Wedding DJ Tutorial : 10 Tips 

Being a wedding DJ is often one of the hardest and most daunting gigs for a DJ. DJing in a club and DJing at a wedding can be polar opposites in the DJ world. You might be the world’s best Trance DJ, but know nothing outside of Trance music. However, with some good preparation and your DJing skills at the ready, you should be okay.

1.    Be selective

Don’t accept a wedding DJ reception gig if you’re truly not comfortable doing it. Generally the music you’ll be expected to play will be across the musical spectrum and needs to please many different musical tastes. Often couples will assume their friend or a friend of friend’s who is a “DJ” is capable of playing any type of affair. This is not always the case. If you don’t feel you have a broad enough knowledge, or collection of music, don’t feel bad about declining the offer.

2.    Know your crowd

This rule works across the board, regardless of the type of gig. Sure, the target audience for wedding receptions is basically “everyone”, but when you analyze it a bit more you’ll be able to identify distinct groups of people that you have to cater to. Most weddings have an older group, a middle-aged group and a younger group. Depending on the age of the bride and groom you may end up playing more for one particular group, but remember: wedding DJs need to make sure they cater to each group at some stage of the proceedings. Regardless of age, most people enjoying dancing if the music suits their taste.

3.    Get informed

Talk to the bride and groom about their taste in music. Also, find out about their family and friends' taste in music. Spend some time with the bride and groom finding out what styles they would like played at the reception and any particular songs or artists they would like to hear. You can start building a list of potential songs and expand it by researching similar artists or styles. Then take it back to them for review. You might want to repeat this process a couple of times before the big day.



4.    Group your music by stages of the reception

When talking to the bride and groom, get a good understanding about the proceedings of the day. Find out what the different stages of the reception will be and ask them what mood they want the music to set at each stage. You can use your experience as a wedding DJ here to suggest styles and guide them through the process.

5.    Should you take requests?

If the wedding reception involves drinking then guaranteed guests will start requesting songs at some stage. This can be both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand it can help you play more music that people are enjoying. On the other hand it can create chaos with all the different musical tastes and depending on the number of people at the reception it can become difficult to manage (ever try blending a metal band into rap?) Ask the bride and groom if they are happy for their guests to request songs. Often they will make it clear that they want the music to remain how they’ve planned it. (And after all - if you're the wedding DJ, the bride and groom are your bosses!)

6.    Have a backup plan

Always have backup equipment and music at hand. Relying on a laptop to play the whole reception could be an embarrassing mistake. Load an iPod or MP3 player with backup copies of your music and make some CDs with enough music to see you through in the event that something happens to your primary equipment. A portable MP3-CD player could save the day.
 




7.    Learn from others' experiences

Learn from the experience of those who have gone before you. Talk to other wedding DJs you know who have played wedding receptions. Find out what went well and what didn’t. Most DJs will be happy to share their experiences and will often be very specific about songs and musical styles that were well received or bombed completely. Also talk to other couples who have been married and find out what they liked and disliked about the music played at their wedding. And if you've never been a wedding DJ, offer to assist one for free a few times to learn the ropes!

8.    Don’t overdo one style

Unless the bride and groom have specifically requested a particular style of music that they’d like to hear a lot of, try and keep the styles as varied as possible. The aim is to keep as many people happy as possible. You might really like progressive house and some songs may be suitable at various stages of the wedding reception, just don’t overdo it, because guaranteed there’ll be people who don’t enjoy progressive house.

9.    Don’t get too drunk

It’s okay to have a celebratory drink or two throughout the reception, but don’t over-indulge. Unless you’re also a guest at the wedding, you’ve got a job to do, so stick to it. If things start going wrong because you’ve ended up drinking too much, guests will let you know very quickly and often very impolitely.

10.    Have fun

At the end of the day, whether you’re DJing a wedding reception professionally or as a favor for a friend, you’ve got to remember that this is something you enjoy doing. Providing the atmosphere for people to enjoy themselves should be rewarding for you too. It's part of being a great wedding DJ.
 






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