Everything your wedding DJ wants to know

You’re getting married – and that calls for a party where everyone is on their feet from cocktail hour to the last call! The best way to do that? Create a catchy playlist so people can’t help but jump out of their seats! From your first dance to the last steps, music sets the tone for the reception and significantly determines the experience of your guests.

When you and your fiancé choose to have a DJ instead of or in addition to a band, you put the responsibility in their hands to ensure that your wedding reception hits the right notes – literally! In addition to finding an entertainment company that falls within your budget and has your wedding date available, you want to be fluent in your favorite ’90s boy band hits and understand what will happen on the dance floor when your family does Hora Loca, or do you know you expect a heavy rotation from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to keep Great Aunt Jane happy. No matter what you’re looking for, a DJ and their team should be able to work with you and your partner to make your wedding night special.

Two professional wedding DJs want you to know before letting Spotify control the music on your big day!

Know how to spot a scam

We all know a man who considers himself a DJ for playing top 40 hits at his brothers’ parties in college. And whoever thinks they are a DJ just means playing EDM and house music. “Technology has now made it possible for anyone to refer to themselves as a DJ,” said Scott Siegel of Purple Parrot Entertainment. “Don’t just find someone on Craigslist or any social media site and go for prices. If it’s too good a price, one has to hope that the person will show up. ”

Siegel suggests having a chat with the DJ to learn more about his business and to see if he can offer services that suit your specific needs (e.g. you’re a country audience but this company distinguished by hip-hop and R&B). “There are a lot of people who are like car salesmen and are very energetic,” he warns. “They have these preprogrammed parties. They go in there, they will not take requests, they will not abide by the wishes of the bride and groom because of them [think they] to know better.”

In addition to the experience, ask for pictures and videos of events a potential DJ has worked on. And finally, make sure they bring legitimate devices – not the same MacBook they went with in the first year 15 years ago!

Don’t rely on WiFi

Siegel also warns against leaving your party playlist live on the internet. “These days a lot of DJs are starting to say, ‘I have 50,000 songs and they’re in the cloud,” he says. “You know very well how many times you’ve been on the phone somewhere and you can’t get a signal. Chances are that you Don’t get a signal in that barn, vineyard, or catering hall, or when you walk into a catering hall and the venue says, “I can’t give you our password.” Instead, go to a DJ who’s not only has downloaded all the songs but in the case of even a backup drive has an emergency.

Find out which form of communication your DJ prefers

Can’t get the Justin Bieber remix you just heard on Pandora out of your head? Siegel wants you to email him right away if you’d like to add them to your wedding rotation. “I’ve always told prospective brides my phone is always open. Call me, email me. If you’ve heard a song on the radio and love that song, give it a call right away, ”he says. “It’s not a big deal to me to put it in my notes, but it could be forgotten in five hours. I like to keep the line of communication open. ”

Paul Groh from Allstar DJ prefers, however, that his customers put together their inquiries and notes (e.g. “Please call out Cousin Mike’s 30th birthday”) in an email or a Word document and no later than two weeks send to him before the wedding. “We recommend that you don’t text or email whatever you want for your wedding,” he says. “We are bombarded with online stuff and it is lost. Everything should only be in one document. Get all the info to the DJ two weeks in advance because if they work Friday night and you have a wedding on Saturday morning, they don’t have time to plan. ”

To find out which method your DJ would prefer and don’t annoy them with 1 o’clock lyrics from the bar when you hear a Lizzo jam that all you have to do is dedicate to your ex-roommate when they’re not interested.

Let your DJ know who will be there

Let your DJ know if your reception will be mostly friends, parents’ friends, or family members of all ages so they can be prepared with music that will appeal to the crowd. “I hear it all the time when I’m DJing for seniors,” says Siegel. “They come up to me and say, ‘I went to my niece’s wedding and they weren’t playing [I like] and i sat there all night And it was so loud! ‘I like to know the whole room. I want to find out how many guests you want? How is the population? Don’t go in and think that they have it all and know it all because there are more DJs out there who know the current house music and that’s it. If I go to a party that is very Latin American, I have to know this music. ”

Try not to request too many songs

When providing items like “We love ’80s Rock!”; “Our friends are crazy about Rihanna!”; or “Throw Barry Manilow in for my stepmother” will help your DJ go in the right direction. Couples don’t have to set too many specifications. “You have to trust their judgment,” says Groh. “Give them 10 or 20 of your favorite songs and let them do the rest of the work. And if you want to see dancing make sure the songs are danceable. Sometimes what people hear on the radio may not be good for dancing, but the DJ knows. ”

Be flexible with songs that you don’t play

Similarly, be open to what your guests want, even if you don’t want to hear them. “It’s very common for the bride and groom to say, ‘Please don’t play line dances,” Siegel says of tracks like “Cupid Shuffle” and “Macarena.” “What should I tell someone when someone shows up – your aunt or uncle – and he wants to hear the ‘Cotton Eye Joe’? You might say, “No line dance, but if someone asks you can play it.” Because the reality is, most of the songs are three minutes. We’re not going to play 20 of them. We don’t plan on playing with them but when someone asks there are times when someone is more approachable to something. ” It’s always great to choose from the top 200 songs of the previous year. According to my analytics, there are people still searching for the top songs from 2007. 

Feed the DJ and his team

“Ask how many employees come and have a meal ready for them,” suggests Groh. They cannot appear when you are hungry. You get grumpy. It’s not a good thing. “If you can’t budget for meals for the entertainment company and other vendors, offer to have them eaten during cocktail hour.” When the DJ is doing the ceremony, cocktail hour, four-hour event, and after-party, if so, it could take six, seven, eight hours plus assembly and disassembly before they eat, “says Siegel.” It’s polite to feed the conversation, or at least offer to feed it. ”

Do not feel obliged to tip

At the end of the night, however, couples shouldn’t feel compelled to leave an extra tip. However, you should check to see if your signed contract requires one. “It’s at the customer’s sole discretion,” says Groh. “For excellent service between 10 and 20 percent, but we leave it to your discretion. It is not necessary. ”

If newlyweds choose to tip, they can blame someone else for responsibility or hand it out in the middle of the party. “Maybe your mother should do it, maybe your sister or your brother,” adds Siegel. “At the end of the night, the bride and groom honestly have a lot of other things on their minds. If they plan, you might give the DJ an envelope during the night and say, “I want to give this to you now because I’ll be busy later. Thank you for being part of our wedding. ‘If you give it to the guy during the night when he’s doing a good job, he’ll do it to improve his game a little bit more. ”

But Siegel repeats the tip: “It’s optional, but it’s definitely appreciated!”