There are some general attributes and qualities you should look for when you are hoping to hire a top Wedding DJ, whether it’s a personality trait or a business quality - you need to keep these things in mind.

Experience

Underline. Bold. !!!. A top Wedding DJ needs to have wedding experience because experience is key to understanding the flow of a wedding. Playing music for a wedding is different than any other DJ set you would play at the club or at a house party and understanding that flow and knowing who to please and when is a refined skill you learn from years of experience.

2. An Extensive Song Library

If your Wedding DJ only has a couple of hundred songs on their laptop, I can guarantee they don't have the music you and your wedding guests want to hear. In the modern age of smartphones, if the internet goes down, downloading and streaming isn't always easy or even an option. Being a Top wedding DJ means having an extensive library so I have 99% of requests can be thrown onto the dance floor in seconds!

3. The Ability To Improvise

Sometimes the music that was planned, or the songs the couple thought would work aren’t working. A top wedding DJ needs to be ready to throw down an hour of hip-hop even though you prepared for 3 hours of country two-stepping. This can also be an aspect to experience which just hammers that home even more! Being able to change plans at a moment’s notice while staying professional the whole time is a must-have skill for any top wedding DJ.

4. Music Knowledge

A lot of people like music. But a Top Wedding DJ needs to KNOW music. At the very least they need to know the words: chorus, bridge, verse, key, and tempo (BPM). Having a wedding DJ with real music knowledge not only benefits any mixing the DJ will do (Listening to music mixed out of key all night can give you a headache) but it also comes in handy during the not-so-rare guitar/vocal performance or karaoke dedication.

5. Technical Understanding

If you see any red flashing lights... your DJ doesn't know how to use his gear. To the benefit of your event, you need a DJ who understands gain stages, feedback loops, microphones, various audio and video input, outputs, and converters. Any top wedding DJ worth his salt has at the very least a basic understanding of professional audio production and live sound experience.

6. Thick Skin

Turning down requests that would ruin the fun or saying no to songs that are on the bride and grooms "Do Not Play" list get's more difficult the longer the bar has been open. A top wedding DJ can read the crowd and avoid requests that don’t fit the party while letting the best requests shine! Just make sure your uncle doesn’t swing on the DJ when they won’t play Thunderstruck again…

7. Organization

Did your Wedding DJ download your first dance ahead of time are are they hoping the venue has wifi? It takes a good amount of preparation and time to gather your requested music, review your itinerary, organize special requests, and plan out a successful wedding playlist. To be a successful top wedding DJ you need to be meticulously organized.

For more wedding tips check out some of the featured posts below. Planning a wedding in BC? I’d love to help! Follow the link below to see current pricing or contact me.