You may have asked yourself “what does a DJ do at a wedding besides play music?”
There are many additional responsibilities that a DJ must perform well in order to make your wedding day amazing. We are going to cover all of these responsibilities in this blog.
What Does A DJ Do At A Wedding?
(Before The Big Day)
One of the most important duties of a wedding DJ is to assist the engaged couple in planning their music and master of ceremonies details.
This planning should begin before the DJ is even hired as they should listen to the couple about their wedding vision and share insight from their experience.
Once the DJ is hired, they will usually email the couple music and master of ceremonies planning forms.
These forms will help the couple record ideas for their music, special announcements and dedications.
The DJ should always be available to answer any questions the couple might have for their wedding.
About 30 days before the wedding date is the perfect time for the couple to send the DJ their planning forms.
Once the DJ receives this information, they will get in contact with the couple to review all of their music selections and MC information.
I always think it is a good idea to have this consultation at the wedding venue as it is helpful to look at the floor plan while reviewing all of the wedding details.
What Does A DJ Do At A Wedding?
Set Up Equipment In A Timely Manner
A DJ should never be seen or heard setting up equipment once the official start time of the wedding has begun.
I’ll take this one step further.
The DJ should have the equipment for both the ceremony and reception ready with music playing before the guests arrive.
In addition, they should have the entire DJ area clean and organized.
This means that all equipment cases, totes and anything else used to transport equipment should be out of sight before guests arrive.
Provides Wedding Ceremony Audio Services
A wedding DJ will provide ceremony audio equipment at the majority of the weddings that they service.
This includes speakers, audio mixer, wireless microphones, computer and music.
They will also operate the sound equipment to ensure the audio mix is clear and easily heard.
Provides Music and Equipment For Cocktail Hour
It is not uncommon for the cocktail hour at a wedding to be in a different area than the reception banquet room.
With that said, the DJ should always bring an extra speaker and digital playing device to provide music during this time.
You may also want to ask your DJ to prepare cocktail music that is specific to your tastes as many will be happy to do so.
What Does A DJ Do At A Wedding?
The Grand Entrance
After the cocktail hour, the wedding DJ will usually line up all of the members of the wedding party to prepare for the grand entrance.
While lining up the wedding party, they will do a quick review to ensure they pronounce everyone’s name correctly (also done weeks in advance at the DJ consultation).
He or she will give basic instructions to anyone giving a toast on how to hold the microphone and how to project their voice into the mic as well.
In addition, the DJ should use this time to review the order of upcoming reception events with everyone so they are prepared. For example:
- Grand Entrance
- Cake Cutting
- Toasts
- Blessing (if requested by the couple)
- Dinner
- First Dance
- Parents Dances
- Open Dance Floor
Finally, the DJ will make their way back into the reception area and cue the music for the grand entrance! Here we go!
Master of Ceremonies
After the grand entrance, the DJ will continue providing music and fulfill the role as the “Master of Ceremonies” in most cases.
This includes announcing all of the upcoming wedding events, introducing the guests giving toasts/speeches, occasional “story-telling” (just a few fun/brief sentences).
It is important that they speak with sincerity and refrain from making tacky jokes.
Although the DJ has the microphone, they must remember the wedding is about the celebration of the newly married couple.
DJs should never use this time to make the wedding about themselves. Too many of them do.
Get People Dancing!
(and keep them dancing)
We all knew this one was coming!
Yes! a wedding DJ must get as many people dancing as possible. I won’t go into all of the ways that a DJ can get people dancing in this blog.
(Click here for information on how to pack a dance floor)
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention they MUST interact on the microphone with the crowd.
It’s always nice if they occasionally get out from behind the DJ booth to take this interaction to the next level (they don’t want to over-due though!).
If the DJ doesn’t personally entertain in addition to playing music, then they are not doing their job in my opinion.
I will say some weddings have rowdier guests than others when it comes to dancing, however, the DJ must always take full responsibility for getting people to dance….it’s that simple.
Tear Down In A Timely Manner
Many banquet halls have vendor contracts. They especially apply to DJs during tear downtime.
Your DJ may need to sign a vendor contract or they may not be allowed to provide their services by the banquet manager.
Most wedding venues require DJs to have all of their equipment torn down and out of the building in less than an hour.
It is important that the DJ meets these terms as the banquet venue may charge the client, the DJ or both for this extra time.
Thank you for reading
What Does A DJ Do At A Wedding?
>
Click the video icon below for more
Hello! My name is Tony Coppola and I’d like to take this time to tell you a little bit about myself and CC King Entertainment.
I began my musical journey when I was 12 years old as a singer and drummer.
Ten years ago, I built a home recording studio and named it CC King Studio. Shortly after, I DJ’d my first wedding and CC King Entertainment was born!
After DJing hundreds of weddings, my business allowed me to leave my 16 year career as an occupational therapist.
I ALWAYS go the extra mile to personalize my wedding services and have the honor to work with an amazing team of wedding DJs.
Contact Us
Best Wedding DJ Questions
We have all heard the saying, “Your DJ will make or break your wedding.” With that said, it’s important to ask the best wedding DJ questions to ensure you hire the perfect DJ for your big day.
So without further ado, I have listed below the top 10 questions you should ask the DJ during the interview process.
Best Wedding DJ Questions
1. Do you charge for set up and tear down?
Most weddings are about 6 hours long. A DJ may charge an hourly or flat rate.
However, depending on the number of services, your DJ and his or her staff may need about 2 to 4 hours to set up and 1 to 3 hours to tear down.
That is roughly 5 extra hours of service for set up and tear down that might be added to your DJ bill.
That could possibly be a large dollar amount or none at all. The main thing is to be sure you ask your wedding DJ about this possible charge so it does not come as a surprise.
2. Do you take requests?
The obvious answer to this question should always be YES. Can you believe that some wedding DJs don’t take requests?
This is a question that is often overlooked because most people assume that all DJs should.
You will also want to ask if there are additional fees charged to cover the costs of the DJ downloading your requested music.
It is very rare that a DJ will charge a music downloading fee, but it is still a good idea to ask.
If taking requests, your DJ will want to make sure they can get a Wifi connection at the banquet hall, just in case they need to download a song on-the-spot.
Your DJ should make these arrangements with the hall manager prior to your wedding.
3. Will you have a DJ assistant with you?
I personally do not like to have a DJ assistant with me for the entire evening.
They sort of “cramp my style” and I feel like they get in the way more than they help.
I do however recommend that wedding DJs have assistants to help with the setup and tear down.
This will ensure that all equipment is ready to go in a timely manner and torn down to meet the rules of the banquet hall related to closing time.
4. Will you invite prospective clients to my wedding?
This is one of the best wedding DJ questions to ask.
It addition to reading the DJs reviews, prospecting clients often ask if they can check out the DJ performing at a wedding prior to hiring them.
There is nothing wrong with people asking this because it’s a very fair and understandable request.
However, you will want to make sure that your DJ does NOT invite anybody outside of your specific guest list.
I have heard countless stories of a prospecting client swearing to “just peek through the wedding hall door” but somehow end up being a distraction to the DJ.
Yes, this does happen and the bottom line is your wedding is an exclusive event for your invited guests only. Your DJ must honor that.
5. Do you have videos of weddings you have DJd?
CAUTION: Videos can often be misleading. I personally love it when I see video footage taken from a smartphone that is under-produced.
Why? Because it’s an indication that you are viewing authentic video footage of the DJ performing at a wedding.
Beware of stock videos that were purchased or overproduced videos where everything looks scripted and rehearsed.
6. Can we meet our DJ prior to hiring him or her?
The necessity of asking this question may be of personal preference. I have booked several weddings via email without even speaking to anybody.
Personally, I think it’s important to meet your wedding DJ in person before hiring them. A DJ’s personality is such a HUGE factor in the art of DJing.
If you hold a meeting with the DJ, I would advise you to take note of a couple of things.
Do they talk too much? Why? Because this is often a red flag that they might talk too much on the microphone during your wedding.
Also, take notice of how they dress. Do they pay attention to detail? Are they a slob?
Always remember, if they look like a mess, then it a good chance they might make a mess out of your wedding too.
7. Do you have backup equipment?
This is another one of the best wedding DJ questions I am asked most frequently.
The obvious answer is of course YES. However, you should also ask if the DJ has a backup for EVERY piece of equipment?”
For some strange reason, a lot of DJs think backup equipment means throwing an extra speaker in the car. No, we also want back up mixers, microphones, computers, cables and amplifiers.
Your DJ should basically have an entire second DJ setup on hand because if any one of these components fails, it could spell disaster if they are not prepared.
I have DJ’d hundreds of weddings and I have had to resort to backup equipment many times.
I have always had what I needed because I have what I call a “backup for the backup.”
Make sure your DJ is one that is prepared to handle any and every unexpected equipment failure.
8. What will you be wearing to our wedding?
This is another one of the best wedding DJ questions you should ask.
Surprisingly, I have been asked this question only a few times. It is never to be assumed that your wedding DJ will dress in formal clothing for your wedding.
I have seen DJs wearing a T-shirt, tennis shoes and jeans while servicing a wedding.
Everybody has their own style, but I recommend you ask this question if you have a preference for what your DJ wears.
Furthermore, the standard wedding DJ attire should consist of dress shoes, dress pants, a vest or suit jacket and tie.
9. Will you drink alcohol while DJing our wedding?
The answer to this must be NO. The reasons as you can already imagine are countless, so I will just make this one short and sweet.
If the wedding DJ you are considering says anything other than NO politely say “Thank you for your time, have a great day and goodbye.”
10. Do you have DJ insurance?
The answer to this question must be YES. We have all seen the YouTube videos of wedding bloopers.
We also know that accidents are never planned.
The financial investments made to make a wedding a great success are massive.
You will want to protect your investment by making sure that ALL of your wedding vendors have insurance.
Most accidents occur when vendors are setting up and tearing down their equipment.
Furthermore, it is a great idea to have an appointed person be present at the banquet hall during vendor set up and tear down to keep an eye on things.
Thank you for reading “Best Wedding DJ Questions”
Click the video icon below for more
Hello! My name is Tony Coppola and I’d like to take this time to tell you a little bit about myself and CC King Entertainment.
I began my musical journey when I was 12 years old as a singer and drummer. Ten years ago, I built a home recording studio and named it CC King Studio. Shortly after, I DJ’d my first wedding and CC King Entertainment was born!
After DJing hundreds of weddings, my business allowed me to leave my 16 year career as an occupational therapist. I ALWAYS go the extra mile to personalize my wedding services and I have the distinct honor to work with an amazing team of Michigan wedding DJs.
Contact Us