Resources
Wedding Resources
Welcome to our Resources Page. We use this page to answer all of your most pressing questions regarding EPIC Charleston and Wedding DJ Entertainment. Below we answer the most common questions (and downloads) we get from clients and mention where you can go to get the exact information your need.
Availability
- Are you available for my Wedding Day?
- You can check EPIC Charleston’s availability by inquiring here or view our booking calendar here.
- How much notice do you need in advance to be booked?
- A year in advance is best, however, we do last minute booking a month or less away if we are available.
- Do you offer Free Consultations by Phone, Skype, In Person, etc?
- Yes, We offer Phone, Skype and In Person Consultations. You can schedule a time by clicking our calendar appointment link here.
- Can we put a hold on our date?
- Yes, with a 50% deposit we hold your date.
Your DJ (Who is it? Experience, Dress, Part-time, Full-time, Music Selection)
- Will you be the DJ for my event? Do we have a choice of DJs to choose from? Or is it based on availability or best fit?
- When talking to a client, we’ll know the time of the wedding and the vibe that they’re looking for. We will find someone that is available for that date and who is the best fit for them. When Nick is on the phone with a client and they have a good relationship going, he knows it’s a good fit. If he is available for that day, then he is happy to book himself as the DJ for that event.
- How much experience do you (or your company) have? How long have you been in business?
- We’ve been in business in Charleston for 5 years as a full time wedding entertainment company. We have planned and performed over 800 weddings in Charleston.
- Have you worked at this venue before? (not a deal breaker but a bonus if DJ is familiar with venue)
- After discussing if the day is available, the first thing we ask is where they are getting married, or if they have chosen a venue yet. We recommend you secure your venue before you secure the entertainment. There are a lot of unique things about each venue in Charleston and surrounding areas. We want to be familiar with each venue. That is going to allow us to help you plan where the ceremony is going to be, the area for the cocktail hour, and for the reception. These may all be in different areas that guests are moving from.
If this is a venue we have experienced, we can help you with your entertainment planning and tell you what we have seen that has worked out best.
If this is a venue we have not been to, we would like to know so that we can research it, double check with the venue and find out what their requirements are, so that we can have a successful night.
- After discussing if the day is available, the first thing we ask is where they are getting married, or if they have chosen a venue yet. We recommend you secure your venue before you secure the entertainment. There are a lot of unique things about each venue in Charleston and surrounding areas. We want to be familiar with each venue. That is going to allow us to help you plan where the ceremony is going to be, the area for the cocktail hour, and for the reception. These may all be in different areas that guests are moving from.
- What sets your Wedding DJ Company apart from others?
- It’s our process that we walk our brides and grooms through. We answer the questions that they may not have thought to ask. This is important because once answered, they will understand what it is to book a Wedding DJ and feel confident and comfortable. Our website has a ton of great videos to discuss reception setup, ceremony… why those things are important and why micing your officiant is important, why doing a grand entrance at a wedding reception is important. This process is what sets us apart from other companies.
- How early do you arrive at the venue?
- We arrive, 2-3 hours prior to any guest arrival. This allows time to make sure everything is setup, polished, and ready to go before any guest arrives.
- Are Weddings your main focus?
- Yes, Absolutely.
- What do you (the DJ) wear? How do you dress up?
- The EPIC style is a nice modern, fitted black suit, white shirt and black skinny tie.
- Do you have a sample of your Wedding DJ Music Mixes/ or Playlist?
- EPIC Charleston has a SoundCloud account. These are live wedding mixes that have been recorded. They have not been edited, you’ll hear bouquet tosses and people cheer, having a great time. We do this so you can really have a taste at what the wedding reception music is going to be like. (link for mixes)
- Are you Full-time or Part-time DJ?
- Full-time DJs
- How do you stay current with music? Are you DJing regularly?
- Yes. We DJ regularly as a full-time wedding entertainment company. We do 2-3 weddings every single weekend. Along with the other DJs, we chat about music and what things work, what things don’t work. We talk about cool mixes we’ve done with different songs, every week. That is the best way to stay current. Also, keep an eye on the Top 40, see what is trending, and decide how we want to incorporate into our Wedding Mix.
- Do you assist me in finding music for our ceremony and reception?
- Absolutely. We like to take a little bit of a different approach to the tradition of the DJ asking, “Here’s a list of 300 songs, circle all of the stuff you like.” That’s not the best way to find out what a bride and groom love. In our experience, by having great, full time experienced DJs, we know what your friends and family love. We do weddings every weekend and can read each crowd. Every wedding is completely different. We are confident in knowing that everyone is going to have a great time, but we want to develop a special touch that is going to make it a little bit different.We will ask you and your fiance for 10-12 songs. These tell a better story for what you personally love. We look at these and see what will be perfectly mixed, what your parents will also like, what mixes with the groom’s favorite song, this really wows everyone and brings a fun vibe of classic and traditional music, as well as bringing in touches of style from the bride and groom to create an awesome night.
- If the crowd is not dancing (maybe they’re shy), how do you get them dancing?
DJ Entertainment: Pricing and Cost (Services offered, Packages)
- Where can I find your pricing? Wedding DJ packages?
- https://www.epiccharleston.com/pricing
- How much do you charge for a 4-Hour Wedding Reception?
- Listed on our pricing page, anywhere from $1,700 to $2,400.
- Do your packages include setup and breakdown?
- Yes, setup and breakdown are included.
- What do you charge for an extra hour of music?
- We charge $199 for an additional hour.
- Do you charge a travel fee?
- If the event is 50 miles away or more, we charge $1.25 per mile.
- Do you offer additional services (Uplighting, Dance Floor Lighting, Photo Booth, etc)?
- Yes. The Photo Booth is super fun and recommended for every wedding, another piece of entertainment that adds so much. We offer uplighting, cocktail hour and ceremony service.
Wedding Ceremony (Music, Planning, Equipment, Remote Setup, etc)
- Do you offer Ceremony Music and Sound System setup?
- Yes.
- What is your process for planning music for a ceremony? (From Processional to Recessional)
- A few things at a wedding ceremony are standard. We like to have prelude music, this is the music played prior to the couple getting married, played as the guests are arriving. A song is used for the seating of the parents and grandparents. Another song is used for the arrival of the groom and officiant. Another song is the bridesmaids coming down the aisle. May have a fourth song for the flower girl and ring bearer. The bride’s processional is the song when the bride comes down the wedding aisle. After all that is the recessional, when the couple departs down the aisle.
We can help you plan all of that. It can be traditional or not, there are really no rules and we have pretty much done anything you can imagine.
- A few things at a wedding ceremony are standard. We like to have prelude music, this is the music played prior to the couple getting married, played as the guests are arriving. A song is used for the seating of the parents and grandparents. Another song is used for the arrival of the groom and officiant. Another song is the bridesmaids coming down the aisle. May have a fourth song for the flower girl and ring bearer. The bride’s processional is the song when the bride comes down the wedding aisle. After all that is the recessional, when the couple departs down the aisle.
- What equipment do you use?
- Charleston has a lot of plantations and outdoor venues, this translates directly into the type of equipment we use for our wedding ceremonies. We use a wireless, battery powered speaker. This is very universal, can be used indoors or outdoors. We use a Lapel microphone for your wedding officiant. That way everyone can hear your ceremony and feel a part of it. We provide a handheld, wired microphone. This is used for anyone who may be doing a reading or singing during your wedding. Also used as a back up microphone.
- Can you setup remotely (wirelessly)?
- Yes.
- Do you mic the officiant and other members of the Wedding Party (ex. The Groom)?
- We just mic the officiant.
Cocktail Hour (Music, Planning)
- What is your process for planning cocktail hour music?
- There are no rules, so whatever vibe you are looking for… could be an island vibe, beach vibe, classic Frank Sinatra vibe. For cocktail hour, we’ll have a remote speaker set up at the location. This cocktail hour is included in our reception planning form.
- What music do you recommend for this part of the Wedding?
- We like upbeat happy tunes. A few modern songs that may be more chill fits into the mix. You want a variety songs that are on the edge of dancing but not slow enough that it’s dinner music.
- What is your equipment setup?
- We use one speaker that is remotely placed wherever the cocktail hour might be. Typically outside, on a patio, or to the left or right of the ceremony.
Wedding Reception (Music, Master of Ceremonies, Planning, Request, Equipment)
- How long do you play for?
- Our standard package, that reserves your date, does not include ceremony or cocktail hour, starts at a minimum of 4 hours.
- What is your process for planning the reception music?
- The first thing we want you to do is pull up our EPIC Reception Planning Form. (Link to the planning) This walks us through every part of the reception. The first part is the cocktail hour. Then we move into the grand entrance. The first song that is played when the wedding party, parents and bride and groom come out to. The second song is the first dance. Then we have the father/daughter and mother/son. Those first songs are the start of planning the reception.After these dances the bride and groom will typically thank everyone for coming. It is a nice gesture that we recommend. Traditionally, the father of the bride will give a thank you/welcome speech. This is the perfect transition into dinner.Now we plan dinner music. We like to have laid back, acoustic instrumental. Frank Sinatra brings a classy vibe to dinner. At the same time, it depends on location. Is it a plated dinner, or dinner stations outside on a plantation? Music changes depending on location and we can help you find what you’re looking for. Then comes the main dancing selection. We help you out with that with a cool chart at the bottom of our planning form with all genres of music. You can rate how you feel about that music, what you love, what you are indifferent towards, what you don’t want. This gives a good idea on how to kick off the night. Then we read the crowd, pull up custom mixes we have created for you.At the end of the night we close it out with the last dance with the bride and groom only. It’s a nice group send off. Keep that in mind or we can pick out something for you.
- How do you choose music? What is expected on the bride and grooms end?
- When a bride and groom come to EPIC Charleston, the first part is filling out the contact form. This tells us the venue, start and stop time, the vibe they’re looking for, whether they’re using a wedding planner. Now we have a good snap shot.The second part, after we’ve booked, is completing the planning forms. These are due 7 days prior to your wedding. By then, the timeline is finalized. We all meet up and go over the planning forms and go over some mixes.
- What equipment do you use in your reception setup?
- Set up always comes with two top speakers. These are PA Speakers. 12 inch, two way speakers. They are going to be QSC which is an excellent quality company that we use. They sound great and look really good. You don’t want some big, boxy speakers at a nice wedding. These are sleek, stylish and professional. One is on each side of the DJ on the dance floor. It’s very important that the DJ is beside the dance floor. Music is very personal, and the DJ needs to feel the energy from the dance floor.We always bring a subwoofer. You want that lowend bass to be there, not overbearing, but it gives it a nice, full sound.We have our DJ controller, turntables controller, Macbook, typical DJ equipment. It’s all nice and clean. All cables are tucked away, nothing sticking out.
- Do you handle the Master of Ceremonies process (MC announcements, toasts, dinner, first dance, etc)
- We do. Not too many people think about this when they hire a DJ. You want to make sure the DJ is going to MC your night. Make sure the make all the announcements, provide direction to the guests, give heads up to those making toasts so that they feel comfortable and not rushed. These are all important to ask. Our planning form covers all of these. We want to personally know who the maid of honor and best man are, how you want to be introduced, how we will announce everyone out on the dance floor… instead of just playing the music being the MC of the event is very important.
- Do you provide the microphone for toasts and speeches?
- Yes.
- Do you take song requests?
- Absolutely. This makes a lot of people nervous. We read the crowd and pick up on the vibe, but when we have an individual come up that is close to the bride or groom, they know you and say, “you have to play this, this is our song.” What we do, is we creatively mix that into the set and nobody knows it’s coming up. Then the song goes on and people go nuts. That memory is captured again. We take requests with a grain of salt. Sometimes they aren’t the best requests so don’t think we will play every request but we know when it will create a moment or memory for you.
Payment (Quotes, Deposit, Contract)
- Do you provide quotes? Are they online?
- Yes. Something I’ve found that is very effective is the couple can share the quote link with anyone in their family. It is a great tool to communicate what we talked about in our consultation and gets everyone on the same page and to feel like they are a part of it.
- Do you require a deposit? If so, how much to reserve you (the DJ)?
- Yes we do. We require a 50% deposit. The final 50% is due one month prior to your wedding.
- How do you handle final payment?
- Besides it being due one month prior to your wedding, you will also get an electronic reminder 10 days before that due date. We take all major credit cards. There is also an option to pay by check.
- Do you have any extra fees?
- We have a 2.9% credit card processing fee. For the checks, we have no fee, but we do need to receive that check after you have signed the contract to finalize and book your date.
- Do you have a contract?
- Yes we do. You want to make sure that the venue address is on the contract. That the services provided and who is going to provide them is on there. The total balance for all the services. The final thing, is we have a section to help you understand our power requirements. We require a 6 to 8 ft table with linen for all our DJ setups. Those are important parts you want to look at. Again, with the link, everyone can share that and all be on the same page.
Extras and Miscellaneous (Liability Insurance, Back Up Equipment, Emergencies, Cancellation Policies, etc)
- Do you have Liability Insurance and a business license? Do DJs that work under you have Insurance?
- Absolutely. Everything is insured. This takes care of anything that would ever happen at an event, equipment wise. Everything is covered.
- What do you do in case of emergency situations?
- If you want to see a list of our action plans, this is a procedure that we can send to you. A list that if, say a DJ was in a car accident, there is a number to call. (link)
- Do you have backup equipment in case something of yours fails?
- Yes
- Do you have other DJs on call in case you are not available?
- Absolutely
- What if I cancel my Wedding? What is your refund policy?
- Yes. This is most important. Due to any reason, including hurricanes. According to our contract, all of our deposits are final. We do not do any refund of the 50% deposit. We do that because once the wedding date is gone, it is almost impossible to get that date back. Even though the contract says, if a storm comes and your wedding is cancelled, that is something that is beyond our control. That said, for all of our couples, we do whatever it takes to make that wedding happen in the future.For example, last year, we had been planning a wedding with this couple for a year and a half, had a great relationship and were super excited. We were watching the weather. The governor said that everyone needed to evacuate, so nobody had a choice. Venues were shutting down, everyone was leaving the city. It sounds terrible because you put a lot of work in getting everything together, so we are going to act in the same way. What we do is based on our future availability. We will do whatever it takes but if we have a wedding that is booked on that future date, unfortunately we cannot do that. But 9 times out of 10, we call up the bride and groom, get a game plan going. This wedding was on a Friday, but the hurricane rolled in. We packed everything up and actually just went to another city up in the mountains. We had the wedding, had an amazing time. Whatever it takes to get to that point, we will do. We will go above and beyond to make that wedding happen, unless we already have a wedding on that date.