Wedding DJ Horror Stories!
We’ve compiled a list of all the DJ horror stories we’ve seen and heard over the years and thought we’d use it to put your mind at ease. Booking Element will guarantee you don’t suffer these fates!
“The DJ didn’t use any decks or controller - just a laptop.”
Plugging a Spotify playlist into some speakers does not make you a DJ and if you want an amazing wedding reception party, this will not cut it. Kieran, Tom and Neil use Pioneer controllers or CDJs (industry standard.) This allows us to mix: EQ, fade, trigger samples, scratch and just generally do what a DJ does. Laptop software with no hardware is not a replacement for this. When you book a wedding DJ, you’re not just paying for equipment hire; you’re paying for a skilled and experienced performer, and that’s what you’ll get with Element.
“The setup was ugly. A table with a cloth draped over and big metal poles holding up disco lights.”
We’ve seen this plenty of times and it can make an otherwise classy wedding look like a school disco. Take one look at our sleek white wedding DJ rig and you can put that horrible image to the back of your mind.
“They arrived very late and were poorly dressed.”
The trademarks of a non-professional. You could be the best DJ in the world but if you don’t understand the significance of someone’s wedding day, it could all go downhill very quickly. We at Element have never let a couple down. We also have a backup plan in the event of a crisis. In the unlikely event that your DJ is taken ill and the other two DJs are booked for other weddings, we have a small network of DJs we know and trust who we can contact to make sure you aren’t left without a DJ at the last minute. All of your wedding details and music requests can be emailed to them instantly. We’ve never needed to use this backup plan but it’s vital to have.
“They played lots of cheese and dance routine songs.”
Ah yes; Macarena, Casper Slide, YMCA etc. Let your DJ know before the wedding any music that is off the table. Most people who book Element want a modern, club type vibe for their wedding, so this absolutely isn’t something you need to worry about with us. (It’s not exactly our go-to repertoire!) There’s nothing inherently wrong with this stuff IF you and your guests are into it, but If you’re not, it’s probably your worst nightmare.
“The dance floor was empty most of the night.”
This happens for one of two reasons; the DJ doesn’t know what songs to play to get people dancing, or they simply don’t care what they play or if people dance. We absolutely love our job and take pride in each and every wedding we perform at. We have spent years honing our craft to give you the wedding reception you deserve.
“The DJ was talking over the mic too much.”
This is a habit that should have been left in the 80s! Talking incessantly over songs, announcing what track they’re about to play next… It’s your wedding, not a pirate radio station. Element DJs talk only when needed: cake cutting, first dance, bar and catering team announcements etc. Sometimes we might pump up the crowd during an intense build up before an epic drop. That’s about it. We let the music do the talking.
“The speakers sounded awful.”
Generally speaking, this is an issue with older speakers with poor frequency response. Some speakers just don’t sound all that great and accentuate frequencies in the 1 - 3kHz range which are painful to the ears. It could also be that the DJ hasn’t EQ’ed the sound system very well, resulting in too much (or not enough) bass, mid or high frequency content. We use a modern active system. We can EQ on our mixing desk as well as the speakers themselves and we know how to do it properly. We take into consideration the guests, room size and music genre when judging the volume. Music played too loud is off putting for everyone.
“Our first dance photos were ruined by the DJ’s lights.”
Probably down to those pesky red and green lasers… Photographers despise these as it covers the faces and wedding dress. We always employ sensible lighting for the first dance in the form of uplighters (usually pink, white or blue or a colour of your choice) and a soft white wash from our moving head lights to spotlight the couple. Our lights are fully controllable on the night so almost anything is possible. We always chat to the photographer beforehand so they can take a few test shots and let us know exactly what they need to get the perfect photos.
Don’t let any of these happen to you on your wedding day! Get in touch with us and we’ll make sure you have a dream wedding reception instead of a nightmare.
