Does a DJ need an assistant?

Our DJ has 2 assistants. I would look for reviews about your DJ.

Can you find anything online about him?

He only has a FB Page, which is how I found him.

Has anyone commented on it about him?

Yes there are positive comments on his page and I have messaged those people but with the new FB rules the messages will end up in their other inbox. There is someone else interested in our date and I only have until Tuesday to decide. I liked him I think he would do a good job, but part of me knows I am also just want to get this decisions checked off my list of to-dos and I shouldn't rush into it.

The only reason our DJ has an assistant is for the photo booth he handles all the music and MC part of it. He has amazing reviews. I think anyone who's been in the business long enough knows what they are doing. Always check references.

We interviewed a company who markets a second DJ as a necessity. I found out that the second DJ is usually someone "in training". We went with an older more experienced person in a competing company with excellent reviews and on the recommendation of our caterer. Thousands of people get married every year with only one DJ.

My DJ has others who work for him, but no 'assistants'. They all work on their own at weddings. We've been lucky enough to see how good our DJ is because he was the DJ for my FBILs wedding too. I don't see how he would need an assistant. frankly, it can't be super hard to talk, then push a button to begin the song. (DJs, please don't get mad at me, I'm not saying your job isn't hard, just not all of them need assistants)

Our DJ was amazing and didn't have an assistant.

I have never seen a DJ with an assistant. If they were doing lighting, photobooth and dj I could understand it but it shouldnt be difficult to coordinate. You get the schedule, you read the crowd and do it. Our DJ is in the business nearly 25 years and is amazing. He never mentioned the need for one.

Our DJ was wonderful all by himself. I think if they are true professional DJ's not just a side job they can handle it alone.

We offer a package with and a package without an assistant. When we meet with brides and grooms, we show them how their grand entrance and/or first dance will take place with either package. 90% or more choose the two man team, even if it is more expensive.

The "assistant" for me is either a DJ or an MC. Usually our MC keeps the vendors in check and helps coordinate the whole event. The DJ follows the MC's cues and can fill in, or improvise as needed. Our DJ's and MC's have great chemistry so they handle things masterfully.

Having a second person also reduces the overall setup and break-down time. For us it's about two hours setup and one hour break-down for a two-man team. It's almost a three hour setup and almost two hours to break down for one man.

Afterhours this is the 2nd post I've made about DJ's and thanks for the helpful tips! I'm having a small/intimate wedding less than 80 guests. Does that make a difference in a need for an assistant?

I want him to run the party portion of the evening and keep everyone on the dance floor having a good time with good music and no cheesy lines.

We had our venue provided DOC line us up for the DJ announced introduction. Our single DJ never had to leave the booth (though I see no reason why he couldn't have -and he most likely did use the bathroom or something at some point, but I never noticed). He also had no problem MCing and DJing at the same time. He went over the timeline in advance and never had to coordinate with anyone the day of. Our photographers did their own thing and knew how to capture all the important (and candid) images. The DOC stayed in the background and didn't have much to do. IMO, we would have been fine with just one DJ even if we didn't have a DOC.

Katie, it sounds like you don't want a lot of interference so I think you would be fine with one.

Sure, there was some coordinating, but nothing that required my DJ to leave the booth (though as I already stated, I don't see any reason he couldn't have). The DOC went to my DJ if needed. The caterer etc could have done the same thing. Our two very experienced photographers had our DJ created timeline and they never interacted with our DJ. They knew how to capture everything without prior discussions. This was just my experience. I'm not trying to discredit what you do. I'm trying to help Katie based on my experience.

We had one DJ and were very pleased. I guess it depends on their experience and what you expect them to do. Ours created the timeline, controlled the lighting, and had no problem being the MC and DJ at the same time. As someone else said, thousands of people get married with just one DJ.

Wendy, it sounds like you fulfill the role of a DOC in addition to being a MC. I'm sure many assistants MC, but I'm not sure that many would take on the role of a DOC. I guess it all depends. (Not an expert by any means, just a married woman).

MCDJCarlos, can you elaborate how your entrance/first dance would be different? I honestly don't get why it would be any different (aside from someone lining up the entrance). How would the first dance be different?

Katie, it's a matter of (the DJ's) opinion whether an assistant is actually needed. On a basic DJ job, most guys that I know only use an assistant (or roadie) if they have back problems or are just plain lazy. In my own case I use an assistant when the job is large (i.e. Uplighting or Photobooth added) and requires the extra hand. If I'm too lazy to load my own gear then in my view it's time to hang it up.

As for your other question about reviews, respectfully, you're playing with fire. Online reviews and (more importantly) pictures from past events are a much better indicator of how he'll perform rather than trying to base your judgement on a warm/fuzzy that he gave you at a meeting or on the phone. Keep in mind also that "price is right" is another clue. Cheap does not equal good and good is never cheap. You get one shot at this so be prepared to live with your choice and don't let it detract from your special day.

I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck with it.

A professional DJ company will make the determination depending on the wedding party needs and desires. One can handle an event just fine, while other events require two.