CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT
Your Favorite Music Hand-Spun Live On-Location
757-563-3424
FAQ
Planning. It's what we do. We never fail to plan, and we don't plan to fail.
Our premium planning promise is more than lip service. Because anyone can buy gear, our planning is what sets us apart.
You've got questions. We've got answers. If you don't see an answer to the question you have, just email us. We will be happy to help you right away.
FREE PHONE CONSULTATION
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Call Us! We Love to Talk.
Our clients book us because we are easy to talk to. We hear that often. We speak Bride, Groom, Corporate, Indee... you name it. We love to talk because we can talk with you about your event in real terms, not just audio video geek speak. Sure, we know that stuff, but we talk with you like a real person, not some IT customer service professional in some far off land. We just love talking about your event, and that's one of the things that make us great.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
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Outstanding Quality, Delivered.
The standard is not the standard with us. It's simple, we live in a world where people over promise and under deliver every day. That's not what we do. In fact, we like to be subject matter experts. We want to be your secret DJ-ninjas that wow your attendees and guests. Hiring us is like your gift to them because they are going to get our absolute best in every situation. We make it look good for you because we care about you looking good for your guests.
OUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE APPROACH
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Truly Top-Notch from Start to Finish
What does professional even mean these days? Well, we may not know that answer, but we have one for you. How about small teams that work feverishly for your success? How about teams that work across brands, such as Robert Hamm Photography, the Virginia Beach Wedding Company, Wizard of Sound DJ's, and CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT all working together as a single unit with one goal in mind: your happiness? Now That would be professional.
What Genre's of Music do you Play?
We play it all! Funk, Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Country, Latin. Gospel, Jazz, Classic Rock, Caribbean, Top 40, 50's through today, Techno, and more.
There are too many songs to list, but we pride ourselves on catering to a full audience. Once we talk, we can craft the perfect sound for your event, including your must-play songs. All mixed live, on location, by our DJs.
Can I Make my own Playlists?
Yes! You can be as involved with the playlist selection as you like. However, we prefer to work with you to create your custom sound. This will include must-play songs for each music set we play.  We will mix those choices into the appropriate genre of music best suited for your event, personality, and atmosphere. Your sound is more than just a playlist, it's musical phrasing, energy and beat, tempo, and mood. All of these are important factors we consider when mixing your set.
What is the Best way to Send you Music (Share/build my playlist)?
Simply create a playlist with any major music platform like Apple Music, Tidal, or Spotify. Name your playlist with your Contract Number and Title of the playlist: eg. "CWE XX29292_Must_Play_List" and then email that to us. Then, when you update your playlist, we will receive the updates as well.
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You will begin building your profile upon booking us by using the "Let's Start Planning" form on your account bookings page. It's all in there.
DJs are Expensive. Can't I just play off some speakers and a Spotify Playlist?
Music is a culturally important part of society, especially wedding ceremonies. If you don't have the budget for a proper DJ, there is no shame in doing it yourself. Reach out to us for a free call where we will give you a 15-minute prep on how to plan it yourself. I promise we won't try and sell our services. We just want to help.
But (seriously)...
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Hire a DJ. It's not just about the music. It's about the timing, planning, presentation, appeal, and wow factor that a professional DJ service will provide. You get what you pay for with DJs. A bargain deal for 4-hours of music at $300 may get the job done, but it won't be like what we do. And that's ok.
We provide an upscale professional service to boutique clients looking for a bespoke experience. Even our one-hour plan is serviced with over $10K in gear and years of experience. Our prices reflect that.
Included in that pricing is careful attention to detail, planning, top-quality equipment, well-trained technicians, exceptional talent, and a bevy of experience and expertise to put it all together for you.
Most importantly, we have a specific look, sound, and interaction that we want our guests to experience. We have priced our services to reflect that service and experience.
Do you Play Explicit Tracks?
Nope. We do not play explicit or dirty versions of tracks you request. There are many reasons for this, but the first and foremost reason is that explicit tracks may offend people, or even our DJs. Weddings are reverant occasions and we simply don't play tracks with explicit lyrics or racial slurs.
Do You Accept Payment Plans?
Yes. Booking our services requires a deposit to reserve your event, date and time, DJ/Emcee, and equipment. The deposit required is different for each service. Once your deposit is received, your booking will move forward.
Our Admin department will contact you with a pay-in-full, pay-in-2, or pay-in-4 payment plan to have your booking paid in full prior to your event. We are very flexible and provide this service to you at no charge, credit check, or interest fee.
If you miss your payment and fail to make up your payments, you will forfeit your booking via abandonment, and all monies rendered will be subject to our cancelation and refund policy.
Will I sign a Contract?
Yes! All clients who book through CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT directly will pay a deposit and sign a contract. Contracts make sure that the client understands exactly what, when, and how our services will be provided. They also make sure that we understand exactly what our clients want so that we can effectively provide our services to our clients.
HERE IS OUR PROCESS
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Step 1, Pre-Planning:
Call or email us first. We will help you get started. We will answer all of your questions and support you through the whole process. We are here to support your vision and have lots of expertise with photo, video, broadcast, live events, and more. Please, don't hesitate to pick our brains!
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Step 2, Booking and Initial Hold:
Book us and pay the deposit on our site. This will secure the date and time for your event and will begin the contract creation process. We will reach out to you within 24-hours of receiving your booking information, many times we respond within the hour. If you have not called or emailed us first, your booking will be placed on hold until we can speak with you directly. At this time we will explain this process. If you wish to cancel your booking at this point, we will refund your entire deposit.
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Note: At this point, we are working for you. We have stopped accepting bookings on your day, reserved the appropriate individuals, scheduled the gear loadout and technicians, completed the major steps in pre-planning, and have been providing our professional planning service to you.
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Step 3, Professional Planning:
Please fill out the "Let's Start Planning" form on your booking page. We will use this information during our follow-up contact with you. If you haven't filled it out yet, that's ok. We will help you with it on our next call. We will go over all of the details and put together a contract and payment plan for you.
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Note: If we get this far and you need to back out we will retain half of your deposit for services rendered as part of securing and planning your booking. If you come back to us within a year's time from making the original booking, we will apply the retained portion as a credit on your next booking.
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Step 4, Contract Signing:
It's time for you to sign the contract. We will send it to you. Please return it within five days of receipt. Payment plans will begin as outlined in the contract. From this point on you and CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT will be bound by the terms of the contract you signed.
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What Is your Cancelation and Refund Policy?
At the time a service is booked and the deposit is remitted, CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT will reserve the date and time agreed upon, not make any other reservations or accept any other clients for the said date and time, and begin the professional planning and support required to organize and coordinate all assets for your event. In the event that the CLIENT cancels the booking for any reason, half of all monies paid will be retained by CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT in order to offset its loss of business.
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At the time the contract is signed, CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT will continue to reserve the date and time agreed upon, not make any other reservations or accept any other clients for the said date and time, and continue to provide professional planning and support for your event. In the event that the CLIENT cancels the booking for any reason, all monies paid will be retained by CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT in order to offset its loss of business.
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Are you Associated With Robert Hamm Photography?
Yes! CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT is the Live Event, Sound, and Broadcast division of Robert Hamm Photography.
Why Did Robert Hamm Photography form the CRIS WEST ENTERTAINMENT division?
For many years Robert Hamm Photography has been asked to provide many of the services that would be typically completed by a DJ. This includes Live Streaming, Photo Booths, and on-location amplified sound. Over the years we gained a lot of experience and equipment and began offering these services under the CRIS WEST name as a formalized vendor for our clients.