"Wedding Music Planning: Top Three Tips To Choose A Music Professional"

One of the critical step during wedding music planning is to decide the type of music to be played, and who will perform it, a live band or a DJ.

Regardless of a live band or a DJ, your goal is to hire the right person(s) for the job to enliven your wedding. On the one hand, you want to have competent and skilled professionals, but on the other hand you don't want to pay more than you should. Achieving this goal will reduce a lot of stress involved in the wedding planning.

Here then are the top three tips you should keep in mind before hiring a performer for your big day.

1- See them perform in person. 2- Have in writing the name of the performer. 3- Narrow down the chosen ones.

It's ideal if you are able to see the candidates perform live before committing to their services. One of the best way to do this is to watch bands or DJs at your friends or family members' wedding. If not then remember that most of the live bands or DJs gain their reputation by performing at various weddings. Ask them for the referrals and check with their past clients.

Make sure that the signed contract specifies the exact name(s) of those who will be performing at your wedding. Usually this is not a problem with a live band. However sometimes popular DJs are not able to perform at all committed weddings. In such a case, he or she may resell your party to another DJ. Also, a very poular DJ may have other less experienced DJs working for him. Protect yourself by a written contract.

Try to narrow the search from 3 to 5 candidates, just for comparision, before making your final decision. Remember, time is critical. You don't want running around, trying to get the "best" performers in town. You will find that there're lots of DJs or bands available in the area. If you find a referral from friends or family members then it would be ideal. You can then ask your friends to borrow a copy of their wedding. If not then you have to contact the locals, but the key here is to ask them for a sample tape or a recorded video.

Besides the three tips above, always obtain a detailed contract that specifies all of the details agreed between you and the performers.