Spotlight On: Atlanta Bands and DJs

Ted Crowder now books 4 disc jockeys, 12 bands, and 3 videographers.

If you have been looking for entertainment for your wedding reception, there is no doubt you have run across "Atlanta Wedding DJs", "Atlanta Bands and DJs", or just "Ted the DJ". He seems to be everywhere! And, for a young guy, he seems to have built a strong wedding entertainment business that is growing like crazy.

Although Ted has been advertising on AtlantaBridal.com for several years, prior to this interview I had never been to his office and I had never actually seen him in action at a wedding. So, I decided to take a trip out to Ted's office in Roswell to find out a little more about him - what has made his business so successful? Why should a bride go with his service as opposed to other entertainment services?

Office Conveniently Located In Roswell

Ted's office is conveniently located in historic Roswell and was very easy for me to find. A+ for location!

When I arrived, Ted showed me around his office and then we got down to business. The first thing I wanted to know was how Ted got into the wedding disc jockey business because I knew that was the first wedding related service that he offered.

Experience Counts

"Believe it or not, before I became a disc jockey I was playing guitar and singing at bars around town...A DJ came in one night and watched me play and watched my rowdy personality and said that I had more of the personality of a DJ. At that time I had only heard of radio DJs and I didn't know what he was talking about...he invited me to come by and see him at a wedding...and I just happened to walk in during the garter and bouquet and I realized that was my calling...I immediately quit playing the guitar and became a DJ."

At that time, Ted went to work for that DJ's agency. Ted's first wedding was in February of 1994.

Ted moved on from that agency to a larger agency and eventually went out on his own. As Ted became more popular he started adding other DJs to his service. He now books a total of 8 disc jockeys, counting himself, for weddings and other events.

Affordable Video Solution For Entertainment Customers

"So, after you built the DJ side of the business, you decided to add bands?" I asked.

"Actually, I started offering wedding videos first."

After watching his younger brother's wedding video and talking to a buddy who repairs camcorders for a living, Ted devised a way to offer wedding videos to his clients at a lower price.

"Basically, we shoot the entire wedding in one long sequence following the flow of events and fading each chapter...but we don't do subtitles or photo montages or any of the other editing that makes the video expensive..."

Ted has 3 videographers available to shoot weddings but the client must first book either a DJ or Band.

Also Booking Live Bands...

Ted further expanded his business by offering bands. He even changed the name of his company to Atlanta Bands and DJs.

"Because I network so much and knew a lot of people in the business, some of the bands approached me and said if someone ever asks for a band, you could always book me. It was really a natural progression...and it just made sense." Ted now books 12 bands.

Meeting Your DJ (or Band)

"So," I asked, "Since you book all of these different DJs, does a bride get to meet the actual DJ that will work at her wedding?"

"Absolutely, each bride gets to sit down and chat with the actual DJ that will work her wedding before she signs the contract. That way she knows exactly who will be showing up at her wedding."

Wonderful! Another A+. I know brides will appreciate being able to meet their DJ in person.

"What about bands?" I asked. "It seems to me that it would be difficult to have brides actually see a band perform at a wedding..."

"For Bands, I show brides videos of the bands which works out really well because you are right, the only other way to see a band in action at a wedding is to go to the wedding and this is fairly difficult because you just can't invite a bunch of brides to show up at other people's weddings just to see the band..."

Just as I thought. I know I wouldn't want people that I didn't know at my wedding reception...especially if they were just there to check out the band!

Preferred Song Lists

In selecting the entertainment for my own wedding, the song list was very important to me. I had specific songs that I really wanted and needed to be played and just as important were the songs that I didn't want played. So I asked, "How do couples let you know what songs they want played at their wedding - or what songs they don't want played?"

"I give them a song list that has 850 songs on it. They then highlight the songs that they would like to hear and mark out the songs they definitely do not want to hear...We average somewhere between 60 and 75 songs at a wedding reception. I ask them to choose 25, I choose 25 and then we leave room for some requests."

"We ask a lot of questions. We try to get all of the thinking done in advance so that the bride is essentially running her own wedding reception but without having to actually do anything that day."

A Variety of DJs

I was working with a bride recently that only wanted a DJ to play music. She wasn't interested in a DJ that was going to tell jokes or try to entertain the crowd. This got me thinking about all of Ted's DJs and their personalities...

"Do you have a variety of DJs to fit any type of wedding?" I asked.

"Yes...actually I met with a couple recently that said they wanted a very subdued DJ only to make announcements...to be in the background and just to provide music and announcements...and I had already given them my presentation of how I start the party and everything and we agreed that I was not their DJ. So I then brought another one of my DJs in that was a better fit for them..."

"Communication is the key to anything like that. The fact that they told me that my style was not what they were looking for, rather than trying to be polite and just never speaking to me again,...got them the DJ that they were looking for.

Breaks for Bands and DJs

In planning events for a while, I have found that bands may need one or two breaks. For this reason, I asked Ted what his break policy was for his various Bands and DJs. I found out that Ted's DJs don't take breaks and it depends on the individual band. Bands try to take what they call "invisible breaks" which are breaks during the cake cutting and toasts, the garter and bouquet, etc.

Do Bands or DJs Require Food During the Reception?

Ted's Bands and DJs in the Atlanta area typically do not require food. Bands are required to travel a lot more than DJs, so when they travel they might require food.

Music During Dinner?

This question came up recently in a wedding I was planning so I decided to ask Ted, if his Bands or DJs play music during dinner.

All of Ted's prices are for 4 hours of music and you can use those 4 hours however you like. And, of course, overtime is always available.

For DJs the price includes two complete sound systems, with a microphone for the preacher and a cordless microphone on a stand for a singer or reader or both - and its still the same price. If you want a disco ball or anything like that it's the same price. According to Ted, some DJs charge extra for additional microphones, disco balls and other extras.

What Sets Atlanta Bands and DJs Apart?

It is often difficult for brides to differentiate between the various DJs in town - there are so many! So I asked Ted what sets his company apart from the others.

"We are the only multiple DJ company that offers the bride a face-to-face meeting with the DJ," Ted says. "I have personally been a DJ for 8 years but Atlanta Wedding DJs has been an entity for a little over 4 and we have yet to receive a complaint...We DJ a lot of ceremonies too."

Cool Web Site

To learn more about Ted's company before the interview, I visited his Web site. It is very cool and provides a lot of great information for brides. Following is Ted's comment on his Web site...

"I've tried to make my Web site as much of an educational tool as a marketing tool. The site has ceremony music samples as well as a downloadable packet of information. The Web site also includes a picture and bio of every DJ."

What Clients Are Saying...

Following are some quotes from actual customers.

"Thanks for making our wedding so special. You're the best!"

- Gary and Julie Shimer

"Ted, if anyone is ever reluctant to hire you, have them give is a call. You were great!"

- Jason and Nicole Shipman

"We just wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you did at our reception. The way you got everyone up and made them want to get involved was incredible, we didn't know someone could do that."

- Mike and Lavonne Sarvis

Contact Atlanta Bands and DJs

In summary, Ted seems to be an honest and trustworthy businessman who provides everything you could possibly want in wedding entertainment. If you are interested in learning more about Atlanta Bands and DJs, click here for contact information.