Cello Joe

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  How many weddings have you done? 

Cello Joe has played or DJed at more than 30 weddings over many years. You can rest assured that you and your wedding are in good hands with Cello Joe.  

2. My venue requires vendors to have liability insurance. Do you have liability insurance?  

I carry performer's liability insurance through Specialty Insurance Agency with a $1M policy.    

3.  Will you visit the venue beforehand to plan setup and acoustics? 

I prefer to see videos and pictures of the venue. I’ve set up and performed in enough venues to feel confident that a site visit is not required. If you would feel more comfortable to have me visit the venue in advance, I can do so. This service would add a line item to your invoice to account for my travel time and my time touring the facility.  

4.  What sets you apart from other DJs?   

I bring a lot of energy to my DJ work. I work with the couple to curate their favorite songs for dancing: both fast and slow partner dances. I can bring as much or as little hype on the mic as the couple wants. I generally like to stay off the mic for my personal style and let the music and mixing speak for itself.  

As far as what sets me apart,  I am extremely punctual and arrive as early as possible for setup. In all the years I have been doing weddings, I have never been late to a wedding!  

I have a professional lighting package with two Chauvet wash effects, 8 ADJ par lights, two Chauvet EZPar62RGBA par lights, four moving head lights, a bar light, a kinta light, and eight battery-powered uplights. I use a pro level QSC sound system. I have high-end digital Sennheiser wireless and lavalier microphones for ceremonies, toasts, and speeches. I dress professionally in a variety of suits. 

5. How do you ensure a smooth transition between songs and maintain a good flow? 

I use Rekordbox and employ a variety of creative mixing techniques to keep the energy flowing on the the dance floor. I like to cycle the energy like a sine wave and have a mix of high energy and slow songs. I listen to all the song requests in advance and add cue points so I know where in the song to start it to avoid long intros and I add multiple times for when to mix out of the song. I generally employ quick mixing technique to keep the energy high by going from the end of a chorus into the next song’s verse, from an instrumental interlude into the chorus of the next songs, etc.  

6.  What kind of packages do you offer? 

I don’t do the “Platinum, Gold, Silver” or the “Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby” style of tiered wedding packages. I create a customized quote based on your needs. Live cello performance (solo or with an ensemble), sound and lighting equipment are available as part of a customized quote that factors in the location of the venue and the venue itself. MC services are always included. I have found that most weddings have specific needs and requirements based on the couple's taste and the venue location and that a cookie cutter tiered package offering sometimes overcharges the couple for offerings that they don’t necessarily want.  

In order to provide the best experience for my clients, I often handle all the musical needs for the entire wedding. So instead of having to deal with multiple vendors for the ceremony and the reception, I can handle everything. I offer discounts when I am booked for more portions of the wedding. 

7.  How do you handle music requests from couples prior to the event? 

I plan every detail of the musical journey of the wedding with the couple in a collaborative google doc. I prefer to work with spotify playlists but can utilize any music service for organizing which songs the couple would like to have for the different parts of their wedding such as: pre-ceremony welcoming music, ceremony selections (wedding party processional, bridal processional, recessional), cocktail hour, dinner, and dance party.  

I encourage the couple to invite their guests to suggest songs for the dance party in advance so that there is a "guest requests" playlist.  

7.  How do you handle song requests from guests during the event? 

Ah, every DJs favorite thing to do: take requests from the audience! 😉

I have a large wedding music library so that I can take requests from guests during the event. If the venue has wifi, I also have a subscription to Tidal and I can stream requests in my DJ software. I use Rekordbox.

Some couples don't want the DJ to take requests and I have a sign that I put out informing the guests that the bridge and groom would prefer they get their booties on the dancefloor and not make any requests. 

9.  How do you engage with the crowd and encourage dancing?   

I get on the mic and encourage people to dance before the dance party starts. I remind them that this dance party is consecrating this marriage and that it's essential for everyone to really bring their energy to the dancefloor, throw down, and cut a rug.  

10.  What's your approach to reading the crowd and adjusting the playlist accordingly?  

When I see people taking a break from the dancefloor, I like to bring a slow song in to draw in couples to partner dance. That usually fills the dancefloor and when I bring the tempo back up, the dance floor is full again.  

11.  How do you handle technical issues, like sound glitches?  Is there back-up equipment available? 

For the ceremony sound system, I always bring a wired mic and a long cord as a backup for the wireless mic. I have very high quality Sennheiser EW-D wireless mic systems and they worked flawlessly.   

I usually have a ceremony sound system and a reception sound system. I have never had a technical issue with my main sound system. If I did, I would use the ceremony sound system as a backup.

12.  What's your attire for the event? 

I have a black suit, a navy suit, a grey suit, a tuxedo, and a very flashly freeborn design green suit with gold filagree. The black, navy, and grey are machine washable and don't incur any charge. They're included in any package. The tuxedo and freeborn design suit need to be dry cleaned so I charge $100 extra for those attire options.  

13.  What's your policy on taking breaks during the event? 

Doing an entire wedding is very hard work. It is often a 12-14 hour day when you factor in the travel, setup, and breakdown.

When I do a wedding, there are basically no breaks. I’m on the entire day from pre-ceremony welcoming music all the way to the last song of the dance party. The only break I take is during dinner when I am eating. Even when I am eating, I am generally monitoring the dinner music and making sure everything is running smoothly.

14.  How far in advance do you book weddings? 

I like to book weddings 6-12 months or more in advance, but I have booked weddings with a shorter lead time. The absolute minimum would be about six weeks. I can work with couples on a shorter timeline, but it really depends on the situation and what's required. 

15.  Can you provide a written contract outlining all the details? 

I have a contract for wedding services. If you’d like to review it before meeting with me, you can do so by following this link.