Most DJ calls are about music and price. The mic barely comes up, and it is the thing that decides whether the night feels like yours. Here are the questions worth asking, and what a good answer sounds like if you want it kept short and professional.
1. What exactly do you say during the grand entrance?
You want a specific answer, close to word for word. Names, timing and the song. If the answer is “I just hype it up,” you are talking to an entertainer.
2. What happens between songs?
The best answer is “not much.” Songs get mixed into each other, so there is no dead air to fill. You might hear a quick shout out for the two of you when the floor is going, and that is it.
3. Do you run games or crowd interaction?
If you do not want them, the answer should be “only if you ask.” Bonus points if they will point you to someone else when you do want a host. That tells you they know what they are good at.
4. How do you get our names right?
Listen for a real process. Ours is capturing every announced name phonetically during planning, so nobody is guessing at the microphone.
5. How do you work with our photographer and videographer?
A good answer: nobody goes on the mic until photo and video confirm they are rolling, before every formality, every time.
6. Do you mix, or play songs start to finish?
This is a mic question in disguise. A DJ who plays full songs and fades to silence has gaps to fill, and gaps get filled with talking. A DJ who mixes keeps the floor moving and saves the mic for the moments that matter.
7. Who will actually be behind the booth?
Ask who is assigned to your wedding and how that DJ was trained. At Mobile DJ Direct you plan with me, I assign a DJ from our small roster, and for weddings your DJ joins us for the final planning meeting so nothing gets lost between the call and the night.
The right DJ answers these without having to think.
If a DJ answers all seven the way you hoped, you have probably found your person. If they had to think hard about any of them, that is worth noticing too.