4 Tips To Hiring The Right Wedding Reception DJ

"A Bad DJ Can Ruin A Beautiful Wedding Day…Hire A Pro!"
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​So you are getting married and planning a wedding ceremony and reception. You decided that DJ entertainment is the best choice for you and your guests. Great wedding DJ's can deliver incredible  music libraries with thousands of song titles from a wide variety of eras and genres. In additional to a well equipped well organized music library containing virtually every popular song imageable a great wedding DJ can effectively utilize a client's requests and blend those selections with other "crowd pleasing selections" that create a fun atmosphere for all to enjoy. A DJ's ability to "read a crowd" is critical and can only come from experience (working lots of weddings!). An experienced well prepared wedding DJ offers music flexibility to suit a wide variety of ages and tastes along with M.C. ability to execute your announcements and directions resulting in great entertainment value for your guests. Your guest list may include your immediate and extended families, your parents, from friends from work, school and others so the right wedding DJ is the key to keeping this wide range of people engaged. The right DJ will work with your input and requests including the “do not play list” (if applicable). The right wedding DJ will keep the reception flowing and on track by sticking to your time line. A pro wedding DJ will work effectively with your event planner or coordinator to execute all planned details. The right wedding DJ can do all of this and more but how do you find and hire the right wedding DJ? Please review the 4 tips listed below as I am sure this will help you find the right DJ for your wedding reception.

"A Great DJ Creates Wonderful Memories Of Your Reception!"

4 Tips To Hiring The Right Wedding Reception DJ 
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(1) Hire an experienced wedding reception DJ professional. To ensure a successful wedding reception it is imperative to hire a professional DJ that specializes in wedding receptions. After 40 years and over 1000 wedding receptions performed (5000 DJ events total) I have concluded that a great wedding reception DJ to be great at weddings the DJ should specialize in weddings. There are many types of DJs in the world today and not all types of DJs are effective wedding reception DJs. Just because a DJ works at a nightclub, a bar, a radio station, performs at school dances or operates a Karaoke DJ service this does not mean they are effective in the wedding reception DJ environment. A pro wedding DJ understands the unique intricacies of a wedding event and embraces the organizational and planning process. A pro wedding DJ is skillful with announcements, working with event coordinators and planners. A pro wedding DJ is knowledgeable with a wide range of music genres and eras and is excellent with music suggestions for reception features that need accompaniment. 

​Chances are you may not know a great wedding DJ to hire which has led you to this blog post. With this said the best wedding reception DJs are individuals that are highly referred, preferably by someone you know or trust. This DJ should have at a minimum of 50 to 100 wedding receptions completed and that is barely out of the beginner status. The point is you should be seeking a DJ that is a pro wedding DJ that knows what they are doing. It takes time for a DJ to become a polished pro reception DJ with many hours and events under their belt perfecting their skills. If you are going to pay professional rates for pro level DJ services and equipment don’t hire a rookie or an amateur to “practice at your reception"! Another good place to seek quality referrals is with your wedding vendors.  A venue or event hall manager or room sales associate may have a list of quality wedding DJs they recommend. Other vendors such as photographers and caterers may have a solid wedding DJ referral available as well. 

​If a pro wedding reception DJ is not in your budget you may want to think twice about hiring an unknown or budget DJ for your reception. Your wedding reception is too important to turn the event over to an inexperienced DJ. Lower end services often deliver irrelevant music terribly presented with poorly articulated announcements that are embarrassing to all. If a budget DJ service is your only option I suggest that you “over manage” the part time or beginner level DJ. Check in with the DJ on a regular basis and go over and over your reception plan, step by step, song by song, announcement by announcement. Make sure the budget DJ fully understands what, when and how you want things done. The burden of the making sure your details are understood are on you when you venture into the budget DJ services world. It is a good idea to assign a “reception messenger” to relay any adjustments and suggestions needed throughout your reception to make all of the small and large corrections that will be needed. This is a buyer beware option!

(2) Hire a DJ that you actually speak to (or better yet one that you meet in person). It is important to speak to the DJ you plan to hire for your reception directly. This will tell you much about the DJ’s personality and if the DJ is articulate and pleasant. Hiring a DJ based on social media posts or words and pictures displayed on website or on posted reviews does not give you enough information to understand who you are dealing with. Hiring the right DJ is not like buying an appliance or a manufactured product where reading reviews and viewing pictures on a website is enough to make an informed decision. Hiring the right DJ is about buying the personality, their reputation, their services and the equipment they provide on a specific date. If a DJ has a representative or a sales agent to discuss topics such as availability that is okay…but it is essential to have a conversation or a meeting with the actual DJ that you plan to hire before you enter into any agreement to hire that DJ or place a deposit. 

​In some cases meeting a DJ in person is a good way to know who you are dealing with. I suggest meeting a prospective DJ at the proposed wedding venue to discuss your ideas and plans. This is a great way to meet a bride, groom and or wedding planner and to see if all is a good fit for one another. Another idea is to meet a prospective DJ at a coffee shop or a fast casual restaurant that is informal to get familiar. It is always best to take a friend, family member or groom to any meeting.

(3) Hire a DJ that listens to your input and will execute your plans. Regardless if you know exactly what you are looking for in your reception DJ or not, your DJ should understand your reception vision and your expectations. If your reception is to be laid back, moderately energetic, high energy or a combination of each as the reception progresses, you should communicate this to your DJ. If you are looking for a DJ’s assistance and expertise in music selection and the timing of playback with the accompanied announcements the DJ should understand that you expect this help in your reception planning. If you know specifically what you want your DJ to do musically and with any announcements your DJ should understand this and execute your wishes. Your likes and dislikes should be communicated and understood by your DJ. If you choose a DJ with little, moderate or maximum guest interaction on the microphone it is best to communicate this preference and make sure this is understood and executed at your reception. 

​A wedding reception is a personal service, often with memorable and intimate moments occurring at your reception that will need to be discussed, planned and executed at your event. The DJ needs to understand and care about your reception on a personal level. Hiring the right DJ is not like hiring someone to repair your car or home. It is important that these repairs are done properly by a trusted service provider but these services are not as personal as the services provided by the DJ you hire for your reception. The DJ will be in front of your friends, family and guests on one the most important days of your life. Your DJ choice will be a big part of you and your guest reception experience, often the determining factor of successful reception. The wedding reception is often the most memorable part of a wedding. The DJ you hire needs to be a people person with a mission to please, a person who is part entertainer and part event manager. The right DJ should listen and hear your input, your expectations and possess the expertise to execute your plans. The right DJ understands that your reception is about you, your fiancé, your family and your friends. The right DJ knows it’s not about him or herself. I often tell client’s the best reception DJs possess vast knowledge of music genres and eras, then they mix that together with your requests to the benefit of all at the reception.

(4) Hire A DJ that provides solid planning documents and a written agreement. Good planning documents will organize all of your event details such as:  introductions, first dance, father / daughter dance, mother / groom dance, toasts, cake cutting, bouquet, garter and any other items and features you desire. The documents should have the names of the people to be introduced and or participating in any special dances, toasts or recognitions. Song titles and artists that accompany any dance feature or action should be written into the planning documents as well. This paperwork should be thorough with all requests and items listed on the documents. 

The right reception DJ will have a solid written agreement / contract that is easily understood with correct details such as the day, date, times and location. The agreement should include all services to be provided, the total wage agreed upon, deposit amount due, balance amount due. The agreement should have a contingency plan that states what will occur if the DJ is becomes sick or if the DJ cannot work the event do to an emergency. The agreement should list what will occur if either party decides break the agreement. Please read over any special conditions or provisions areas of the agreement before signing.

​In conclusion, hiring the right wedding reception DJ is about finding an available DJ with the personality, skill and expertise to make your reception all that it can be. The DJ you hire should be highly referred or a DJ you have experienced in person or someone that impressed you via phone conversations or from a meeting. Finding the right wedding reception DJ can be achieved by following the tips above.
 
All the best! DJ Mark Anderson