How to Get Your Wedding DJ Business Started Right!

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: February 6, 2024

Thinking about starting a wedding DJ business? Great idea!

Even if your town already has a ton of wedding DJs, there’s probably room for another. And heck, maybe you can do it way better than the others.

This article won’t be a step-by-step guide for how to start a wedding DJ business. That can be found in the aptly titled, How to Start a Wedding DJ Business (Quick Guide) and of course our complete guide, Be a Wedding DJ, that will tell you even more about how to start a successful wedding DJ business.

Rather, we’ll zoom in on some key things that can help get your wedding DJ business started right!

Following these tips can lead to:

More bookings.
Fewer mistakes.
Less stress and frustration.
And earning more money from your wedding DJ business.

Shadow Another Wedding DJ

Sure, maybe you’ve seen wedding DJs from the perspective of a wedding guest or wedding party member, but you need to see them through the eyes of another wedding DJ.

Search Google, the Knot, WeddingWire, or other sites for DJs in your area. Find a DJ with a lot of good reviews, someone who seems good at the job and maybe like someone you’d like to meet.

Next, send an email asking if you can shadow them at an event or two because you’re interested in becoming a wedding DJ too. Offer to help them load in/out equipment and provide assistance throughout the wedding in exchange for their guidance.

Personalize the email to make it sound less like you’re copying and pasting a form letter. Show that you’ve actually looked into their business (what you can tell from their website/social media/reviews, etc.) and that you like their philosophy/style/whatever. Make them feel good!

Here’s a template to get you started, but again, customize it for each specific DJ:

Hi [Their name],
I’m interested in possibly becoming a wedding DJ and looking to shadow a current DJ to learn more about the job. You stood out to me, because [the awesome reviews, their DJing philosophy, etc.]. Do you have any weddings I could possibly attend as a sort of assistant and get a sense of what it’s like? I’d be happy to help in any way possible, such as carrying in and out equipment, while obviously staying out of your way. I certainly don’t expect any payment, just a chance to learn from you.
Thanks,
[Your name]

At the wedding, be sure to have a pen and notebook for note-taking. Things to note:

How do they make announcements?
What equipment do they have?
What do they do when not many people are dancing?
How do they handle requests?
What songs do well? What don’t?
How much do they charge?
Just everything you notice.

If you and the DJ have good rapport, hopefully you’ve now made a new friend and gained a new mentor.

Likewise, if things go well, you could consider asking to attend another wedding. The more you can see, the better. But don’t overstay your welcome either.

You can also shadow an additional DJ. Honestly, you can shadow as many as you want! It can be helpful getting multiple perspectives.

Pick a Good Name for Your Wedding DJ Company

Some DJs go by just their own name (e.g., Tom Smith, DJ) while others create a company name (e.g., Great Tunes DJs).

Going by your own name is easy and creates a personal connection. But a company name can stand out more and be more memorable.

Naming tips:

It should be clear you are a wedding DJ or at least some sort of musical entertainment. Put “DJ” or “Music” or “Entertainment” in the name, even if it’s just your personal name. “Marquee Wedding Entertainment” is clear. “Marquee Solutions” is not.
Putting your city/state name into your DJ name can add a nice hook. It can make it almost sound like you’re the official DJ for your city. This can also stand out to people looking for DJs in their town. “Salt Lake City DJ Solution” is clear you serve the Salt Lake City area. Of course, if you want to DJ much farther outside that area, a name like that may be limiting.
Think of other powerful words that signal that your business is great: Elite, Platinum, Top, One-Stop, Solution, All Star.
Avoid DJ names that can come off too silly or anything that would make people think your wedding DJ business is kind of a joke. DJ Squiggles, DJ Groovy Kat, Mmm Good DJ, San Francisco Cool DJ.

Look at the names of the successful DJ companies in your city.

What are their names like?
Any trends you notice?
What about their name gives you confidence that they’re good? What names don’t give you confidence and why?

Also, be sure your name isn’t too similar to theirs or other wedding DJ businesses in the area.

Think About Your Wedding DJ Philosophy and Hook

If you had to sum up what makes your wedding DJ business different than others, what would it be?

Or another way to think about it, what’s the hook of your business?

Oh, you’re a wedding DJ who plays great music? Boring!

In my case, looking around, a lot of wedding DJ businesses seem to have too many rules and confusing pricing. Many seem cheesy or unprofessional. I also thought about how hard weddings must be for couples planning them. It’s a huge amount of work. So I baked that into my philosophy of trying to be the easiest vendor to work with and non-annoying (won’t engage in cheesy DJ antics during the wedding, like constantly talking on the microphone), with straight-forward, simple pricing and no hidden fees.

Your DJ philosophy can become part of your sales pitch, and should speak to exactly what couples are looking for.

A well-articulated DJ philosophy that is shared with your potential clients can make you stand out among the legions of DJs who simply share what equipment they have, how they have years of experience, these are the packages they offer, etc.

Ready for the complete guide to becoming a wedding DJ? Here you go.

Get Your Wedding DJ Equipment But Don’t Go Broke

You will need a lot of wedding DJ equipment. We’ve covered all that in our Complete Wedding DJ Equipment Guide and the Wedding DJ Equipment Checklist: Everything You Need for a Wedding DJ Business.

Remember, though, you don’t necessarily have to buy every single thing before you start booking jobs. While I recommend having a lavalier microphone, wireless microphone, and wired microphone, you could maybe get by with just a wireless microphone at the beginning.

You can also wait to get the “second setup,” though I do think that’s an essential part. But you don’t have to have that right away.

You can buy used equipment or rent it until you’ve made more money.

And don’t forget, you can use down payments from weddings you’ve booked to help cover the cost of equipment.

Every area of life has its gadget enthusiasts: people who have to have the slickest car, the coolest guitar, the fanciest TV. DJs are no different. It can be easy to chase the latest, flashiest piece of equipment. While you of course want good equipment, equipment envy can cost you a lot and cut into your profits. Especially when you’re starting out, it’s okay to just have “good” equipment and stick with it until you’ve built up your finances and can justify the bigger expenses.

Get Wedding Bookings from Other Wedding DJs

When you’re a brand new wedding DJ, it can be hard to get bookings.

There’s tons of competition, you don’t have much experience, and people haven’t seen you in action as much.

Hopefully you have a good website and promotional accounts on wedding websites. And hopefully you’re getting five-star reviews from every client for whom you DJ.

Still, when you only have 10 reviews, the DJ with 80 good reviews is almost always going to look more appealing.

So you may need extra help getting attention. That’s where other DJs can help you.

Reach out to single-op DJs (companies that are just one DJ) and share that you’re new and trying to obtain bookings. Say that you’d love if they could refer any clients to you if they get contacted and are unable to do the job.

You may need to sell your DJ services a little or meet up sometime and get to know each other a bit, aka good old-fashioned networking. But this could lead to work for you.

It did for me! In fact, that’s how I was able to DJ 14 events my first year – they were all referrals from another DJ I knew. If a potential client reached out to him and he was unable to do the job, he’d forward the email to me and let the client know, “I’m unavailable, but I recommend trying Chris…”

I still had to ultimately earn the business, but his recommendation meant something to these potential clients, and they were willing to give me a shot.

Hopefully you’ve shadowed another DJ or two by now. If so, those DJs are perfect for this ask because they now know you and hopefully like you.

Note: I recommend only reaching out to single-op DJs. Companies with multiple DJs are unlikely to refer jobs outside of the company because they already have a stable of multiple DJs.

Keep Track of All Income and Expenses and Pay Taxes

Make sure to keep track of all DJ income and expenses in a spreadsheet or through another method.

Be sure to also keep track of every single mile you drive for your DJ business, whether it's to a DJ meeting, to a wedding, etc.

You can then deduct these miles and other business expenses when it comes time to do taxes.

Taxes - that's right. You're a honest businessperson, so you will pay those!

For many of us, we're used to taxes being automatically taken out of our paychecks. With a DJ business, that's not happening. You can get paid $1,000 and think, sweet, you just made $1,000, but nope, you will owe taxes on that.

If you want, set money aside toward future tax payments or pay quarterly estimated taxes. This can soften the blow during tax time each year. Some years I've owed several thousand dollars, which can be an OUCH! feeling when I wasn't expecting it.

Of course, the more you owe in taxes, that means the more you're making in DJ income.

Reflect on the Year

After your first year in business, it's good to look back and consider what worked well and what didn't.

How'd your equipment do? Did it hold up well? Sound good?
What got you bookings? What methods didn't get you bookings?
How are your wedding DJ business finances looking?
What made you enjoy running a wedding DJ business? What didn't?
What new things do you want to try for next year? (For example, should you sign up for a bridal fair?)
What things do you no longer want to do? (For example, maybe you want to keep DJing weddings but no longer do school events.)

A wedding DJ business is a forever learning process!

Remain open to change.

Remain open to the fact that some things won't work.

Remain open to continually striving to improve.