How to find a great wedding DJ for the best party

If you’re a couple who loves music and wants a great party for their wedding, you’ll want to make sure you find an experienced wedding DJ who knows how to help you achieve the dance floor of your dreams (and build up to it throughout the night)!

This blog is a handy guide to help you find the best wedding DJ to suit you and your vibe. We also recorded a podcast about it, which you can listen to below!

Book in your wedding DJ early

It goes without saying that being prepared will give you the best chance of securing a great wedding DJ. If music is a big ticket item for your big day, you should reach out to your preferred wedding DJ well in advance (especially if you are planning a weekend wedding).

We recommend researching and reaching out to potential wedding DJs at the same time as booking in a photographer (if you haven’t found your photographer yet, read our blog Best wedding photographers in Melbourne) and celebrant.

In our experience, if you leave booking a DJ until the last minute, you’ll have slim pickings as all the most in-demand wedding DJs in Melbourne will be snapped up for your date.

Know where to find a good wedding DJ

It’s easy to go down the Google rabbit hole when it comes to researching wedding suppliers. In our experience, we recommend three main ways:

• Melbourne wedding directories
• Instagram
• Venue and supplier recommendations.

These will give you the greatest chance of securing a great wedding DJ for your big day.

Melbourne wedding directories

There are so many resources when it comes to wedding planning, it can feel overwhelming! When it comes to finding good wedding DJs, we recommend taking a look at some credible wedding blogs/directories (for some of our recommendations, read our blog Our fave Aussie wedding blogs).

Instagram

Many of our clients have spent hours shopping for their wedding on Instagram. Instagram is an awesome validation tool. Although you should always check out a DJ’s website, Instagram will show you a real “behind-the-decks” perspective of the DJ at work at weddings (rather than just polished, styled photos and videos specifically produced for a website). You can also get a good sense of your potential wedding DJ’s personality and style (speaking of style, check out our blog What will my DJ wear at my wedding?).

A good tip is to search hashtags such as “wedding dj”. This will give you results of DJs in your area who actually play at weddings and have been active recently (maybe not on live gigs, but playing virtually during lockdowns too).

Venue and supplier recommendations

Ask your venue and other suppliers, like your photographer or celebrant, for recommendations of wedding DJs they’ve worked with. As wedding experts, your other suppliers are ideally placed to recommend someone who suits the high pressure environment of a wedding. In addition to this, as they’ve gotten to you in the planning process, they’ll have a good idea of the DJs that would you suit you as a couple.

“Although you should always check out a DJ’s website, Instagram will show you a real “behind-the-decks” perspective of the DJ at work at weddings.”

What to look for in a wedding DJ

There are a few key things to consider when looking for your ideal wedding DJ. These include:

1. The DJ’s experience in playing weddings
2. Your wedding budget
3. How the DJ sounds
4. Proof of their claims of greatness!

1. The DJ’s experience in playing weddings

This is a must! Your DJ needs to have lots of experience in playing at the type of wedding that you’re planning. Playing at a bar or club is completely different and doesn’t require the interpersonal skills that DJing a wedding does. Read more about what really goes into DJing a wedding.

2. Your wedding budget

If music is important to you, a DJ should sit at the top of your budget with your other high priority suppliers. The most sought after wedding DJs in Melbourne charge anywhere from $1,800 to $3,000+ for a wedding. Read more about how much a wedding DJ costs and why.

3. How the DJ sounds

If you have a particular idea about the type of music you’d like to hear at your wedding, make sure you have a chat with your DJ about this and ask to hear some sample mixes, including recordings of live gigs they’ve played. This will give you a good sense of the types of tunes they play within a specific genre (there are sooo many different types of 80s tunes, for example!) so you know it aligns with the music you personally like.

4. Proof of their claims of greatness!

We can’t count how many DJ websites talk about having Australia’s “finest performers” and being “premiere” offerings. Surely not everyone can be in the #1 spot? Do a bit of stalking to check out their claims. Read their Google reviews, find out about real weddings they’ve played, gain insights from their website blog, see what comments their followers have made on their socials and ask others about their experiences with your potential DJ. You need proof! Your wedding DJ should have an abundance of resources to show off their experience in weddings.

Good luck on your search!

Hopefully our blog has given you a game plan to find the best wedding DJ for you!

Like our vibe? Read more about us and/or check out our pricing and get in touch to see if DJs Eddy or Aleks are available on your date!