Why are wedding DJ’s so expensive?
The short answer is this: Your entertainment cost accounts for 10% or less of your entire wedding budget, yet as an entertainer I am responsible for over 50% of your events success! Of course, every detail is important… the dress, venue, flowers, food, photographer..etc. Everything can be as perfect as can be, yet your special day can be downgraded, if not ruined by a sub-par entertainer… I’m sure that you have been to a wedding or two where the DJ and/or MC made you secretly feel sorry for your friend getting married. The main reason that wedding DJ’s are expensive is because of all the time that is put into each event. Starting with the initial contact and consultations, client meetings, the hours it takes to put together a music program that reflects your personal styles, travel time to the venue, set up, actual play time, breakdown and return travel… basically, an entire day is dedicated to your event. Equipment is also a big factor, as every piece of equipment I use is top-of-the-line and I’m constantly upgrading as technology improves, which gets pretty expensive.
What makes you better than the other wedding DJs on Maui?
I don’t believe that it’s about one DJ being better than the others, it’s about your personal preference and what energy you want from your entertainer. Some guys are really quiet and prefer to be in the background, while other guys are on the microphone way too much and make it about them, instead of focusing on you. There are real DJs who can actually mix tracks together, while there are guys that seem to play one song at a time straight from iTunes. There are also guys who think they need a ton of equipment, with lots of bells and whistles and a huge set up to make the party happen while others guys come with just a computer and one tower speaker. So… what makes me stand out from the “other guys”?
I believe that I have a great balance in all of those factors. My skills as a true DJ have been perfected over the last 20 years, recently being voted “Maui’s Best Club DJ” by Maui Time Magazine for the second year in a row. You can expect that your music program will flow seamlessly from one song to the next… and when it comes to the dancing portion you can be sure that I will make the dance floor ROCK without all that “typical” or “cheesy” wedding stuff… but above all, I truly LOVE what I do and it really shows. When it comes to Master of Ceremony (MC) work, I cater to your style. I am very confident on a microphone and can easily take charge of a crowd, or I can keep it casual and make announcements and introductions only as needed. I also take the time to know everyone’s names that I will introduce throughout the night, to make your wedding experience much more personal and intimate.
Equipment wise, I have done tons of research and have invested lots of money in order to have a great looking DJ set up that is compact, yet highly effective. I understand that looks are just as important to you as how good it sounds, and I am proud to boast the nicest DJ set up on the island… hands down!
Do you have any reviews from past couples?
Why…yes I do! As a matter of fact I have many! Please feel free to click on the Wedding Wire box on the right hand side of every page on my website to see what my past clients are saying about me and my services.
What services do you offer and how much do you charge?
I am not the most expensive DJ/Entertainer on the island, but I am also not the cheapest… but overall, I am well worth my prices. You’ll notice that I have placed “starting at” prices on my services. These are my retail rates and do not account for coordination fees that may be added by your coordinator, event planner, booking agent (typically 10-25%) or hotel (25-100%). Each event is unique so please fill out the booking request form for a complimentary quote. As for services, I offer everything you need for your event including Ceremony P.A. & Music, Reception DJ & MC service, Satellite Sound Systems, Projector & Screens for movies or slideshows, custom gobos and up lighting packages. You can event rent one of my high quality sound systems if you are opting for an iPod wedding. For a detailed description of my services and starting prices please go to my services page.
My venue requires liability insurance… can you provide proof?
Of course! Any legitimate vendor on the island needs to have liability insurance in order to work at certain venues such as hotels or private properties. I have a $2,000,000 policy and can send a copy of my Certificate Of Insurance (C.O.I.) to your coordinator or venue upon request.
What is the booking process?
The first step is to fill out the booking request form on the bookings & contact page. Please allow at least 24 hours for a response, specially during the busy seasons and weekends. We will then have a phone consultation so that we may come to an agreement on the terms for a service contract. Once I draft the contract it will be signed by both parties digitally via EchoSign (It’s really simple), which in turn will send both parties a copy of the signed contract via email. The last piece of the puzzle is to leave your deposit (typically 50%), which you can do right on my payments page. Once you’ve entered your deposit amount you will be redirected to PayPal to complete your transaction, which makes it safe and secure. That’s it! Your date is reserved!
Can we make music requests?
Absolutely! Once we complete the booking process we will stay in touch via email, phone or video chat so that we can go over your music program. I will also ask you to fill out the music request intake forms on my music request page. This will give me a good idea of what you expect to hear throughout your entire event. I will be there for you if you need a little help selecting your songs.
Do you have a music list that we can choose from?
No. I find that it only confuses my clients and it takes lots of time to update on a regular basis. Currently I have a library of over 60,000 songs and counting! Instead, I prefer to know what YOU want based on our phone consultations and build a music program around that. I will be there for you if you need a little guidance.
Can our guests make music requests the day of the wedding?
Of course! Now… I have tons of music, but no one DJ will have every song in the world. Fortunately, with today’s technology I can download music on the spot (granted that your venue has wi-fi available, which not all of them do). If your guests have a song they want to hear on their phone or iPod I can simply plug it in to my system and voila! I also encourage couples to ask their friends and family for music requests ahead of time so that I may have those songs for sure prior to your event.
How will you be dressed at our wedding?
It all depends on the look you are having for your event. For most weddings I wear a black long sleeve shirt with a nice tie and black pants (as do most wedding industry workers). If you are booking me directly I take the time to match my tie with your color(s)… I know, that’s pretty metro of me, but it’s the little details right? Lots of weddings have the “island casual” look as well, specially for outdoor events. For those I wear a nice white Tommy Bahama shirt with tan or black slacks…again, it all depends on your style.
What’s the best way to get a hold of you?
For initial contact, it is best to fill out the booking request form so I have a good idea of what services you need. Once we are in constant contact, I find that texting is the best way to get a hold of me, since I may be performing at a wedding and I can’t answer the phone at that time. Emails are great too, but again… I have weeks where I’m working several days in a row (not including my nightlife gigs) and I don’t get a chance to catch up on emails for a couple of days. Weekends are specially busy, so I generally catch up with my emails on Mondays and Tuesdays.



