Are you and your soon-to-be spouse thinking about hiring a professional DJ for your wedding reception? This is the approach that most couples take when picking out entertainment for weddings.
According to a recent survey, over 70% of couples decide to go with a DJ for their wedding as opposed to a live band. Most of them also say that they're willing to splurge for a DJ that they really love for their big day.
If you're going to go this route, great! But before you do, there are certain DJ hiring mistakes that you should look out for when you're in the process of bringing a DJ on board for your wedding. So many couples get caught making these mistakes when hiring DJs for weddings and pay the price for it later on.
Here are seven common DJ hiring mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.
1. Hiring the First DJ You Can Find
When you and your partner decide that you're going to hire a DJ for your wedding, there are going to be so many options for DJs out there. You shouldn't limit yourself at all when conducting a search for one.
Far too often, couples will simply Google "wedding DJ near me" and then hire the first person who pops up on their smartphone screen. You might get lucky when you do this. But you might also end up with a wedding DJ who isn't any good.
Rather than taking this approach, you should create a list of wedding DJs in your area and then find out everything you can about them. It'll make it easier for you to settle on the one that you think is going to work best for your wedding reception.
2. Choosing a DJ Who Doesn't Have Any Wedding Experience
Serving as a DJ at a wedding is not like serving as a DJ at most other events. Weddings often feature a diverse collection of people who fall into a wide range of ages.
As a result, wedding DJs have to be highly skilled when it comes to picking and choosing which songs to play at weddings. They need to have a wealth of experience as far as deejaying at weddings is concerned in order to do a good job and play the right type of music.
You shouldn't hire a DJ who doesn't have a lot of wedding experience. It's one of the worst wedding DJ hiring mistakes you can make.
3. Picking a DJ Based on Price Alone
Comparing DJ costs is something that you and your significant other should definitely do when you're in the market for a wedding DJ. You don't want to spend a small fortune on a DJ for your wedding and blow your entire wedding budget.
At the same time, you don't just want to look for the cheapest wedding DJ you can find and hire them. You're going to be asking for trouble if you do this since the least expensive wedding DJs are often the ones with the least amount of experience.
It would be smart for you and your partner to decide exactly how much you can afford to spend on a wedding DJ and then shop around for the ones that are going to fit nicely into your price range.
4. Selecting a DJ Without Seeing Them in Action First
In this day and age, there is absolutely no reason for couples to hire wedding DJs without seeing them in action first. You want to know who is going to be spinning at your wedding and what it looks like when they perform prior to you hiring them.
Ideally, you should try and check them out in person, possibly at a wedding convention or another event where wedding DJs are present. But if you can't do that, you should be able to see different wedding DJs in action on YouTube or on their social media pages.
By taking a look at what a wedding DJ brings to the table when they perform, you'll be able to get a much better idea as to whether or not they're going to work well for your specific wedding.
5. Waiting Too Long to Book a DJ
You don't necessarily need to worry about booking a DJ for your wedding before you book, say, your wedding venue. But you also don't want to wait until the very last minute to hire a wedding DJ.
In a perfect world, you should try to commit to a wedding DJ and pencil them in for your wedding reception at least six months prior to your big day. This will ensure that they're not all booked up on the day that you need them.
6. Failing to Ask a DJ What Equipment They'll Bring to Your Wedding
Most wedding DJs will bring everything that they'll need to perform at your wedding with them. From their DJ equipment to speakers, they'll have what they'll need to get the party started.
But you should always ask a wedding DJ what they're planning to bring just in case. The last thing you want is for them to show up without any equipment and force you to scramble at the last second to find everything they'll need to put on a show for your wedding guests.
7. Forgetting to Give a DJ a "Do Not Play" List for Your Wedding
In the weeks leading up to your wedding day, a DJ will often ask to sit down with you to go over your playlist. They'll ask you to tell them what type of music you do like, what type of music you don't like, and what songs you 100% do not want to hear at your wedding.
You should make sure that you have a "do not play" list ready to go for your DJ. Otherwise, you could end up hearing that song that you used to dance to with your ex at your wedding, and it could ruin your whole night. It's better to be safe than sorry with regards to coming up with a "do not play" list.
Steer Clear of Making These DJ Hiring Mistakes
Hiring a DJ for your wedding should be one of the most fun parts of the planning process. You and your significant other will have a blast checking out different wedding DJs to see which ones you like best.
You should let loose and try to have a good time while you're doing it. But you should also stay away from the DJ hiring mistakes that we've talked about here. If you make any of these mistakes, it could derail your DJ search and leave you in a bad place when it comes to booking entertainment for your wedding.
Need a hand finding the right DJ for your wedding? We would love to help. Contact us today to get more information on the wedding DJs that you can book for your big day.