TL;DR

There’s a pre-evaluation process before meeting with wedding DJ’s
When meeting with DJ’s, consider the following evaluation criteria
- Level of Experience
- Professionalism
- Equipment
- Industry Involvement
Questions to ask the DJ are provided for each criteria (summarized in image below)

Evaluation Process

This evaluation process is designed to help you pick the best DJ for you within your budget, and to know what to expect from your DJ based on your budget.

It also acts as a guide to help you understand the character of your DJ, and if they are a good fit for you.

You can check the following resources to answer some of the questions below before getting on the phone with the DJ:

Social Media - how active are they?
Website - is it modern-looking?
Reviews (Google, Yelp, WeddingWire/The Knot, Bark.com) - Do they have good reviews? What are people saying about them?

Level of Experience

You need to understand if they have what it takes to properly execute your wedding, including MCing, DJing, planning, working with other vendors, and working at different venues.

This is important because your wedding only happens once, and the more experience they have, the better they’ll be able to handle challenges that arise before, during, and after your wedding.

This is also a major benefit that trickles down to the next three parts of the evaluation process.

Questions:

DJ Skills – How long have they been DJing?
Wedding Skills – How many weddings do they DJ yearly?
Venue – How familiar are they with your venue? How do they plan for new venues they’ve never worked at?
Problem solving – What’s an unexpected problem they encountered and how did they handle it?
Passion – Are they still excited about what they do?

Professionalism

It’s important that the DJ is there for you, and can show up with finesse and humility.

A true professional DJ is easy to get along with and get in touch with.

They communicate proactively, practice their craft regularly, work well with others, and have processes in place to ensure a smooth and fun working relationship.

From inquiry to wedding day to post-party appreciation, working with them is best if it feels transparent and straightforward.

At the end of the day, you should feel comfortable around your DJ, and trust that they will work with you and your team of vendors to truly create the wedding of your dreams.

Questions:

How often do they practice DJing?
How do they dress at weddings?
How do you feel around them?
What systems do they have in place to ensure success?

Equipment

Having reliable equipment and backups ensures your wedding will run smoothly as well as sound and look good in the process.

Experienced DJ’s understand that even though they may have the most reliable and best gear, they need a backup plan.

Is the DJ in love with their equipment? If they are, that’s a good thing. Excitement around their gear is important as it shows passion and hopefully reveals a desire to constantly improve your experience.

When it comes to sound quality, most of the time a standard quality sound system is acceptable.

Not good brand examples:

Behringer
Alto

Good brand examples:

Electro-Voice (EV)
QSC
RCF
LD

Microphones are another key component. A bad microphone - or poor mic receiver placement - can cause dropouts, pops, and other weird noises that can unpleasantly interrupt intimate moments, like during ceremony or toasts.

Good mic brand examples:

Shure
Electro-Voice (EV)
Sennheiser
Audio-Technica

Questions:

What do they do if their equipment malfunctions?
What part of their setup are they most excited about?
What is one thing they can teach you about equipment and/or sound?

Industry Involvement

The more a DJ is invested in understanding their craft and their fellow peers, the more likely they are to provide you with something different and of the highest quality. It also shows their passion for growth and ability to work with other people. Do you want to work with someone for one of your most cherished celebrations who’s not passionate about their work?

If you’re researching a local DJ and your other local vendors don’t know about them, or don’t immediately say good things, it should be a red flag. Good people attract good people, and if a DJ is reliable and does a great job, other vendors will praise them.

Questions: