STEP 1 – Appoint someone to take charge (Choosing music, setting up equipment and operating it) Someone will need to be responsible for the music. This can be a family member or friend that you have coming to the wedding. You (as a bride or groom) don’t want to be stuck behind the decks all night! So find a family member or friend that really knows a very diverse range of music. They have to be someone that really has dedicated their lives to knowing and learning music from the 1950’s to today’s hits and across multiple genres. This person is the “gate keeper” in effect. They are responsible for filtering the requests from guests so that only the good songs get played. The last thing you want is every requested song to be played, because (as a professional DJ, trust me) many of the requests guests make are either inappropriate for a wedding or just plain songs that won’t work. Of course the downside of this is that the guest you choose will be working all night and not actually having a great time. Maybe you are thinking “Hang on, I am not going to bug a guest. I am just going to set up a Spotify playlist and let it play”.. Ouch! TERRIBLE idea for starters, how could you possibly know what song is going to work at that particular time? A good DJ is CONSTANTLY assessing the situation and altering the playlist to be responsive to what is happening. Secondly, you will STILL need someone to stop everyone cutting each others songs and putting on songs that are not appropriate. STEP 2 – Hire the right equipment This one is going to set you back at least $800 if you hire even half descent equipment. As a bare minimum you will need – 2 x quality JBL / Mackie / QSC speakers on stands 1 x Mixer (don't forget all the complicated leads and cables) and most importantly back-up gear incase something goes wrong. And then probably a few dance floor lighting effects and perhaps a mic for speeches. Remember to assign someone to pick them up from the place you are hiring from in the morning and drop back the next day. Many hire companies will also deliver, setup and collect again for a premium. If you choose this option, you will probably be looking at closer to $1200. (Remember this is just for the equipment, no operator and no music supplied). Now maybe you are thinking “But the venue has their own sound system we can plug into”. I have been a full time DJ for over 10 years at the time of writing this and have yet to find a venue with even a half descent system you can plug into. 90% of the time, it leads to massive disappointment from guests and the couple that the system sounds terrible. It might sound okay on venue inspection in an empty room, but fill it with people (whose bodies are 90% water and therefore absorb most of the sound) and BOOM a very underpowered and disappointing sound system. (Yay for science!) STEP 3 – Get the music Where are you sourcing the music? Spotify? The sound quality is terrible on streaming services and not 100% reliable. This should only EVER be a back up option. A laptop with tunes on it? Are they encoded at a descent quality? 320kbs is preferred. Are they even legal? Is there enough of a range of options to keep everyone happy? Then there is the question of the software you are playing it through to connect to the mixer. Are you using Serato, Virtual DJ, Traktor, Mixxx, Dee-Jay Pro? Does the person you assigned the role of looking after the music know how to use this software? Not forgetting, this software is going to set you back a minimum of $80 if you gofor the cheapest one. STEP 4 – Transitions and mixes Ensure the person in charge is familiar with transitioning and mixing to ensure the dance floor doesn’t die. This is quite a skill and takes years to master. Does the person you chose for the role of “DJ” REALLY know how to do this? As you can see from this article, a DJ is SO much more than just a person that turns up and presses play. A professional DJ spends thousands of dollars not only on equipment, but on legally obtaining music, on their craft and hours and hours practicing and becoming an expert at giving people a great time through the medium of music. Perhaps it would be just easier to let a professional do it? After all, you don’t get a do-over of your wedding day. You have one shot. Having a friend DJ as you watch your guests walking out the door early would not be a great feeling. It’s your wedding. Make it count. Trust a professional.