct e-mail
concerning your event: admin@dudewalker.org

[contact-form-7]

Wedding DJ Rates

The post Rates Request Wedding DJ Price Quote first appeared on Dude Walker.

How Much Do You Charge | Dude Walker

How Much Do You Charge?

General Sales DJ Price Quote

DJ Contract Request Form

Rates Request Prom DJ Price Quote

Rates Request Wedding DJ Price Quote