Don’t Make These Dumb Wedding DJ Mistakes

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: October 17, 2022

Weddings are high-pressure events. And when you’re the DJ, you’re often the vendor who is most visible to guests, most in control of what’s going on, and most responsible for the reception being a great time – or not.

If you’re not careful, you could ruin someone’s wedding reception or at least make it bad for a while.

Don’t make these common (and dumb!) wedding DJ mistakes.

Making Your Sales Pitch All About Time/Equipment

When DJs price their services to prospective clients, many make the mistake of focusing on the equipment or time they provide.

“You’ll get two speakers, three microphones, and four lights for four hours for just $1,500.”

Um, are people renting equipment?

No!

They’re hiring DJ services. They’re hiring what you can give them and others can’t.

Now, of course you can include what equipment you provide and any time limits, but that should not be the focus.

Your wedding DJ sales pitch should focus on what makes you different from other wedding DJs, what problems you can solve for the couple, why you are the must-hire wedding DJ. Not what equipment you bring or how long you’re willing to be there.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to review How to Create an Amazing Wedding DJ Sales Pitch.

Talking Too Much on the Microphone

No one goes to a wedding reception because they want to hear a DJ talk. No one.

The couple, their bridal party, and their guests want to party and have a great time, not hear a DJ blab on with annoying jokes or pathetic banter.

Now, okay, yes, wedding DJs should make any necessary announcements throughout the night, and it’s okay to insert some humor from time to time. But keep it in check.

Don’t interrupt people having a good time unless you have a very good reason.

The number one complaint I’ve heard from prospective clients about wedding DJs they’ve seen in the past: The DJ talked too much or was annoying. Their own enjoyment of the wedding reception was lessened because of the DJ’s behavior (and not just the music choices). Don’t make this mistake!

If you haven’t yet, be sure to review How to MC a Wedding Like a Pro.

And, speaking of sales pitches, remember to work this into your sales pitch: “I provide emceeing services, making any necessary announcements throughout the night but without the annoying banter that distracts from a great wedding.”

Wireless Microphone Batteries Dying During Toasts (and not having replacement batteries ready!)

Anytime someone is using a battery-operated microphone, you naturally don’t want the batteries to die.

It can then become an awkward moment where the person speaking starts whacking at the microphone (as if tapping the top of a microphone makes it start working again???) or guests start shouting, “We can’t hear you!”

The simple solution is to regularly replace your batteries*. You could replace them every wedding, or you could probably get away with replacing them every other wedding or so.

To make your batteries last longer, take them out of the microphone when it’s not in use. Leaving them in there will drain the energy faster.

Plus, always, always, always, have replacement batteries ready on your DJ table should the microphone’s batteries suddenly stop working.

This saved me when a week before writing this article my wireless microphone indeed stopped working during the maid of honor’s speech because the batteries died.

I grabbed the replacement batteries on my DJ table, raced over to the head table, and swapped those out in ten seconds, and the speech resumed just a minute later.

It was an awkward situation, a technical mistake, but it would’ve been much worse if I had to say, “Oh! Hold on a minute…” and then dig through my equipment boxes trying to scrounge up some batteries somewhere. “I know they’re here somewhere . . . just a minute, folks . . . ” Oh dear.

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

Not Having a Song the Couple Asks For

Sadly, this happens more than you think – a DJ shows up and doesn’t have a song the couple asked them to play in their instructions before the wedding.

Before each wedding, review the list of songs the couple has given you to play and make sure you have every single song. As well, listen to each song to make sure you have the right version and one that sounds good.

I’ve occasionally had the misfortune to learn that the song I thought I had was actually a live version or acoustic version (just not the one the couple asked for) or is a low-quality mp3 that has glitches or cuts off. Listen and make sure.

Thankfully, these days you can fairly quickly download the correct mp3 if you don’t have it, but this can still take some time and looks terrible when the couple is standing on the dance floor, waiting for you to get it.

Be prepared.

Relying on the Internet/Streaming for Music

The Internet is a beautiful thing, but it’s not always reliable.

You should have copies of all your music, whether it’s a CD, vinyl, or mp3. Don’t rely on streaming or anything that requires the Internet to work.

I’ve DJed at some rural venues, and sometimes not rural, where their Wi-Fi didn’t work or there was some issue with the Internet. If I had relied on that to DJ, I would’ve been completely sunk.

You’re a professional! Legally own your music.

Forgetting to Ask the Couple Their Preference for Profanity in Music

A lot of music has explicit lyrics. Be sure to ask the couple ahead of time whether they’re okay with that or not.

Some will be fine with you playing songs with explicit lyrics, while others will want clean versions only.

Some may want clean versions until, say, 9:00 p.m., but then after that they’re okay with you playing the explicit version.

Find out ahead of time their preference to avoid a potentially awkward situation.

Being in the Bathroom/Away When a Song Ends

When you’re playing each song one at a time, there will be an awkward silence if you’re away from the table when the song ends. The music will stop, and people will be looking around, wondering what’s going on.

Naturally, you may need to leave the DJ table from time to time. Maybe you have to use the bathroom or forgot something important in your car.

For whatever reason, give yourself some time: Play a song that is plenty long just in case it takes longer than you think. Instead of playing a three-minute song, try to play one that goes on much longer just in case.

Here are a few examples:

“Piano Man” by Billy Joel (5:39)
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen (5:55)
“Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve (5:58)
“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John (6:18)
“Hey Jude” by the Beatles (7:04)

Letting Technical Issues Shut You Down

Technical issues are going to happen from time to time. You need to be ready with quick and reliable solutions, plus plenty of backups. You can't let, for instance, a speaker dying stop you from still being able to deliver great DJ service to the best of your ability.

If you haven't yet, be sure to review these helpful articles:

Letting Your Music Tastes Get in the Way

One of the bummers of being a wedding DJ is you sometimes have to play music you can't stand. Music you think is awful. Music you may even find offensive.

If that bothers you, then you probably shouldn't be a wedding DJ.

I too had visions when I started of me "introducing" people to great music (aka, the music I like) rather than playing the typical wedding DJ stuff.

I quickly learned this is simply not how it works.

The wedding DJ is there to play what the couple and their guests want, not what the DJ themselves wants.

Don't make the mistake of inserting a lot of your personal preferences that don't match with the couple's instructions just because you think your preferences are better.

Now, okay, that's not to say you can't talk with the couple about their choices if you truly think they won't do well. You can offer ideas and suggestions. But first and foremost, you're there to fulfill the couple's wishes, not your own.

Want an easy way to get tons of great reviews? Provide exactly what the couple wants.

Getting Drunk

In general, it's best not to drink at weddings. After all, you're there to work, not to party.

However, sometimes the couple will say it's okay or encourage it even.

Of course, you can still say no, but you could also consider having a drink. Still best to keep it under control, though.

You just have to be very, very careful not to let it affect your performance. If people know you're drinking, they may unfairly jump to the conclusion that you are absolutely intoxicated (even if you've just had a little bit).

For safety's sake, don't drink at all. But if you do, be careful!

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