The straight answers, before you reach out.

Whatever fits you and your room. We start with your favorite artists, genres, and eras, your must-plays and do-not-plays, any cultural music, your clean-lyrics rule, and how you feel about requests. Then the open floor gets mixed live — I'm not running one locked playlist from start to finish.

Please do. Songs, artists, whole genres, line dances, activities, explicit lyrics — anything you don't want, write it down and it's out. A do-not-play list isn't a suggestion to me; it's a rule I don't break, even if a guest asks.

Your call entirely. Requests can be wide open, filtered through your rules, capped to certain genres, or turned off completely. Even when they're welcome, I'm still weighing whether a given request actually fits your room in that moment.

Direct and brief by default: I say the names right, get the room's attention, tell everyone what's next, and get off the mic. If you want more energy up there — or nearly none — tell me before the wedding and I'll match it.

Yes, once we've reviewed the venue, layout, power, setup time, and who needs a mic. An outdoor ceremony or a wedding spread across multiple spaces takes more planning than a single indoor reception room — so the sooner I see the details, the better.

No — please don't. Choose exact tracks for the formal moments, then give me direction for open dancing. A tight must-play list, a clear do-not-play list, your favorite genres, and a few honest notes about your crowd are far more useful than a minute-by-minute script.

I cover Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Anything outside the core area, I'm happy to look at based on the date, the venue, access, how long the event runs, and how many spaces need sound. Send the address and I'll tell you.

It depends on real things: your date, venue, coverage hours, headcount, whether the ceremony and reception are in different spots, travel, parking, access, and setup. Send me what you've got and I'll quote your actual wedding instead of a flat package number that's probably wrong for it.

Once your date and venue are reasonably firm, check availability — popular Saturdays in peak season fill up. Worth knowing: an inquiry doesn't hold your date. The signed agreement and the required payment are what actually reserve it.

Absolutely, and it's worth planning — a chosen last song gives your reception a real ending instead of the music just cutting out. Some couples also do a private last dance after guests leave, depending on the venue's timeline and your photographer's plan.

The useful stuff: address, room layout, the loading entrance, parking, elevator or stairs, the setup window, power, any sound limits, the music cutoff time, a ceremony backup location, and a venue contact I can reach.

No — it just starts the conversation. Your date isn't reserved until I've confirmed I'm available and the booking terms in the agreement are complete.