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Can you buy healthy foods at the grocery store?
The local grocery store is a great place to find healthy, nutritious foods. Unfortunately, it is also a place to find less healthy foods and many junk foods. Learning how to follow a healthy lifestyle means learning how to shop for the healthiest...
Exercise the right way - the flat dumbbell fly
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that...
From Prix Fixe to Cold Tea: A Glossary of Popular (and Obscure) Restaurant Terms
An Offbeat Glossary of Restaurant Terms Everyone knows what a bistro is...right? And a la carte is a term that even a fifth grader knows...well, maybe not. And what exactly does smart casual mean? There are so many words and terms in the English...
Geomag Magnetic Toys
There are many different types of magnetic toys that can be purchased for children. Most of these toys are extremely fun for children as well as adults. Many of these toys are also educational in addition to being fun, which is great for parents...
Gold Jewelry-The Rest of The Story
Gold is one of the metals taken from the earth and is probably the first metal known to man. Its first use has been traced back to 3600 B. C. and was probably originally obtained in Egypt, as the ancient methods of obtaining gold in Egypt are...
Good Places to Meet Excellent Men
So, you’re convinced that you have zero opportunities to meet men. Are you stuck in an office all day with the same stiffs day in and day out? Have you tried singles’ dances, only to leave feeling worse than when you went in? Did the last...
Have Laptop, Will Travel with a Home-Based Business and a Map
The world is an enormous place; a playground on an epic scale filled with exotic cultures, creatures, and serene landscapes. For most of us however, the greater world is a separate place, disconnected from the smaller one we occupy. During the...
Home Exercise Equipment: The Best Gym at Minimal Price!
Exercising at home can be just as successful as training at a gym if you know what you're doing. There are all types of home exercise equipment out on the market and every one of them claim to be answer to your prayers. The truth is, all exercise...
Road Bike Selection and Purchase 101
Road bikes will range in price from $500 to over $5000, and vary greatly in design, materials, and performance. The first decision you need to make is road bike or tri set up. What type of riding are you going to be doing? Are you purchasing the...
Weight Lifting 101
WHY WEIGHT LIFTING?
What's the one thing that you can do to lose weight, re-shape your body, improve muscle tone, become stronger, fight off osteoporosis, lower blood pressure, etc.?
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Replace Your Wedding DJ With An iPod
Whether its true or not, most everyone agrees that wedding DJs
are expensive. A popular tip circulating the net is to replace
your wedding DJ with an iPod and DJ your reception yourself.
While this may sound like a great idea, there are some things to
consider. Just as with any do-it-yourself project, you must be
aware of all facets before you start.
The first most important job for a good DJ is to play music that
the crowd enjoys. A simple shuffle has no way of knowing who is
dancing to what. A person does need to run things, but not just
any person will do. Putting your 12 year old nephew won't do you
any good. The person in charge of the music needs a large amount
of music knowledge. A good DJ should have this knowledge. A good
DJ should be able to identify a song based on a few bars hummed
out of tune or a snippet of lyrics that are slightly incorrect.
Your DJ must not have a fear of speaking in front of a crowd,
and this is not as easy as it sounds. One simply has to think of
all the Best men who have hemmed and hawed their way through a
wedding toast with the microphone held at waist level. Also,
does he/she know how to auction off a garter or any of the other
traditional reception activities? If not, will the bride and
groom want to do these things while they should be enjoying
their guests? Oh, and just like you would give your wedding
singer or officiant a tip for performing your ceremony, don't
forget a gratuity for your impromptu DJ.
Unless you're a music collector, chances are you don't have a
music library with waltzes, polkas, old country, new country,
oldies, classic rock, new rock, soft rock, hard rock, hip hop,
dance, etc. And, unless you want to subject your guests to your
musical tastes, you should probably buy a selection of these
songs. If you're not up on popular waltzes and polkas, or don't
know which songs are currently topping the country Top 40,
search the web. $25 dollars should buy you enough music on
iTunes to cover enough various musical tastes that most guests
will enjoy themselves.
Another task for a good wedding DJ is one who is covered by
insurance. Sure, your homeowners policy *might* cover it, but
I'd hate to see your premiums next year if an accident does
occur. Don't think accidents will happen to you? Are you serving
alcohol at your reception? If you're telling yourself, "All the
drunk people I know never act like fools!", stop and think about
that again. Besides, many venues require proof of insurance
because they don't want to see their premiums raised because
your grandma tripped on a speaker cable and
broke her hip.
Searching the web for "wedding event insurance" will yield a
whole crop of insurers who will give you a $1 million dollar
policy for around $200.
Equipment is of course another important factor a good DJ brings
to your reception. Do you know where to get speakers? Or mics?
Or Mixer?? Larger cities will have rental companies that can
provide these things. You can even find many such companies by
searching the web for "dj equipment rental". Most wedding sized
systems rent for anywhere from $250 to $500 dollars per day. In
most cases, you must provide a truck or van to transport the
equipment. Now, do you know how to set these things up? If not,
will the rental company give you a tutorial? Some rental
companies will give you a tutorial when you pick the equipment
up, but make sure to take notes, because if you have to call
them later they will likely charge you for a service call. Some
equipment rental companies will deliver, setup, and test their
equipment as well as pick up later, but this is extra.
That being said, if you KNOW your group will interact without
being prompted (or just don't care if they interact or not), and
if you've got a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of music
that will run your iPod (instead of enjoying your reception),
and you have adequate insurance to cover any accidents that
occur due to your iPod setup, and you have a large enough music
library to make sure everyone gets to hear the music they want,
and you're able to get your hands on adequate dance lights and
speakers, and will be saving money by spending $550 to $700 then
by all means use an iPod. You honestly have no need for a DJ.
If planning and organizing all this sounds like just one more
hassle, you'd probably do better to hire a professional so that
you can enjoy your reception and spend your first day as husband
and wife doing something besides returning rental equipment. For
a few dollars more you'll get professional equipment,
professional knowledge from someone who has planned and
performed at hundreds of weddings, peace of mind that any
glitches will be resolved quickly, no hassles about tearing down
equipment when the reception is over, and no worries about
getting it back before you owe another day's worth of rental
fees.
About the author:
About the Authors: Tim and Tammy Smith own and operate By
Request DJ & Karaoke Company in Fargo, ND. They have been
providing exceptional entertainment at weddings, proms, and
parties since 1991. Visit their website at http://www.byrequest.dj.
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