Every experienced wedding DJ has had to DJ a wedding for the first time at some point in their career. I’m no exception and I certainly had some hiccups in my 21-year career.
Over time, I’ve picked up some tips along the way. Here’s four of them for beginning DJs that are going to be djing a wedding for the first time.
3 Tips For DJing A Wedding For The First Time
1. Make sure you’re available!!!
The first thing you have to do is to make sure you’re available. Duh!!! Right?? You’d be surprised how often this easy detail gets overlooked. Check your calendar to make sure you don’t have any other prior engagements.
2. Allow yourself plenty of time.
Leave at a time that if something were to happen along the way, that you would still get there early. In my rookie years, I pulled up to a hotel in Downtown Seattle, unloaded the DJ equipment, valet parked my car and then found out, I was not at the right hotel.
Since I left early enough, music was still up and running at the correct event on time.
3. Confirm with the venue when you arrive that you are in the correct room.
Make sure the names for your event match the same name as what the venue has for that room. In some cases, venues have multiple events going on in one night. I once pulled up to a venue in Renton, WA and let the caterers know I was the DJ for the wedding, they showed me where I needed to set up and I did. I even had the cocktail music going.
Guests started to arrive and asked if this was the wedding of the same name I had, so I told them yes. As more guests are starting to come in with there gifts, one of the family members says that we’re not in the right room.
It turns out that I set up for a wedding but not for the one that hired me. Had to tear down rush the equipment to the correct room. Lots of confusion as you could imagine. Still ended up being a great night.
photo credit: Kelsey Lynne Photography
