Hey there DJ Helpful here for you.
So, you booked a DJ…great!
For a wedding, DJs typically will put in a 10-12 hour day. They are on their feet the majority of the time, arrive before your guests, and typically are the last ones to leave... It’s a long day, but it sure is a fun day, here are a few little things to keep in mind to help your DJ on the day!
Here are the 5 little tidbits that may help your DJ on your event or wedding day!
5 - Restrooms - Where is your restroom?
As mentioned, DJs put in pretty long hours, and it may be their first time at a particular venue, residence, or event space. It is super helpful to let them know where they can access a place to change clothing as well as use the restroom.
4 - Weather - Will it be hot today? Is it freezing cold? Rain?
A DJ’s gear is obviously super important on the day, but the weather can severely affect our gear, which thus affects our overall performance. An extremely hot day can overheat a laptop or turntable, and just the slightest raindrop could destroy speakers, controllers, and power cables. Help out your DJ by providing shade to hide the sun or rain (i.e. large umbrella), and a mobile heater to keep warm if already provided for guests. Most times, our DJ is not included when guests are provided with mobile propane heaters, but could really use them when DJing in cold conditions.
3 - Food - Is it time to eat?
For most events, we do ask our clients to provide a meal for our DJ, since our DJ will be needed for 8+ hours. If guests are having a meal, then our DJ would appreciate a meal as well. But, when should your DJ eat? Ideally, during a time of downtime. For example, at a wedding, during dinner is ideal. The DJ can pop on a playlist during this short portion, while they eat. There are times when a DJ is provided a meal right when the dance floor opens, and that is a time when DJs really must be working their DJ craft, providing all that fun dance floor party energy, so would not have enough time or be the ideal time to enjoy a meal.
2 - Power - Where do I plug in?
At almost every single event, we ask the question, “Where do I plug in?” As mentioned, this may be our first time at the event, or the power restrictions may have changed since our last visit. We do not want to be plugged in the wrong or preferred outlet, or an outlet that can’t handle the requirements for our DJ gear to function properly. Also, please keep in mind that sharing an outlet with another vendor requiring power (i.e. Photo Booth, String Lighting) is not recommended, as this could cause a power outage at some venues. Letting us know in advance where the best place to plug in our DJ gear is, is super helpful.
1 - Communication - How are we doing? How did we do?
At the end of the day, if you feel your DJ did a great job, let us know. Obviously, hearing “great job” or “job well done” at the end of any day feels amazing. With DJing, it’s a weird thing, since we are hired to entertain you and your guests, and even though we may think you had an amazing experience, nothing beats nice comments from our wedding couple or our client at the end of the night. Receiving gratuity is also a thoughtful way to show appreciation for your DJ. Most DJs receive a percentage of the total paid for DJ services, so any additional payment is always appreciated. On the other side of this, please do not hesitate to communicate to your DJ throughout the day of any changes, updates, critiques, or song selections, praise our sick transitions, tell us to turn the volume up/down, or just ask us to give your Grandma a shoutout. We want to ensure you have the best experience.