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Whether its true or not, most everyone agrees that wedding DJs are expensive. A popular tip circulating the net is to replace your wedding DJ with an iPod and DJ your reception yourself. While this may sound like a great idea, there are some things to consider. Just as with any do-it-yourself project, you must be aware of all facets before you start.

Whether its true or not, most everyone agrees that wedding DJs are expensive. A popular tip circulating the net is to replace your wedding DJ with an iPod and DJ your reception yourself. While this may sound like a great idea, there are some things to consider. Just as with any do-it-yourself project, you must be aware of all facets before you start.

The first most important job for a good DJ is to play music that the crowd enjoys. A simple shuffle has no way of knowing who is dancing to what. A person does need to run things, but not just any person will do. Putting your 12 year old nephew won’t do you any good. The person in charge of the music needs a large amount of music knowledge. A good DJ should have this knowledge. A good DJ should be able to identify a song based on a few bars hummed out of tune or a snippet of lyrics that are slightly incorrect. Your DJ must not have a fear of speaking in front of a crowd, and this is not as easy as it sounds. One simply has to think of all the Best men who have hemmed and hawed their way through a wedding toast with the microphone held at waist level. Also, does he/she know how to auction off a garter or any of the other traditional reception activities? If not, will the bride and groom want to do these things while they should be enjoying their guests? Oh, and just like you would give your wedding singer or officiant a tip for performing your ceremony, don’t forget a gratuity for your impromptu DJ.

Unless you’re a music collector, chances are you don’t have a music library with waltzes, polkas, old country, new country, oldies, classic rock, new rock, soft rock, hard rock, hip hop, dance, etc. And, unless you want to subject your guests to your musical tastes, you should probably buy a selection of these songs. If you’re not up on popular waltzes and polkas, or don’t know which songs are currently topping the country Top 40, search the web. $25 dollars should buy you enough music on iTunes to cover enough various musical tastes that most guests will enjoy themselves.

Another task for a good wedding DJ is one who is covered by insurance. Sure, your homeowners policy *might* cover it, but I’d hate to see your premiums next year if an accident does occur. Don’t think accidents will happen to you? Are you serving alcohol at your reception? If you’re telling yourself, “All the drunk people I know never act like fools!”, stop and think about that again. Besides, many venues require proof of insurance because they don’t want to see their premiums raised because your grandma tripped on a speaker cable and broke her hip. Searching the web for “wedding event insurance” will yield a whole crop of insurers who will give you a $1 million dollar policy for around $200.

Equipment is of course another important factor a good DJ brings to your reception. Do you know where to get speakers? Or mics? Or Mixer?? Larger cities will have rental companies that can provide these things. You can even find many such companies by searching the web for “dj equipment rental”. Most wedding sized systems rent for anywhere from $250 to $500 dollars per day. In most cases, you must provide a truck or van to transport the equipment. Now, do you know how to set these things up? If not, will the rental company give you a tutorial? Some rental companies will give you a tutorial when you pick the equipment up, but make sure to take notes, because if you have to call them later they will likely charge you for a service call. Some equipment rental companies will deliver, setup, and test their equipment as well as pick up later, but this is extra.

That being said, if you KNOW your group will interact without being prompted (or just don’t care if they interact or not), and if you’ve got a person with an encyclopedic knowledge of music that will run your iPod (instead of enjoying your reception), and you have adequate insurance to cover any accidents that occur due to your iPod setup, and you have a large enough music library to make sure everyone gets to hear the music they want, and you’re able to get your hands on adequate dance lights and speakers, and will be saving money by spending $550 to $700 then by all means use an iPod. You honestly have no need for a DJ.

If planning and organizing all this sounds like just one more hassle, you’d probably do better to hire a professional so that you can enjoy your reception and spend your first day as husband and wife doing something besides returning rental equipment. For a few dollars more you’ll get professional equipment, professional knowledge from someone who has planned and performed at hundreds of weddings, peace of mind that any glitches will be resolved quickly, no hassles about tearing down equipment when the reception is over, and no worries about getting it back before you owe another day’s worth of rental fees.

Resources:
About the Author: Tim Smith is a regular contributor at FMBrides.com – a wedding planning resource for couples in Fargo, ND. Visit their website at http://www.fmbrides.com.

Most people view lawn care as a dreaded chore, and who can blame them? It takes time and effort to have the perfect lawn, but with these five simple tips you can have a better looking lawn with minimal effort.

Don’t get me wrong, maintaining a high quality lawn does take some effort, but with a few simple tips on mowing you can have a lawn that will make your neighbors envious.

First, never mow your lawn when it’s wet. A wet lawn can allow grass clippings to clump together more easily. This clump of grass can smother the grass beneath it leaving a dead spot or create a spot where weeds can take root. Wait for a day or two after a rain storm and avoid mowing right after you’ve watered the lawn.

Tip number two is to never cut more than one third (1/3) of your lawns height at any one time. Most well maintained lawns are between 2 to 3 inches in height, so they should be mowed before they reach 4 to 4 1/2 inches in height. How frequently that occurs depends on your climate of course. The reasoning behind never cutting more than 1/3 of your lawns height at once is to avoid stressing the turf.

The third rule of mowing is to keep you lawn mower blades sharp. Most people use a standard gas powered rotary mower that cuts grass like a machette. The sharper the blades, the more even the cut. A dull blade will tear the grass rather than cut it, and this can lead to brown tips at the end of the blade of grass. Lawn mower blade sharping is an easy maintenance task that can be done with a grinder (even a Dremmel will work), or you can have it done by a professional for approximately $20.

Forth, don’t mow in the same direction every time. Many people develop a habit when mowing the lawn and they mow exactly the same way every time. This causes the grass to develop a “grain” just like a piece of wood because the grass growing off to the sides does not get cut as evenly as the grass growing upwards. It is best to mow at a right angle to the direction the grass was last cut. So, for example, if you mowed your lawn from east to west last time, try mowing from north to south this time.

Finally, don’t bag your clippings. Grass clippings are an easy way to return nutrients to the soil and reduce the need for artificial fertilizers. If you mow your lawn before the grass gets too tall, you won’t notice the clippings anyhow. That and the fact that it’s less work to ignore the clippings makes this a winner of an idea!

So, now you have five easy tips that don’t add any extra work to week and possibly decreased your work load if you’ve been bagging your clippings. These won’t make your yard look as good as a golf course, but they will help ensure that your lawn stays green and lush without any extra maintenance on your part.

Resources:
About the author: Matt is a lawn care professional who enjoys helping others create the perfect lawn. For more tips on beautifying your yard, visit http://www.mattslawns.info and get the free guide “Top 7 Lawn Care Secrets”.