All Things Wedding DJ
Music will set the mood throughout your wedding and have a huge impact on how you remember your day. Wedding DJing is very different from other kinds of DJing. Wedding DJs are experienced in entertaining and engaging very diverse crowds and have mastered the balance of upbeat and fun to professionalism. Follow the guide below to ask the right questions and prepare appropriately after booking in order to maximize your DJ experience!
This article is divided into 3 sections:
Things to consider about Wedding DJs
Questions to ask a DJ prior to booking
What to do after booking to optimize the DJ’s services
Things to consider about Wedding DJs
Wedding DJs cost more than regular party DJs. A DJ’s mistake is amplified (literally), so when they mess up, they mess up LOUD! This is not a huge deal at a child’s birthday party, but if something goes wrong during your first dance at a wedding that is a different story. Wedding DJs understand the importance of quality equipment, professionalism, adequate preparation prior to the event, and are fast acting should anything go array.
Weddings have diverse crowds, and a Wedding DJ understands this. Wedding guests range in age, background, and musical interests. A Wedding DJ is able to read the room, and play music that will keep everyone engaged! This is just another reason they come at a higher cost.
Speciality music requires speciality DJs. If you are hosting a culture-specific wedding, it is useful to hire a DJ that is familiar with the music that is associated with this culture. Many DJs, especially those based in culturally diverse cities, will be able to play across music genres seamlessly, but if you want one specific kind of music played throughout the night, it is beneficial to hire a professional that is well versed in this genre.
DJs do more than press play. A common complaint on wedding boards is that people don’t want to pay for someone to press play. Your DJ is there to do SO. MUCH. MORE! They are blending music to keep the room moving at all times, gauging crowd response to guide music selection, making announcements, bringing energy that will keep the party upbeat and fun, and providing high quality sound equipment. The DJ/MC is the person communicating with the guests, so they are a voice and face that people will remember. A Wedding DJ is an investment in the feel of the wedding and worth every penny.
Questions to ASk A DJ prior to booking
basics-
Is my date available?
What is the price for the hours I need, sound systems I require, and dance floor lighting package?
Does the DJ double as an MC or will I need to book one separately?
Do you offer a written contract for our event? (If they don’t, STEER CLEAR!)
If applicable, do you offer bilingual MCs?
EXPERIENCE-
How long have you been a wedding DJ?
Roughly how many weddings have you DJd? (Hint: less than 10 is scary! 50-100 is great! 100+ is ideal!)
What kind of genres do you heavily lean towards?
What is your MC style?
Have you worked at my venue before?
Do you have a video or Soundcloud where I can listen to your music/mixing style? (Hint: since Wedding DJs are expected to play music specific to each diverse crowd they preform for, the music you hear in their sample isn’t necessarily what will be played at your wedding. Confirm this with the DJ you are talking to and take this into consideration if you don’t like the music in a particular sample. Instead of paying too much attention to the songs selection in the sample, focus on the way the songs are blended together. Are they choppy (hard stops to songs and sharp starts?) or do they blend seamlessly together? Also note how they are interacting in the crowd in the video. Are they very involved on the microphone or are they smiling and doing their job in the background?)
What sets you apart from other Wedding DJs?
LOGISTICS-
Can we add extra time on the night of our event if we aren’t ready for the party to end?
What is the rate for additional hours?
(If booking through a large company) Can we speak to our DJ directly prior to our wedding?
Do you provide any other services?- (Hint: bundling contracts can cave money since vendors often offer discounts if you book several services through them. Just make sure you like the details of the individual services offered and don’t settle in one area just for the sake of the bundle!)
How many events will my DJ have on the day of my wedding?
How many events will my DJ do over the course of my wedding weekend?
Do you take breaks? If so, how often? Will music still be played during this time? (Hint: like most wedding vendors who are onsite for the majority of your day, the DJ will need to eat. This can be done either behind the DJ booth or they can step away if you prefer. Most DJs will not take a break besides this. If you come across a DJ asking for a break every hour or so, this is a red flag.)
Music-
How often do you update your music library?
Will I be able to make song requests/a playlist beforehand?
Is there a limit to how long my requests/playlist can be?
Will I need to select all of the songs for the duration of the wedding or will you be making selections as well?
Can guests make requests on the day of my wedding?
Can I create a do-not play list?
Do you have clean and explicit versions of songs?
EQUIPMENT-
Do you provide any microphones? If so, how many?
Do you provide a wireless microphone?
Will we be able to use your microphone for the ceremony and toasts?
Do you have a microphone stand for our ceremony?
Do you provide any dance floor lighting?
How is the dance floor lighting displayed?
Do you offer dance floor lighting upgrades?
What mixing program do you use? (Hint: playing straight from iTunes during dancing is not the industry standard. There are a lot of great mixing programs out there; make sure your DJ is using one!)
How many sound systems come in your package? (Hint: a sound system is the audio equipment needed to play music in any particular area. This typically will include a set of speakers (1-2 speakers for ceremony/cocktail hour, 2+ speakers for dinner/dancing), microphone, amplifier, mixer, controller (for mixing music), music device (usually a laptop), and dance floor lighting (where appropriate).)
How many speakers will you provide for dancing? (Hint: for most spaces, 2 professional DJ speakers will be plenty. For especially large spaces, or venues with broken up layouts, additional speakers may be required. 1 speaker is almost never enough for the dance floor as it makes the music less dynamic.)
What to do after booking to optimize the DJ’s services
Create a Spotify playlist and add songs that you like as you hear them. Instead of attempting to create a playlist all at once, create a blank playlist early on and add to it overtime. Refine the list as your wedding approaches and send the polished version to your DJ.
Make multiple playlists that specify which songs you HAVE to hear. If you prepare a long playlist for your DJ, they may not be able to get to every song. There is nothing wrong with providing a long list of songs you like! If you find that your list has grown to more than 40 songs, make a smaller playlist of about 10-20 songs that you absolutely HAVE to hear so that the DJ knows to prioritize those songs.
Make multiple playlists for different times of the wedding. Typically people don’t want to listen to dance music during dinner, so create multiple playlists that will set the tone for each specific timeframe! Your DJ will usually choose music that makes sense for each specific chunk of time (i.e. pre-ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing). However, if you provide one single request list the includes slow songs without a guidance on when to play them, the DJ may choose to play those songs during dinner, when you actually intended them for the dancing portion of the evening.
Specify whether you want clean or explicit versions of songs. Some people prefer to have the explicit versions of songs played. Some people choose to have only clean versions. Some people choose to have explicit versions, except for particularly raunchy songs. Let your DJ know what you prefer!
Create a do not play list. This is useful for several reasons. First, if your DJ doesn’t know that you dislike an artist or genre then you may end up listening to a few songs you just aren’t that into! Second, guests may request songs you don’t like that DJ otherwise would not have played. The do-not-play list will ensure the DJ knows what to avoid, even if a guests want it.
Your timeline can affect the activity on the dance floor almost as much as your DJ can. It is common for the dance floor to clear during cake cutting and other such events. Mapping out the timeline in a way that plans for these breaks, but quickly brings the energy back to the dance floor will set the DJ and dance floor up for success! For particularly long dancing portions of a wedding, use the events that clear the dance floor as an opportunity for guests to catch their breath and refill their drink, instead of stacking all of the events directly following dinner. For example, if dinner wraps up around 8:30, but you have the venue and DJ until midnight, plan for a cake cutting around 9:30pm so that guests get a break and don’t burn out on dancing! Follow the cake cutting with your bouquet and garter toss to ramp the energy back up and re-pack the dance floor!
Go over all of the ceremony and reception details with your DJ prior to your wedding. Most Wedding DJs will require a meeting prior to your wedding so they are able to do their job to the best of their ability. If your DJ doesn’t require a meeting, be sure to set one up yourself. Walk through the timeline and song requests with them to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Pro-tip: Send the timeline, special songs for the ceremony, special dances, etc., and the song request list prior to the meeting so the DJ has a chance to review the information and prepare any questions they may have.
Book enough time so that no setup has to be done once guests are on site. DJs aren’t just for dancing! Music is important for all sections of the wedding! Think of when you go to a restaurant, if there was no music it would be a little awkward. Aside from creating ambience, choosing to only have the DJ present for dancing, means they will be setting up their equipment while guests are trying to enjoy dinner.
Gauge an MC style based on the conversation you have with them. When you talk to your DJ prior to booking, listen to the cadence of their voice. Pay attention to their energy, word choice, and overall sound to their voice. This will provide a lot more insight into their MC style than any single question ever could.
Communicate every special or out-of-the-ordinary thing you have planned with the DJ. If you have choreographed a dance, let them know. If you have a surprise planned, let them know. If you have anything that is not standard planned, it is very important to let the DJ know. Most professionals tend to be very accommodating and flexible, but there are certain things that will always go smoother if communicated properly beforehand!
Do more than read reviews, read into reviews. A company may have five stars across all the review platforms, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are a good fit for you. This is true for all vendors! Look for trends in the reviews that can provide a little more insight into what this professional's work style is like. For example, if you see something to the effect of “he was very active on the microphone and told a lot of funny jokes” recurring throughout reviews, that person is probably a very active MC. Other couples may have loved this and left all five star reviews, but if you want minimal activity on the microphone, that person isn’t going to be the right fit for you.
Trust your DJ! You hired this person for their experience and skills, so have some faith in them! A huge part of the DJ’s job is keeping guests engaged. In order to do this to the best of their ability, a little wiggle room on the music selection will go a long way!