19 Questions You Should Ask Your Wedding DJ or Band

Before you hire your wedding DJ and/or wedding band, there are certain questions you should ask them. Music is such an important element of the day, you don’t want to hire someone with a lack of experience or who just doesn’t fit your vibe. We reached out to some industry experts for their advice on what questions you should ask and we’re sharing them all here today, so let’s get started…here are the questions you should ask your wedding DJ or wedding band:

1. Start with the practical questions.

There will definitely be some practical questions you’ll want to address when talking to a potential DJ for your wedding. It’s really important to hire a professional, qualified, capable DJ that knows what they’re doing – nothing brings the party to a halt like a technical difficulty or a poorly chosen song! Malike Adigun, the owner of Curate Entertainment shares a few key questions they recommend asking:

1. What are the aesthetics of your sound setup and how will it fit with our design?
2. How well do you work with your vendor teams?
3. How do you handle requests?
4. What’s your process for picking music?
5. How many times do we get to meet with you?
6. Do you and/or your musicians take breaks during the reception?

These questions can easily help you narrow down your search to ensure you’re talking to a professional from the start!

7. Does your DJ or band offer sound/audio services?

“During your ceremony – the most important aspect of the day – you’ll need professional sound and audio along with one to two microphones to ensure that all of your guests can hear every word of your beautiful nuptials,” Mandy Connor owner of Hummingbird Events and Design shares with us.

Without audio, even guests a few feet away likely won’t hear the ceremony that you’ve worked so hard to create. Later in the evening, you’ll need microphones for speeches and toasts. Make sure your vendor can provide these and that they are added to your invoice.

8. What makes for an amazing dance party?

This is a trick question because it is absolutely NOT the band, DJ, or even the songs. You and your guests are the key ingredients to an amazing dance party.

Rob Perkins, the founder of On The Beat Music Agency, shares with us: “A truly great event band knows how to make the party about you. The best parties are a magical amplification of the unique group of people gathered in that moment on that night. Our job is to meet you and your guests where you are, and build all of our experience together from there. If you get an answer back that is focused on the performers and not the guests being the keys to success, you have encountered an ego who will not be present enough to truly meet the moment on the night.”

9. How many breaks will your band or DJ take and when do they take them?

“Working closely with your entertainment vendors to ensure that their mandatory breaks are built into at appropriate points in the timeline is vital to ensuring that you have music playing when it’s needed.” – Mandy Connor, owner of Hummingbird Events and Design

10. Does your band or DJ offer emcee services?

“No one wants a DJ who is “heavy on the mic” but you will need someone who can make announcements appropriately throughout the day.” – Mandy Connor, owner of Hummingbird Events and Design.

11. Let’s chat creativity!

There are always some “creative” questions that couples should ask their potential wedding DJ that will help give them an overall look into the DJ’s style and aesthetic. Things like:

1. What type of music do you most enjoy playing?
2. What’s your creative process in building the playlist and music programming for the night?
3. What makes your style and approach different and unique?
4. Do you have experience playing XXX (mention the types of genres of music you love the most and want to be played here!)?
5. How interactive are you with your crowd?
6. Do you mix your music?

“Beyond just the capabilities of your DJ, you want to ensure their style matches what you’re looking for, just like you would look at both skill AND style for a photographer or makeup artist!” – Malike Adigun, owner of Curate Entertainment.

17. Tell me about the last time you cried at a wedding?

“If they still don’t regularly cry at weddings, they shouldn’t be doing this anymore. I love looking around the bandstand during a special moment (mother/son, father/daughter, first dance, etc.) and seeing almost my entire band ugly-crying while playing. It’s the difference between playing the notes and playing the moment. My bands are specifically made up of criers. It is honestly one of the key components I look for in my team! Look for a band who is excited and ready to tell you an amazing story about a recent good, sloppy, ugly, gotta-take-my-suit-to-the-dry-cleaners cry at a wedding.” – Rob Perkins, founder of On The Beat Music Agency

18. Is the band willing to learn a few new songs that may not be in their repertoire?

“Your first dance song may be more obscure or you may want to hear some great b-side tunes throughout the night. Ask the band if they are willing to learn a few new songs (within reason!) and if there is a cost associated with this service.” – Mandy Connor, Owner, Hummingbird Events and Design

19. What is YOUR agenda for the night? What are the band’s goals for a successful party?

“Listen for clearly stated self-serving goals that also neatly align with yours. So many vendors will spend time trying to guess what the couple’s ideal goals are, or articulating some vague non-specific set of universal desirables that they think every client wants. Instead, seek vendors who know exactly what they are trying to achieve. When the language of their goals is similar to yours, you have probably found a good match.

Example: “Our goal is to send your guests home with sore feet and sweaty shirts RAVING about their new best friends in the band and how they can’t wait to see them again. When we see every generation of your guests authentically hugging our performers goodbye at the end of the night we know we’ve built a connection with your community that will last.” How does that sound?!” – Rob Perkins, founder of On The Beat Music Agency

Looking for more ideas on what song to select for your First Dance, When you Cut the Cake, or other special moments during your day? Check out all our wedding music selections for your day.