So you've done with most of the wedding ceremony preparations?

Lest you forget, there's one more power that can make or break your wedding reception - your disc jockey! If you want the memories of your wedding to linger in your guests' minds long after the food is forgotten, a good DJ is one of your keys. Finding a disc jockey is very easy; to find the best is tricky.

Even if you're in a tight budget, scrimp on other items on your list but not on a DJ. Many DJ's charge less because they have less to offer, but settling for a cheap DJ almost always results in a disastrous outcome. A good professional takes pride in his work and knows how much he's worth.

For such an important event as your wedding, a reputable company or entertainment agency with a good track record is also a good option, provided they can provide you with the DJ that you are looking for. There is one major advantage that a company has over an individual contractor - BACK-UP. Equipments malfunction and people get sick. Make sure to choose a company that carries equipments of good digital quality and has a solid back-up plan for both equipment and good DJ for last-minute emergencies. Should you decide to go for an entertainment agency, be sure to have one first choice and a back-up choice.

On the other hand, some of the best don't want to be tied up with an agency and are carving a niche of their own.

Whether you decide to go for an entertainment agency or an independent contractor, these are the qualities you are looking for in a great wedding Disc Jockey:

So these are the qualities you are looking for in a great wedding DJ:

• His reputation must be untarnished. Imagine what your wedding reception would be like if your choice of a DJ doesn't show up or doesn't come in time.
• Music must run through his veins - he must be an expert of all genres, and is up to date with the latest hits.
• A good DJ must be able to produce a perfect blend of timeless soul ballads, upbeat dance music and slow jams. If he is not interested to know the names of the bride and groom, their respective parents, the close relatives, friends, important guests and other tidbits of information about them, then he is not the DJ you're looking for.
• He must have excellent communication skills, to be able to interact with the crowd.
• The event should not be totally under the mercy of the DJ, rather, he must be sensitive to your needs and preferences. He must be interested to know about your favorite songs and the favorite songs of your loved ones and special guests and must be able to fuse this with his own selections that will appeal to all ages.
• He must love what he is doing, and must be concerned more about his work than with the money that comes with it. If he gives emphasis on his competitive price rather than on what he is capable of doing, time to look for another one.
• He must be genuinely interested in giving you the best. If he is generous with his advice even if he is not yet sure whether you will hire him or not, that's a good sign.
• He must be willing to listen to you, eager to answer your questions and makes every effort to explain things to you. If he cuts you short and focuses on his sales pitch instead, then time to look elsewhere.
• He must be eager to show you video clips of his performance. Although video clips can be edited to show the best, still you can trust your built-in gut instinct to recognize a good one when you see one.
• He must be totally immersed with the event and knows what's happening around him. He can never do this if he knows very little about the event, so he must be interested enough to find out details about your wedding.

To sum it up, you are not simply looking for a DJ who is able to motivate the crowd and make proper announcements at the appropriate time. You are looking for a professional DJ who cares more about his head and heart than his pocket, someone who can make your guests forget about their inhibitions and grind shamefacedly on the dance floor. Only a DJ who is passionate about his art can do this, and this is who you should be looking for. As one real good DJ puts it, "A triumph for me is when people say it was the best wedding ever, not the best wedding DJ ever. It's about the wedding as a whole, not just the DJ."