EVERYTHING YOUR DJ HANDLES ON YOUR WEDDING DAY
The Big Day Has Finally Arrived! Here is the walk through of a standard wedding day for our DJs including the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception. In this walk through, the ceremony will be outside and the cocktail hour will be in a room inside the venue that is next to the main reception hall. There will be three total equipment setups for the day. The ceremony will start at 4pm (guests begin arriving at 3:15pm) and the last song must be done playing by 10pm.
The day usually begins at 8am for the DJ. At this point, they have already carefully went through all of their notes the week before the wedding and are ready for the day. The day starts with triple checking their laptop and any other devices that are being used for music purposes. We will cross reference any specific songs requested for the day again to make sure they are in the right place. For example, the playlist for the ceremony is downloaded on their iPad, the order of the songs is correct and they have it backed up on their laptop just in case of an emergency. The DJ will meticulously go through all notes to make sure every song for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception are downloaded, organized and backed up.
Important Note : We never stream music at a wedding via a streaming service. All music is downloaded to our devices to ensure zero failure due to wi-fi outages, building or outdoor restrictions etc. You can rest assured that we will have your music.
Lastly, your DJ will put their two outfits together for the day. We have a setup outfit which we arrive to the venue in. Today’s wedding is in the middle of the summer so they’ll be arriving in dress shorts, a polo shirt and sneakers. After that, your DJ will make sure their suit, shoes, socks, dress shirt, undershirt, tie and tie clip are ready for the day. They will be changing into their suit after everything is setup and ready to go at the venue. More on that later.
After triple checking everything, we will begin to go through our equipment checklist for the day. Here is a standard equipment checklist for us…
Ceremony
2 - Powered 1,000+ watt speakers
2 - Speaker Stands (tripods)
1 - 2 Channel DJ Mixer
1 - Ipad with all necessary ceremony music preloaded
1 - Laptop with ceremony music backed up
1 - Wireless Microphone
1 - Microphone stand
1 - Wired Microphone (in case of emergency)
1 - Extra Batteries for Wireless Mic
1 - Headphones
1 - All necessary power cables, extension cords and connections for speakers, dj mixer, microphones, etc
1 - Wedding Day Timeline
Cocktail Hour
1 to 2 - Powered 1,000+ watt speakers (different sound needs according to the room the cocktail hour is in + the amount of guests expected)
1 to 2 - Speaker stands (tripods)
1 - iPad with agreed upon cocktail hour playlist
Important Note - We encourage our couples to give us music recommendations for all aspects of their wedding day but we can also build our own playlists too if desired
1 - Laptop or iPad backed up with cocktail hour playlist
1 - Wired Microphone (we will use this once to wind down the cocktail hour and to let guests know we are moving on to dinner)
1 - All necessary power cables, extension cords and connections for speakers, dj mixer, microphone, etc
Ceremony
2 - Powered 1,000+ watt speakers (more sound provided for weddings with over 300 guests)
2 - Powered Subwoofers
2 - Speaker posts to combine top speakers to subs
1 - Two channel DJ Mixer
2 - Turntables (or DJ Controller)
1 - Wireless Microphone
1 - Backup Wired Microphone
1 - Headphones
1 - Phase controller for turntables
2 - Backup needles for turntables
2 - Serato control vinyl
1 - Dancefloor Lighting Rig (unless couple didn’t request it)
1 - DJ Laptop
1 - Backup Laptop
1 - All necessary power cables, extension cords and connections for speakers, dj mixer, microphone, etc
Once the DJ has triple checked their equipment list, they will begin loading their vehicle. As you can imagine, this is like putting a puzzle together inside their SUV and can take up to an hour depending on how much gear is required for the day.
Arrive at Wedding Venue at 1pm (Usually 2-3 Hours Before Start of Ceremony)
Once the DJ arrives they will head into the venue to introduce themselves to the on-site coordinator or wedding planner (or both). If they’ve never played at the venue before, they will do a walk through with the point person to make sure they set up in the couple’s desired ceremony, cocktail hour and reception locations inside and outside of the venue. Many times, the couples will go over this with their DJ beforehand at their last meeting before the wedding. Your DJ will still triple check once they arrive at the venue so that they know where to set up.
Your DJ now knows where the three individual setups for the day are so they can begin unloading their equipment and moving it to the desired locations.
Setup for the ceremony is first and foremost. Today, the ceremony is on an outdoor patio, just outside of the venue. Your DJ will begin by running power from the building or closest power source to the area where their equipment will be setup. For this ceremony, we’ll be flanking two powered speakers on tripod stands off to each side of the ceremony site to ensure good sound and microphone acoustics for everyone attending. The actual DJ setup (where they will be playing the music from) will be behind all of the guest chairs in the rear patio. This ensures the DJ will not be in any photos. The speakers will be facing the guests and the couple and your DJ will need to run the speaker cables carefully to the side of the guests, where they enter to take their seats. All of these details are extremely important to make sure there are no tripping hazards from the cables. Once the speakers are connected to the DJ setup, the DJ will begin setting up the wireless microphone and mic stand. After all components are connected, the DJ will do multiple microphone soundchecks and music checks to make sure the sound quality is perfect and that there’s no chance of feedback from the speakers. If there are any issues, your DJ can problem solve accordingly. For this ceremony, the wireless microphone is placed on a mic stand at the top of the aisle the couple will walk down. The officiant will be controlling the microphone and will be in charge of handing it off to the bride and groom during the ceremony for their vows.
Setup for the cocktail hour is second. The cocktail hour today is directly inside the venue, about 40 yards from the outdoor patio where the ceremony is being held. Your DJ will scout the room beforehand to find a good area to place both speakers on two different sides of the room to ensure the room is filled with music. After the speakers are wired and setup, your DJ will connect an iPad with your cocktail hour playlist and do a soundcheck to make sure the room sounds good. They will also set up a wired microphone and do a mic check so they can make any necessary announcements during the cocktail hour.
Setup for the dinner and reception are last. Your DJ will then begin setting up for the dinner and reception which is the largest equipment setup for the day. Most venues have a designated area for the DJ to setup and today is no different. The venue has already pointed out their DJ table in front of the dance floor and where all the nearest power connections are so they can begin setting up. This setup will include multiple speakers, subwoofers, turntables and/or DJ controller and a professional DJ mixer to mix between songs during the reception. This setup will also include a dance floor lighting rig that will be flanked behind the DJ’s left side and pointed toward the dance floor directly in front of them. Your DJ will also have a wireless microphone, a wired microphone backup and two laptops in case of an emergency. After everything is setup and all wires and cables are cleanly tucked away, your DJ will begin their main soundcheck for music and the wireless microphone. The microphone check also includes walking around the entire room to ensure sound is perfect in every area of the venue. This is a very important detail because you don’t want any microphone feedback or sound issues during any of the guest speeches. Any cables that may have to run onto the floor will also be secured with gaffers tape to make sure they are not a tripping hazard.
After all areas are setup, your DJ will then head to the closest bathroom to do a quick clean up, fix their hair and change into their suit for the day.
Once they’ve changed, your DJ will again find the wedding coordinator to go over the wedding timeline to ensure everyone is on the same page and that there haven’t been any last minute changes to the schedule. If there are changes between the DJs timeline and the wedding coordinators, they will adjust accordingly. Your DJ will also consult with you on any last minute changes once you arrive at the venue to make sure everyone is on the same page.
At this point in the day, your DJ will also typically introduce themselves to your photographer/videographer once they arrive to touch base with them and see if they have any special needs.
4pm - The Ceremony (we start playing music at 3:15pm when the guests begin arriving).
As your guests arrive, we will have the agreed upon arrival music playing. Your guests will also grab their names from your seating chart for dinner at this point. Your DJ will be standing near their ceremony equipment setup and checking in with you and your planner to make sure everything is going according to plan.
Once we’re given the cue from a point person, we will begin playing the walk music for the bridesmaids. Your officiant will be standing front and center in front of the microphone at this point and the groomsmen are lined up. When the officiant announces for the guests to stand, we will play the bride’s walk down music.
At this point, there are no other songs to play during the ceremony until the walk out song. The job for the ceremony is far from over though. We will be adjusting the sound for the microphone throughout the duration of the ceremony to ensure it sounds best for all of your guests. Small intricacies in the way the officiant talks will make us decide how to adjust the microphone volume levels up or down during their time on the microphone.
Understanding the importance of microphone logistics for the ceremony
Since the bride and groom will be reading their vows to each other, there were two options presented to them at their final meeting before the wedding.
The officiant will hand over the wireless microphone to the bride or groom to begin speaking. The bride and groom know their vows and can hold the microphone with on or two hands to read them.
The officiant will place the microphone back in the mic stand and put it in front of the bride or groom to their desired height so that they don’t have to hold the microphone while they talk.
There is no wrong option here. We just like to give couples the option to either hold the microphone or talk into it while it’s place in the mic stand.
After you’ve been officially married, your DJ will play your walk out song as guests cheer you down the aisle!
At this point since your DJ doesn’t have an assistant today, they will quickly rush into the cocktail hour area to turn on equipment and set the volume for the cocktail hour playlist.
After the cocktail hour playlist has been turned on and the volume is adjusted for the amount of people entering into the room (bodies absorb sound), they will quickly head back out to the ceremony area to pack up their ceremony equipment setup and load it either back to their vehicle or to a safe space inside the venue, out of the guests way.
4:45pm - The Cocktail Hour
Your agreed upon cocktail hour list is playing now and guests are mingling and enjoying the music, drinks and hoerdurves. Your DJ will be on standby at this point making sure the sound levels are good and checking in with the wedding staff to make sure there aren’t any hiccups in the schedule. Your DJ will also check on you at this point to see if you need anything and will happily grab you a drink from the bar too if desired.
Once the Cocktail Hour begins to wind down around 5:45pm, we will make a quick announcement for everyone to head into the main reception room for dinner.
6pm - Bridal Party Introduction, Formal Dances, Dinner & Speeches
Guests have taken their seats and dinner is about to begin. This is a classic sit down dinner and guests will be served by a waitstaff.
At this point, the DJ will have background music playing for guests while he is in another area lining up the bridal party and making sure everyone is ready to make their big entrance. During this meeting the DJ will also be giving the bridal party a full play by play of what happens next. It’s very important that the DJ speaks directly to them and that everyone pays attention because things are about to move quickly from the main introduction to the first dance and speeches.
Once the DJ reenters the room they will introduce themselves to your guests and get them hyped up for your bridal party introduction and your main entrance.
The bridal party music has been chosen beforehand by the bride and groom and all of the couples in the bridal party are coming out to different songs. This is no problem because the DJ has prepared the music beforehand. They’ve made it possible to switch easily between songs with the press of a button after each couple is announced and enters the room. The crowd goes wild and the bride and groom’s main entrance goes off without a hitch.
Once the bride and groom have been announced, they go directly into their first dance together. Their DJ recommended this because the have the full room’s attention at this point. Nobody is running around for drinks, food, etc.
The couple has provided a song for their first dance but they’ve asked the DJ to cut it down and end it after the second chorus to move things along a little quicker.
As soon as the dance is over, the couple walks directly over to their cake and the DJ makes the cake cutting announcement. They also let guests know they can take their phones out to take pictures. The couple has selected a song for their cake cutting as well.
As soon as the cake cutting concludes, the couple takes their seats and we transition directly into speeches. The DJ first introduces the bride’s father and then hands him the microphone so he can says a few words. The DJ stays close by and as soon as the Father is done, the DJ thanks him, takes the microphone back and introduces the Maid of Honor for her speech and then the Best Man directly after her.
In the pre-meeting with the couple, the DJ explained the importance of speeches not running too long and how less is more. We’ve all been to a wedding where there were more speeches than necessary or someone took the liberty of talking half drunkingly for much more time than they were allotted. Speeches are a very personal and important part of any wedding but the DJ was able to give the bride and groom a few crucial tips beforehand to relay to their speakers to avoid any long drawn out moments. Always remember that it’s also a long day for your guests and food service usually doesn’t start until speeches are wrapped up.
Once the speeches are done, dinner is served. The DJ will do a quick check in with the couple during dinner to make sure things are moving along properly and to see if they need anything.
Directly after dinner, the couple has decided to do the mother/son and father/daughter dances. This ensures that once the dance reception begins, there are no other notable breaks during the dancing. The couple has chosen specific songs to dance with their parents and the DJ introduces each of them back to back. Directly after the dinner the DJ has asked the couple to dance to one more slow song together before the dance reception begins. He also asks all other couples to join the bride and groom on the dance floor for this song. As soon as this song concludes, the DJ goes right into his first dance song with ALL couple on the floor, ensuring the party starts off on a high note! The DJ has also instructed the venue coordinator to turn the lights down a little lower at the start of their first dance song.
7:30pm-10pm - Dance Reception
Dancing has begun and the DJ is locked in. This is where they shine and where they can use the music interests of the couple to tell a fun story. The couple has provided a Spotify playlist of songs they like and has also provided a “Do Not Play” playlist. During their pre-meeting the DJ was able to talk with both of them about the music they enjoy, what they listened to in high school and college as well as specific songs that have important meaning in the course of their relationship. The DJ also has asked what they believe their guests are going to enjoy which is very helpful. Lastly they were able to walk them through how they navigate crowds to keep them on the dance floor having a good time and their personal DJ style.
The night is moving along and guests are having a great time. The pop up bar is close by which was another recommendation the DJ gave to the couple to relay to their event planner. We never want guests to wander to far from the dance floor and keeping your bar close always helps.
Requests from guests are welcomed within certain limitations. If a guest requests a song that is on the couple’s “Do Not Play” list, the DJ politely explains the situation and recommends other songs that may work better for everyone.
All songs are mixed together perfectly with no breaks and the DJ weaves between genres and decades seamlessly. The last song the couple wants to hear is a major dance tune from the 2010’s that unites their friends and family one last time in a sing along. The lights come up at the conclusion of the song which is 10pm on the dot.
10pm-11pm - Equipment Break Down and Repack Vehicle
The DJ begins unplugging wires, wrapping them up and packing up all of their equipment. Once equipment is packed up, they will do multiple cart runs out to their car to carefully pack everything up.
11pm-12am - The Drive Home and Equipment Unpacking
Conclusion
As you can see, wedding days have a lot of moving parts for a DJ. We’ve drawn up this example to show you why it’s important to hire a professional on one of the most important days of your life. Small details like understanding lighting and how to navigate dance floor crowds with varying ages and music interests are so important. The DJ is essentially running the entire show the day of your wedding and its important to hire someone who is up the task and who has real world experience.
At its core, DJing is about mixing songs together seamlessly. To be honest, there’s a lot of DJs out there now. What’s more rare is to find an amazing wedding DJ. Someone who can easily handle the music side of things but can also communicate clearly, give suggestions and also troubleshoot any problems or issues during the wedding without the couple even knowing. The goal is always to make sure the couple is having the best day of their life. Only someone with experience can give you that peace of mind.