Part 1 of my interview with DJ Derek Tobler
Having an experienced, professional DJ will have a huge impact on the overall success of your wedding day. Derek offers wonderful, practical advice and useful tips on how to go about hiring a DJ who will be sure everything runs smoothly and effortlessly on your big day.
Claire: What advice do you have for couples who are shopping for a DJ for their wedding?
Derek: An incredible amount of planning will go into this one day. And your DJ will have much more control over the outcome of the reception than you may realize right now. Find someone you feel will be there for you and that you trust to handle this incredible responsibility. Interview at least 3 and hire the DJ that understands the vision you have for your wedding. You are inviting this person to your wedding so make sure you would feel comfortable with them talking to your family and friends. I think you should try to hire your DJ as soon as possible, and as early as 12 to 18 months out (if time permits). When planning your reception some wedding sources recommend starting to look for a DJ 3 to 6 months prior to your wedding date. That time frame is generally okay to follow in large cities. However, in smaller towns like Charlottesville you could easily have a dozen weddings happening at the same time and only a handful of local DJs to choose from.
Claire: What questions should a couple ask a DJ that they’re considering hiring for their wedding?
Derek: It is important to be prepared and have a list ready when sitting down for an interview with a potential DJ. I’ll give a few that I feel are appropriate to ask and I would be happy to answer any of these in a meeting:
- Why are you in this profession and what do you like about being a DJ?
- How many weddings do you typically do in a year?
- How do you keep things unique from wedding to wedding?
- Do you provide the music and handle the announcements for the reception?
- How do we decide on a time line for the reception and what recommendations do you have to help things flow smoothly?
- Can we provide you with a list of music we do and do not want to hear?
- Do you have backup equipment?
- What happens if something happens and you are unable to be at our wedding?
- When will you arrive to set up for our wedding, what does your set up look like, and what do you wear while setting up, and at the reception?
- Can you provide music and microphones for our ceremony, music for our cocktail hour, and handle the reception even if they are all in different locations?
- Will you need to take breaks, require a meal, drink alcohol or smoke at our wedding?
- Can you tell us about one of your best or most memorable moments and one of your most difficult or challenging moments as a DJ?
- Can you provide a list of references from past weddings for us to check before booking?
Claire: How do you help couples decide on their music?
Derek: I really enjoy sitting down with
couples to discuss their favorite music. It allows me to get to know them a little better and, if they want, make suggestions for key moments in the reception. This process is one of my favorite parts of the planning stage because here is where we get to make the wedding fun and unique. I make the music reflect their individual personalities and include their guests by playing a wide variety that appeals to everyone at the reception. Some couples want to provide me with every song for the night and I stick to their requests. On the other hand, many couples don’t want to have to choose every song and prefer to just provide me with a list of must plays and certain songs or types of music to stay away from. I find a way to fit every one of their favorite songs into the night and then read the crowd and take requests for the rest of the time. And I just want to reiterate that I always respect the do-not-play list we come up with together at our meeting.
NOTE: Be sure to check back next Friday for Part 2 of this interview. Meanwhile, feel free to contact Derek right away to see if he is available for your date:
Contact Info. for DJ Derek Tobler:
~ phone: 434-296-6689
~ website: www.djtobler.com
~ e-mail: djtobler@netzero.com
I’d love to hear from you…please let me know if you’ve found this interview helpful. ~ Claire
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Morgan 08.30.08 at 1:28 pm
Claire was the officiant at our wedding, and Derek was our DJ - both were wonderful. My wife and I couldn’t imagine having had anyone else run our ceremony (Claire) and reception (Derek). They’re both great choices for your own weddings.