I’ve seen variations on this post before, and want to offer my own take on the topic of what questions to ask a DJ during the hiring process. I’ve been an Austin wedding DJ for many years, and the DJ for at least 1,000 weddings by now, and I’m happy to share some insights I’ve picked up along the way.
Many of the articles I’ve seen were written some time ago, and as the wants and needs of brides, and anyone else looking for a DJ, have changed drastically in recent years, I think the discussion is in need of an update. Many other articles on the topic are laughably bad, including one very popular list of 33 questions that exists solely as SEO fodder for the site hosting it, and is nearly useless as a DJ vetting tool.
If you are about to hire a DJ, or even if you already have hired one, you don’t need to subject anyone to a 33-question barrage that will end up telling you nothing substantial, and probably overwhelm you and the DJ. Instead, here are 8 key questions that you can use to ascertain if the DJ in question is right for you from a standpoint of professionalism and skill. Once you’ve determined which DJs pass muster in those important ways, you can make your final choice based on the music, vibe, or aesthetic of the remaining candidates.
So, here are 8 questions to ask that will help you separate the pros from the amateurs, and make sure your choice of entertainment doesn’t end up ruining your special day!
1. Do you know how to mix music?
This didn’t used to be as important as it is now, but in 2024 and beyond, a DJ who can’t mix is about as useful to a party as a rotary phone is to updating your social media accounts. Audiences have grown savvy about what DJs can do, and a DJ who still fades out of one song and into another is going to lose the dance floor. If you want a fun, vibrant party at your wedding, it’s an absolute must that your DJ can beatmatch and phrase correctly. Don’t just take his word for it, either. If a DJ tells you he knows how to mix, ask for a sample mix to verify this. There is no more surefire way to kill a party early than to have a DJ behind the decks who can’t properly transition between two songs.
2. Are you insured?
Another must-have is insurance. Most venues require it, and those don’t, should. You hope nothing will go wrong at your wedding or party, just as you hope you’ll never crash when you drive, but there’s a reason we are required to have auto insurance: accidents happen. If something bad does happen, and one of your guests is injured, or anything else unfortunate takes place, and it’s due to the DJ or his equipment, you need to know his insurance company will handle it. You don’t want to be left holding the bill if a speaker topples onto someone’s head, but in today’s litigious world, that’s a very real possibility.
3. Do you bring backup equipment?
When I perform, I bring at least one backup for every single piece of equipment, from speakers and computers down the last cable and adaptor, and every other self-respecting, professional DJ should, too. Make sure your DJ does. Ask him what gear he brings, and what his plan is if any given piece fails. You don’t want to end your wedding 3 hours early because he blew out a speaker, and you certainly don’t want to stop halfway down the aisle and wait for him to call tech support to find out why his laptop froze. Your DJ needs to have a plan in place to immediately pivot from any single piece of gear he uses.
4. Are you willing to play the music we want?
Every DJ should say yes to this, but many won’t! And some will say yes, and then proceed to explain to you why you should let him play what he wants, because he knows best. Run away! Your DJ definitely needs to know how to read the room, and choose songs in the moment that will build energy on the dance floor, and keep guests happy, but there is no one way to do that. If you want to hear all the wedding favorites, by all means let him know that. There’s nothing wrong with dancing to “Y.M.C.A.,” “September,” “Celebration,” and all those great songs. But, if you want to avoid the overplayed songs, that’s your decision. A great DJ can fill a dance floor, and keep it packed, without playing any of the cliche wedding jams. You should let him know the styles of music you like, 4 or 5 absolute must-play dance tracks, and as many do-not-play songs as you want, and then let him take it from there.
5. Will you play our guests’ requests?
What’s the best way for a DJ to read the room? Listening to guests’ requests! That makes his job easy. Instead of scanning the room and trying to determine what song is going to work well, someone is telling him the exact song to play. You can’t get better intel than that. And yet, many DJs are angered by requests. You should see the posts in the DJ-only forums! I laugh them off, and shake my head, wondering how such DJs stay in business, because honestly, requests are the absolute best way to determine what to play. That doesn’t mean you want your DJ to play every song every person asks for. He still has to use his judgement! If someone insists that the full 17-minute version of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is the perfect song to play next, yeah, the DJ needs to know to politely decline that one. Maybe don’t play every request for Jello Biafra or Slayer– or maybe you should? Read the room! But don’t ignore requests!
6. Will you be there at least 2 hours before the event begins?
Your DJ should give himself ample time to park, load his gear in, set up, change his clothes, do a sound check, and do whatever else is needed, with a big time cushion to spare. If he gets a flat tire en route, or his equipment doesn’t work and he needs to troubleshoot and rewire things, you don’t want to delay your wedding to accommodate for it. He should build that time into his schedule. I am nearly always completely set and ready to go about an hour before the first guest is scheduled to arrive, and your DJ should be, too.
7. Are you an experienced MC?
A DJ isn’t only a DJ, he’s also an MC. If a potential DJ is shy about speaking on a microphone, keep looking. You need someone who is not only confident on the mic, but someone who is charismatic and in control. He has to guide your guests through an entire day’s worth of events. He has to be able to think on his feet, too. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been told by a planner to “make such-and-such announcement now,” only to have that same planner whisper to me as I’m in the middle of announcing it “we weren’t ready after all– we need 60 seconds!” Suddenly I have to improvise! I can do it, and whoever you hire as your DJ should be able to do the same.
8. Will YOU be our DJ, or will it be someone else?
It makes sense to hire a company that has more than one DJ, as it provides a good backup plan in case your DJ of choice is sick or otherwise unavailable on the big day. Obviously, you don’t want to have someone else show up, but better someone than no one, right? That said, you should make sure that the DJ you speak with is the actual DJ who will be scheduled as your DJ, and not the company owner, or worse, a middleman. You have no idea how often I get a call on a Thursday or Friday from a desperate middleman who booked weddings that he had no DJs to cover, and is scrambling to find a warm body to place behind a console. I think sometimes they end up sending a friend or relative with no DJ experience whatsoever, and hope for the best. Don’t fall into that trap! Make sure you speak with your DJ, and that he or she is named in your contract. What’s the point of finding a DJ who gave the correct answers to all 7 questions above if you’re going to end up getting some other mystery DJ you don’t know?
And there you have it. Eight easy questions to ask potential DJs to help you verify that they are professional, skilled, and ready to handle the biggest job of their lives: your wedding!