How to Hire a Dj?

The most important thing to me was the DJs demeanor and equipment. Make sure the DJ has the best equipment around, uses mic lapels, are knowledgeable with wedding timelines. We wanted a serious DJ that wasn't goofy, and didn't do games. We wanted a DJ that DJed instead of getting us drinks and mingling on the dance floor (had quite a few DJs say that).

We got a bunch of quotes based on the hours we thought we'd need and what their packages offered. Then we narrowed it down based on what we could afford and met with them to get a feel for their personality. We booked the one we were most comfortable with.

Agree about the not goofy thing. Also, being knowledgeable but also willing to play what we want. I feel like I could tell the difference between someone who would work with us versus dictate to us how things should be based on email and phone convos. And of course, my budget was the first filter I applied in my DJ choice.

I wanted someone professional with a lot of experience. Our florist actually recommended out DJ and it worked out amazingly.

We we're stumped on this, too. Fortunately, my cousin was so wedding planning at the same time as me, and my aunt had someone in mind. She had been to an amazing wedding with a DJ who kept everyone dancing all night, and was planning to call him for my cousin's wedding, and gave us his info, too. Before contacting him the first time, we looked him up on WW and found that he had amazing reviews and had consistently been winning the Couple's Choice Award for years. He was awesome on the phone. Between how helpful and professional he was in his interactions, and his ability to provide two DJ stations (1 for the ceremony and 1 for the reception) plus microphones and speakers for the ceremony, we hired him. Unfortunately, he was booked for my cousin's wedding date, but my aunt was just happy to get to attend one of this DJ's weddings again, so there weren't any hard feelings.

He was incredibly personable (at the wedding and in all our communications), not at all cheesy, incredibly organized, and very helpful and prompt. He also promoted himself as the person who will tie everything together as the MC for the reception and the point person who would be making sure our timeline was executed. We actually had a coordinator at our venue whose job was also to coordinate all the vendors and execute the timeline, and they worked very well together ensuring everything ran smoothly. I think his experience and ideas on his purpose helped make him so good at his job.

I have a cousin who is a professional florist, so I started with her advice. And, I actually wound up hiring the same DJ and photographer that she had for her wedding a couple of years ago. They both are long-time pros with lots of reviews on here and on other sites.

For the DJ, the one we hired also had a showcase for prospective clients, where you could meet the various DJs in the group. That really helped as far as narrowing down which one we wanted to hire.

View Quoted Comment How did you find someone like that?

My first step was actually asking my friends about the DJ's they used at their weddings. My friend who had a similar event to mine highly recommended his DJ so I contacted them. They're a company with multiple DJs- and the DJ assigned to us has tons of experience. I was looking for someone who can keep it upbeat but not overpower what we wanted as a couple. Also someone who would be a good MC. I'd been to multiple weddings DJ's by this company and they were very consistent in the upbeat atmosphere. You can also ask your other vendors for advice.

Luckily for us, we are friends with a DJ that does karaoke right in town. When we told him about our engagement, he asked jokingly, "who's gonna DJ?" We, of course, asked him right then and there. That specific entertainment business has outstanding reviews also, so it wasn't a difficult decision!

I asked all of my DJs for references. I wanted to talk to past brides/grooms about their experiences with the dj. Read lots of reviews. Make sure they have a backup plan for any situation, what their plan is if the mic goes out during the ceremony, where the backup mic will be hidden, what the plan is if the speakers go out or his laptop dies.

I would say the biggest thing is read reviews. Call them and talk to them to find out if they are your style. It's kind of like a gut instinct if you feel like you can get along with this person. Always ask others for recommendations or the dj if he has any references.

Reviews and interviews. FH and I met with 3 DJ's in the area. Two of them we really clicked with, and one was very much not what we were looking for. We ended up going with the less expensive of the two we met with, but if we had based it on websites and cost alone we would have made a huge mistake. I know not everyone has the ability to do so, but if not definitely talk with some previous brides (if you can weed it out, try to find a few that they're not "friends" with so you get an honest review, and not just one that they were begged to post online for a freebie). Good luck!!

@Marissa - I agree. I want someone who isn't a cheeseball, for sure!

Check and see if they have a youtube channel or video of them DJing. Some will do that. Also I would go to wedding shows. DJs will sometimes there and you can get a feel for how they read the crowd and their demeanor.

We didn't want anyone overly cheesy. We were looking for a professional, full-time DJ (not someone who does it as a side job). We picked our DJ because he had a really easy to user online form for song requests with links to song suggestions (like don't know what to pick for a cake cutting song? Here is a list of what others requested). Ours is reasonably priced and has worked at our venue before (not a deal breaker, but I feel good that he already knows the set up and where he will be). Our DJ is also helping us with the reception timeline (when we do our dances, when we do speeches, when we cut the cake, etc). We wanted someone who was experienced enough to handle the timeline for us, so it was one less thing to worry about.

I'm not having a DJ... I'm useless to you here X)

A lot of the DJs in my area have promo mixes or streams where you can listen to them play. Genre is important to me. I want someone well versed in the genre of music I prefer so I won't have to create a song list. A song list is a hassle for me. I also like these promo mixes because you get to listen to their transitions, how they mix songs and if they make unnecessary commentary. Finding a DJ is not less strenuous then finding any other vendor.... unfortunately.

View Quoted Comment Through lots of searching! We must have contacted around 15 DJs and interviewed 6. The final 3 we interviewed twice.

View Quoted Comment That is good advice, too! That's how we narrowed down the last 3 DJs was by having them send us mixes. I'm so glad we did that!

MEET with several DJs and see and hear their systems if possible. Are they punctual, personable and knowledgeable? Is their system well maintained and high quality? This is an easy way to evaluate them and make a data driven decision. How To Hire A DJ