Your wedding day is about celebration, and one major way you and your guests will get your party on is through music and dancing. But how do you guarantee that your wedding DJ lives up to your understandably high standards? Jason Jones, founder of Elegant Event Entertainment, home to the top wedding DJ blog in the country, has some answers.

Dancing with a Side of Cheese? No Thanks.

“I have found that couples in search of a wedding DJ are most concerned about the DJ being playing “cheesy” music,” says Jones. To make sure your DJ is dairy free, Jones recommends meeting with him/her ahead of time to go over your requests for the evening.

“The most important thing a couple can do is meet their DJ in person, ask some pointed questions and let the DJ give his/her presentation.  Next they need to read reviews on independent websites such as Google and Yelp, or right here on Bride Bop. If it’s impossible to meet the DJ in person before you hire, ask to do a Skype interview or a lengthy phone conversation.  Always ask to see a current photo of the DJ, remembering that he/she will be in front of all of your guests on your most important day, and let’s face it, looks matter in our line of work,” says Jones.

And after all is said and done? Nothing speaks more loudly than your instincts. “A bride and groom have to trust their gut,” says Jones.

Master of Ceremonies

Unless you decide otherwise, your wedding DJ should also act as Master of Ceremonies (MC) on your big day. This means he/she will be responsible for making important announcements, introducing the wedding party and helping to ensure that guests know where they are supposed to be at different points during the event. Jones stresses the importance of finding an MC who does his/her job with style and grace: “not the cheesy, game show host DJ, but one who has a polished, fun and upbeat natural delivery,” he says. The in-person interview will help you to assess the DJ’s personality so you can quickly determine if he/she is right for you.

Remember that there will be a lot of transitions on your wedding day, and that having your DJ provide MC services will help everything run smoothly.

“The fact is, if you’re having a wedding, so someone has to make announcements, organize people and execute the timeline. If not the DJ, then who? Aunt Sally? I don’t think so! Hire a professional wedding DJ who has a great personality, experience mixing music, a great voice, a great look and a take charge, friendly attitude and you will have an amazing wedding,” says Jones.

Music to Your Ears (and Grandma’s, Too)

“All of the weddings I’ve ever DJed (over 500 of them) have been about mixing it up and playing to a diverse crowd of music listeners and dancers. We know that every person has a unique taste in music, a favorite band or artist, and within that you also find people who like to dance and some who simply like to enjoy music by sitting back and listening,” says Jones.

Keeping the diversity of your wedding crowd in mind, the DJ’s job is to cater to every guest while making sure the music wishes of the bride and groom are also met. Jones handles this conundrum by “sprinkling in special requests with music I know everyone will enjoy,” and cautions against naysaying popular choices if your particular favorites are less than conventional.

“Sometimes, a client might have a very offbeat taste in music and insist I play a lot of it. There’s nothing worse than seeing people leave in droves because they are turned off by the music.  Couples must be careful not to alienate a large portion of their guest list in an effort to show off their unique taste in music. It’s best to play it relatively safe and mainstream, with sprinklings of the couple’s unique music requests.  When it’s time to dance, we always pick up the pace and play great dance music across numerous genres, and our dance floors are always packed,” says Jones.

Ensuring Great Sound

Nothing’s worse that not being able to hear your favorite song well enough. On the other end of the spectrum, it’s also a bummer to have your party shut down early for a noise violation. But rest assured, an experienced and professional wedding DJ will avoid both of these pitfalls on your big day.

A wedding DJ should provide his own sound (and sometimes lighting) equipment, and should know how to achieve great, well-balanced sound in a variety of venues and settings. Sometimes, however, a venue might require that the DJ use its in-house sound system instead of his/her own. In that instance, it’s important to consult with both the DJ and the venue to ensure sound quality is up to par. “If I’m working in a new venue, I always call the venue manager to discuss sound system requirements, room dimensions, load in logistics, and sometimes I simply ask what all the other DJs do.  It’s rare that we need to make a site visit, our experience is vast and there’s pretty much nothing we haven’t seen,” says Jones.

Making Requests

Sure, we all have an idea of what we’d like to dance (and probably cry) to on our wedding day, but it turns out that giving the DJ some flexibility on what he/she can play is the best move.

“Couples are definitely encouraged to give us a list of their favorite songs to listen and dance to. Beyond that, I try to encourage my clients to allow the DJ to make decisions about playlist order and when it’s dancing time.  At the end of the day, if we can mix the couple’s music requests with guest requests and the DJ’s own knowledge of what works musically, the wedding soundtrack will be unique, memorable, and a lot of fun,” says Jones.

Pricing

Remember: you get what you pay for. “If a DJ promises to DJ your wedding for under $1000.00 it’s likely going to be a disaster.  Expect to pay $1200-2000.00 for a great DJ and some upgrades such as lighting, video screen/projector, gobo (initials on the dance floor) and upgraded sound systems (for large weddings),” says Jones.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Wondering what questions to ask your potential DJ during a consultation? Here are a few of Jones’ recommendations to get you started:

• What’s your style?
• What role do you play as a DJ? (Just music, or will you do introductions, announcements and act as MC as well?)
• What type of music do you typically play and what kind of gear do you use?
• Can you give us some suggestions for great songs, and/or can we make requests of our own?
• What’s your fee?

Thanks to WAB for the image.