Author: Tyler Ross

It is a huge honor to be in the category of elite Central Pennsylvania Wedding DJs. As the owner of Ross Productions, I try to listen attentively to our clients for compliments and concerns in order to constantly try to improve our service.

Although we rarely receive complaints, I recently was reminded that there is one complaint I hear a lot, so often that I’ve nearly become immune to it.

We have a policy when this happens: our DJs immediately walk from behind their DJ table/booth to double check the volume out front, we’ll walk around the room, and if warranted, we will always adjust the volume accordingly. But you can imagine what it’s like for a DJ to get a complaint from 1 or 2 people every night about the music being too loud, especially when hundreds of other guests never say anything at all. I have even had to ask myself if my hearing was going bad, but I am pretty sure it’s not. Some people are just very sensitive to loud music, particularly elderly people.

I have even had complaints where a client felt I should move my DJ set-up, (speakers and all) after a few guests complained that the speakers were blaring in their ears. The problem wasn’t that the music was extremely loud, this was during dinner, however, this table was right next to my DJ system, right in the line of fire of my speakers, and coincidentally, this table had all of the elderly guests seated there. The client’s Event Planner placed me there earlier in the day before any guests had arrived. The floor space was cramped, and although there was an empty stage at one end of the room, I was not instructed to set up on it. Most Event Planners approve the floor plan without ever consulting the DJ, and in their defense, having me on this huge stage all by my self would have looked odd and out of character for the type of event it was. Looking back on it, perhaps I should have overridden the Event Planner, but I assumed I was being placed where the Bride approved me to be. Moving my set up in the middle of the event would have taken at least 30 minutes, it would have been terribly distracting and it just wasn’t an option. Instead, we asked the elderly guests who were seated at this table if they would mind changing tables with a group of 20-somethings on the other end of the room. This wasn’t optimal, but it was our best shot. Problem solved, right? Well almost.

This particular room was acoustically tricky no matter what you did or where you placed the DJ. Wood floors, high ceilings, and other hard surfaces make for a very “live” and “boomy” sounding room. It’s a nightmare for sound technicians. The obvious fix seems to be “add more speakers”. In a perfect world where clients have unlimited budgets for their events, we can optimize sound in a larger room by having “zones” of numerous speakers throughout the room, controlled individually instead of relying on the traditional 1 set of speakers to cover a room. However, this is very a costly option and it’s just not done very often. The typical DJ setup uses 2 speakers placed on either side of the dancefloor or either side of the DJ’s table, and this generally covers the sound in most rooms with no problems. Of course, all of our DJs use professional sound gear, and in most cases, just 2 of the types of speakers we use will accommodate the average wedding or party of up to about 225 guests, inside or out. For larger parties, we bring in more sound gear. But laws of nature are, well, laws. The closer you are to a sound source, the louder it will be. Though speaker technology has improved greatly in the past 10-15 years, there are still sensitive ears that can’t take music at any level.  It is best to plan with this in mind.

If you’re planning a Wedding or Special Event with amplified music, I have listed some suggestion to help you avoid or limit complaints about the volume of music or sound at your Event.

And here are a few things Clients can do to avoid sound complaints from their guests:

1. Make sure that you approve the placement of the DJ before the day of your event. Ask questions about the logistics and acoustics of the room. Ask the DJ for advice and be sure to clear this up before the DJ arrives and is completely set up. It’s likely that if the DJ has to move his equipment, you’ll receive a bill. It takes time and is very distracting to move equipment.
2. Place the DJ near the Dance Floor, and if possible, do not place any table with guests directly beside the DJ. It’s always louder at the DJ booth or near the speakers.
3. Do not place Elderly Guests anywhere near the DJ speakers, they are almost always sensitive to loud noise and they will likely complain. Help make their time more enjoyable and seat them a bit further from the dance floor or designated DJ set up area.
4. Allow your DJ plenty of room for his sound system and setup. Depending on how large your party is and the equipment you rented (i.e. upgraded lights or sound system, movie screens, etc..) the DJ may need a very large space. Most event facilities will show you a diagram of exactly where the DJ will be placed and it’s a good idea to go over this with your DJ a few days before the event.

This Noise Problem can also go the opposite direction. We have had people complain that the music wasn’t loud enough. Since we are primarily Central PA DJs, we have to be concerned with noise ordinances in many of the event locations we work. We adhere to those ordinances. Your event facility should tell you about an ordinance if they have one, and you should always ask. At the event we generally alert the guests that we have a noise ordinance to adhere to if we receive too many complaints.

Keep in mind, a  DJ is hired to improve the entertainment value of your event, not detract from it. We are passionate about what we do here at Ross Productions, and we want your event to be the best that it can be. If you have more questions about DJ sound systems and requirements, where to place the DJ at your event, or about and Ventura County noise ordinances, please feel free to contact me.

Happy Planning!

Here are a few steps our DJs take to help with this matter:

1. We Elevate the speakers on Professional Speaker Stands: This gets the sound above the seated guests and helps throw the sound further without having to turn up the volume.
2. We Adjust levels if guests or event managers complain.
3. We keep the volume of music lower during dinner and cocktails and raise it when dancing begins. Our DJs Continually monitor volume levels with professional mixers and our professional ears.

I’ve been a Los Angeles DJ for 20 years and I have seen thousands of Wedding Toasts. Many have been really good, some bad, a few immensely entertaining, and several downright bore fests. I have also had the honor of being Best Man on two occasions, and I quickly realized  I’m no expert in giving toasts. However, I know that a wedding toast is an opportunity for the best man, maid of honor, family members or friends to share in their joy for the newlywed couple.  When I was asked to be a best man at my Brother’s and Best Friend’s Wedding, I thought about and planned what I would say for months. Even though I am a professional DJ, I still found that I was nervous about giving a toast at a Wedding. A toast is an intimate moment, all eyes and ears are on you, and this moment will be remembered by most in attendance, especially if it goes poorly.

But, don’t worry if you’re not a professional speaker, you don’t need to be. Just keep these few points in mind:

1. Don’t get long winded, keep it under 3-4 minutes. Rehearse the basic points of what you want to say, do not just grab the microphone and start talking.

2. Don’t give the audience an entire history of how you know the Bride or Groom. Give some basic points about the nature of your relationship to them and talk about how happy you are for this couple.

3. If you have nothing nice to say, or you have some resentments about this wedding, don’t say anything. Allow the couple to enjoy this moment, despite what you think of their marriage.

4. Be sincere! If you’re sincere in your joy for the couple, your speech will have all of the right elements of being sweet, sappy, and funny, without seeming contrived.

5. If you aren’t a stand up comedian and you want to be, now is not the time to try out your material. Keep it simple, and don’t try too hard.

6. All toasts seem to have funny stories about the bride or groom which is great, but keep in mind if someone were toasting you, you wouldn’t want something said that would be embarrassing nor do you want any secrets revealed to the friends and family. Try to leave embarrassing facts for drunken nights at the bar, not at a wedding.

7. Remember to Thank the Family’s of the Bride and Groom who were at least partly responsible for this great occasion. Express your gratitude to the Bride and Groom for allowing you to be a part of their most special day, and offer a general thank you to all the guests.

8. Many people seem to have trouble remembering that The Microphone will not work unless you hold it close to your mouth when you speak. If you need to hold items such as notes or props, ask the DJ or MC to place the Microphone on a stand for you. Otherwise practice your speech by holding a hairbrush like a microphone. Also, try to stand still, moving around too much makes you seem nervous and it’s uncomfortable to watch.

9. It’s ok to cry. If you are really emotional, try to pull yourself together before you speak…if you get really torn up during your speech, think about ending your speech early rather than making the audience really uncomfortable. But, if you cry a little, you can be sure there won’t be many dry eyes in the house.

10. And Finally, remember to take your glass with you when you’re giving the toast and at then end of your speech Raise your glass, then ask everyone to raise their glasses, and formally offer a toast the Bride and Groom.

So as you start to plan your toast for the big day here are some wedding toasts that made the guests run for the hills rather than share in the joy. This article on Wedding Toasts from “The Knot” caught my attention 10 Worst Wedding Toasts Ever.