Want Great Wedding Photos? Hire a Great Chicago Wedding DJ! Here’s Why.
The best wedding photographer in the world can’t manufacture energetic, happy pictures of bored wedding guests. Forced smiles always come off as just that – forced. Your Chicago wedding DJ plays a bigger role than you know in creating an atmosphere conducive to memorable pictures.
Your photographer will get all of the usual staged pictures at the ceremony. But the pictures people will remember are those unexpected candid shots at the reception. And that’s where an experienced professional DJ makes such a huge difference:
He’ll communicate with your photographer. It seems like such a small thing; but too many DJs get so absorbed in choosing their music that they forget that the photographer needs to be alerted to special moments in the reception – the bridal party introduction, the toasts, the First Dance and other special dances, and so forth. Your photographer can’t be outside smoking a cigarette during those big moments; so a professional DJ knows enough to find him/her first.
He’ll line up the bridal party for introductions. That way, the photographer can concentrate on getting into position to capture each couple as they enter the room. You should encourage each couple to strike a funny pose at some point.
He’ll engage your guests. A professional wedding DJ arrives with a great sound system and the talent to serve effortlessly as your master of ceremonies. And he won’t fumble for things to say, or allow the microphone to feed back in an ear-piercing squeal that leaves everyone with a sour face. He’ll prove a seamless presentation with no awkward pauses that allow your guests’ attention to drift away.
He’ll play great music. A professional DJ who’s done a few weddings – or a few thousand of them – knows the songs that consistently bring the dancers to the floor. And he can recognize a request list full of non-danceable songs while there’s still time to alert the newlyweds to fix it.
He’ll alert the photographer to those “money shots.” You know the ones – a crowd of dancers with their arms in the air, or lined up perfectly for the Cha Cha Slide, or breaking into an impromptu Conga line or “Soul Train” couples dance. And everyone is smiling and laughing! You’ll have a lifetime of memories of a truly fun celebration, captured forever in pictures.
He knows when to say no. A dance floor full of excited people can empty in a heartbeat when the wrong song starts playing. People dance to familiar music. That’s why you always hear the term “the usual wedding songs.” They are songs everyone knows and loves. Unfamiliar music sends people scurrying for their seats. So when a guest requests a song no one knows, or offers to play it from his iPod, a professional DJ knows how to tactfully turn him down. Your DJ plays songs for all of your guests, not just one.
He’ll help you avoid unwanted images. A smart DJ is always reading the room; and when a guest gets a little “overserved,” starts to climb on top of a rickety table, or asks to use the DJ’s microphone for a rambling, incoherent speech, an experienced DJ knows it’s time to bury the mike or play a slow song to disarm the potential troublemaker. So the party won’t come to a screeching halt while the paramedics tend to a drunk who just fell off a table and cut his head on a wine glass. That’s an experience you don’t want.
He’ll treat your guests with respect. He’ll make everyone feel comfortable. Even guests who request bad songs will be encouraged to suggest more danceable alternatives without being insulted about their tastes in music.
A high-energy wedding reception will create dozens of great unscheduled photo opportunities that will bring you smiles and memories that endure, long after you’ve forgotten your color scheme or your dinner menu. And it’s all because your DJ made it possible.
© Fourth Estate Audio, 2016 – Jay Congdon is president of Fourth Estate Audio, a professional Chicago DJ and Chicago Wedding DJ company.
comments powered by Disqus