5 Responses To Your Most FAQ’s | Part 1

DJ Scott Gerke at an Isla Bella Wedding in Marathon, Florida. Pic Credit: Kylie & Co

Throughout my years in the wedding DJ business, I’ve always wanted my couples to make informed decisions on who they hire as their entertainment for the night. When I first talk to them, we’ll easily spend an hour on the phone or my favorite, video chat, and talk about every aspect of their vision and what to expect from me. I want to be seen as a friend, not just another vendor. Wedding DJ’s have a huge responsibility. To be completely honest, they can easily make or break the energy of the room and couple’s should see their DJ as their hype man, and be able to count on that person to execute on their vision without a hitch. With that being said, I wanted to create a three part series answering my most frequently asked questions.

1. Experience: "How long have you been DJing weddings?"

Since 2013, I have been grateful enough to make a full-time commitment to the craft of DJing weddings. It is absolutely wild to think that within those years, I’ve done just over 650 weddings 🥰 And every single one of them feels just as important as the last. It’s like I’m performing at the Super Bowl! Over the years, this is what I’ve learned…

There are so many things that are happening behind the scenes at a wedding that you may never even learn about. Maybe the wedding planner is trying to keep dinner on time, but the maid of honor is no where to be found and we need to do toasts before dinner. Well, as your DJ (who is also your MC/host with the mic) I will chat real quick with the vendors, figure out a game plan, maybe the caterer will serve the salads, and then I’ll get on the mic and let everyone know that the 1st course is being served and toasts will begin in a few moments. This is in lieu of just going by the timeline and calling up the maid of honor Quick thinking and making executive decisions on the fly is something I’ve developed over the years. I’ve seen DJs not prepared and call up people for toasts before checking to see if that person is even in the room! My suggestion is to find a DJ who understands the flow of a wedding and ask them what they would do in a situation like I just mentioned. A true pro will respond similarly to the way I explained it.

2. Music Selection: "Do you take song requests, and can we provide a list of must-play songs and do-not-play songs?"

This is your wedding and it should sound the way you want, with respect to and your spouse, as well as your guests. This means being able to feel comfortable knowing that you’ll be dancing to your favorite songs and never having to worry about hearing a song from your do-not-play list. Are you comfortable with curse words or does every song need to be a clean edit? Do you want elegant dinner music and then an absolute rager as soon as the dance floor opens up? If you pick a DJ that you feel confident in knowing they’ve got your back, this person will honor your requests and play them when it’s appropriate. The last thing I want you to worry about is hearing a song that you specifically asked NOT be played because it brings back some not-so-good memories and you have to rush over to the DJ and ask them to switch it up asap. That’s not something you should have to worry about.

3. Equipment: "What does your DJ set up LOOK like?"

While I don’t expect you to be savvy in the world of DJ gear, I think the best way to go about this is ask for pictures and videos of past events they’ve worked and see how their gear is presented. Does it look nice to you or are there cables everywhere? Remember that their set up will end up in some of your wedding pics and you want their look to match the overall aesthetics of the room. We can’t always match perfectly, but having cables tied down and gear that looks clean and “wedding-appropriate” should be a factor in considering who decide to hire. Here is a great example of a set up I brought out to an event that wanted to stay true to an all-white look…

All-white DJ set up at Eden Events in St. Charles, IL. Photo Credit: John Foley Photography

4. Equipment Pt. 2: "What does your DJ set up SOUND like?"

Again, I don’t expect you to be a pro in this department, but if you’re asking for a night filled with house and hip-hop, best believe that I’m going to bring a sound system that makes sense for that type of music. A professional wedding DJ will bring what is appropriate for the size of your venue and how many people you are expecting. Is your wedding outside or inside? That’ll also be a factor in the speakers your DJ brings. In regards to Key West or the Florida Keys, we do a lot of outdoor weddings and sound travels far. We have to be properly equipped to keep the music at a level that is neighbor-friendly. I suggest having some type of conversation with your potential DJ about how you expect the music to sound. Use the terms “nightclub” or “not too loud” and that’ll be enough for them to know what to bring.

5: Setup and Space: "How much space do you need for your setup, and do you require any specific electrical requirements?"

Most DJs will need about 12’x12’ space for their gear and ask that there is a power outlet near by (~20ft or so). We do not like to run our power cables in areas with a lot of foot traffic and ask that we’re the only people using that specific power outlet. This is a great question for your DJ to ask the venue or wedding planner and in most cases, the venue already has the perfect spot for your DJ. For added piece of mind, I always bring my own power back-up supply because I have done a few weddings where the venue’s power shut down, but we were still partying. Feel free to ask me about that story if you’d like. It felt like one big college house party and was an incredibly fun moment to see all the power go out, but within minutes, music was back up and fist pumps ensued :)

Stay tuned for part 2 and by the time we’re done with this series, you should be well on your way to having an informed conversation with your potential DJ and know whether or not they are the right person for your wedding.