We were fortunate enough to sit down with our friend Jay Friese, owner of Signature Sounds DJ & Uplighting. Music is Jay’s number one passion and you can certainly tell when he gets behind that DJ Booth.
By Alison Greene
How far in advance should couples be looking for DJ services?
I think that if entertainment is a priority for you at your reception, you should really start looking as soon as your date is booked. Top entertainment professionals book out as far as 18 months in advance.
Once they have booked your services, what’s next?
We touch base with our couples two months out from the big day. We send out a planning workbook for them to fill out and then meet at our office to go through it together. At that point, we’d walk through the timeline of the day, finalize special dance song selections and discuss likes and dislikes for the reception playlist.
What is a frequent question you get asked?
As a boutique wedding vendor, I often hear “What happens if you’re sick?” My couples are reassured by the fact that I have a strong network of local wedding professionals I can call on and ensure the wedding would go off without a hitch!
What mistakes do couples tend to make when dealing with music for their wedding?
One thing I emphasize to my clients is filling out the planning workbook in its entirety. I can never have enough information when it comes to artists and songs that they like, and more importantly, dislike. The last thing I want to do is play a song on their wedding day that I didn’t realize they didn’t like and have them leave the dance floor.
What advice would you give to help a couple make their wedding stand out from the rest?
Make sure to put as much “you” into your wedding day as possible. From a music perspective, this could mean making a custom playlist of all of your favorite artists for cocktail hour. From a production side, you can do a custom-designed dance floor monogram or custom-colored up-lighting. You could also utilize intelligent lighting to spotlight your grand introduction, first dance and other special moments of the reception.
Tell us a fun fact about your business!
On top of 40+ weddings a year, I also annually DJ the Providence Color Run and hold down monthly residencies at both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. I draw from these experiences and my background in the nightlife industry to get your guests out on the dance floor All. Night. Long.
Thanks for the kind words and the time to chat!