10 Questions to Ask Your Wedding DJ Before Signing That Dotted Line

When you think about hiring a wedding DJ for the big upcoming nuptials, you clearly envision a best case scenario of a rip-roarin’ dance floor, every relative you have busting a move, and a party that lives in the family lore for years to come.

Buuuut, to get to this ideal scenario, you’ve gotta make sure you’re asking the right questions to the right people before you sign that dotted line. The little details matter when it comes to creating the perfect atmosphere for your reception, and the right wedding DJ can make all the difference in how your night goes.

Wherever there’s an announcement, a first dance, or generally any time there’s a change in the flow of your wedding (for example, the transition from cocktail hour to to dinner or from dinner to dancing) – you’ll need a wedding DJ that’s got the right equipment and the right attitude.

In this post, the team at Toast & Jam have compiled 10 important questions that you need to ask to ensure you’re making the best choice for your big day.

Any wedding DJ worth their salt will appreciate the value of a good interview/discovery process. It’s a great way to feel each other out and see whether you’re both on the same page in terms of music preferences, pricing, style, and experience.

Here are a few preliminary, basic questions to kick things off during your first interaction with your prospective wedding DJ:

What is your experience with DJing weddings?

Experience matters, and a seasoned wedding DJ will be able to read the crowd, handle unexpected situations, and generally keep the event flowing in a way that keeps you and your guests happy.

What sort of music do you specialize in?

Developing an understanding of your prospective DJ’s musical style is super important. This’ll help you determine whether or not they’ll be able to provide the atmosphere you’re looking for on your big day! Ask about their preferred genres, their ability to mix different styles, and how they can customize the music selection to your preferences. Versatility is ideal!

What sort of equipment do you use, and how do you handle technical difficulties should they arise during an event?

Technical difficulties happen – and it’s essential to know how your DJ will handle them. Ask about their contingency plans for any tech snafus, such as sound interruptions, mic failures, or speaker issues.

Do you have a backup plan in case of an emergency?

Life happens! It’s important to know how your DJ responds to big disruptions in their schedule like illness or personal emergencies that prevent them from working your wedding. Ask them about their contingency plan, and how they ensure a seamless transition in such situations.

What is your pricing structure, and what does it include?

We recommend asking this question as soon as possible – and we also recommend finding out how they structure their invoices and what their deposit requirements are.

Plus, Wedding DJ prices don’t have to be a big mystery! For example, at Toast & Jam, our pricing structure looks a little like this:

• Off-season weddings: $2,275. Off-season weddings fall on any day between January 1st and the end of March.

• Peak season on Fridays and Saturdays: $2,850. Peak season is from March to December.

• Peak season on Sundays: $2,275. Although, take note that Labor Day and Memorial Day are billed at $2,850.

• Newbie discount: $2,275. For our newer recruits, we bill our off-season rate no matter the time of year.

• All of our wedding DJ services listed above are for a total of six hours of DJ performance, within 25 miles of our Chicago office.

We go into greater detail on what’s included in this article from last year. Give it a read! It’s also a good idea to ask if your wedding DJ offers any other additional services, like a mobile photo booth or lighting services.

What is your usual timeline?

Understanding your DJ’s timeline and how they involve themselves with the flow of your event is crucial. Ask about their typical schedule, including setup and teardown, dinner music, dance floor timeframe, and any breaks they’ll take during the event.

What is your cancellation policy?

Sometimes plans change, and you may need to cancel or reschedule your wedding. It’s important to be aware of your prospective DJ’s policy on cancellations and rescheduling – some have fees or timeline restrictions on when you can cancel or move a date.

How do you customize your music selection for each wedding?

Of course, it goes without saying that every couple is different – and a skilled wedding DJ should be able to work with you to customize your music selection based on your preferences. Ask about their selection process for each couple.

How do you read the crowd and keep energy up?

An experienced DJ will know how to read the crowd’s energy and adjust the music accordingly to keep spirits high on the dance floor – remember, we want that family lore badge of honor! Ask about their approach to engaging with wedding guests and how they make music decisions based on dance floor energy on the fly.

What’s your philosophy on MCing and making announcements?

This is such an important one! In our experience, some DJs may feel a little funky about MCing, but we feel that MCing is a part of our role at Toast & Jam. It keeps things moving, keeps people engaged and entertained – and we do it without the cheesy clichés!

We know that the vendor search can be SO overwhelming – trust us, we know what it takes to put together a fabulous wedding! If you’re after a DJ with a robust onboarding experience, competitive wedding DJ prices, and top tier wedding DJ services – the Toast & Jam team is here for YOU!

We’re Toast & Jam, the best wedding DJ service in Chicago. We want to turn your wedding into a super-fun dance party that your friends and fam will reminisce over for years to come.

Sound cool? Cool. Fill out our short little contact form here so we can get a sense of your needs, wants, and desires - and we’ll go from there!

Bonus #1: Did you know that our DJ of DJs, Mary Nisi, has a pretty sick Podcast? It’s called All Up In My Lady Business. Mary, a working mom and entrepreneur, explores the fine line of having it all together – aaand losing her shit! She talks about running her business(es) and about how setting up structure in your day to day can create positive change in our careers and personal lives.

Bonus #2: We exist on social media! Here’s our Facebook, and here’s our Instagram. Happy scrolling.