How to hire a DJ

Most people have no experience hiring a DJ. It can be a scary and unsettling experience–after all, the photographer can show you pictures, the caterer lets you sample the food, and you can see and physically touch the venues you visit. So how do you hire a DJ? Sure, we can show you a performance in pictures, in short YouTube clips or give you a presentation on a laptop, but it’s not the same. You know it and we know it.  One would suppose the best way to see our work would be to go to a wedding where we were performing, and some DJs will let you do that, though personally we are against the idea–would you want some strange couple(s) wandering into your reception uninvited?  Even if you gave the DJ permission, you still don’t know how this particular couple will behave.  Will the open bar be a temptation, keeping them there well after they’ve worn out their welcome?  There are too many variables to this scenario that we are not comfortable with.  You have hired us to be your DJ, not to try and win over prospective clients at your expense.

So how, then, do you decide on a DJ? Referrals are a great way to start. A good portion of the events we do are from referrals of past clients. We booked 25 weddings in 2012 that were from word of mouth alone. What if you don’t know anyone that’s used a DJ or everyone you know has had bad experiences with theirs?  We'll do our best to help you answer that question. (Disclaimer: We are obviously biased towards Locomotion DJ Productions, but by no means am asking you to book us in this article we are doing our best to keep this from being a self-serving piece.  We are just trying to help. Do your research!)

Online reviews are a good way to see what others have said and there are a ton of review sites out there–Wedding Wire, The Knot, Google, the list goes on, but with anything you read on the internet take some reviews with a grain of salt.  It is incredibly easy for an unscrupulous DJ (or any vendor, really) to leave fake reviews–both positive AND negative (just a little tidbit that Locomotion DJ Productions does NOT practice this deceiving act) The vast majority of what you read are real reviews, but again just be careful some may not be 100% truthful.  The wedding industry is incredibly competitive and unfortunately some will go out of their way to inflate reviews or discredit others.

That being said and considering there are a ton of DJs in New England, here’s where you should start.

First, find a handful that fit into your budget. Inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean bad, nor does expensive necessarily mean good. Price isn’t always an indicator of talent or quality, but it can definitely be an indicator of the amount of equipment–if you need custom monogram lights, uplighting, photobooths, etc. expect to pay more.  Otherwise price is more arbitrary than one would think–there is no set price for DJ services and you’ll see that prices vary wildly between us.  Some, especially higher-priced DJs are willing to negotiate as well–don’t be afraid to ask.  We love what we do and would rather work with 60 different couples a year and charge a reasonable rate of than charge an overpriced rate and only work with 30.  We love doing weddings–every couple, every venue and every weekend is different for us, and we are not discounting those that charge more than us–but be cautious that adding the word "wedding" inflates the price for many vendors–sometimes justifiably, sometimes not.

One thing to consider with a company that is charging a much higher rate than some. Do they have company vehicles, a fancy office, etc.? You my friend are helping pay for that. Locomotion DJ Productions has a home based office keeping our overhead quite low. When we show up at your wedding or other special event we will put on a quality event just like the big companies. Our money is invested in our equipment, music, and your special occasion.

Now that you’ve narrowed down your search a bit, it’s time to contact the DJs companies you like.  Keep in mind the most important part of a DJ company is the DJ itself.  It it imperative that you meet the DJ that is going to perform at your wedding before you book the company. There are two types of DJ companies out there, the single operators and the multi-ops–meaning they have a staff of DJs.  Technically we have seven DJs that work for us so we fall into the latter category.  Some multi-ops are so large that they have many offices in many different cities.  The problem with many of these companies is that they will have you meet with the owner or local sales rep, he’ll give you a great sales pitch and then you’ll get any DJ they have available for your wedding without you actually ever meeting the DJ prior to your special day.  Even if you get lucky and get to meet him close to the wedding, there’s no turning back if you don’t like him. You’ve already signed a contract. Think about this–you’ve met your photographer in person. You’ve met your officiant, your planner, etc. etc.–why would you trust your entertainment in the hands of a person that you’ve never met? We never let a couple book us without meeting their DJ, or at least having a phone/email conversation. You are hiring a DJ company and part of that hiring process is making sure you and your DJ mesh well.

Very closely tied to DJ personality is style.  The DJ stereotype is of the guy with the cheesy radio voice (think Ted Williams, the homeless guy with the “golden voice”) who plays the macarena, chicken dance and polkas. He brings props like inflatable sombreros, and talks way too much on the mic.  There are many DJs that subscribe to this formula, and that’s fine, but make sure that’s what you want.  We live by the saying “it’s your wedding, not our show.”  Most couples that we meet are looking for a low key DJ that is willing to act as an MC but only make announcements when necessary (like intros, first dances, etc) and keeps the cheesy stuff at home. Make sure that the DJ you choose is of the same mindset as you are.  Locomotion, as a DJ, prefer to let the music we play keep the party going.

Speaking of music, there are a few important things to ask.  First, do they have or are they willing to get all of the music you want prior to your event?  We'll be the first to admit that despite having almost 100,000 songs we still get stumped from time to time.  That’s why we ask for client access forms to be filled out 30 days in advance.  It gives us the time to find the music you want (and we view it as a challenge!)  Most DJs however don’t have nearly as much music as we do, and that’s perfectly fine.  You honestly don’t need anywhere near that much, but you do need to make sure that they have what you want for your event.  We know of a DJ in Boston that only has a handful of country songs and isn’t willing to get any more.  He’s not a country fan and refuses to play country.  As professionals, we shouldn’t allow our personal tastes to interject, but it obviously happens. Ask.

Also ask about guest requests.  Assuming you are ok with guest requests your DJ should be as well, provided they stay within the parameters of your Do-Not-Play list (also something you should ask about.) We'll be the first to admit that occasionally guests will requests songs that aren’t necessarily appropriate for a wedding.  That’s why we use professional discretion.

Advertising, some DJ's will display giant banners advertising their service ruining the beautiful ambiance you worked so hard to create.  Others will setup banners in hallways or foyers.  We personally put a business card holder with a few cards next to our system.  Simple and tasteful.  If a DJ does a good job referrals will automatically come–they don’t need to put up a billboard at your event.

When talking about the DJ’s setup, make sure you are comfortable with the footprint they are going to take up at your event.  Depending on equipment a DJ can use a very small space or a very large space.  The most common complaint we hear is about lighting trusses. Basically these are the very large black lighting trusses that span the DJ’s 6-8 foot table and take up a ton of space. They are also very conspicuous. While they are very functional and when used correctly can hold a ton of lights they aren’t always necessary. Our DJ's only use one lighting tripod that sits either behind us or behind a speaker and takes up very little space and is very inconspicuous. The downfall is that if you are looking for a blow-your-mind light show this type of setup won’t deliver. It will most certainly fill a dance floor, but it can only hold so many lights. We think it is a nice balance between classy and club, but again it’s all about what you want for your event.

When talking about the footprint, ask if the DJ is familiar with your venue.  Just because a DJ hasn’t been there doesn’t mean you shouldn’t book him but it DOES mean he should be willing to check out the facilities before the event either online or in-person. With technology we are finding many websites that will give you a virtual tour of the venue. If a DJ isn’t intimately familiar with your choice of venue he should be willing to talk with the venue about setup, sound coverage and logistics (like load-in and out).  With the literally hundreds of venues in New England there is a chance that a DJ hasn’t been to your venue–again, that’s not a negative against him but unwillingness to discuss the logistics of the venue is.

Most venues also require that your DJ carries insurance, though only a few right now require the DJ to prove it.  The DJ should be able to provide you with proof of insurance.  The average policy is $1,000,000 per occurrence.  Though we've never had to use ours, there’s been a few events where our heart skipped a beat as little kids running around came dangerously close to our speakers when we had our back turned taking a request from a guest.  God forbid a 65 pound speaker 6 feet in the air were to topple on someone after they bumped into a tripod.  A good DJ will take precautions and locate equipment (especially tripod legs) out of the way of traffic but accidents do happen.  Make sure they are insured.

Finally make sure that your DJ is comfortable acting as a day-of coordinator.  You may have a planner or your venue may offer day-of service, but ultimately the flow of events is in the hands of the DJ.  We are the ones with the microphone and music.  The DJ should have a timeline worked out with you or your planner well in advance of your event.  The way we like to do it is to have a general timeline (like cocktail hour is from 6-7 and dinner 7-8) with a specific order of events.  Some couples (or venues) will have a timeline down to the minute for each event e.g. cake cutting at 9:08 PM.  we’ve never, in the hundreds of weddings we’ve done, seen one go exactly on time.  Rather, we like to know that the cake cutting will be after salad or dinner, followed by parent dances etc.  So if dinner is until 8 the cake cutting will be somewhere around then depending on factors like if guests are finished eating, if the bride and groom would like to mingle for a bit, etc.  

However, there is fine line between sticking to a schedule to the minute and a laissez faire approach.  If dinner finishes at 8 and the bride and groom only have two more tables of guests to speak to (out of 20) the DJ should let them finish, but if they’ve only spoken to two out of twenty tables by 8 then the DJ should take a different approach.  Make sure your DJ clarifies how he handles timelines and order of events.  Every DJ is different and no specific approach is perfect but make sure you are both on the same page.