I should start by saying our experience with DJ Connection was fine, and in the end, did nothing to detract from our day. That said, there were a few mishaps that might have meant something special to other couples, so I feel obligated to share... an honest review.
As far as I’m aware, our DJ arrived on time and got set up with no issue. When we did speak to him, he was very friendly.
The first mishap occurred while I was walking down the aisle. I had wanted to enter at a specific moment in the song, but for some reason, the DJ chose to insert (what sounded like) an artificial pause in the music. This meant I had to start walking early, and there was an awkward lag and split in the song. Like I said, in the grand scheme of things, not a huge deal. Maybe it was a miscommunication on behalf of my coordinator? I’m certain I specified every detail, down to the second, of when I was wanting to enter at the time of booking AND during the finalization call, so I’m not sure. All that said, it was a bit disappointing, but not the end of the world.
Part of the reason we chose to book with DJ Connection is the online portal they provide you once you’ve paid your deposit. It allows you to choose songs for your “special dances” (first dance, mother/son, father/daughter, etc.), and list several “must play” songs. You can specify when you’d like the songs played as well. My now husband and I knew we would have an older crowd during cocktail hour/dinner time, so we curated a mix of classics to play. My husband also chose ~40 songs he wanted played during the reception. He’s Canadian, so some of them were specific to where he grew up, and some of them were silly Oklahoma references. I spent about two hours uploading these songs into our portal, thinking the DJ could just put the list on shuffle come the day-of the wedding. I confirmed these selections during the finalization call (this takes place the week of your wedding, but you won’t actually speak to the DJ; just a company representative). I also told the representative to make a note that we did NOT want modern country played during the reception. If it was going to be country, we would prefer it be from the 2000’s or earlier. Despite this being my only “do not play” request, I would guess 60% of the music played during the reception was modern country.
My husband and I also went back and referenced the ~40 “must-play” songs we provided; if I had to guess, only ~10-15 of them were actually played. This left me feeling a bit confused regarding the usefulness of the online portal? It seemed the DJ just put on a pre-made playlist rather than something tailored to our preferences, which they did take the time to ask for, and we took the time to provide. The few times the dance floor was full, it typically only lasted for 1 or 2 songs before the “vibe” phased out. Also, we had requested our grand entrance to be followed by an opportunity to thank our guests; instead, the DJ led us straight into the special dances. The microphone also continuously cut out during the speeches.
Like I said, not a terrible experience. In all, I’m grateful for the service we were provided and that the DJ was professional. However, these are things I think future couples should be aware of before booking. With promotional discounts, DJ Connection was about $200 cheaper than others with comparable offers. I would consider paying the extra $200, especially if any of the above elements are particularly important to you.