Do you hire a professional wedding DJ, or that friend of yours who says he’ll be more than happy to do it for a fraction of the cost? There’s no contest – a professional DJ all the way. To put it simply, there are some things you just can’t take chances with – and putting the entire evening’s entertainment in the hands of an amateur (and on the biggest day of your life) is a huge gamble. Read below for 13 solid reasons why you should hire a professional wedding DJ, and why they’re worth every penny.
Want to hire the right DJ? Here’s our free downloadable checklist of essential questions to ask.
Click here for WOL’s directory listings of the best DJ talent in Ireland!
It’s not fun – it’s work
An amateur, even one who wishes to become a pro, might treat your wedding as just a fun gig. So, if anything goes wrong, he may shrug it off as ‘no big deal’. After all, there won’t be any consequences for the long term – he simply won’t do it again in the future. But for a professional, it’s work. If he does a fantastic job, his reputation will grow, and he’ll get plenty of referrals. Letting even one couple down is not an option. You want your DJ to take your wedding seriously.
It’s not a party of one
A professional DJ plays for the crowd – and that means many crowd-pleasers, and watching the floor. If he puts on a tune and people start leaving, he’ll know exactly what to do to bring them back. With an amateur DJ, it could easily turn into a party for him only. He’ll play mostly the tunes he likes, and when the floor empties, he’ll be wondering ‘where did everyone go?’ and he won’t have a clue why.
Technical knowledge
Depending on how old you are, you’ve definitely been at a party where a record skips, the tape gets chewed, a CD player goes haywire, or someone’s phone battery simply runs out. An amateur DJ will be lost if something goes wrong – and your dance floor may be left in silence for a few minutes… or until the end of the night. Would you like your guests to all leave at 11pm because there’s no more music? Hire a professional wedding DJ – he knows the equipment and how to fix any hiccup.
Value for money
When you pay your professional DJ, you’re not just getting a guy who pushes the play button. You’re effectively setting up your evening to be successful, fun, and totally unforgettable. When you boil it down to the basic, wedding guests remember three things the most – the ceremony, the food and the party afterwards. A professional DJ guarantees the last part will be an absolute smash, and you won’t find yourself asking ‘what did I pay for?’ as you might with an amateur. Or if you have a friend doing the DJing for free, you may find yourself wishing you had spent the money on a pro, just to avoid a major embarassment.
Huge song catalogue
A professional DJ comes prepared. For every tune that doesn’t work on the dance floor, he’s brought five others to make sure everyone boogies all night long. He’s not frantically searching for songs and downloading them onto his iPhone as the party is going on. He’s also able to take requests – and believe us, people always ask.
Knowledge and suggestions
You can count on a professional wedding DJ to help you build a playlist to end all playlists. For every person or couple who absolutely love music, there are those who can’t name anyone in the current Top 40. That’s why you need a pro. He knows what works. He knows your grandma probably won’t dance to Kanye West. And he knows when to play the Sinatra and the Bieber.
Dependability and insurance
We’ve heard these stories many times – a couple hires a friend to DJ at the wedding. Then, a week before the wedding, the friend cancels. Panic! The reasons may be plenty – they’ve fallen ill, the transport has gone awol… or they’ve simply realised the task is way beyond them. You’re stuck with no entertainment with just a few days to go! Nightmare, right? A professional DJ won’t do this, because he values his reputation. He has a back-up plan for everything – illness, travel delays, equipment failure. He won’t change his mind at the last minute, because he’s a paid professional. And, he’s most likely covered by your wedding insurance too – your policy may not cover friends.
Everybody dance now – click here for 30 awesome wedding party songs recommended by Irish DJs!
Once-in-a-lifetime experience
This wedding day you’ve planned happens only once in a lifetime – you can’t throw a repeat next week or next year if something goes wrong. Some things are fleeting, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Perfect entertainment ranks right up there with professional photography and videography. Hire a professional wedding DJ – you simply can’t gamble on things that have a huge bearing on the whole day.
The right attitude and attire
A professional DJ won’t rock up to your wedding in ripped jeans and Sex Pistols t-shirt… but some friends have been known to do that. He’ll look perfect for the occasion, tactfully handle any questions and requests, and will even help keep the mood light in case of any mishaps.
Your wishes matter
We’ve said this many times already, and now is a good time to say it again – if you have a list of songs you don’t want played at the wedding, you should give it to your DJ. You could, of course, give the same to the amateur, but he may not understand the importance of this list, and play something anyway, or even forget about it altogether. Sour moods on the dance floor guaranteed…
Mixing skillz
If you’ve ever been on a night out and heard something like demolition noise between two songs, that would have been the terrible mixing job. To keep people dancing, tunes have to flow – and this is a skill you just can’t learn in a short period of time. Amateurs who do really well practicing at home are susceptible to stage fright – and that’s why they suddenly sound like amateurs in a big room. Remember those nights when you’ve been out, the tunes were good, but the mixing wasn’t? That’s not what you want people to remember from your wedding – so hire a professional wedding DJ.
No drinking
Even if you pay a friend to DJ for you, they’re still your friend – which means they’ll feel as much a guest at your wedding as anyone else. This could lead to problems, especially if they have unlimited access to the bar as part of the bargain. And you know what happens when you give the microphone to a person who’s had a few too many… when you hire a professional wedding DJ, this isn’t something you need to worry about.
MC duties
Aaaaand, while on the subject of the microphone… for most amateurs, speaking and playing tunes is simply beyond their capabilites. Plus, once they get on the mic, they won’t have any idea how they sound within the room – consequently, your guests will be covering their ears at worst, or asking ‘what did he say?’ at best. A professional DJ will talk at the right moments, will say the right things, and – this is very important – with the right diction and manners too.
Main image from Stephanie & Declan’s real wedding by Konrad Kubic Photography
