Ask The Experts: Ten Things to Consider When Booking a DJ to Play in a Marquee

Weddings are great fun to plan, choosing the dress, the colour scheme, getting all the details just right, and then there are the more practical bits to organise, the logistical side of things, things that you may not even had thought about. When you have a Marquee wedding there are even more logistical things to think about, the DJ and sound equipment being one of them.

Today I have invited DJ Mark van den Berg of Mighty Fine Entertainment to give you some advice on the things you need to think about when booking your DJ, especially if you are having a marquee wedding.

I’ll pass the Blog over to Mark……………………

Ten things to consider when booking a DJ to play in a marquee

Marquee weddings are incredibly romantic – summer on the lawn, drinks in hand, lights twinkling as the sun sets and your guests dance the night away. However, there are a few things that you need to consider to make sure that your perfect marquee wedding runs smoothly, particularly when it comes to your music and lighting. Expert DJ Mark van den Berg of Mighty Fine Entertainment is here to let us in on the secrets to a successful marquee wedding.

 (Photo By Mark Tierney – full wedding HERE )

1) Ideally, your marquee wedding will be in dry weather. However, with the unpredictable British weather to contend with, that’s not always a luxury available to everyone. It’s extremely important to make sure that the DJ area is kept dry, no matter how torrential the rain is outside. There’s a lot of electricity flying about and you don’t want the DJ to become the lightshow. Your marquee company will hopefully ensure that the marquee is completely waterproof, but just in case, try not to set the DJ up under any joints in the roof or known problem areas.

2) Make sure there’s enough power. Although this isn’t too much of an issue these days as most equipment is very power-efficient and the new LED lights draw a fraction of the power of the old lights, it’s still important to check that your generator or mains power is powerful enough, or the right voltage for anything else you have set up in the marquee.

3) Make sure that the ground is flat. You don’t want anyone to fall on their face if they can avoid it!

4) A tepee-style marquee looks great for a quirky, original wedding. However, if you are setting up in a tepee, make sure that the DJ is not placed too close to the side as this is a very cramped space to operate within.

(Photo by  Photos by Zoe – Full wedding HERE )

5) Think about the flow of the room and try to create a cohesive dancefloor space. Make sure there’s no entrance or exit directly on the dance floor, creating an uncomfortable flow of traffic that will distract your guests from dancing and make moving around cramped and awkward.

6) For the same reason, try not to place the bar right on the dance floor. While it may seem convenient from one perspective, guests tend to gather around the bar (especially earlier in the evening before they’ve had enough Dutch courage to shake a leg) and this will hamper the DJ’s efforts to get the dancefloor moving.

7) Have your DJ set up before you and your guests arrive. Nothing is more distracting than someone loudly setting up equipment while the party or speeches are in full flow – not to mention unprofessional (and a health & safety hazard). It may cost a bit more for an earlier set up, but on the upside, the DJ can now also provide background music for the drinks reception and wedding breakfast as well as radio mics for the speeches.

(Photo By www.greyeyephoto.com – full wedding HERE )

8) Does the DJ have powerful enough speakers? The acoustics in a marquee won’t be the same as in a solid structure and the sound will disperse much more, so make sure to ask your DJ if they are equipped to play your marquee wedding.

9) Are there noise restrictions? Some venues are very remote and you can pump up the volume as loudly as you like, others have neighbours to consider and noise pollution can be a serious concern. Speak to your venue and find out if the party needs to end, or be below a certain decibel level at any point in the evening?

10) Make sure there is good access to the marquee so that your DJ and other suppliers can set up heavy equipment quickly and easily!

(Photo By Source Images – full wedding HERE)

 
Established in 2006 by internationally acclaimed DJ, Mark van den Berg (aka Mark Luvdup), Mark – together with his team of hand-picked professional DJs, all of whom have more than 25 years’ experience – Mighty Fine Entertainment is the leading DJ hire and mobile disco provider in London and the South-East.

• “Best Wedding DJs in the UK” at the 2013 Wedding Industry Awards, by past client vote.
• Mark van den Berg (aka Mark Luvdup) has been voted one of the best 25 DJs in the world

Mighty Fine Entertainment incorporates a database of more than 100,000 songs from different musical genres and eras, stylish, neat and modern sound and lighting equipment, and a full event planning and management service. All equipment is fully insured and PAT tested. They oppertae throughout Greater London and the South-East, including Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent, Essex and West Sussex.

www.mfent.co.uk
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