Important Questions To Ask A Wedding DJ

Things To Ask Your DJ

You'd be surprised how many couples start with 'how much'? While sticking to your budget is certainly an important thing, we invite you to also get really curious about the level of customer service on offer and the value you'll get. A good way to find out is by asking some of these questions below:

• Do your packages include the delivery, set up and breakdown of the sound and lighting equipment?
• Who wants a surprise extra, tacked on to the end of the bill? No-one! So, it's a good idea to think about the items that go in to create the total value of a Wedding DJ Package.
• Oh and by the way, don't be afraid to ask to have something you don't understand explained to you. The world of DJ equipment and lighting can get a little confusing sometimes. Because of this, a good DJ will be more than happy to run you through things in an easy to understand way.
• Do the packages include a microphone for speeches?
• Ah yes, who can forget the speeches! You'll need a Mic for that, so you'll do well by asking if one will be included in the package. With a good quality microphone costing around $60 - $70 per day to hire, you'll want to make sure that it is included in the quote.
• Do you have a DJ available for my date?
• The most popular DJs can be booked as far out as a year away. Therefore, it will be a good idea to start researching DJ companies and having face to face consultations pretty much as soon as you have your venue confirmed.
• Have you got recent wedding testimonials you can share?
• All good Wedding Entertainers will have a bunch of recent testimonials to share with you. Although, please note that while quantity is important, so is quality!

Some Other Questions

Here's a few more questions that soon-to-be-weds would do well to ask.

• Are you familiar with the venue where we’ll have our wedding?
• Some may consider this to be a standard conversation point. However, if the DJ/Company you are dealing with has a good grasp of your venue there is less chance of a hiccup on the big day.
• How long have you been in business? And, how many years’ experience do your Wedding DJs have?
• Look, we are talking about one of the most significant days / evenings of your life. Within that context, would you really want to risk your wedding entertainment on a DJ with less than 5yrs (paid) experience?
• Is the DJ skilled and experienced in weddings and could they also double as our MC?
• As we hinted at previously, you'll want your DJ to be skilled and experienced in weddings, but it is also a good idea to check if your DJ is ok with being your Master of Ceremony (MC).
• Although ALL good wedding DJs will know how to use a microphone with skill; that does not mean the DJ will feel comfortable with or have the necessary skills to be be your MC.
• Roughly, how many weddings does your company entertain at per year?
• Practice makes perfect, but also think about the working relationships that are built between entertainers and venue staff/functions managers. When the team behind your wedding works well together, you can be confident that you'll have a great time!

Consider These

By now you'll be getting a pretty good idea of what questions to ask; but we thought it a good idea to throw in some more!

• What makes your company different from the rest?
• We have pointed to the notion that at face value, one Wedding DJ is pretty hard to distinguish from another. That being said, the most experienced businesses out there will be able to clearly tell you what makes their operation so special.
• What other services can you include in my quote? Can you supply things like dance floors, photo booths and speciality lighting?
• Not all DJ Companies or one man shows will have in-house inventory for every requirement. However, they should be well networked, able to source and look after the pick up / setup / return of said items on your behalf, without overcharging.
• Is there a backup plan? What would that look like?
• Breakdowns do occur. That is the simple fact of life. A competent and experienced DJ will know this and always have a ready backup on hand to assure that your event will go ahead as planned1
• Is there an extra fee for travel to a venue outside the metropolitan area?
• While there are many beautiful venues within the metro area, from time to time, a Perth Wedding DJ will be required to travel. As such, it is reasonable to expect a modest fee to be charged to cover expenses like fuel and overnight accomodation.
• By asking the question at your initial Wedding DJ interview, you'll save any nasty surprises later!

In closing

The chances are that this is the first time you are getting married or organising a DJ to entertain on your big day. You'll be keen to 'get it right first time' and so, it's likely the pressure is on to make good choices.

We hope that the range of questions was broad enough to get you started on making your own list of important things to ask. And, you'll find a few more below to add to your list of ideas!

• Can you guarantee that the wedding DJ will arrive on time and begin performing as scheduled?
• Are your Perth Wedding DJs covered with public liability insurance?
• Do you have a refund policy? What can I expect if we need to cancel our wedding entertainment?
• How broad is your music library? What types of music can you cover? Can I give you a list of songs I want or don't want played?

In closing, please make sure you base your final choices of ANY wedding suppler not just on price, as this will only tell you a portion of the story. You'll find most of the professional suppliers will be around the same price anyways and many will be willing to "sharpen the pencil", so you'd do well to concentrate on value, experience and inclusions as well.