My dj hidden fee of Coi? Do i pay this as the bride? help

COI as in Certificate if Insurance? Or does COI mean something different? Did you ask the DJ what that entailed and why it was necessary?

All of your vendors should already be insured and be able to produce proof of that insurance to anyone who asks, especially your venue. This isn't an additional cost to be passed to clients; it's part of doing business. Unless there's an explicit need for you to have special insurance for some reason, this doesn't sound good. Maybe the DJ isn't insured and now is trying to purchase one to satisfy your venue at your expense. If this is the case, run.

I deal with COI's daily and you absolutely should not be paying for this. This is why companies have insurance agents - to produce COI's. The only additional charge a company could face is listing a venue/company as additional insured on the COI, but that is to be expected and the DJ should not be charging you for that. This would be a red flag to me - it could mean that the company has a very limited insurance policy and might not carry the proper insurance coverages. I would honestly try contacting the better business bureau or look up their business status on your state's C.O.N.C.O.R.D.

Normally vendors include the cost of their insurance policies in the price of the service because it's an operating fee they have to pay. So technically we all pay for their insurance, we just don't talk about it. It is weird that he's making it a separate fee.

If the cost seems high and you have another DJ you like, I'd go with the other DJ. Also see if they'll negotiate cost - we got a very good deal on a DJ (33% discount).

Yea this is the responsibility of the DJ. They should build it into their cost and not be charging you for it as a separate fee.