How can I tell the difference between the right DJ for my wedding and a bozo who is going to turn all my hard work in to a yelling contest between bridezilla and drunk DJ devilspawn? I’m glad you asked!
1: How have they performed in the past?
Is the DJ subject to an external rating system that gives them a rating out of 10 as rated by previous brides? Have they won any awards? Have you seen this DJ play at a wedding before, or do you know someone who has? If its no to all of these questions then look online for agencies that have rating systems or DJs who have won awards. Failing that, ask people you trust to recommend. But don’t go to facebook. This will inundate you with a list of people who are friends of your friends and have DJ decks set up in their house. These people are probably not qualified.
2: What incentive is there for them performing well at your event?
Other than the DJ being a nice person; which is very hard to tell when they are trying to convince you to give them a thousand bucks, what incentive is there for them to do a good job? The nest incentive is an independent rating system that allows you personally to rate them and where the independent person either publishes this information or uses it to decide who will be given paid work in the future. Failing this, using someone who is known to your hefty big brother or works for your mum can be a good move. But a rating system is best as it gives the DJ a clear and direct reason to behave in ways that will lead 10 out of 10 from you.
3: Will they discount their price?
This is a really diagnostic one if you are booking tour DJ between 20 and 12 months before the big day. A good wedding DJ knows that they will book out pretty much all of their available dates about 6-12 months in advance due to the fact that demand for them is greater than the number of weekends in a year. So ask your DJ for a discount. If they say “I’m sorry, but if you want me, this is my price”, this tells you that they know that they have demand and will book out, which is a very good indication that they are on the level.
4: What happens if they cant do the gig at the last minute?
Asking your DJ what will happen if they cant do the gig at the last minute is also quite diagnostic as you will usually get 1 of 2 answers. If the DJ says that that won’t happen, they are not prepared and have n backup. No matter how awesome they are, zero backup presents a complete wedding failure potential for you. If the DJ says that they work with an agency or group that will send another DJ to cover, this means that the DJ is open & honest that sometimes sickness & accidents happen and they have prepared for this eventuality.
I hope this is useful for you in choosing your DJ. Remember. All of us are flashy & fun but only some of us have the substance to practice what we preach.
David Bartholomeusz has DJed at 797 wedding and knows that no 2 weddings are alike through helping over 5000 brides from Adelaide, and Rural South Australia and Melbourne and Country Victoria prepare for the most important day of their life and connect with the best available DJ in their area.