What does a professional wedding DJ actually do behind the scenes?

Jul 30

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Learn more about the ins and outs of a wedding DJ:

Yeah, a wedding DJ isn’t just supposed to “show up.” They’re supposed to run the sound!

I’m not surprised that a lot of people think being a professional wedding DJ means showing up, playing some tunes from behind a DJ table and rocking out on the dance floor for a few hours.

That’s what I would think too — if I weren’t one myself.

Running the music for your wedding is definitely a big part of my job. But my roles and responsibilities as a wedding DJ are very different from the DJs that you see playing at your local bar, club or festival.

That’s because playing a wedding is very different from a Saturday night at the club.

Weddings are expensive, formal and logistically complex. With so much on the line and very little wiggle room, I spend a lot of time working with clients doing prep work that guests never see.

Though the typical wedding DJ package includes 5-6 hours of play, it’s this behind-the -scenes work that has helped make me a top wedding DJ in Chicago.

Things a professional wedding DJ takes on to make a wedding reception run smoothly:

A Wedding DJ Should Also Handle Sound Production

I worked as a musician and sound producer for years before becoming a wedding DJ — and that experience has made a huge difference for my clients. I bring my own suite of sound equipment to the wedding venue, including Lavalier and handheld microphones, to cover all your sound production needs.

Your DJ Should Double as a Host/Emcee

A good wedding DJ should be able to double as the host for the evening. For me, that means working with couples to shape the evening they’re envisioning: what’s the vibe? How do we want to make guests feel? Are there any important cultural traditions or music we want to work into the playlist? Are there any special friends and family shout outs we want to do?

As we get closer to the big day, we finalize all the details I need to be a super-prepared host: finalize the schedule of events, lock in cues and announcements and of course, make sure I’m pronouncing names correctly.

Coordinate and Help With Day-of Planning

I’m not a wedding planner myself, but I do work closely with them before and during the event. Wedding and event planners are the experts when it comes to organizing events, but sound production is its own beast.

Consequently, planners usually lean on me to fill in for them on things like sound production, mic handoffs and other “tech guy” jobs. On the day-of, I coordinate closely with them during transitions to ensure we’re all staying on track.

Bonus: DJs Can Also Help WIth Live Music Production

I’ve spent over a decade working as a wedding band producer, and I still organize live music for my clients as needed.

As an experienced producer, I can tell you it’s not as easy as it looks. For example, you can’t hire just any strings quartet or guitar player to perform at your ceremony. You need musicians who have wedding-specific experience — those who understand timing, what to do if they finish the song while the bride is still walking down the aisle, and so on.

I coordinate all the hiring, scheduling and music planning on behalf of the wedding planner and client. This can all get overwhelming quickly if you’ve never done it before, but it’s all part of my job!

Here’s a hot list of things a wedding DJ should know how to do:

Emcee your event as well (introducing geusts and more!)
Work with other vendors
Handle conflicting stakeholders, such as mom, dad and grandparents who may have specific requests
Organize timelines and a schedule of events
Envision the vibe and style of the music and sound
Communicate and plan with the happy couple
Project manage the event