HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?
Black Tie DJs has been serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC since 1978. Over 34 years
experience and 10,000 events!
CAN YOU TELL ME YOUR RATES AND AVAILABILITY?
Date, times and location can each affect your rate greatly!
Surveys show that 80% of the success of your event will depend on your entertainment. So ask yourself - how much should you
budget for something as important as your DJ? Click here for rates and an instant quote.
CAN WE MEET OUR DJ / WHEN WILL OUR DJ
BE SCHEDULED?
You can meet with your DJ before OR after you sign a contract. We will ask you to fill in our unique planning
form, so we can first match up the best DJ for you. This process gives you a WRITTEN guarantee, rather than someone scribbling
something on a piece of paper then losing it or misinterpreting what you said. This also prevents your DJ telling you what you
want to hear, then "doing their own thing" on the day of the event. Since we know the strengths and weaknesses of all our
DJs better than anyone, you do not have to worry about asking the important questions. We will be happy to write your DJ's name
on your contract for your peace of mind.
WHAT ARE YOUR PAYMENT AND BOOKING TERMS?
In order to book our services, simply call and ask
us to send you a contract. A signed copy must be returned with a $150 deposit within 5 days. Your balance is
due 10 days before your event. Click here to view a sample contract
IS GRATUITY INCLUDED IN YOUR RATE?
No,
our rates do not include tips. However, if you feel your DJ did a great job that is one of the best ways to say thank you.
WILL
YOU PLAY THE MUSIC I REQUEST?
We can play what you want and stay away from what you don't want. You can create a list of
"must plays", "play if possible" and "do not plays" with our our planning tools. Another option is to give us percentages of
each genre on our event planning guide and let the DJ read the crowd and use their experience. Naturally, you can do a little
of both too. Our online music library consists of the most requested songs and you are NOT limited to that list. We will
be happy to play any music you decide to provide (preferably mp3 format prior to the day of the event).
HOW MANY SONGS I CAN PRE-SELECT?
Since
many clients give us more songs than we have time to play, we limit your pre-selected requests to 30 songs during the dance time (roughly
2 hours of music). If you pick the maximum number of songs, your DJ will not be able to take requests or use their experience
to gauge the crowd since this usually takes up all of the dance time. When creating a request list, please remember the number
of songs you request greatly affects which DJ will be scheduled for your event. If a client provides a request list of
more than 75% of dance portion of event, we take no responsibility for crowd response.
DO YOU USE CDs or MP3?
Both! There are
pros and cons to using one or the other. MP3 is great to use if you do not want to carry around all the CDs and easier to manage.
However, if a laptop stops working, you lose ALL the the music. Also, the quality of CDs is absolutely the best. MP3 can
only be as good as it is ripped (copied) from the original CD. So, even if your DJ uses primarily or all MP3, the CDs are
still brought and used as backup.
CAN YOU PROVIDE MUSIC FOR OUR WEDDING CEREMONY?
Absolutely! Some considerations need to
be taken into consideration such as the need for a separate satellite system in order for the DJ to see AND hear what is going
on during the ceremony. Sometimes we are needed only to mic your officiant, readers and/or singers.
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE WILL
MY DJ HAVE?
We have been in business since 1978. We only hire DJs who have worked at least 100 events (roughly 3 years).
This way, you do not have to wonder if the DJ has "been there - done it before". Remember, a DJ with 10 years experience
does NOT mean they have been doing weddings for 10 years! They could have done nothing but nightclubs or pool parties for those
10 years.
CAN WE VIEW OUR DJ AT ANOTHER EVENT?
We DO NOT allow prospective clients to sit in on private events! This is not professional
and it is disrespectful to those clients. Most importantly, it will not reflect what happens at your event since every client
wants different things. Clients can schedule consultations with their DJ or the office manager or both to discuss
their event via telephone, video conference or in person prior to your event.
