Behind-The-Scenes Series – Tips From A Wedding Photographer!

       Welcome, welcome! If you are recently engaged and have a million things on your mind – you have come to the right place! As a wedding photographer, I get to see so much of what goes on at a wedding and I can’t help but share some insightful info with you. There is just too much goodness to share and I must share this with you!! 

If you’d rather watch the video re-cap, here ya go! Or feel free to read along. 😉 

This week, my sweet husband joined me and shared his top 10 tips for hiring a wedding dj. He is the founder of TheWeddingPartyAtl and knows all things music related. I truly feel that when it comes to hiring a wedding dj….it’s just really confusing. What do you even ask them?? Hopefully these tips can help you have a clear idea of what you want for your wedding.

10 Tips For Hiring A Wedding Dj

1) The music at your wedding is one of the most important parts. Ballpark your budget to start around $1000. Always remember – you get what you pay for! There’s always someone who can do it cheeper – just be careful.

2) Look for a Wedding DJ you can trust. These are such important memories, you should relax knowing that your dj has everything put together correctly and will treat your guest with respect. 

3) Discuss with the DJ what kind of music you like. Do you love 80’s rock ballads, or swing dance music, or do you want the DJ to play all of the classic wedding songs. Be sure to talk to your dj about what your music style is.

4) For the reception, you need to pick a first dance song, father/ daughter dance song, mother/ son dance song. Go ahead and be thinking of these songs asap! 

5) If you want to be very particular, you could even make the playlist for the DJ. This ensures that the DJ only plays the songs you like. Spotify works great for this! Especially with all of the different song versions – you want to me sure you are on the same page on which song version.

6) An experienced DJ can feel and work the crowd. There is no perfect song list. Sometimes the crowd needs a fast dance song and sometimes the crowd needs a slow song. Trusting your DJ to use their discretion will come in handy!

7) Wedding sing alongs work great. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Backstreet Boys “I Want it That Way” If there are any songs you absolutely don’t like – be sure to let you DJ know in advance.

8) DJ’s also M.C. the event. You definitely want a wedding planner! Together, they coordinate the announcements to keep the flow of the wedding going smoothly. ie: the arrival of the wedding party, how and when to get the food, the cutting of the cake, special dance songs, when and how to send the Bride and Groom off.

***You want a DJ with a fun personality. Make sure you want the DJ to be the one talking to your guest throughout the night. 

9) Sometimes getting the party started (especially earlier in the night) can be a little awkward if your guest are shy to dancing. I have had a lot of success having the bridesmaids and the groomsmen start the dancing. Once you get people dancing and break the ice it is easier to keep it going.

10) You can also hire a DJ to do your ceremony. There is an art and a precision to this. Fading songs in and out and at the right time. An experienced DJ can also feel the moment…what if you are lighting the unity candle and the moment just calls for a little bit more music…music keeps things beautiful and not awkward.

If you have any DJ questions for Derek, or would like to inquire to see if he is available for your date, contact him here You can also check out his website here: http://www.theweddingpartyatl.com/

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