7 Questions That Actually Matter
​Planning a wedding in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Maine? Here are the questions you should actually be asking before hiring your wedding DJ.
Choosing a wedding DJ can be surprisingly difficult.
There are a lot of DJs out there. Some are full-time professionals. Some do weddings on the weekends. Some are primarily club or bar DJs. Some are companies that send different DJs to your wedding depending on who is available.
And then there are the questions you see everywhere:
What speakers do you use?
How many songs do you have?
Do you have insurance?
What kind of equipment do you use?
Those questions aren't necessarily bad questions.
But after more than 10 years of DJing weddings, I can tell you that those aren't the questions that will tell you whether someone is going to be a great wedding DJ.
A wedding DJ isn't simply the person who presses play on your music.
Your DJ/MC can have a huge impact on the flow of your reception, the energy in the room, and ultimately how much fun you and your guests have.
So before you hire someone, here are 7 questions I recommend every couple ask.

1. How will you help us plan our wedding reception? This is probably the most important question you can ask.
Your wedding DJ should not disappear after you sign the contract and then show up on your wedding day asking, "So, what are we doing tonight?"
Your DJ should be involved in the planning process.
There are introductions, cocktail hour, dinner, speeches, parent dances, special dances, cake cutting, special announcements, open dancing, last dances, and sometimes a dozen other things happening throughout the night.
How those things are organized matters.
At DJ Justin Gilbert, our process begins well before the wedding day. We sit down with our couples and walk through the reception step by step.
We discuss music, introductions, names and pronunciations, formalities, special requests, announcements, and the overall flow of the evening.
Then we create a detailed FLOW for the reception.
The purpose isn't to make your wedding feel overly structured.
It's actually the opposite.
Good planning gives you the freedom to enjoy your wedding.

2. Who is actually going to DJ my wedding? This is a big one.
If you're talking to a company rather than an individual DJ, make sure you know who is actually going to be standing behind the DJ booth on your wedding day.
You should know:

• Who will be your DJ?
• Will you meet them before the wedding?
• Will they be involved in planning?
• Will they be the person communicating with your other vendors?
• What happens if they become unavailable?

Your wedding isn't a practice event.
You don't want to meet your DJ for the first time when they walk into your reception.
You should already know who is going to be responsible for one of the most important parts of your evening.

3. Is your DJ also a good MC? Being a good DJ and being a good wedding MC are two different skills.
A DJ needs to understand music.
An MC needs to understand people.
The MC is responsible for communicating with your guests, making announcements, introducing important moments, keeping the evening moving, and knowing when to speak—and, just as importantly, when not to speak.
Nobody wants a wedding DJ who spends the entire night screaming into a microphone.
Your MC should be confident without becoming the center of attention.
The wedding should be about you, not the DJ.
A great MC knows how to read the room and make announcements naturally while keeping the reception moving.

4. Can your DJ adapt when something doesn't go according to plan? Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough:
Your wedding will probably not go exactly according to the original timeline.
Maybe dinner takes longer than expected.
Maybe photos run late.
Maybe your maid of honor gets stuck in traffic.
Maybe the photographer needs another 10 minutes.
Maybe your guests aren't ready to dance when you expected them to be.
That's normal.
The question is: Can your DJ adapt?
A professional wedding DJ shouldn't panic when the timeline changes.
They should communicate with your coordinator, photographer, caterer, venue, and other vendors and make adjustments.
I've been in situations where something unexpected happened and I had to step in and help keep the evening moving.
That's part of the job.
Experience isn't just knowing what songs to play.
Experience is knowing what to do when the plan changes.

5. What does your setup actually look like? This is one area where you should absolutely look at photos.
Your DJ's equipment is going to be sitting in your wedding reception for several hours.
It should look professional.
You probably spent a lot of time thinking about your venue, decorations, flowers, tables, linens, lighting, and centerpieces.
You don't want a messy DJ setup with tangled wires and equipment scattered everywhere.
At our weddings, we make a point of keeping the setup clean and professional.
Cords are secured and hidden whenever possible. Equipment is positioned carefully. Speaker stands and other equipment are dressed appropriately.
The goal is simple:
The DJ should blend into the wedding—not look like someone set up a garage sale in the corner of your ballroom.

6. How do you choose the music? This is where hiring a professional wedding DJ can make a huge difference.
You shouldn't have to create a playlist containing 300 songs and tell your DJ to play them in order.
That's not really DJing.
Your DJ should understand your music preferences while also being able to read the dance floor.
Maybe you love 80s music.
Maybe your friends love hip-hop.
Maybe your parents want some Motown.
Maybe your family is from another country and you want to include cultural music.
Maybe you absolutely don't want certain songs played.
All of that information is important.
But once the dance floor opens, your DJ needs to be able to make decisions.
A great wedding DJ knows what to play next.
That's a skill that comes from experience.

7. What happens if something goes wrong? This is the question couples don't always think about.
What happens if a piece of equipment fails?
What happens if the timeline changes?
What happens if a microphone stops working?
What happens if the venue has an unexpected restriction?
What happens if another vendor is running behind?
What happens if something completely unexpected happens?
You aren't hiring a wedding DJ just for the equipment.
You're hiring a professional because you want someone who has the experience to handle those situations.
Professional equipment is important.
But experience is even more important.

Don't Just Hire a DJ. Hire Someone Who Understands Weddings. When you're comparing wedding DJs, it's easy to compare prices.
It's also easy to compare equipment lists.
But I would encourage you to look beyond those things.
Ask yourself:
Who is going to help us plan?
Who is going to keep the reception moving?
Who is going to communicate with our other vendors?
Who is going to read the room?
Who is going to know what to do when something unexpected happens?
And most importantly:
Who do we trust to handle our wedding?
Your wedding DJ should be more than someone who shows up with speakers and a playlist.
They should be part of your planning team.
At DJ Justin Gilbert, our wedding services are built around that idea. We don't simply show up on the wedding day. We work with our couples beforehand to understand exactly how they envision their reception and create a detailed plan for the evening.
We serve weddings throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, and our goal is simple:
You should be able to spend your wedding day enjoying your wedding—not worrying about what happens next.
Ready to Talk About Your Wedding? If you're currently looking for a wedding DJ in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Maine, I'd love to hear about your plans.
Let's talk about your venue, your guests, your music, and what you want your reception to feel like.
Even if you aren't exactly sure what you want yet, that's okay.
That's part of what we're here for.
[Check Availability for Your Wedding]

About DJ Justin Gilbert: DJ Justin Gilbert has been providing professional wedding and mobile DJ services for more than 10 years. Based in New England, DJ Justin Gilbert serves couples throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
From detailed reception planning and MC services to professional DJ entertainment, lighting, and a clean, professional setup, the goal is to make your wedding reception something you and your guests will remember.
DJ Justin Gilbert
Massachusetts • New Hampshire • Maine

I rarely post about equipment or setup. However, after doing a few recent weddings in locations with multiple ballrooms I would like to briefly touch on setup. As a DJ who only DJs weddings setups are important. This is the most important party of your life. Tacky chords, messy tables, and DJs who do not 'look the part' probably shouldn't be at your wedding. A professional DJ has a tidy setup. Things match. As they should because after all we are talking about a wedding. Here is a picture of what a neat setup should look like. Wires should be hidden and taped down. Facades or table toppers used properly hide equipment that guests don't need to see. Tacky tripods and other non essentials are off to the side or alternatives are used.  Why would you spend thousands of dollars on your wedding and then hire someone to come in and through messy equipment around the room for your party? When hiring your wedding DJ stalk their Instagram, Facebook, and other social media profiles. Ask about their setup. Can they match the room and style you are looking for?

A controversial topic that should be addressed. When googling How to hire a wedding DJ often times couples are given silly questions to ask a DJ. Questions about equipment, insurance, etc. which doesn't really get to the core of hiring a wedding DJ. If you are asking your wedding DJ what speakers they have or how many songs they have you are asking the wrong questions.

What you should be asking is how you help plan and create an agenda for the wedding. 

Why is this important? Well when you really think about the job of the day of coordinator they are coordinating the day of your wedding. They are making sure place settings are correct, they are making sure your guests and you have the correct meals, that you are served your favorite beverage, and they are making sure everyone in the background (staff) is doing their jobs. So why should your DJ help create your day of FLOW? So the coordinator can do their job. The DJ/MC is hired to facilitate the entertainment of your wedding. So why would you let the coordinator who has no MC skills, no DJ skills, and no real idea of how to entertain your guests run the show?

A great wedding DJ can create an itinerary with you. Giving you advice of when to do formalities at your reception and when typically not to do them. Great wedding DJ's can give lots of honest advice of what works and what does not. It is also very common for weddings to look similar at venues because coordinators get into routines of 'this is how we do things.' However, that doesn't always mean it is the best thing for you and your guests.

So when looking for a wedding be sure to ask how they are going to help assist you and aide in the planning process.
  

Obvioulsy, there are a million reasons why not to hire a professional wedding vendor. Here is a quick story of how experience can save your day. Friday November 11th I was at a wedding in Bedford, NH. the Photographer was only contracted for a few hours. BTW I don't know why they do this. Your photographer should be at your wedding, the whole thing. Long story short, the photographer was leaving at 7. Dinner just began at it was around 6:45. The first course was served and being cleared. As the photographer was saying her goodbyes to the couple I quickly ran to the day of coordinator. I explained the photographer was about to leave and this couple didn't any photos of the dancing portion of their evening. While tables were being cleared I was able to have a little fun with guests build a dance floor for 15 minutes while the main courses were being served. This couple might not have any photos of anyone dancing at their wedding and I couldn't have that. This my friends is why to hire a professional. I was able to step in and make this happen. ​

Did you know that some venues have sound limits (decibel limits) that restrict the volume of your wedding?

Many couples do not know this and often times venues don't mention this when booking. Why do they conceal this you might ask??? Simply put They stink and can ruin your party. Often times venues with nearby neighbors have these decibel limits. They use a sound meter to measure the volume of the room throughout the night. It is very common for these limits to be extremely low. For example, I recently worked at a venue with a decibel limit of 85 decibels. This limit is easily achieved without music and a full room of people. 100-150 people in a room will easily go over this limit! It can be a real buzz kill to have to play to these limits. The music simple isn't loud enough and it can really throw the vibe of your party off.

How do we handle these this and what can be done? 
Well first is first. If you are booking venues, especially venues in developments or nearby neighbors ask first! 85-150 decibels may sound like a lot of noise and volume...It is NOT! I personally do not like to vent about venues...However, I think venues with noise limits should not be wedding venues. It kills the party. 

I get this question a lot with brides and grooms. "What kinds of lights are you going to bring to my wedding?" Simple. Wash effect lighting. Here is the rationale. Ever seen those cool laser effect lights or the old school DJ lights that your middle school DJ had? Those are not meant for weddings. Here is why. Photographers usually take photos of your dance floor for about thirty minutes. they do not like when the dance floor is covered in tiny specs of color from lasers or effect lights. That is why we simply wash the room with color. It adds the perfect eloquent ambience while also alleviating the headache from your photographer and videographer of having to spend days of editing out those annoying little dots of color. Ask your DJ what kind of dance floor lighting they plan to bring.