Selecting a DJ for your wedding can feel like a daunting task. Once your date is set, there are so many arrangements to make, and the DJ can be easily forgotten. Some venues solve this problem for you with an in house resident, but this isn’t always the case and selecting a wedding DJ yourself can actually be an enjoyable experience! Here are our top five things to keep in mind when making this important choice for your big day.
1 – What Style of Wedding DJ Do You Want?
All DJs have their own unique style and your own personalities will likely play a role in the kind of Wedding DJ you decide to make a booking with. My personal preference is for someone that’s laid back, proficient on the decks and isn’t talking throughout every track. Some people prefer a DJ to be really animated and more in your face. Make sure you know what you want for your wedding prior to booking the DJ. This should also include the music genres you want to hear on the night.
2 – The Price
I know that fees vary quite dramatically where Wedding DJs are concerned, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking the higher the price the better the DJ. A lot of these inflated costs are style over substance. A friend of mine was recently married and showed me the invoice from his DJ. The words ‘upgrade’ and ‘enhanced’ always set my alarm bells ringing, and they featured heavily on this piece of paper! A good DJ likely won’t be cheap, but they also won’t attempt to confuse the client with various unnecessary add-ons. Get some quotes to give yourselves an idea of price ranges, then set a budget using those as a starting point.
3 – Word of Mouth
If this is your first time booking a DJ, a recommendation from a friend or colleague can be worth its weight in gold. If you trust this person’s opinion, then a word of mouth endorsement will probably save you a lot of time. Make this Wedding DJ your first point of contact and if you like what he or she has to say, arrange a face to face meeting. Your Wedding DJ search could be over as quickly as that.
4 – Insurance
Public Liability Insurance is now a must as far as wedding venues are concerned. Any reputable DJ will have this cover and you should ask to see a certificate prior to making any booking. In addition, some locations will insist on all DJing equipment being PAT tested. Again, the majority of Wedding DJs should have had this electrical testing carried out and it is another matter worth checking when undertaking your enquiries.
5 – Testimonials and Reviews
All Wedding DJs will have a web presence of some sort. Most will have a website and Facebook page as a minimum, and these should both include testimonials, and or reviews. This is where your own judgement will need to come into play. One thing I’d always look for is pictures of said events to see if they correspond to the dates and names on the reviews. Even if you can unearth one or two pieces of positive feedback that are backed up with images, I’d say that’s sufficient. Facebook is also helpful on this front because you can often see exactly who has left the review.
