Questions to ask a wedding dj
Not just what to ask — what a good answer sounds like, and what should worry you.
The music is the easy part. What separates a wedding DJ from someone with a laptop is the microphone work, the reading of a room, and knowing when not to play the song you asked for. Most of these questions are really about that.
These are specific to wedding djs. The questions worth asking every vendor — contracts, deposits, cancellation, insurance and referral fees — are on the main questions page, and you should ask those too.
The MC half of the job
Can I hear you on a microphone?
What to listen forAsk for a recording of them making announcements at a real wedding. This is half the job and almost nobody checks it. Cheesy, over-loud MC work is the most common complaint about wedding DJs and it is entirely predictable in advance.
How much do you talk during the night?
What to listen forThere is a wide range between a DJ who announces only what is needed and one who treats the reception as a radio show. Neither is wrong; the mismatch is.
How do you handle the timeline with my coordinator?
What to listen forThe DJ effectively drives the second half of a wedding. A good one has a running order, checks in with the coordinator and photographer before key moments, and will not start the first dance while your photographer is changing a battery.
Music and requests
What do you do when a guest requests something on my do-not-play list?
What to listen forThe right answer is that they decline politely and it never reaches the speakers. A DJ who says 'I read the room' may be telling you they will override you.
How do you build the night if the floor is empty at 9pm?
What to listen forListen for craft: pulling the average age of the room, bringing tempo up gradually, using a known opener. 'I just play bangers' is not a plan.
What happens during dinner and cocktail hour?
What to listen forThose are two more hours of curation that many couples never discuss. Ask what they play and at what volume - conversation has to be possible.
Equipment and rooms
What backup gear do you bring?
What to listen forA spare controller, spare laptop, spare cables and a backup music library on separate storage. Weddings have been salvaged by a $200 spare and ruined by the lack of one.
Have you worked in my space, and does it need extra sound?
What to listen forLong rooms, outdoor areas and separate ceremony sites often need a second system. Better to hear that now than to discover the ceremony is inaudible from row six.
Common questions
What should I ask a wedding DJ?
Ask to hear them on a microphone at a real wedding, how much they talk, what they do with a request from your do-not-play list, how they build the night if the floor is empty, and what backup equipment they bring.
How do I know if a wedding DJ is good?
Judge the microphone work, not the mixing. Ask for audio of them making announcements at a real reception - cheesy or overbearing MC work is the most common complaint about wedding DJs, and it is entirely predictable in advance.
Should I give my DJ a do-not-play list?
Yes, and ask explicitly what they do when a guest requests something on it. The right answer is that they decline politely. A DJ who says they will 'read the room' may be telling you they will override you.
Why we can publish this
Most wedding sites are paid by the vendors they list, which makes a page about spotting a vendor who is managing you a difficult thing to write. Lazo charges nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price — so we have no reason to soften any of the above. If a wedding DJ gives you one of the answers we've flagged, that is worth knowing before you pay a deposit.
Wedding DJs on Lazo
We index 4,500+ wedding djs across 108 markets. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor.