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The Complete Checklist for Starting a Wedding DJ Business

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: February 26, 2024

 

Oh man, starting a wedding DJ business can be so overwhelming!

There’s just so much to do. So many things to learn, so many things to buy, so many things to set up.

To help you start your business, I highly recommend reading the article, How to Start a Wedding DJ Business (Quick Guide), followed by the complete guide, Be a Wedding DJ: The Definitive Guide to Starting a Wedding DJ Business.

Plus, there are tons of other helpful articles on this website that will tell you practically everything you need to know to get your wedding DJ business started strong.

But let’s break things down even further into an easy-to-follow checklist that you can print off and check off as you go.

(I’ve ordered these in a logical order, but some of these you can do in any order that makes sense to you.)

 

start a wedding DJ business

 

  1. Shadow a Wedding DJ. Contact a wedding DJ and join them for a wedding or two to see what DJing weddings is actually like. After you’ve seen all that’s involved, does this seem like something you still want to do? Learn anything you can. Hopefully they can become a sort of mentor. Plus, make sure you even like DJing weddings before you start buying equipment or advertising your DJ services.
  2. Study Other Wedding DJs’ Websites/Social Media. Pay attention to how they advertise their DJ services. What do you like or dislike? What would be enticing to you if you were looking to hire a wedding DJ? And what do they charge? This will help inform your sales pitch, your prices, and your overall wedding DJ persona and strategy. This step can be done early as you learn about what’s involved in being a wedding DJ or later as you start figuring out how to sell your wedding DJ services.
  3. Get Your Wedding DJ Equipment and Learn How to Use It. Start purchasing the necessary wedding DJ equipment and get comfortable with the equipment wedding DJs use. Unsure what you need? Read the Complete Wedding DJ Equipment Guide and Wedding DJ Equipment Checklist: Everything You Need for a Wedding DJ Business. Remember: You don’t have to get every single item on day one. You will naturally add to your equipment as you go. Maybe the DJ you shadowed is interested in selling some of their old equipment to you at a discount (that’s how I got much of my first equipment!). You could even possibly wait until you book a wedding before buying equipment. But be sure you’re prepared for your first wedding.
  4. Start Tracking Every Expense and Income. Now that you’re buying equipment, you need to keep great records of every single cent you spend on your wedding DJ business, plus every cent you make. Also track mileage for tax purposes. Did you drive three miles to a meeting with a prospective client? Write it down in a spreadsheet or bookkeeping software.
  5. Start Gathering Music. Wedding DJs need a TON of music. You can’t rely on Spotify, Apple Music, or other streaming services. Own your music legally! Luckily, there are some shortcuts to make acquiring music a little easier. Be sure to read The Best Ways to Get Wedding DJ Music. You’ll be adding music to your arsenal your entire wedding DJ career, so it’s okay if you don’t have every single song on day one, but be sure you have a bunch of songs, plus everything the couple asked for.
  6. Pick a Company Name. What are you going to call your wedding DJ business? John Smith, DJ? Premier Atlanta Wedding Services? Think up names and test them on your friends and family. What do they think? What name inspires confidence that your business is the one to hire? Be sure to also Google your company name to make sure it’s not already taken.
  7. Set Your Prices. Figure out what you’re going to charge. Your prices will frequently change, as you gain more experience and see what gets you business and what doesn’t. Brand new DJs can hopefully charge $500-$1,000 and get it if you’ve done a good job selling your DJ services.
  8. Create Your Documents. When people hire you, the client(s) and you should sign a contract that spells out the legal agreement for payments, services, and any other stipulations. It’s best to speak with a lawyer about this. You should also create a questionnaire that clients fill out that says what songs they want, the timeline for the wedding, etc. The Documents page has templates to get you started!
  9. Create a Wedding DJ email address. Generally, it’s best to create an email address specifically for your wedding DJ business. A personal email address with words or numbers unrelated to your business may confuse people and reeks of unprofessionalism.
  10. Create a Website. Every wedding DJ business needs a website (not just a social media page). Sign up for a website on Squarespace, WordPress, Weebly, or wherever you prefer. Include your sales pitch, what cities/states/areas you serve, any photos/videos you have of you DJing weddings (if you’ve ever done it before), a bio about you so people can get a sense of you, your prices, and how to contact you (a built-in form usually works best). Study other wedding DJs’ websites to get ideas as to what looks good and what doesn’t.
  11. Create Your Promotional Materials and Start Advertising Your Wedding DJ Business. While your website can be great promotion, you’ll need to do more. Luckily, there are many ways you can promote a wedding DJ business. Start setting up social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram are good choices) where you can advertise your wedding DJ services. Be sure to also mention you’re a wedding DJ on your personal social media accounts and that you’re now booking gigs. As well, consider creating a page on wedding vendor websites like The Knot and WeddingWire. Those websites are where a lot of couples go to find their wedding vendors. Advertising on sites like the Knot and WeddingWire can be expensive, but it can sometimes be worth it. With all advertising, it’s important to remember it’s not merely enough to say, “I’m a wedding DJ – hire me.” You need to entice people to hire you. “Now booking for fall 2026. Book by March 31 to get 25% off.” Or appeal to them another way: “Tired of cheesy wedding DJs who talk too much on the mic and don’t play the songs you like? Premier Atlanta Wedding Services always puts the couple and their guests first.”
  12. Engage With Clients. Start checking your DJ email regularly, whether that’s once a day or several times a day. Respond quickly to increase your chances of booking weddings. Follow up if a few days go by without a response from them. As well, suggest in-person meetings to better build rapport and sell your services.
  13. Book Your First Wedding. Congratulations: You’ve now booked your first wedding! Success! If, on the other hand, you’re not booking weddings, you may need to adjust your prices, pay for higher listings on the Knot or WeddingWire, or sign up for a bridal fair. Remember, it may take several weeks or months before you start booking weddings. You could also reach out to the DJ you shadowed and see if they can refer any jobs your way that they’re unavailable to do. This is how I booked 14 weddings my first year – the DJ I shadowed referred clients to me (“I’m not available, but I recommend trying Chris, who I’ve cc’d on this email…”).

Starting a wedding DJ business is a lot of work. But if you get organized on what you need to do, plus do all you can to learn about starting a wedding DJ business, you’ll get off a great start more quickly and with less stress. Good luck!
 


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