Category Archives: wedding DJ

An Enchanted Evening, Inc. named Winner of The Knot Best of Weddings 2020

December 16, 2019wedding DJ, Best of Weddings, wedding dj chicago il2020, Best of Weddings, The KnotMike Urban

Fourteenth Annual Best of Weddings Awards Honor the Top Wedding Vendors Across America

Rolling Meadows, IL/January, 2020—An Enchanted Evening, Inc. is pleased to announce that we have been selected as a 2020 winner of The Knot Best of Weddings, an accolade representing the highest- and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning brand and app. This is the 10th year An Enchanted Evening, Inc. been named a winner of The Knot Best of Weddings awards.

In 2020, only five percent of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot received this distinguished award. In its fourteenth annual year, The Knot continues its longstanding tradition of supporting local wedding vendors with The Knot Best of Weddings 2020, an annual by-couples, for-couples guide to the top wedding professionals across the country. To determine the winners, The Knot analyzed its millions of user reviews across various vendor categories, including venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more, to find the highest rated vendors of the year. These winners represent the best of the best wedding professionals that engaged couples should consider booking for their own unique wedding.

The Knot has inspired 25 million couples (and counting!) to plan a wedding that’s uniquely theirs. With a rich history of providing high-quality content and inspiration, The Knot makes it easy for couples to connect with and book the right wedding professionals to create their perfect wedding day. On The Knot Marketplace, couples can get connected to any of the hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals across the country. The Knot Best of Weddings gives couples the confidence to find and book the best local vendors to bring their wedding visions to life. In combination with years of trusted content, The Knot’s innovative technology makes planning one’s wedding celebrations easier and more enjoyable.

Wedding professionals who win The Knot Best of Weddings are members of WeddingPro, the leading B2B wedding brand. As the largest marketplace and community for wedding professionals, WeddingPro connects businesses with more than 13 million visitors per month who are planning weddings on The Knot and WeddingWire, as well as with hundreds of thousands of pros in the industry. Through its online marketplaces, educational programs and community-building events, WeddingPro is dedicated to helping wedding professionals build relationships with couples and pros that grow their businesses.

For more information about The Knot Best of Weddings and this year’s winners, please visit https://www.theknot.com/vendors/best-of-weddings.

About An Enchanted Evening, Inc.
We are a professional production company unlike most wedding companies in the industry who are smaller, single operator, part time service providers. We have been in the industry for almost 20 years and have been the recipient of over a dozen industry awards over the last 10 years, including receiving The Knot’s Hall Of Fame Award (less than 2% of wedding professionals nationwide initially received this elite award). We have also received The Knot’s Best Of Weddings award 10 times in addition to receiving the Wedding Wire’s Couples Choice Award for the last 8 consecutive years in a row. Hiring a professional DJ can truly make or break a wedding reception… and unfortunately far too many couples don’t realize the impact their entertainment contributes the success of their reception (until after the reception is over…when its too late if you didn’t hire the right DJ).

About The Knot
The Knot is the nation’s leading multiplatform wedding resource offering a seamless, all-in-one planning experience—from finding inspiration and local vendors to creating and managing all guest experiences, wedding registries and more. The trusted brand reaches a majority of engaged couples in the US through the #1 wedding planning website TheKnot.com and #1 iOS and Android mobile app The Knot Wedding Planner, The Knot national and local wedding magazines, and The Knot book series. Since its inception, The Knot has inspired approximately 25 million couples to plan a wedding that’s uniquely them. Visit The Knot online at TheKnot.com and follow on social media: Facebook.com/TheKnot and @TheKnot on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

5 Quick Tips about Wedding DJ Costs

November 27, 2019cost of a wedding DJ, hire a wedding DJ, wedding DJMike Urban

Hiring a wedding DJ inevitably involves the question, “how much does a wedding DJ cost?” The answer may seem straightforward, but there are a few tips for hiring a wedding DJ that keeps your dance floor packed and your wedding budget on track.

Tip #1: Be mindful of quality during the hiring process.

When hiring a wedding DJ, it’s easy to be tempted to sign a contract with the wedding DJ that gives you the cheapest quote. However, a quote doesn’t always tell the whole story. A quality DJ keeps guests on the dance floor and creates a custom playlist specifically for the wedding. (Some DJs use the same playlist for every wedding.)

If you don’t want to get sub-par service that matches the price tag, research every DJ before signing on the dotted line. Wedding review sites are a great place to start; sites like The Knot and Wedding Wire have sections with reviews about Chicago wedding DJs. If you want to really see what you’re getting (and who), schedule a meeting with the DJ and ask to see their equipment and meet the DJ.

Tip #2: Always ask about other wedding DJ costs.

Some wedding DJs and DJ services quote a cost that doesn’t include the “other” costs. Overtime fees, travel charges, and other fees can add up quickly.

To avoid those annoying charges, couples should always ask wedding DJs how many hours are included in the quoted cost and if there is a travel fee (plus these other wedding DJ questions). Some wedding DJs offer inclusive wedding DJ packages that have a set fee regardless of the length of the wedding reception.

Tip #3: Never hire a DJ without a contingency plan.

Unfortunately, emergencies come up that can keep a wedding DJ (and equipment) from performing flawlessly on your wedding day. That’s why hiring a wedding DJ with back-up DJs and equipment is so incredibly important.

When hiring a DJ, always ask about their “just in case” plan in case they get sick or hurt or their equipment breaks down. Be cautious about hiring one-man operations with no back-ups or old and antiquated equipment; instead, look for DJ services that offer a DJ and state-of-the-art equipment PLUS the back-ups that can fill in when emergencies do occur.

Tip #4: Consider a wedding DJ package that saves you time and money.

If you want more than just music at your wedding reception, look for wedding DJs that offer packages with other entertainment services. It can be really helpful to have one service that provides lighting, photobooths, and the cocktail music—especially when juggling communications with multiple wedding vendors and an extra long wedding planning checklist.

Couples who want other services should look for wedding DJs with packages that offer those “extras.” If you have any questions about additional services, look through reviews on social media for more info or contact the service directly for other wedding DJ costs.

Tip #5: Ask about dinner hour music.

One of the biggest benefits of a wedding DJ is that most DJs provide dinner hour music as part of their service. To make sure the wedding DJ you’re hiring is like most DJs, always ask if dinner hour music is included in the wedding DJ cost. In addition, always ask these wedding DJ questions:

“Are you available on my wedding date?”
“How long have you been a DJ? Do you have a lot of experience with weddings?”
“Do you offer any other services (lighting, photo booth, etc.)?”
“Can you do….” (Ask this question if you have a really special request)
“What is the final total cost? Do you charge any overtime or travel fees?”
“How much of a deposit is needed? When is the deadline for a deposit?”
“What is the cancellation policy?”
“Does your service carry insurance?”
“If there is an emergency, do you have a back-up DJ and equipment?”
“What time will you be at the wedding? Is dinner music included in the total cost?”
“Do you offer any other services? What is included in your wedding package?”
“Do you have a wedding DJ checklist that I can write my favorite songs and songs I do not want played at my reception?”
“Will the DJ be in formal attire? Can the DJ be the emcee?”
“Is there a time we can meet?”

5 Things You Shouldn’t Forget to Tell Your DJ

October 18, 2016wedding DJ, wedding planning tipsMike Urban

We’ve seen a lot of wedding couples walk through the door in the Chicago area, and we have dealt with quite a few couples who came to our meeting ready to plan with documents and checklists. While a good checklist of questions to ask your DJ never hurts, it doesn’t take a book the size of an novel to hire a good wedding DJ and get a wonderful wedding reception—as long as you give your DJ this vital information.

Contact info for your other vendors

A good wedding DJ is not a one-man (or woman) show; they are actually part of a team that makes your wedding reception a memorable occasion. A good DJ works with your photographer, videographer, venue staff, and other key staff to make sure everyone is present for photographs and special moments. If your wedding DJ doesn’t think this is part of their job, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and find a new, quality DJ.

What you don’t want to hear

It is perfectly okay to come to your planning meeting with your DJ with a ‘Do Not Play’ list—or to compile a list at the meeting. Think of songs that bring back bad memories, songs you can’t stand, songs that your friends and family can’t stand, and any other songs that you don’t want to hear that night (it’s okay to not want to do the YMCA dance). Your DJ should be happy to get the list, because it helps them prepare a customized list for your wedding dance (if they don’t put together a special play list for you, warning bells should go off). If you want to make your list extra special, give your DJ a second list with the special meaning behind songs on your ‘Do play’ list.

How to pronounce everyone’s names

Don’t make your DJ guess how to pronounce your name, or your parents, or the names of everyone in your bridal party. Avoid any guffaws by giving your DJ a full list of special parties with pronunciations—even the names that should be easy to pronounce.

Volume restrictions

If there are restrictions on the volume of music or the length of your wedding dance, let your DJ know it. Some wedding venues or communities have restrictions (and legal repercussions) on loud music, so it pays to do your homework and let everyone involved in your wedding reception know it.

Special requests

If you have a special request for your DJ, don’t wait until the night before your wedding reception to do it. Mention any special requests at your initial consultation with your DJ, especially if they are above and beyond the “normal” DJ requests. Not all DJ’s may be able to fulfill your request, and it’s better to find out earlier in your wedding planning than later so you can find a quality DJ that can make your wedding dance vision reality.

Engaged? Congrats! Tips to Kick-Start Your Wedding Planning

December 14, 2015wedding DJ, wedding planningMike Urban

Did your holiday gift come in a ring box? Did your Valentine’s Day dinner turn into a scavenger hunt for your engagement ring? Did your winter carriage ride end with your partner on bended knee? Congratulations!! According to Wedding Wire, 40% of wedding engagements happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. So where do you start your wedding planning? The first steps of wedding planning are the same for every couple, whether your big day is a few months or a few years away. Either way, there’s not a moment to lose in your wedding planning (because there is a lot to do!), so it’s best to kick-start the process as soon as possible.

Have the ‘talk’

This simple conversation is one of the most crucial parts of your wedding planning process. Start a discussion with your fiancé about the cost and vision of your wedding, and any preferences each of you might have. Questions you might ask are:

What do you really want at our wedding? How do you see the day?
How do you want to handle costs?
Do you have anything you really, really want in the wedding?
Do you have any traditions that you want to include in our special day?

Obviously, you are going to have your own talk with your own questions, but these questions can give you an idea of how to start the conversation. Some couple talks take hours, others just a few minutes (like our friend whose fiance’s only request to have mixed drinks!). If another member of your family or friend has offered to financially help out with the wedding—such as paying for your wedding dress, covering the cost of the dinner or drinks—now is the time to discuss the amount and any requests they have about their gift. A discussion now with open communication is important, so don’t skip this important step; it can save you a lot of heart ache and misunderstandings later.

Start with a vision

Before you go dress shopping, before you book your wedding venue, before you even think about wedding songs, think about what you want your wedding to look like. This step helps to prevent a mishmash of a wedding with unrelated elements.

Do you want an elegant outdoor wedding? A rustic barn wedding? A ballroom wedding? A destination wedding on a beach? Decide the direction you want to take in your wedding planning, so you can create a cohesive, beautiful event. If you need guidance in developing your vision, look online and visit bridal show for ideas.

Set a budget & date

These two important elements of your wedding dictate almost every other detail: when you send the invites out, what kind of invitations you can purchase, your wedding venue, your dress…everything. That’s why it’s important to set these two details early, and be realistic. If you want an extravagant elegant wedding, 30 days is going to be an extremely tight timeline. As for the budget, pick a reasonable number that you can afford, and be ready to stick to it.

Snap up your ‘must have’ wedding vendors

The best local vendors’ calendars fill up quickly, so don’t procrastinate. Once you have a budget and a date, start contacting wedding venues and ceremony sites as soon as possible. When those two important wedding details are confirmed, you can start contacting your preferred wedding vendors (before someone else does!): that bakery that makes delicious wedding cakes, the wedding DJ you’ve heard keeps everyone on the dance floor all night. If you have an extremely busy schedule, or need assistance with organizing all your wedding planning tasks, consider hiring a wedding planner. They know the best caterers, local DJs, venues, everything you need, and they can make sure that your vision turns into a special day that is uniquely you.