Hiring A Nigerian DJ For Your Wedding: What You Need To Know

Have you ever attended a wedding and you were bored? Have you ever attended a wedding and the guests at the event were not moved to dance? Have you ever attended a wedding and you were upset at the DJ’s unorganized music flow? Have you ever attended a wedding and you heard the bride or the groom say ‘tell the DJ to change the song’? Have you ever attended a wedding and you heard the bridesmaids and groomsmen say ‘ we don’t like the song’? Have you ever attended a wedding and you had to leave on time because the DJ was whack?

Well, if you haven’t had any of these experiences, I have a couple of time and it could be so annoying and then you hear some guests say ‘O ga o! What kind of DJ is this sef’ but then what can you do? Absolutely nothing! At that point you blame the bride and groom for
hiring a whack DJ. Just as I have attended weddings with a wack DJ playing, I have also attended weddings where I was on my feet dancing to great mixes from a professional DJ. One event I remember vividly was a wedding reception at Fantasy Land In Ikoyi. The DJ was so good with his mix of songs he got the young and the old on their feet dancing to Nigerian songs and guess what, the music was so good that at 11pm guests were still dancing. “Wow!” you may say… I just had to collect the DJ’s contact. That is how it is meant to be. Hiring music entertainment can arguably be the most important booking made for your wedding and guests remember whether or not they had fun at your wedding even months after. Just in case you don’t know, most of your guests will decide whether to stay or leave within the first 20 minutes of your wedding reception. This means your guests need to be impressed with the event in those first few minutes of your wedding reception. Often times, It seems that the DJ is the last service chosen, after much of the budget is expended on
a venue, food, clothing and decor.

This often leads brides and party planners to shop for the cheapest price possible because ofa lack of resources. Truth is to hire a professional DJ doesn’t come cheap. I recently met a DJ at an Airtel event. The first few minutes of listening to his mixes I could tell that the guy is a good DJ. So, I decided to have a chat with him. The aim of the chat was to Find out what his prices were. For an average Nigerian wedding. His fee is about N150,000 and for a celebrity wedding his fee is about N300,000 and the price depends on how big your wedding reception venue is. It might seem expensive to you but as the saying goes ‘better soup, na money kill am’ opting for a cheap, unprofessional DJ often backfires.

Don’t forget that you want your wedding to be a memorable one to your guest. From food, comfort, drinks, decor, security etc. Good music is extremely important. It’s not advisable to spend so much money hiring a DJ then after the wedding you and then you and your
spouse will start drinking garri after your wedding. You could get a DJ that is good and
isn’t too expensive. Anyway, here are a few things future brides and grooms, should
know on how to hire a DJ and things to consider. The following are 10
important factors to consider when hiring a DJ:

1. Who would be the DJ for your occasion?
Be sure to have in writing who your DJ will be at your event. I
would recommend meeting your DJ before your event. You could meet in a
restaurant.

2. How many years experience does your DJ have with your type of function?
A DJ who is used to playing at a formal event might not know how
to play at a wedding. So be sure he is used to your kind of event.
Anyone can pretend to be a DJ.

3. Does the DJ get everyone involved dancing or do they just play music?
You have to ask yourself if you want a DJ that will get everyone
dancing. Be sure to know if the DJ you plan on hiring is the type that
just plays or the type that would get your guests in the dancing mood.

4. Will the DJ be dressed appropriately? It is important you ask how
he would be dressed on that day. Will he be dressed in a Formal way or
a
Semi-formal way. Be sure the DJ is dressed appropriately during set-up
and take down of equipment. Some guests do arrive early and stay late.

5. What is the DJ’s fee? How much is overtime? Is a tip
included in the fee? Will there be an extra charge for lighting-what
does the lighting
include? How much is travel to your location? Are you ONLY paying for
the time the DJ performs? It’s important you ask these questions.

6. Does the DJ include a contract?
Be sure to have all details of your function in writing. The DJ
must know the date, place, and time! You must know each other’s names
and phone numbers including the DAY of the
occasion.

7. Is the DJ company professional? This may sound silly, but does the
DJ have insurance? Accidents do happen. It’s better to be
prepared. Also, is the DJ a member of a national DJ association like
ADJA or NAME? If they
are, then they care about what they do and are a better chance of
being professional.

8. What kind of equipment does the DJ use? Be sure to see the DJ’s
equipments before the day of your wedding.

9. Most importantly, give your DJ a guideline of what you want played
but don’t limit the DJ by saying you want all of one kind of music.
The best scenario is to play any type of music that gets people
dancing and having fun.

10. Make sure your DJ does not play offensive music at your event.