Comparing Apples to Apples – How to shop for a Wedding DJ

Speakers? Check.  Microphone? Check.  Lighting? Check.  Sounds like all Wedding DJ’s are created equal, doesn’t it?  There’s actually a lot more to being a great Wedding DJ than just music.  Here are a few questions you should be asking when comparing DJ’s:

1. How do you keep my event organized?  There are a lot of details that need to take place for your reception to run smoothly.  A DJ should serve as a Master of Ceremonies and needs to be familiar with everything you have planned prior to the event.  We offer online planning forms to guide you through providing us with all the information we need to create the agenda for your reception.  As well, we will work as a communicator between you, your venue, and your other vendors as each event unfolds. 

2. How will introductions be made? Is there a wireless microphone for toasts? In addition to announcing in the wedding party (aka “The Grand Entry”), a professional DJ should be prepared to introduce anyone else that will be speaking or giving toasts at your reception.  They should provide a well working microphone with which to make speeches so that everyone in the room can hear what is being said.  We not only provide a wireless microphone, our  DJ console has it’s own separate microphone so that your DJ can remain at the console to make introductions and then operate the volume of the speaker’s microphone. Furthermore, our wireless microphone system is kept up to date and in good working order.

3. When will the dancing start?  Some DJ companies rely on you to tell them during the event when each portion of the reception will take place.  Although this sounds nice, it is a lot to expect from you on the day of your wedding.  If you get distracted talking to guests, you may not realize how much time is passing and before you know it, there’s only an hour left for an open dance floor!  Keeping events moving along is our #1 priority.  We know your guests want to be entertained and a wedding is the perfect opportunity for them to dance. Even if it’s just one slow dance with their sweetheart, they’ll appreciate the effort to avoid long gaps during your reception.

4. What kind of music do you play?  The answer here should be simple.  ALL KINDS.  While a DJ at a club will often have a specific style of music depending on the club, a wedding DJ must be flexible and play a wide variety of music. Weddings inherently have guests of all ages, with all types of taste in music.  In addition to playing your requests, we will aim to play music that appeals to your friends and family.  No two receptions are alike and no music is pre-planned.  Instead, we play each song according to the response of the crowd.  We pay special attention to the placement of songs so we can “break the ice” on the dance floor and give everyone a reason to get out of their seat. This means you will have a great party that your guests will remember for years to come!

5. What does your set-up LOOK like?  This could be one of the least asked questions, and yet, should be one of the first.  You will be spending months planning every detail of your wedding and much of that will be on how everything looks.  At the reception you will choose tablecovers, centerpieces, lighting, seating chart, etc.  How the DJ looks in the room should also be important.  Our console is custom built; everything is black to make it fade into the background, rather than draw attention to itself. Best of all we believe in cord management! You will not see stringing or dangling cords on our system.  We do not require a table, but a couple of chairs are appreciated.  Our light bar houses multiple lighting effects and makes a big impression on the dance floor.

6. How often do you update your music?  A DJ should carry regularly updated music, period.  If they can’t provide a solid timeline for how often they update, it could mean they aren’t on a schedule of keeping their song library fresh.  We automatically update our music monthly.

7.  How are your DJ’s hired and trained?  Some DJ companies are able to book an unlimited number of weddings on any given date.  Other companies are “single-operator”, meaning whomever you speak to is your DJ.  We are a very small company, hiring and training one DJ at a time, and always sending an owner with new DJ’s until they have enough experience to handle a wedding with the same confidence and ease as we do.  At no time do we outsource our personnel.

​8. What is the Backup Plan?  When you book with a “boutique” vendor (meaning a small business) it’s a good idea to ask what their backup plan is in case of an emergency with personnel or equipment.  Our company retains several backup DJ’s who are on standby in case of any personnel emergency.  We carry backup equipment at every gig.  Although no back up plan is fool-proof, we are confident that we’ve taken steps to prevent unforseen circumstances from interfering with your booking.

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