As you may have read in our FAQ section, it has been said that a good rule of thumb is to book your entertainment 6 months ahead of time, when possible.
HOW MUCH TIME DO I REALLY NEED TO BOOK MY DJ OR VENUE? IS SIX MONTHS GOOD ENOUGH?
A Few “Rule Of Thumbs” About Booking Times For A Big Event
With three new venues all on State Street in Albany, there are certainly a lot of options in our area to look at, as far as where to have your wedding. However, that doesn;t mean they will all be available for the date you are hoping for.
Booking your DJ & wedding hall six months ahead of time is a good rule of thumb, but it is not always going to guarantee you will get the exact venue location(s) or the specific DJ that you want. Timing and availability are everything.
Q: IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO CALL? – A: Never! If you have a gig tomorrow and want a DJ last minute, or if your DJ service cancelled on you (those bastards!) …CALL US ASAP! We have covered a number of weddings for slacker DJ’s who canceled with their bride within one day. We actually work well pinch-hitting. We have always pulled off these last-minute bookings with high accolades!
Q: HOW EARLY SHOULD I PLAN TO BOOK A PARTY/EVENT PROFESSIONAL? – A: The bigger the event, the more advance notice you should give. Sometimes, however, even six months ahead won’t guarantee the specific hall, caterer, or DJ that you really want, so do not delay. Always call ASAP, and work out the details later!
Q: WHAT IS CONSIDERED PRIME TIME FOR A PARTY/WEDDING? – A: The most popular dates are Saturday nights, falling on April thru to November. When you select a Saturday for the day of your event, typical 9-to-5 weekday working guests have all of Saturday morning to arrive, and all of Sunday to get home.
Q: SHOULD I BOOK MY PARTY ON A HOLIDAY? – A: We always suggest staying away from booking on holidays. While you may think that choosing a day that many may have off of work may be the way to go, it also can actually reduce guest availability. A Halloween-themed wedding can be very fun, but if it actually falls on the 31st, some parents will take children out to trick-or-treat. Also, keep in mind that people plan for their day offs far in advance.
Q: WHEN SHOULD I BOOK MY VENUE? – A: The smaller the town, the more time you actually need!!! Only about 24 people can book a Saturday night for one particular venue during “Prime Time.” If you really want a good selection, start a full year ahead, or even 18 months.
Q: WHEN SHOULD I BE BOOKING DJs, PHOTOGRAPHERS, WEDDING PROFESSIONALS? – A: While six months ahead is a good rule of thumb for reserving good entertainment, it’s still always crap shoot, when you really want a particular name DJ, band, or photographer. I have found that at the six month ahead point, sometimes we are already booked, sometimes not.
Many Things to Think about On Selecting Your Actual Wedding Calander Date
1) DATE SELECTION – Before booking your DJ, you really should figure out the right calendar date. The safest dates usually fall between spring and fall and are usually Saturday nights so that your guests have Sunday to get back to work, or recover. However, wedding dates in the North East drop off dramatically after Fall. Think about it. Most brides do not want to drop $10,000 on a party where guests could potentially get snowed in. Booking in this time frame of Spring to Fall on a Saturday night means you usually have to pay full price. This is prime time for halls, catering companies, Disc Jockeys and Bands.
Anytime before May 1st and after November 1st is an easy date to get and could save you money in hall/catering due to discounts.
2) STAY AWAY FROM HOLIDAY/SPECIAL DATE COMPETITION – Make sure your date doesn’t conflict with Thanksgiving plans, as you do not want to compete with other plans that your guests may have. Dates that sound good like Halloween, Christmas and New Years or even the Saturday before Veteran’s Day (so people can turn it into a long weekend) may seem like a good plan, but remember, that means your guests may have these dates for something else and will ultimately not make it to your special day. Always check with family members, parents or other significant people so you know that that there are no conflicts.
For example, a Halloween-themed wedding can be fun, but if it actually falls later in the day to eveneing on the 31st, think about how many parents will not come because they want to take their children out to trick-or-treat.
3) CHURCH & HALL AVAILABILITY – In medium and bigger cities like Albany, NY, with six months advance notice, you generally can find something good, but not always the exact hall you are looking for. In smaller towns, you definitely book the church and/or hall first and much earlier than six months. If there is a popular place that you have in mind, it could be difficult to get the prime time which often is 5:30 pm and after on Saturday, during May thru October. Only about 24 people will grab up a Saturday night for any particular spot during this time frame. And if your town is very small with only one or two places that could hold a decent wedding, reports show that some people may start booking it up even a full year ahead of time, or even 18 months.
When You Should Make a choices on Booking Entertainment
When Should You Book Your Wedding DJ in Albany NY?
1) BOOKING DJs & BANDs – Unless in the rare occasion you have planned the DJ first having one favorite absolutely in mind, usually the hall is booked first. Once you have reception and ceremony locations booked solid, you should go ahead book the entertainment.
From my experience, allowing for six months advance notice isn’t bad when booking a DJ service that has multiple DJs available, but it is a a roll of the dice when you are specifically trying to book one particular DJ name from one particular entertainment company for your wedding.
I find that at the six month point mark, 50 percent of the time I am already booked when a bride is requesting me by name.
2) BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHERS – Using the same rules as above with booking the DJ, from my experience, six months advance notice isn’t horrible when booking a photography, but it is a crap shoot when you are specifically trying to book one particular photographer by name for your special day.
3) BOOKING PRIME TIME SLOTS – For entertainment booking like Disc Jockeys and bands during the prime time season of spring to fall on a Saturday night, the early birds start planning in the fall for next early spring or summer and they usually get who they want. People who wait until after the new year sometimes grab who they want, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
If you are looking at a Friday or a Sunday party and/or in the ealry spring or later in fall, less booking advance time maybe needed. (You also can often save some good money as well. Make sure and ask for a discount as halls and entertainment companies often will give you something for filling empty spots or time slots that don’t fall into the prime time category!)
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With so many components to a wedding, it can kind of be overwhelming. This is why it takes a minimum of six months or a year to plan it right. Is your big wedding reception to take place in or around East Greenbush NY? Do you need top quality in music entertainment and disc jockey services for your party in East Greenbush, New York, due to the crazy dancing guests you have invited?
Don’t just book some crusty out-dated, Jerry Garcia disc jockey who only plays 80’s wedding hits like “We are Familyl” and “The Chicken Dance”… DJ Kenny Casanova will rock your party with a great blend of today’s hits and all your favorite classics. Let him prove to you why TheDJservice.com is “The Bee’s Knees of all DJs and Emcees”, including his partner in crime DJ Maria is the Capital District’s #1 female wedding DJ!
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– The wedding reception introduction is a huge part of the fun to come. You want to make sure that the your grand entrance sets the mood for the night.
There are many ways to make an impression here. Lots of people today are really mixing it up and having some crazy dance-oriented multi-theme-song entrances, while other like to go with something more traditional. (See below to see OUR way.)
Here are some popular Wedding Party Reception Entrance song selections:
• I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
• Forever – Chris Brown
• Jay Z – Bring Em Out
• I’m Here For the Party – Gretchen Wilson
• Let’s Get it Started – Black Eyed Peas
• I Like To Move It
• Carmina Fortuna
• Rocky Theme -Gonna Fly Now
• Mission Impossible Theme
• Olympic Fanfare – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• White Wedding – Billy Idol
• Star Wars Imperial March Theme
Whatever you choose, remember, it is a song that will set the mood for the evening. Below is an entrance I did recently for a great couple to Chris Brown’s “Forever”, at The Museum of Dance in Saratoga, NY.
Olde Tater Barne in Central Bridge, NY Venue Review
Barn Venue for Rustic Wedding
We have been DJing weddings for almost 15 years and I still had not had an opportunity to do a wedding here. I guess I was missing out!
If you too like the idea of a rustic wedding as many brides are, that is, getting married at a venue that makes you feel like you are on the set of “Little House on the Prairie,” then you may want to give the Olde Tater Barne a gander.
LOCATION: First off, for those of you not in the know, Central Bridge, NY is only a hop skip and a jump away from Schoharie, NY, so it’s not a bad trip from Albany or Schenectady at all.
Ole Tater Wedding Ceremony
ATMOSPHERE: The Olde Tater Barn, aside from having a great location set aside for an onsite ceremony loaded with flowers also has a massive cornfield behind the barn. It was fun to see the photographers really taking advanage of this backdrop. At one point, they had the bride and groom gou out into the stalks and took some really great pictures from within the crop itself!
Much like Pat’s Wedding Barn in Troy, NY, the barn is rustic, but has all the modern amenities to really keep your guests comfy in all seasons. A massive door also opens up on the side of the barn and allows for a great little cocktail reception spot.
On our particular wedding, there was tons of dancing on the ample dance floor and great food and drink for all provided by the in house catering service. Below are some more pictures! If you would like to check out there site at Olde Tater Barne, please do!
I just had the pleasure of DJing for a couple at Franklin Plaza in Troy, NY, which is a great hall with some really cooling lighting.
They had inflatable baseball bats and balls, a baseball cake topper and a first base guestbook that I really liked. The first base guest book was literally just that, a baseball base that all the guests could sign to be latter hung up on their wall.
Just picture the possibilities. You can serve popcorn and Crackerjacks. You can play the song before your intro. You can sign jerseys or bats for the guestbooks. You can use tickets or balls for place cards. You can do anything!
BASEBALL WEDDING THEME PICTURES IN ALBANY, NY
They also posted up the seating chart on a really great baseball themed directory that made you feel like you were looking for your seats right at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
Here are a look a t a few of the nifty things they did to pull it off!
Mountain View Fire Hall – A great place to reserve for your small / medium party
Planning a party of under 100 people or so? Looking for a hall with kitchen access? Want to keep the party affordable?
If you are in the Wynantskill / Troy, NY area and are looking for a good hall for a sweet 16 party, class reunion or engagement party, this may be the place for you. Both DJ Maria and myself have had the pleasure of serving as in-house go-to DJs for 90% of the firehouse banquet functions and we can safely say these are great people to do with business with.
Seating a small to medium party or event comfortably, Mountain View Volunteer Fire Company has a great recreational room for rent.
DJ Maria one foot out in the back starting the dance
Mountain View VFC has a full kitchen and allows outside catering. The idea of a venue allowing you to have full control of the food creates a potential for super savings for any party planner. There is a full kitchen set off to the side with two serving windows into the room.
There is comfortable seating for about 100 people still with room for dancing with plenty of additional tables and chairs available.
The hall is also ground level and handicap accessible. Here is the contact information:
Mountain View Volunteer Fire Company / Mountain View VFC 2 Shafter Avenue Troy, New York 12180 518/283-4530
