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When planning a wedding, we all have the same question running through our minds- how do I know which DJ is the right one? Choosing to hire a professional wedding DJ over your cousin Joe is imperative to making the reception run smoothly. With plenty of DJs to choose from, making sure you pick the right one is quite tricky. Here are our top 10 tips on hiring a professional wedding DJ:
Make sure professional wedding DJs specialise in events other than weddings
A good DJ will have plenty of experience under their belt. Depending on your music preferences and personality, wedding music should extend past the wedding waltz and jazz tunes. For modern day weddings, it’s more of a celebration than a formality. Hiring a wedding DJ that has experience with large events and parties will ensure your guests will have a ball on the dancefloor.
Try before you buy
Try to choose a professional wedding DJ that has worked with the venue before. If you have your heart set on a particular DJ who hasn’t, thats okay. Allow the DJ to have a test run with the venue before the wedding, to ensure the equipment is compatible and they’re familiar with the space they’re working with. With extra services such as lighting and special effects needing to be tailored to the space, encourage a few visits to the venue for a practice run before the big day.
Pricing
There is more to weddings than the music, so remember to focus your spending on other aspects of the day. Don’t set a budget, but do your research into the professional DJ market. Get a quote and find out where your top 3 choices sit amongst the rest in terms of pricing. You’ll want to get great service for a reasonable price, and have your guests asking for their card!
Be a fangirl for a day
The DJ will most certainly have other events booked before your wedding day. Ask them where they’re playing and if you can come along to have a sneak peak of their work. Often seeing live sets in action are the best way to hire a professional wedding DJ. You can decide whether you like his style and entertaining skills away from one on one consultations.
Personality is everything
They say a first impression is everything. Having an outgoing, creative and trendy wedding DJ will be a preferable choice over someone who is timid and stuck in another era. Guests will be more inclined to listen to someone who knows how to start a party. Look for a well presented and a well spoken DJ, that loves to party and can charm people onto the dancefloor.
Check for high quality equipment
Run away from an iPod and an AUX cord setup. Do some quick research into the best equipment in the DJ business and ask to check out the equipment they’ll use. Ensuring they have high quality speakers and DJ equipment will create a better listening experience that is carried throughout the venue.
More more more!
Always ask for extra services they can offer you as a part of a deal. Often wedding venues aren’t equipped with the fancy fog machines and high tech effects that you may want to use. Wedding DJ’s will often only quote you for music services, so it never hurts to ask what else you can add in for the price.
Make sure you get along with them
There would be nothing worse than putting someone you don’t like in charge of your wedding tunes. Making sure the DJ reflects and understands your tastes is critical. Knowing you can trust your DJ to entertain your friends and family is one less added stress of the day.
Get a contact
Find out venues and clients they’ve played for. Far from google reviews and work portfolios, the best way to get an understanding into their work is to speak with previous clients. A professional wedding DJ will happily get you in touch with a client, whereas a bad one will dance around the subject and wish you’d rather not speak to them.
Set some boundaries
Not a fan of punk metal music? Set some boundaries for your wedding DJ. A ‘do play’ and ‘don’t play’ list will ensure they hit the right notes and keeps you and your guests happy. A good DJ will happily tailor their services to your requests, therefore ensure that they work to your best interests.
Now you’re ready to find the best DJ for your wedding reception. Don’t want to look far? We’ve got you covered. With 15 professional wedding DJs in our team, get a quote and find out if we can help create the perfect day for you. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
