How does one who is not in the business of frequenting weddings know how to find a top-quality wedding DJ? If finding a great DJ for your wedding reception is your goal, here’s something you didn’t want to hear but need to: You’re going to need to take some time and research a few different companies and/or DJs. Some people rely on vendor-populated websites such as The Knot or Bridal Insider for their selection of DJs, assuming that these DJs are the best and most experience because they’re on a well-known website. Well, here’s the true facts: There’s no qualifications besides a hefty pursebook to get onto those sites. Anyone that is just starting out and has a bit of extra money can get on those websites. An inexperienced DJ can get a nice sized banner on The Knot for under $150/month, and Bridal Insider, being less-known, gives huge ads to anyone for less than $35/month! So yes, you’ll at least rule out the penniless DJs, but you could wind up with the just-lost-my-job-so-I-took-my-savings-and-I’m-going-to-learn-to-DJ guy!

Larger companies may present you with a list of prices per DJ and recommend one or two DJs based on your needs and wants. If you get to pick the DJ and it is a person you have actually seen perform live, your can rest assured that you’ve made a good choice. But, if you’re reading this article, it is safe to assume that this is not the case. So when you’re going by a company’s recommendation, how do you really know that you can trust the DJ that is being chosen for you? Did you get a list of the DJ’s strengths and qualifications? How about a copy of a letter of recommendation from a venue they’ve performed at? How long have they been a DJ? What makes them qualified to know the music that is right for your event?

So here’s the first step—Always ask for qualifications and amount of experience. It is also good to ask how long a DJ has been with a company (if they’re not a sole-operator). If the company you’re evaluating doesn’t know this information about their own DJs (or more likely doesn’t want to give it to you because the answers will deter most clients), it may be wise to look elsewhere. If the company doesn’t know its DJs well enough to answer those questions, they definitely do not know them well enough to match them up properly for an event.

Should you ask to attend a performance? As a wedding DJ in the field, I may give you a surprise answer—“yes, but no”. The simple explanation: Yes, you can ask to attend a performance, but do this as more of a test. If the company actually says, “Yes, you can come see <DJ> on <date>”, you may want to think twice about them. A DJ company that truly has its client’s interests in mind will not allow invite anyone that is not part of the guest list to any wedding they’re performing at! Think about it—If you were a bride or groom, would you like a couple of people that are complete strangers to be standing in the back of your venue watching you do your first dance, get toasts from your parents, or any other of the precious moments that you have reserved for your special night? Awkward, no?

So how does one see how a DJ performs without actually seeing them perform? Through the magic of video demos! Any DJ company that is good enough for your special night should also have video demos either available as a take-home DVD, or even an online video on their company website.

Some wedding video demos found on the web:

Wedding DJ in Westlake Village - Eurostar Productions

Wedding DJ in San Diego - Creative Music DJs

When finding video demos from DJs, make sure to pay attention to the guests and whether or not they look like they are genuinely having fun. The genuine look of someone having a good time is hard to fake, you'll recognize it if it is really there. Think of it this way-- If you use that particular DJ, that’s probably going to be the same look your guests have at your wedding as well! You'll also notice that many videos have music dubbed over the video instead of using the true audio of the video. That may be a tell-tale sign that the DJ(s) are not good with mixing or sound control.

This was just a short-but-simple article to hopefully help some engaged brides and grooms out there in selecting their DJ. I have many more helpful articles that I will be publishing in the future, so click on the link on the right and become a fan if you’d like to hear more from someone who doesn’t mind ‘dishing the dirt’!

Still interested? Continue onto Part 2.

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