Music
It is important to first understand what responsibilities a professional DJ should have on your wedding day. The foremost responsibility, as you might imagine, is to play music at your reception that will keep the party going
Many amateur DJs will tout at least some experience playing music in clubs or at house parties. However, playing music at a club is absolutely nothing like playing music at a wedding reception. At a club, most people are around the same age and have similar tastes in music. That's why they're there! This leads the inexperienced DJ to assume that everyone likes the same kind of music as they do. At a wedding, however, there may be people from ages 8 to 80 on the dance floor at any one time and the differences in their musical tastes will be vast.
Only experience will teach a wedding DJ the need for variety. Their job is to appeal to the masses by playing all styles of familiar party music.
They will know how to correctly weave in and out of many different styles of music and, ultimately, keep the party going all night long.
DJs with little or no wedding experience, on the other hand, may not even consider the diversity on the dance floor.
Remember, a professional has a sense of pride to keep people on the dance floor, whereas amateurs believe people should be on the dance floor out of an obligation to them! This is why the experience of your DJ is paramount to the success of your wedding night.
It is also important to make sure that your DJ has a large selection of song titles, 12,000 is usually a good place to start.
Furthermore, be sure that your DJ will play the songs you want hear, not just the songs they want to hear. Many frustrated newlyweds have spent their wedding night listening to their DJs favorite tunes! And lastly, be wary of the DJ whose presentation is obnoxious or cheesy. You don't want a DJ who thinks that he or she is the star of the show.
Coordinating the Event
While playing music is the most obvious responsibility of a wedding DJ, it is certainly not the only one. Many couples don't realize that one of the biggest responsibilities of the wedding DJ is to coordinate the evening's events. This is the job that will make the single biggest difference between your guests remembering a wedding that was smooth and effortless or one that was awkward and clumsy.
A professional DJ will be able to walk the bride and groom through the evening's events with ease and grace by working with all the parties involved to ensure things run smooth and as planned.
In short, a DJ needs to be organized, perceptive and efficient to properly orchestrate the evening's events.
A good wedding DJ is detailed oriented and will keep an eye out for things that are missing or out of place. These little things certainly won't ruin your wedding night, but added up; they will surely cause anxiety for you, as well as your guests.
An organized wedding reception starts with a DJ who cares, and who takes pride in being prepared. A good DJ should begin preparation for your wedding reception many days in advance
Be sure your DJ will arrive at the wedding hall at least an hour and a half before the wedding. A good DJ will have everything set up - music playing, tuxedo on, excess gear put away, cords neatly taped down, etc. - before guests begin arriving. You don't want your DJ setting up gear while your guests are arriving for cocktails.
Master of Ceremonies
Finally, a professional wedding DJ should be a well-trained Master of Ceremonies. This means being confident on the microphone and able to make important announcements and introductions in a classy, charismatic manner. Professionals will spend time preparing their announcements and have pride in their ability to pronounce everyone's name correctly.
A professional clearly understands their boundaries and will never try to upstage the bride and groom by putting undue attention on themselves.
