A few tips to finding the right ones for you......

Do Your Homework. You'll get much more out of a meeting or conversation with a wedding professional if you do a little background homework first. Spend some time on the internet or talking to friends who've recently been married. Find out what the services are available. Get an idea of what you like and don't like. Wedding websites and chat rooms can be a great resource. This way when you meet with a wedding professional you'll be able to ask better questions and have an idea of what to look out for.

My own record collection soon started to grow and the kids down the street would enjoy coming over to my house and having a boogie in my bedroom to Wham and Duran Duran (that’s if they weren’t on flashing light duty!). Eventually though Father Christmas brought me a Pulsar lighting unit which had three proper flashing (including sound to light) coloured bulbs in a box, now I had an awesome light show! 

At 15 years old I got a part time job after school in a butcher’s shop, scrubbing the block and mopping the floor. This was a great little earner. I saved my money and, as soon as I turned 16, I bought myself a moped! This was great; a cool method of transport for a 16 year old, when my mates were walking or catching the bus. 

One day, whilst traveling home from the butcher’s shop with a carrier bag full of meat on the handle bars, a motorist decided she wasn’t going to stop at a junction and bang there I was out cold on the floor, she’d knocked me off my moped. What made the accident look worse, however, was the raw meat that had spilled all over road which the bypassing people thought was my guts! 

What has this got to do with my DJing you may well be asking yourself, well, it was the compensation from my accident that allowed my DJ career to really get started. I received around £4,000, which I used to buy a car, a proper set of twin turntables, a couple of big speakers, a rope light and a couple of flashing light boxes. The kit replaced my gramophones in my bedroom, which the neighbours were very pleased about! 

I did the usual birthday parties and other celebrations, while also taking on a number of residency stints at pubs and clubs along the journey. I even had my ‘five minutes of fame’ working on the radio! 

At the start of the new millennium, I started working at a butcher’s shop in Preston. It was a big outfit and took over my life due to long working hours. My DJing stopped completely and I didn’t even have time to do any of the other things that I enjoy. It was work, work, work; 5:30am ‘til 6:00pm 6 days a week!

In February of 2003, during a much-needed week off work, I thought to myself “there’s got to be more to life than working like this, but what else can I do?”  

I came up with a solution that meant I could spend more time at home and still earn a living... Taxi driver; yep I became a cabbie! Not very glamorous, but the flexibility was awesome. So I worked my noticed at the butcher’s during which time I also passed my taxi test. My working hours were incredibly flexible; I could work at any time in the 24 hour day, 7 days week. I saw plenty of my children and attended school events which I’d not been able to do before. Due to my flexibility, I also began to get other work offers; mainly from butchers who wanted a couple of days cover here and there without any commitment. 

In 2004 a friend of mine opened a nightclub and asked if I wanted the DJ’s job on a Friday and Saturday. I told him I’d been out of industry for a few years and didn’t   keep up with the latest music, but he assured me that  it was mainly a 70s and 80s venue. So I accepted the job and was back on the DJing scene. The club was fab, rammed every week with an older crowd and I was playing tunes I love. 

I had a great couple of years at that venue, but then the licensing laws changed and 24 hour drinking was introduced. This meant that town centre clubs were closing as late as 6am, which wasn’t for me. I was happy to finish at 2am, but didn’t want to be getting in as the kids were waking up in the morning! 

I’d been bitten by the DJing bug again, so decided to go back on the road as a mobile DJ. This time I wanted to do things properly, so decided to specialise and concen- trate solely on weddings. I purchased some decent gear and did loads of research on the wedding DJ industry; I read books, scoured the internet, and met with other experienced fulltime DJs. I joined a couple of forums and met some inspirational people; Richard Mills from New Zealand was my biggest inspiration, I learnt loads from him. 

To start with, the taxi driving was really handy as I was still earning a wage whilst building up my DJ business. If I had a gig on a Saturday, I’d do it, if I didn’t, I’d jump in the taxi and still earn a wage. However, my business as a wedding DJ grew and grew and I started getting more and more work. Eventually I reached the point where I wasn’t finding the time to drive my taxi so I gave it up completely........

I’m keen on education and sharing ideas with my peers to keep my performances fresh. I’ve completed Master of Ceremonies training courses, attended the ProMobile Conference, and done several other presenting related workshops and courses. I love hosting weddings and generally being on stage. My favourite tool of the trade is definitely my microphone. My ambition is to be the next Dermont O’Leary, hosting TV shows, but if I’m honest I don’t think it’ll happen, so I’ll crack on hosting weddings...

A few couples that have booked me have asked why I have limits as to how many songs can be requested, and it’s always hard to explain why, without sounding arrogant. One of the main problems is that whenever I’m given a long list of requests to play, I feel compelled to try to stick to the list as much as possible, and so do not make so many of my own choices, even though often there are tracks that I would choose, I know would get a better reaction on the dancefloor, and create a better atmosphere.

A recent survey was carried out by a number of past Brides, the results are interesting and need to be taken seriously. 

72 % of Brides said they would have spent more time choosing their wedding entertainment, Almost 100% said they would have spent more of their budget on entertainment, 

During wedding planning, Brides said that their highest priority is their wedding attire, followed by the reception venue and the catering. Reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities.

Within one week of the reception, 78% said they would have made entertainment their highest priority,

65% of couples who chose a Band to entertain at their wedding said, if they had to do it again, they would hire a Disc Jockey,

Entertainment is 5% of the wedding budget, but 38% of the guests will remember the entertainment more than anything else.

When guests were asked what they remembered most about a wedding after the Bride’s gown and the wedding ceremony, 81% said entertainment! 

By Steve Mitchell, Wedding DJ & Host. Keep up to date with Steve on his face book page: www.facebook.com/SteveMitchell.WeddingDJ

12 - 18 Months Before the Big Day, begin to source the right team:

♥ Bridal Gown/Dress
♥ Wedding Lingerie
♥ Bridesmaid Dresses
♥ Morning Suit Hire
♥ Hair and Beauty 
♥ Shoes and Accessories
♥ Photographer
♥ Videographer
♥ Entertainment
♥ Florist/Floral
♥ Wedding Cars/Transport
♥ Wedding Cake
♥ Venue Decor and Chair Covers
♥ Table Centre pieces
♥ Think about your theme/colours
♥ Select your Bridal party
♥ Compile the guest list
♥ Source your wedding rings
♥ Source your honeymoon



Tip # If you're booking a service, (not a product) ie: A DJ/Host, Band, Photographer or a videographer, don't hesiate to get them booked, the very best ones will get snapped up elsewhere, quality suppliers are in demand!

Till next time, enjoy your exciting journey.

Steve Mitchell. Wedding DJ & Host. Keep up to date with Steve on his face book page: www.facebook.com/SteveMitchell.WeddingDJ.