As I write this, it’s seven degrees outside. But only a few months ago I was sweating during a ceremony.

This ceremony was undercover and protected from the sun, but the air was stagnant and hot. The bride and groom anticipated the heat, but the solution was handing out paper fans which don’t get rid of the hot air guests are sitting in.

If you stand under a tree on a hot day, it will actually feel okay if there is a slight breeze. If heat will be a problem, I recommend renting a large fan for your ceremony. Try to position the fan so that in helps cycle new air into the room. Some guests, especially the older ones, may arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony even starts. Seat them in front of the fans so they’re a little more comfortable. If you’re worried about noise, turn off the fans right when the ceremony starts.

I’d rather have a DJ with 1000 songs. Why? If a DJ had a fire at their house, they’d save their wife and kids first, and then their music.

It’s not hard to download 250,000 songs. I actually started out that way. I gathered every piece of music I could get my hands on.

It’s better for the DJ to gather a smaller, highly-curated list. They know these songs inside and out. They can quickly jump to best parts of the song, and skip over the boring parts. They find the best version of the song (there can easily be 20-30 DJ edits of popular songs), i.e. using a moombahton version of the song Milkshake always goes over well! The songs are properly categorized with beatgrids set (this allows music to sync up to light-shows). No person can do all this with 250,000 songs.

Understand, the above is true primarily when the DJ is mixing, mainly during the dance floor. I think it’s totally acceptable to build playlists using Spotify to play during ceremony seating, cocktail, and dinner (it still takes lots of time to curate this list).

When you did a taste testing, they probably didn’t overcook the chicken and it tasted great. But when they cook for 200 people, the meat tends to be overdone.

This is why BBQ sauce is so helpful, it covers the dryness of any overcooked meat. Did you ever get a plated meal at a wedding and wish they added more sauce to the plate?

With plated meals, they need to be kept warm while the staff runs back and forth. Plus, maybe the meat sat on a plate while the potatoes were finishing up. All this leads to dry meat. BBQ on the other hand gets cooked in big batches and just marinates in juice.

Yes, some plated meals can be great, but also consider BBQ is usually cheaper and all the sauce options are fun. And with BBQ, guests can enjoy seconds!

If a table full of vendors are given a sandwich tray, you may have problems.

Vendors work very long days and are going non-stop. They may bring snacks, but after a long day of work, a quick hot meal can give them a needed boost.

I’ve seen vendors forced to hide in the back and eat bologna sandwiches. They will talk and joke about the food. Their focus changes from YOU to themselves. This is no good. Your wedding day is the Super Bowl and you deserve the best.

I personally think it’s okay for you to skip vendor meals all together; you pay so much for food as it is. It’s simply a wonderful gesture when you do. Whether or not you serve me food doesn’t affect my goal of serving you the best I can. Just be aware some vendors may not see it that way.

A can of Fix-A-Flat should be in every DJ’s vehicle. If pulling a trailer, do they have a nice jack w/ spare tires?Also, does your DJ know how to change a tire?

It’s not likely to happen, but if a vehicle breaks down on the way to your wedding, the DJ will be late or have limited time to set up.

These are the things that keep me up at night. This is why my vehicles are kept in excellent condition and I can quickly fix issues if they arise. Fix-A-Flat isn’t perfect, but if I only have a few miles left to the event, it will get me there quickly so I can do a nice job setting up.

Asking your DJ what year their vehicle is, and what they’d do in an emergency is a fair question.