9 Questions to ask a DJ before making any decision to hire them
1.) Make sure that the entertainment company that you choose can provide you with proof of liability insurance - This is a standard practice for professional DJ's, but quite honestly, there are many out there who are not. From your standpoint, you are the only person who signs an agreement with the facility, therefore making you somewhat of a contractor for any other service providers that you bring in. You certainly do not want the liability to fall on you!
2.) Is the entertainer (not the company owner) that you are looking at a full time or part time entertainer? - While being full time is not a necessity, it is definitely a plus for you to be able to find someone who will be able to devote plenty of time helping you to plan and design your reception & entertainment. This also gives you the peace of mind that the entertainer that you are working with can give you their undivided attention not only on the night of, but throughout the entire planning process as well.
3.) Does the DJ that you are looking at have any outside training or education as a DJ or Master of Ceremonies? Over the course of the nearly 22 years that I've been in business, I continually make it a priority to attend several wedding entertainment seminars and conventions, as well as performance workshops in order to make sure that I am the very best that I can be for my clients. Many DJ's (even those in the business for years) are completely self-taught, and do not feel the need to spend the time or the money in order to help them improve their craft. Having equipment, and being able to play music is a very small part of what a professional DJ / Master of Ceremonies can do for you.
4.) Does your DJ provide you with a written agreement/contract? - This is a big one. I can't tell you how many calls that I get on an annual basis from couples who thought that they had someone hired, only to find out weeks (or even days) before their wedding that they can't get in touch with their DJ, or they get a call from them with an excuse that they had a death in the family, car accident, etc. and can't make it to their event. Make sure that you get a clearly worded agreement, and that you are protected.
5.) Will the person that you talk to/meet with actually be the entertainer at your wedding? - This stems partly from what I had mentioned in #4. Our industry has a little bit of a credibility issue, due to companies who literally book as many events that they can on a given day, and worry about how they are going to staff them later. This not only gives you no guarantee of WHO you'll be working with, or if the person that shows up is even an employee of the company that you hired. But you also have no idea if the person that you are working with is even qualified to be there. Don't find out that you made a mistake in who you hired AT your wedding! When you meet the DJ that you like and want to work with, get it in writing that he or she will be the one at your wedding. If the person that you hired to be at your wedding is not the one that shows up, are you really getting what you paid for?
6.) Ask for references for the specific entertainer - I always recommend getting professional references from other reputable service providers. By doing that, you know that the people that you are talking to are legitimate sources of information (not a friend or relative of the person, posing as a past client) not only that, but these are people who are part of weddings each and every weekend, and can tell you the good (or the bad) about what they've seen from the entertainer that you are looking at hiring.
7.) Does the DJ have a legally purchased (and updated) music library? - Professional DJ's get their music from the same sources that radio stations get their music from. Not only is it licensed for public performance, but they will also have the "clean radio edited versions" of the songs available, insuring you that you won't have profanity-laced music played throughout the night. (parents and grandparents tend to appreciate that part!) Not only that, but they won't have to rely on an internet connection in order to "stream" the music for your event. While that may be ok in an emergency situation, it's a terrible idea to rely on WiFi for your wedding! There are those out there who will actually try do DJ a wedding using YouTube videos (commercials included).
8.) What does your normal planning process for a wedding consist of? - The answer that you get for this question can be very telling. If you ask the question and get an answer similar to: "Well, we send you a reception planner to fill out (or even have one online) and then we work off of that during the wedding". If you get that answer, RUN! We meet with our clients a MINIMUM of 2 times prior to the date of their wedding. There is a lot of work that goes into the planning process, and you want to make sure that you choose someone who clearly knows (and can execute) the vision that you have for your wedding day, both as a Master of Ceremonies, as well as an entertainer during your dance.
9.) What is your back-up plan in case of any equipment failure? The answer to this one can also be very telling. You'll generally get 1 out of the 4 answers here:
1.) "All of our equipment is only a few years old, and top of the line, therefore we do not need to have backup equipment" - Anything can happen with electronics, regardless of the age (or brand name) of the equipment. Make sure that whoever you hire has a viable "plan B" onsite, and ready to go.
2.) "We have people on staff who can bring out equipment if something were to happen" - If something happens, do you really want to wait an hour for their "staff" to get there to replace the faulty equipment? That can be an event-killer.
3.) "We do have backup equipment in our vehicle/trailer onsite"- While this is definitely better than either of the two scenarios above, you'll still be looking at anywhere from 20-40 minutes (or more) of downtime (depending on what happens) while they replace the gear in question.
4.) " Yes, we carry backup equipment, and it is in the room and ready to go" - This is what you want to hear. While any equipment failure would be unfortunate, you certainly want to make sure that if something does happen, that your wedding does not suffer because of it. Time is of the essence when you have a room full of guests, and nothing but dead silence. (especially if it happens in the middle of your dance!)
** You'll also want to make sure that they have a backup music library as well (if your DJ is working with a digital library), as well as a backup source to play the music. I can't tell you how many DJ's that I see who only bring one computer to the event. What happens if it fails? Some use a phone as their "plan B" on music, but again, they are relying solely on an internet connection for your wedding!
2.) Is the entertainer (not the company owner) that you are looking at a full time or part time entertainer? - While being full time is not a necessity, it is definitely a plus for you to be able to find someone who will be able to devote plenty of time helping you to plan and design your reception & entertainment. This also gives you the peace of mind that the entertainer that you are working with can give you their undivided attention not only on the night of, but throughout the entire planning process as well.
3.) Does the DJ that you are looking at have any outside training or education as a DJ or Master of Ceremonies? Over the course of the nearly 22 years that I've been in business, I continually make it a priority to attend several wedding entertainment seminars and conventions, as well as performance workshops in order to make sure that I am the very best that I can be for my clients. Many DJ's (even those in the business for years) are completely self-taught, and do not feel the need to spend the time or the money in order to help them improve their craft. Having equipment, and being able to play music is a very small part of what a professional DJ / Master of Ceremonies can do for you.
4.) Does your DJ provide you with a written agreement/contract? - This is a big one. I can't tell you how many calls that I get on an annual basis from couples who thought that they had someone hired, only to find out weeks (or even days) before their wedding that they can't get in touch with their DJ, or they get a call from them with an excuse that they had a death in the family, car accident, etc. and can't make it to their event. Make sure that you get a clearly worded agreement, and that you are protected.
5.) Will the person that you talk to/meet with actually be the entertainer at your wedding? - This stems partly from what I had mentioned in #4. Our industry has a little bit of a credibility issue, due to companies who literally book as many events that they can on a given day, and worry about how they are going to staff them later. This not only gives you no guarantee of WHO you'll be working with, or if the person that shows up is even an employee of the company that you hired. But you also have no idea if the person that you are working with is even qualified to be there. Don't find out that you made a mistake in who you hired AT your wedding! When you meet the DJ that you like and want to work with, get it in writing that he or she will be the one at your wedding. If the person that you hired to be at your wedding is not the one that shows up, are you really getting what you paid for?
6.) Ask for references for the specific entertainer - I always recommend getting professional references from other reputable service providers. By doing that, you know that the people that you are talking to are legitimate sources of information (not a friend or relative of the person, posing as a past client) not only that, but these are people who are part of weddings each and every weekend, and can tell you the good (or the bad) about what they've seen from the entertainer that you are looking at hiring.
7.) Does the DJ have a legally purchased (and updated) music library? - Professional DJ's get their music from the same sources that radio stations get their music from. Not only is it licensed for public performance, but they will also have the "clean radio edited versions" of the songs available, insuring you that you won't have profanity-laced music played throughout the night. (parents and grandparents tend to appreciate that part!) Not only that, but they won't have to rely on an internet connection in order to "stream" the music for your event. While that may be ok in an emergency situation, it's a terrible idea to rely on WiFi for your wedding! There are those out there who will actually try do DJ a wedding using YouTube videos (commercials included).
8.) What does your normal planning process for a wedding consist of? - The answer that you get for this question can be very telling. If you ask the question and get an answer similar to: "Well, we send you a reception planner to fill out (or even have one online) and then we work off of that during the wedding". If you get that answer, RUN! We meet with our clients a MINIMUM of 2 times prior to the date of their wedding. There is a lot of work that goes into the planning process, and you want to make sure that you choose someone who clearly knows (and can execute) the vision that you have for your wedding day, both as a Master of Ceremonies, as well as an entertainer during your dance.
9.) What is your back-up plan in case of any equipment failure? The answer to this one can also be very telling. You'll generally get 1 out of the 4 answers here:
1.) "All of our equipment is only a few years old, and top of the line, therefore we do not need to have backup equipment" - Anything can happen with electronics, regardless of the age (or brand name) of the equipment. Make sure that whoever you hire has a viable "plan B" onsite, and ready to go.
2.) "We have people on staff who can bring out equipment if something were to happen" - If something happens, do you really want to wait an hour for their "staff" to get there to replace the faulty equipment? That can be an event-killer.
3.) "We do have backup equipment in our vehicle/trailer onsite"- While this is definitely better than either of the two scenarios above, you'll still be looking at anywhere from 20-40 minutes (or more) of downtime (depending on what happens) while they replace the gear in question.
4.) " Yes, we carry backup equipment, and it is in the room and ready to go" - This is what you want to hear. While any equipment failure would be unfortunate, you certainly want to make sure that if something does happen, that your wedding does not suffer because of it. Time is of the essence when you have a room full of guests, and nothing but dead silence. (especially if it happens in the middle of your dance!)
** You'll also want to make sure that they have a backup music library as well (if your DJ is working with a digital library), as well as a backup source to play the music. I can't tell you how many DJ's that I see who only bring one computer to the event. What happens if it fails? Some use a phone as their "plan B" on music, but again, they are relying solely on an internet connection for your wedding!