12 important questions to ask your Wedding DJ
When you’re looking for a DJ to provide the entertainment for your evening reception, it’s worth considering the important questions to ask your wedding DJ before making a booking. Not all mobile discos offer the same package for wedding receptions, their costs will vary, as will their experience and quality of equipment, so we have compiled a handy list of questions to ask your wedding DJ before you book.
To give you a little idea of what to expect, the answers have been provided by professional wedding DJ Ian Scott who is the resident DJ at one of the best wedding venues in Essex the Orsett Hall. He has over 20 years of experience providing mobile discos for weddings, so if anyone is qualified to offer the bride and groom some advice, it’s Ian.
Q. Will you be the DJ at our wedding, or are you an agency ?
A. Never worked for an agency in my entire career! It will always be myself unless otherwise stated at the time of booking or due to sickness.
Q. Do you provide couples with a written contract?
A. Yes, complete with our terms and conditions.
Q. Can couples meet with you in person before they agree to sign a booking contract?
A. Yes, we positively encourage that.
Q. How long have you been a wedding DJ and how many receptions have you entertained ?
A. I’ve been playing wedding receptions professionally for 22 years. How many? Wow, I guess it must be over 500 by now.
Q. What makes you different from all the other wedding DJs we’ve seen advertising?
A. For starters, the experience. Many DJs currently advertising are new to the job, maybe four or five years of experience behind them. And many are part-timers, to them it’s just a weekend bonus money job so they don’t care quite as much for the customers needs. On the technical side, I’m always developing new set-up ideas and reinvesting in the latest and best equipment.
Q. Have you played at our wedding venue before?
A. I have played at all the major Essex wedding venues, so rarely are there any nasty surprises for us upon arrival!
Q. What do you do to get the crowd going if nobody is dancing?
A. There are always ‘trigger’ records which us DJs use to get people on their feet and dancing…..also a little bit of banter over the microphone sometimes helps to ‘reassure’ shy crowds and bring them forward. Obviously changing the music genre is also an option, but not every other track as this will sound dreadful, like an iPod on random!
Q. What if something happens to you and for whatever reason you can’t perform at our wedding?
A. I have a back-up team of six DJs who all work in close connection with one another. When my knee recently gave in on the day of a wedding gig, I simply called up one of the guys and he was setting up and playing at the venue within 90 mins.
Q. Do you have any references from people or could we speak with them ?
A. Yes, upon the website head to the Testimonials page and you will see quotes from satisfied clients there. Alternatively you can call the Orsett Hall hotel, where I have been resident DJ for 19 years.
Q. Should we be involved in selecting music for our wedding?
A. Yes of course! Whilst we try to never pre-judge an audience before we arrive, it is nice to gather some information about your personal music tastes and dislikes.
Q. Do you have insurance ?
A. Yes, we’re covered by personal liability insurance through the Musician’s Union to the tune of £10m.
Q. What is included in the cost of hiring you as our wedding DJ?
A. This varies from client to client, depending on requirements. Basically speaking, we provide the DJ, the sound system and lighting. Each part can be personalised to suit taste and venues, as it’s a totally bespoke service. Our website page ‘DJ Package Options’ gives you a broad idea of what can be achieved.
Thank you for your time Ian, lastly, do you have a final piece of advice you can offer a bride and groom who are looking to choose a DJ for their Essex wedding ?
First rule…..please don’t book on price alone! The cheap ones are cheap for a reason, and the expensive ones are sometimes a waste of money. Either way, once you’ve realised your mistake at your reception, it’s too late! Talk to your DJ, question them, meet them if you can. You’ll instinctively know when you find one you can trust!