Let's start from the beginning

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I have given this some thought on how to start this forum. I am thinking at the beginning and build from there.

I am going to need some input from the seasoned DJs here please.

When you decided that you would like to do wedding ceremonies and/or receptions how did you begin?

I began by doing alot of research. First by finding out about my market. I did this by speaking to other local DJ's, photographers, videographers, wedding officiants, wedding coordinators, wedding consultants, hotel banquet managers. Anyone and everyone that I could think of that could possibly have anything to with not only the ceremony and reception but also to learn about my potential clients. It is important to try to discover as much as you can about who your target market is.

I contacted vendors by phone, letters, emails, some when I did holiday parties or birthday parties, some through other wedding vendors. Some replied some didn't. However not only did I gain information, I work with many of these people now.

I also researched my area and what the wedding ceremony and reception traditions were here as many of you probably know they are different from state to state, country to country, region to region. I purchased books, videos, read website after website. I sat in with other DJs.

I worked on all of this for atleast a year before I started anything.

So please share how did you begin?
 
Well, that all depends. I worked for " The Pros".... who were definitely not. I was thrown in. All my dates were booked for me.... avoid them at all costs.

OK, then, a year after I left them, I started my own company with a buddy. Well, actually, it was by myself at first, but he came along soon enough.

I wasn't getting any clients so I offered my first one for free to my cousin as a wedding gift. She accepted. I knew then that I wanted to kick my game up a few notches so I contacted the owner of the banquet hall she was using. He was willing to tell me how THEY did it. It was pretty nice compared to what I had been doing. Referrals came from that party.

That is it. I just jumped in on the run. I will say that I learned SOME things from the "Pros".... but at $40 a night plus only HALF the tips, I didn't stay very long, but it was long enough to find out that I liked doing it, but wanted a LOT more money for doing it.


EDIT: Now, 15 years later, I am back at it, by myself, and while I know what to do, I feel like a NOOB all over again.
 
When I began, I did not decide that I wanted to do weddings. People that were having weddings decided that they wanted me to do weddings.

100% of all my knowledge about weddings has been obtained from: a) what I learned as a guest at friends'/family members' weddings; b) what I learned from my clients; c) what I have learned from trial and error.
 
Never have done a wedding, however I am confident enough I can perform one simply by putting in a lot of pre-work making sure each detail of the event is finely polished. Most of the details are from noticing other events where competition djs have performed.
 
I was dropped into it. :eek:

Seriously, the very first wedding I did was a brother-in-law's reception. I had no clue but the BIL said not to worry. They had all the music and guided me through it. The crowd had a good time dancing and the B&G were happy.

That's where I learned about the garter, boquet toss, introductions, cake cutting etc. I downloaded a starter wedding planner from the old DJU link at ProDJ.com. That helped a lot. And I read countless comments from experienced wedding DJs on various bbs forums. That helped even more. :)

That was several years ago. I've gotten a little better since then, LOL. :D
 
Thank you guys for your input. I also have learned alot from sites. You can always critque and perfect.

I wanted to recommend a couple of books. One is How to Set Your Wedding to Music and the other is The Lifetime Wedding Planner. They both give great planning advice and suggestions that you can use to help your client. The other is Randy Bartlett's 1% video on wedding receptions.

I have purchased some other how to videos that were a complete joke. They were very inexpensive and I definately didn't get my moneys worth.
 
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