Definitely Ask These Questions When Hiring a Wedding DJ

“I originally thought that we would just set up a phone playlist connected to a speaker system because “DJs just make a generic playlist of pop songs…” But my fiancé really wanted a DJ, and when we looked into it, I found out that most DJs coordinate the nights events and MC. Our DJ literally said “if you don’t have a wedding planner, we become your wedding planner for the reception.” They help us make a schedule for the entrance, how people are called to dinner, cake cutting, first dances, any combination of events, games, or announcements that we want. They keep track of where my fiancé and I will be throughout the night if any vendors need us, and this also allows them to make sure we are in the room when they play our “must hear” songs.

I’m not trying to knock having a live band instead, just adding how I was pleasantly surprised that DJs can be worth the money too! When you’re hiring a wedding DJ there are a few questions that are critical. Here’s my list of what to ask when hiring a wedding DJ .”

1. Set up:

• What’s included in the cost should we hire you?
• Set up before the wedding – what do you need, can we help, how much time will you need?
• When do you arrive to set up?
• What will you wear to our wedding?
• What do you require from us?

2. Music

• Favorite type of music, why you like doing weddings?
• How do you keep your music collection up-to-date?
• How involved can we be in selecting music for our event?
• When do we need to submit our music requests and event details?
• Can we submit a “Do Not Play” list?

3. MCing

• Do you act as the “emcee” and make all of the announcements?
•  Does your rate includes MCing?
• How would you define your “style” when making announcements?

4. Rates and Prices:

• Do you offer a written contract?
• How long will you hold our date for us?
• What if something happens to you and you can’t make it to the wedding?
• How much of a deposit is required to secure our date?
• How much would you charge for overtime?

5. Location/Gear

• Have you worked at our location before?
• What kind of equipment do you use?
• Do you bring backup equipment with you to the wedding?
• Do you have a wireless microphone?

6. Before reception:

• Will we meet again before the wedding?

7. At the reception:

• Do you accept requests?
• What do you do to motivate the crowd if nobody is dancing?
• Do you take any breaks?

8. DJ Profile/Business History

• How many weddings do you do each year?
• Do you perform for more than one event in a day?
• What makes you different from your competitors?
• May we contact your references?
• Do you have insurance?

Maybe you haven’t decided if you want a DJ – and you don’t have to have one! But if you have the room in your budget to hire one, consider this a good base list to start asking questions. Do you have any other suggestions we haven’t listed? Let us know!