How to choose the right DJ for your wedding

Austin and I have just returned from an amazing and fun filled week long vacation for Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I have so many loving friends and family to spend time with- as well as a job that allows me to have a full week off. Since we were home for the last week, we were able to get some wedding planning done which included meeting with a couple of DJs. You may think at first that a DJ doesn’t really matter- you could just hook up your Ipod, right?- but I honestly think that having a good DJ is one of the most important parts of a wedding. I wanted to be thorough and talk to more than one to get an idea of their personalities and make sure it was the right fit. But what does one look for when booking a DJ?

 

You want everyone up and dancing!

 

My search revolved around a couple of things:

1. Price. Let’s face it, this is a major factor. It really depends on how much you want to spend, like I said the DJ is important so if you really like a certain DJ and he’s a little bit over the budget, you have to decide if you’re willing to sacrifice that. But I wanted to first look for a variety of DJs within my price range and then pick form among them.

2. Reviews and word of mouth recommendations. I’d much rather have positive reviews online or an actual recommendation from a friend instead of blindly searching online and picking anyone. Even if someone had only a few negative reviews, I strayed away. I know accidents happen, but if you notice a pattern of bad reviews online or more than one person has told you the DJ acted inappropriate, there’s no reason to even consider them.

3. Personality.  Just like the photographer, I think I need to feel comfortable with the person who is basically going to be running my wedding. I need to feel like he/she really cares about making my day go perfectly and ‘special’ and that it’s not ‘just another gig’ for them.

4. Musical Knowledge. I basically drilled the DJs we met with on their knowledge of what music to play. Austin and I are country fans, and we know that’s not all we want played but we want good dancing country played, as well as the new hits. I want a DJ that knows how to get EVERYONE dancing, not just the older folks, or the younger ones.

5. How much freedom do I have to choose music? I made sure that I could submit a ‘Do not play’ and ‘must play’ list, as well as asked how much freedom I had in actually picking individual songs. Some DJs even have an online database where you can hand pick every single song that you want at your wedding. I want to be able to submit a list of songs we want, but we also want a knowledgeable DJ who can read the crowd and play the most appropriate music at key times.

 

We’re huge Eric Church fans!
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It’s going to be just another one of the millions of decisions I have to make when it comes to my wedding! Like I said, I will submit the must play list, but I want a DJ that is going to have a good mix of new country, new as well as throwback dancing music, and some older classics that will get everybody dancing. I know everyone doesn’t love country, but we do and so do the majority of our friends.

One of the DJs we met with seemed more personable and that he would make sure everything ran very smoothly- he’s been to our venue before. But the other DJ, while I didn’t get as much as a warm and fuzzy feeling, seemed to have more knowledge of music.

Any advice from people who have just had a wedding or have gone to many weddings: What do you think makes a good DJ? What do you absolutely hate to see the DJ do at a wedding? I’d love to get some advice and experiences from people who have gone through it! Thanks!

 

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