It's all in the planning and the details. Your wedding isn't a club night; it is a personalized reflection of you and your fiance- and that takes time. I can't speak for all DJs, but I know for a fact that I can spend 20-60 hours on a wedding before I even show up that day. Other types of parties require much less detail-oriented planning. Sure, a wedding can be a club night if you want it to be, but if that's all you really want, then just head out to Vegas and tell your friends to meet you at the Borgata!

But if you want someone to take the time to get to know you and your fiance, to understand your wants, needs, and expectations, then yes, it will cost more. There are plenty of people out there who consider DJing their side job or something they do for fun, and because of that, they offer to perform for little to nothing. But for those of us who make a living off of DJing, we care so much more about the final outcome of the wedding day and we want your wedding to be everything you've dreamed of and more! So sure, paying only $400 for a DJ is great, but think about how many events that person needs to perform in order to even break the poverty line. For example, with 52 weeks in a year, and with most weddings on a Saturday, we have technically 52 Saturdays to perform: 52x400= $20,800. Then consider the what the likelihood is that a DJ books all 52 Saturdays- or any 52 events. It's not very high. If that DJ books 100 events, he or she might make $40,000, but how does that person manage to meet with clients, get to know them, bring his or her kids to school, pick them up, work out, make doctor appointments, handle day-to-day errands, and perform every weekend away from home to (barely) put food on the table?

When you want to celebrate a special occasion you don't go to McDonald's; you take that special someone to an upscale restaurant like Morton's Steakhouse. You can get beef at both places, but is it the same? Absolutely not. I'm not saying you have to buy the most expensive steak or the oldest bottle of wine, but you probably want the atmosphere to be a little nicer than what you get at the golden arches. Do you want McDonald's on the most important night of your life, or to do you want Morton's? Would you buy a formal dress at Walmart or Nordstrom? Do you want K-mart jewelry or that special blue box from Tiffany's? When it comes to one of the most important days of your life, make sure your DJ is going the extra mile for you. Make sure you're getting the best experience money can pay for.

No, you’re not dreaming it. Everyone on Facebook is posting engagement statuses. That’s because engagement season is a real thing; the time between Thanksgiving and Valentines Day is the peak season for popping the question.
If you were lucky enough to get engaged before November, you’ve probably already started your vendor search and even snagged some of your must-haves. If not though, don’t worry! Just knowing that this is a crazy engagement time can let you do some pre-engagement wedding research. That way, when your time does come, you’ll be off and running!

Keep in mind when contacting wedding vendors during the winter months that it can still be a very busy time for them with holiday parties and other events. Try to be flexible when setting up initial meetings and come prepared with questions. Bringing everyone who will be contributing financially to these meetings is crucial so you don’t need to set up more than one time to meet all together and make a final decision. ​

That being said, Rakis Productions is currently booking 2018 and 2019 wedding dates, with extremely limited late 2017 availability. Be sure to get in touch via our contact page to set up a one-on-one consultation to start planning your big day!

Images courtesy of DC Photography Boston