Working With Your DJ

There was a time when only a live band would do for a wedding. These days, most couples opt for a DJ. If this is what you’re doing, here are some important tips to make sure you find the right one for you.

To find one, start by asking recently married friends and relatives. Wedding shows are also a good place to check out DJ’s because many of them actually put on demos there. Once you’ve got a list of potentials, make your appointments. Aside from price lists and services offered, be sure to find out just what kind of music library they have, how they feel about having music provided to them, and what they expect in terms of breaks and meals. (Most vendors will expect to be fed, and it’s the right thing to do). Finally, ask fore references, or even better, find out if you can slip into a wedding they’re working to see how they work. Above all, make sure you are comfortable communicating with them and do so often, especially when the big day draws near. I can not tell you how important that is.

We chose our DJ based on the recommendations of a relative. When we met with him he seemed great. He promised to be in touch a month or so before our wedding day and would work with us on our play list then. Like most brides, I got busy with the planning and didn’t think much about it until I suddenly realized my wedding was three weeks away and we hadn’t heard from him. We did get in touch and give him the list of songs for our introduction, special dances, and a CD with some special songs we wanted played, and he said all was fine. Imagine my shock when we arrived at our reception and he immediately informs us the CD we gave him didn’t work. Turns out he didn’t bother to test it ahead of time. We had to scramble to pick new songs. That was only the beginning. He cut off our first dance after just a few minutes, waited until the reception was half over (ignoring our repeated requests to do them sooner) before doing the parent dances and cut those off abruptly midway through, completely ignored our “please play” and “please do not play” lists, and when our cake cutting wasn’t going along fast enough for him, picked up a knife, hacked into our cake and shoved the piece at us! We were mortified. Thankfully we have great families who were understanding and managed to have a great time anyway, but it was a bit painful to have our carefully planned music ruined. This is why it is so important to communicate with your vendors early and often.

We assumed he’d know we wanted the songs played in their entirety but obviously we were wrong. We also assumed he’d test the CD we gave him ahead of time (it worked for us, oddly enough). Assuming is the worst thing to do, especially on a day as important as your wedding day! Do you have a vendor horror story? Please share!