A DJ and why you need one

I’ve been in the event business for over 15yrs. I’ve seen a lot of fun things and the one thing that kinda blew my mind was the silent DJ. Here’s the scene: Super wealthy businessman’s 40th birthday party held at his private residence with a dance floor and tent suspended over his inground pool. We were inside Nichols Hills city limits so noise compliance was an issue. There was a live band until 10pm until the DJ shows up and passes out headphones for each and every guest. The crazy part is the headphones had different channels so some people were dancing to one song and other people were dancing to a whole different kind of song. Now this of course is very specialty and thankfully not necessary for most events and parties because the cost is high. But the moral of the story is the DJ was simultaneously managing multiple streams of music and everyone was having a blast dancing around to absolute silence. A DJs whole purpose is to produce sound but that person needs to produce the right sound at the right time. There can be a lot or a little that goes into a DJs setup. My favorite DJ won’t mic up a minister when it’s windy because of the feedback the wind makes. But really if the minister projects his voice he’s the only one who needs to be heard. It would actually relieve stress if you know as a a bride and groom you’re not on a mic and no one can hear exactly what you’re saying in case you mess up (happens to the best of us and most prepped of us!). The only reason you may want to have a mic for the bride and groom is if you are writing and reading custom vows. In this case, a handheld mic is recommended that can be turned on and off.

Next up on a DJ ToDo list is to introduce the Mr. and Mrs. to the crowd. DJs typically have this booming deep voice and everyone stops to listen when they say something like “Ladies and Gentleman, I have the pleasure to introduce to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Daaaaaviiiiiiiss!” The crowd gets really excited, gets up and claps and then they immediately become rapt in the first dance. Only good DJs can make this happen.

The other thing a DJ will do is gauge what the crowd wants to dance to, if they want to play games with the couple, navigate any timeline changes which is huge because there’s a large number of people who cannot work around a change in the “plan”. The wedding industry has minor hiccups like the bride needs a moment to get bustled, or wait for it, take a tinkle break which can be a process. Meaning the DJ role needs to be filled by someone who can go with the flow, manage the timeline and the crowd all at the same time. This is why good DJs are booked regularly and why they charge what they do. They set the entire mood of the event and really kind of hold the reigns for your day. I have never heard good things about cheap DJs. It is NOT simply having a speaker and playing music. Keep that in mind.