Weddings are supposed to be fun, right? Of course they are! What kind of question are we even asking there? Weddings are super fun and a great chance to party down with people who you haven’t seen in a long time. Seriously, who’s unhappy at a wedding?

But fun weddings don’t just materialize out of thin air -- it takes tons of planning, a great venue, and event better entertainment! Wedding entertainment -- in the form of a wedding DJ or band -- is essential to the vibe of the event. But, often it’s overlooked in the wedding planning process. That’s for two reasons: 1) it’s something that’s not put high on the priority list (it totally should be) or 2) it’s daunting to go through the process of filtering out all the options.

Well, we’re here to help make that decision-making process a little bit easier, and set you up with a professional DJ who won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Do Your Research

While we can help you guide through the right things to look for, it’s best to do a little research before even reaching out to a potential vendor. During that research it’s best to pay attention to the following:

Do you get a good vibe from their website? A lot can be gleaned by how a wedding DJ presents themselves online, so if you don’t get a great vibe from their website, then you may not get a great vibe from them. If they don’t even have one, well…
Check out the reviews. Reviews can help you sift through the massive amounts of wedding DJs. Good places to look for reviews are Wedding Wire, The Knot, or Google. The more reviews, the better. Our suggestion is reach out to the 5-star DJs and maybe avoid going below 4-star.

Ask Questions

Once you find a wedding DJ that you think will fit your event, reach out to them. How they communicate will tell you A LOT about their professionalism, so you can continue to feel it out. Good, professional DJs will have easy-to-use websites and will be very responsible and willing to help you feel at ease.

Not sure what to ask? Here’s a starter pack:

Why they’re in the wedding industry and what they like about DJing weddings.
Past experiences: favorite moments, times they’ve learned, etc.
Ask about rates (duh.).
Do they have their own equipment?
If it’s a DJ company, who will be the DJ?
Do they have references they’re willing to share?
Can you request songs?
Can they MC parts of the wedding, if necessary?
Is an example playlist available?

Don’t be afraid to ask the question -- if the DJ is professional, they’re more than happy to answer.

Pro tip: Know what you want before asking questions. Don’t want to hear “The Cupid Shuffle?” or want a certain vibe? Let your DJ know. It’s easier to narrow down a wedding DJ if you know what you want. Good DJs will listen to your desires and meet them the day of your event. But, it’s important to be clear upfront.

Beware of the “Too-Good-To-Believe” Prices

Yes, there are plenty of amateur “club DJs” in the wedding game and they’re pretty easy to spot. You’ll want to avoid these guys like the plague if you want a well-put-together event. A tell-tell sign is a “too good to be true” price. Sorry, but if a DJ is charging $100 to do an entire event, it’s likely they’ll show up in snowboarding goggles and a 2nd generation iPod.

Trust us when we say you don’t want this. At all.

On the flip side, avoid those who are charging a TON for what should be a pretty standard event. Unless you’re throwing a GIANT party, your DJ shouldn’t cost $10,000. Know your budget, but don’t skimp on a DJ -- you’ll regret it if you do.

Listen

We mentioned this earlier, but listen if you think you’ve found a wedding DJ, give them a listen. DJs should have a YouTube page or at least something on SoundCloud, so ask and put some time into seeing what they’re all about.

Sometimes they’ll even be a part of an event that you can crash, so you can see what they’re like live. If you get an opportunity to do this, you totally should (also, free drinks!).

Bottom line is there’s not right way to book a wedding DJ in Atlanta or otherwise, but with this starter pack, you should have a well-armed knowledge of how to approach it. Have any questions for us? Totally reach out. We love talking about wedding and would be psyched to talk about yours!