Q. In the title of your company, what does the 'Double-D' mean?

A. It simply represents the first letter in each of our first names, Derek and Desirée. 

Q. Are you a professional DJ-Entertainment service?

A. This is a profession and not a hobby!  We are a member of "The American Disc-Jockey Association" which allows us to network with other professionals in our line of business and allows us to keep up to date on the latest standards, trends and practices.  We also attend various workshops, seminars and conferences (year round) so that we can give our clients the best in planning, coordination, entertainment and music.  As a professional, we are concerned about the success of your entire event, your personal well being, and the positive-image of our company.  We offer the best in customer service and will do whatever is necessary to make your entire event a major success.

Q. I truly understand that the DJ/MC can 'make' or 'brake' a wedding reception.  How much of my total wedding budget should I allocate for the wedding entertainment (ceremony & reception)?

A. On average, we have found that most couples that are looking for quality entertainment typically will allocate 10% to 20% of their total budget for "entertainment".  The average wedding cost in Southern California in 2003 was around $25,000- that would mean that approximately $2,500 to $5,000 would go towards both your ceremony entertainment (singers, music, etc..) and your reception (DJ/MC, Band, etc..).  It also depends on what the two of you value and what you feel your guests will value.   Without great music and  entertainment, your photographer won't get those key memorable shots.  Also compare your music-entertainment costs to that of items like flowers, centerpieces, wedding cake, food, the limo, the cocktail hour vegetable platter.  Ask yourself which of these contribute to a really great reception. Without great music-entertainment, your guests will not remember any of these items.  

Q. Why do the prices for DJ's/MC's in Southern California vary across such a large price range?

A. Just like any commodity, DJ/MC prices vary due to experience, popularity, music library quality and equipment quality.  Wedding entertainment professionals are typically polished entertainers that have the experience to make your event successful.  

Q. Should I have a DJ and a band?

A. You cannot go wrong with either choice, provided you pick the entertainer that is going to work with your style and vision for the event.  It is not unusual for some couples to actually have both a DJ and Band at their wedding reception.  

Q. Tell me about Double-D Entertainment- what separates your style from other entertainment services?

A. By far, our emcee and coordination skills are one of the first things that our clients and the guests of our clients notice.  We have a very unique presence on the microphone when we talk to your guests and have been know to keep the pre-dancing portion of the reception elegant yet fun.  We have a making your event "flow" so that the time seems to just "fly by" at the end of your event.  Once the dancing starts- the magic begins.  Because we have already built a unique relationship with all of your guests at the beginning of your event, your guests will be ready to 'hit' the dance floor and have a great time- even if they did not come with a date.  We use techniques that we developed to keep both young and old dancing and entertained.

Q. Are you going to sub-contract my event to another DJ company?

A. No, you will always deal directly with us and you will meet us (your MC/DJ's) during the consultation.

Q. You mentioned the word "entertainment" and the word "entertainment" is in the name of your company, what exactly do you mean by wedding entertainment?

A. Wedding entertainment and the type of wedding entertainment, ultimately, is defined by you the client.   At your discretion, we can arrange various forms of entertainment during the cocktail hour, dinner/lunch hour and during the dancing.  When we do suggest various forms of entertainment, we always make sure that it is appropriate and that the entertainment always focuses on you (the client).  We will not do any form of entertainment that is cheesy, tacky, or that distracts from the nature of the event; we do not act as a game show host (unless you want us to). Some of our clients like a lot of entertainment and some of our clients do not want any- we are totally flexible and make the necessary adjustments for each client. When we meet with you in person when will discuss all the details of your entertainment needs.

Q. Is Double-D Entertainment insured?

A. Yes, we carry a $1,000,000 protection policy.  Please contact us, and we will be glad to send a copy of our policy to your ceremony or reception director.

Q. Do you use "professional" equipment?

A. Yes, all of our equipment is professional audio gear that has been designed especially for events like yours.  We do not use consumer equipment that you might find at Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City or Wal-Mart.  All of our gear is purchased through professional wholesalers such as Guitar Center, Pro Stage Sound & Lighting and Sam' Ash.

Q. Do you provide backup equipment?

A. Yes, although we do a great job of keeping our equipment well maintained, we always bring additional equipment (CD player, speakers, amplifiers, microphones) as an insurance policy for our clients.  We also bring additional equipment in the event that your event size grows un-expectantly on the day of your event- we are prepared to handle to additional crowd size with our additional equipment.

Q. What music format do you use? - compact discs (CD's), records (vinyl), etc..?

A. For wedding ceremonies and receptions we typically will us 100% CD's.  On occasion, we have had some clients that have asked us to use "Compact Cassette (tape)" for the ceremony-  because they have been to a wedding where the CD skipped while the bride walked down the isle.  Although we have been blessed for this never occurring, we are willing to accommodate any specific format needs that you might have. 

On occasion, some clients have asked us to perform at their wedding reception with 100% records (vinyl).  We do offer this service, however, there is an additional cost for this service....please call for details

Q, Can we pick the music that we want to hear at our reception?

A. Yes, we will provide you with access to our database of music so that you can select the specific genre's and song titles that you want played at your event.  We also would like to know which genre's and which specific titles that you do not want played at your event.  We currently have over 20,000 titles to choose from and if we do not have a specific genre or title that you're looking for, we will get it for you at no additional cost. We will use all of this information to create a dance environment that will keep all of your guests musically entertained.

Q, Will you take music request from our guests?

A. Yes and No, it depends on whether you want us to.  This can be a touchy subject for some clients, but typically the way we handle requests is as follows: if a guest asks for a particular song (or genre), first we will make sure that it is on your "OK to Play List."  If the song (genre) is on your "OK to Play List", we will 'mix' the song at the best time during the dancing.  If the song (or genre) is on your  "No Way, Do Not Play List" then we will not play it under any circumstance, unless we are redirected personally by you.  If the requested song (genre) is not on either your "OK to Play List" or "No Way, Do Not Play List," we will use our judgment as to the appropriateness of the request and 'mix' the song at the best time- unless we are directed otherwise by you.

Q. Does Double-D Entertainment know how to "Beat-Mix?"

A. Yes, and we are very good at it!  Even with CD's!  Beat-mixing is a basic skill for any DJ that performs for clubs, parties or radio mix-shows.  Beat-mixing is the art of seamless transitioning from one song to the next- on beat and on time.  Typically at a wedding reception, beat-mixing is not essential; only because of the varied genre's of music and music titles that are typically played during a reception music 'set'.  However, we do an excellent job of making great music transitions and we do "beat-mix" during some of the music 'sets' of your event 

Q. How will you dress for my event?

A. For most formal events, such as a wedding, we typically dress in a black tux.  If you are having a "themed" event, we will definitely dress in the appropriate attire for your event.

Q. How much time do you allow for set-up?

A. On average, we typically need about 1 hour for our standard setup.  For events where we will be setting up elaborate lighting and/or special effects, we typically need 2 hours total.  

Q. Does Double-D Entertainment charge for travel time and set-up?

A. No, not for events that are held in Southern California.  For events out-of-state, travel and transportation charges will apply- please contact us for the specific details of your out-of-state event.

Q. Do You Provide A Written Contract?

A. Yes, the contract will list the specific details of your event so that you are assured that you will receive all of the items that we discuss during your consultation meetings.  The contract is the official way that we book clients for their event. 

Q. Can we talk to some of your past clients (references)?

A. Yes, we encourage all of our new clients to talk as many of our pasts clients as you like.  We also suggest that you talk to some of the vendors (photographers, caterers, etc..) that we have work with in the past.  

Q. We are interested in booking Double-D Entertainment, how much of a deposit is required?

A. We typically ask for a 50% deposit to officially lock in your date, with the balance due on the date of your event.  Once we receive your deposit, you are our official clients for that date.  If another client calls and wants to contract us for your date, we let them know that we are already contracted for the day.  Because of this policy, we are unable to refund deposits once you have contracted our services.  However, we realize that things happen in life, so if you decide not to have your event on the date contracted, we will credit your balance towards another date.  We give you up to one (1) year to have your rescheduled event, provided we are available on the date that you pick…so all is not lost.  

Q. What form of payment do you accept?

A. For the deposit, we can accept any of the following forms: credit card, personal check, money order, cashiers check and cash.  For final payment, we cannot accept a personal check unless it is received 45 days prior to the date or your event.

Q. We are ready for the initial consultation- what is the initial consultation all about?

A. We first like to use the initial consultation to introduce ourselves to you both and  get some basic background information about the two of you: how did you meet, how long you have been engaged, your vision for your wedding ceremony/reception, your entertainment and musical tastes, etc..  Secondly, we would like to present what we can offer you in the form of entertainment and music, and give you a lot of great ideas and suggestions on all aspects of your wedding event.  At the end of our meeting, we will leave you with an information package and contract so that you will have all that you need to make an informed decision.