How to hire a wedding DJ who can actually DJ
The questions to ask, what to look for in photos and reviews, and the red flags. From 25 years behind the decks.
Most couples hire a DJ off a website, a few reviews and a price. Then they find out on the night what they paid for.
I've been DJing for 25 years: clubs, bars, private events, corporate parties and more than 100 weddings. Here's what I'd check if I were hiring someone for my own wedding.
There are good DJs in Vermont, and some of them aren't me. Use this and you'll find them.
Anyone can buy speakers and press play.
Mixing songs together live, scratching and blending, and building the energy song after song until the whole room is dancing.
Knowing what the room needs next, and when to take it higher.
Put them together and you get the night people talk about for years: everyone on the floor, dancing until the last song, and your guests telling you it was the most fun they've ever had at a wedding.
Both come from years of playing for crowds who owe you nothing. A club crowd walks out if you're bad. A wedding crowd just sits down. Most wedding DJs have never had to learn either.
Questions to ask any DJ
Will you be the DJ at my wedding?
Some companies book you with their best DJ and send whoever's free. Get the name in writing.
Can I hear a full live set?
Not a highlight reel. A real recording, 30 minutes or more, unedited.
Do you mix live?
Listen to that recording. Do the songs blend, or does each one end before the next starts? Dead air is where dance floors die.
What did you do before weddings?
Ask them to name clubs, bars or parties they've played. That's where you learn to read a room.
How do you use our music?
The night should be built around your songs, must-plays and do-not-plays. Requests should get fit in where they work, not played the second someone asks.
What if something breaks?
The answer should be "backup gear for everything."
Are you insured?
Many venues require it. A pro can send the certificate straight to your venue.
How do you handle the mic?
You want clear and classy, not a game-show host.
What happens before the wedding?
A DJ who shows up knowing only your names and the start time is guessing all night.
Photos can't prove someone is good. They can rule someone out.
A laptop alone, or a laptop with an iPad
There's nothing to mix on. Songs are being played, not mixed.
Turntables or a DJ controller
Only means they could. Plenty of DJs plug in a controller and just hit play, or lean on auto-sync and train-wreck every transition.
The DJ posing next to his gear, smiling at the camera
Real DJs don't take that photo. A posed shot next to the equipment is a vendor photo, like a car dealer leaning on a sedan. It tells you he sees the gear as the product.
The only real proof is a full recording. Go back to question 2.
Wedding DJ websites have their own language.
If you want a real party, here's what it usually means.
If you want background music for dinner and nothing more, that's a fine thing to hire. Just know that's what you're hiring.
Be suspicious of a DJ with hundreds of reviews.
Do the math. Only some couples ever leave a review, so 400 reviews means a lot more weddings than 400. The only way to book that many is to be cheap, and to do weddings and nothing else. Someone like that never had to learn to read a club crowd, and he's been playing the same set every Saturday for ten years.
That's a wedding factory. The reviews prove he shows up on time. They don't prove he can throw a great party.
The DJs who can usually have fewer reviews, because they play fewer weddings, charge more and learned their craft somewhere other than weddings. So don't judge by the number. Listen to a full set.
Close the tab if you see these.
Gold, Platinum and Diamond packages
With uplighting and a photo booth bundled in.
The photo booth gets more space than the music
If the website leads with props, DVDs and guest books, that's what they're really selling.
“All our DJs arrive professionally dressed”
If dressing up is a selling point, there isn't much else to sell. Nobody has ever left a wedding raving about the DJ's tux.
A price before they know your venue, hours or crowd
That's a quote for a generic wedding, not yours.
“One of our talented DJs”
If they can't tell you who, you don't know who's showing up.
A website that hasn't been touched since 2012
If they haven't updated the site in a decade, ask yourself when they last updated the music.
“Listed in a wedding directory”
Most directories are paid listings, not recommendations.
What does a wedding DJ cost?
Every wedding gets a custom quote after a call. I'm not the cheapest option, and I'm not trying to be.
A cheap DJ isn't a deal if the floor is empty by 10.
Since you might be asking me.
- It's me, every time.
- I mix live. Hear full unedited sets on my Music page, including a three-hour wedding.
- Ten years in LA clubs (The Continental Club, Sayers Club, The Room) taught me to read a room.
- Backup gear for everything, and fully insured.
- A custom quote after a call, never a package.
Ask me every one of these questions.
Book a 30-minute call. I'll call you, we'll talk through your wedding, and you'll get a custom quote after.