Arranging music for your wedding is one of the most critical and emotionally impactful decisions you will make for your big day.

And of course, as always is with weddings, there are many options and decisions to make, from whether you book a band or a DJ (or both), to more subjective things like the mood or vibe, what kind of personality or style you want from your DJ, and more.

When it comes to hiring a wedding DJ, there are key things you must keep in mind and be sure about before wedding day.

Make sure your DJ knows the theme of your wedding (if you have one)

If you are having a themed wedding — bohemian, vintage, mid-century, etc — discuss this with your DJ ahead of time. If you are going with a theme, you will want the music to reflect it and give you the total vibe you are looking for, including any special songs or artists for that theme. This can extend beyond the music the DJ plays to include their dress or look for the day. If they are also acting as an emcee at certain points, this can also be tied to your theme.

What wedding songs you want to hear

This conversation is crucial for any event hiring a professional DJ, but is even more important for weddings and the lasting memory you will be creating.

To ensure everything goes off without a musical hitch, prepare a list of songs you absolutely want to hear during the wedding (breaking this down for the ceremony, reception and key moments during both). This list can easily be incorporated into a wedding agenda you provide the DJ (more on this further down). If there are specific artists you want featured — like the bride and groom’s favourite band — this is the time to write them down and get them to the DJ. A note here: if the music you want is more obscure or not easily found, you will have to provide the audio files directly to your DJ ahead of time so they can add it to the rotation.

What songs you do not want to hear

Similarly, if there are songs (we can all think of some cheesy wedding staples), artists or genres you absolutely do not want to hear, write them down too. Timing here is important, as the DJ will need to prepare their catalogue of music in advance, so get this information to the DJ or their management at least 30 days in advance. The sooner the better.

Decide how much creative freedom your DJ will have

A related question is how much musical freedom your DJ will have. There are a few approaches here depending on how much control you want over the musical vibe. It is your wedding and if you want to only hear music picked from a personal playlist, that is 100% achievable. For example, if you want your wedding music to stick tightly to your theme, and you have the time and interest in drawing up a long list of music (which should be long enough to cover at least 4 hours’ of set time), go ahead and prepare a master song list for your DJ to draw from. However, this level of involvement can increase the cost as it adds to the DJ’s prep time.

If you have a looser standard, like a list of appropriate genres, that also works. Remember, your DJ is there to make your wedding dream come true as you want it to — a standard of professionalism the team here at LUXELIFE follows, as should every wedding DJ.

Similarly, decide whether you want your DJ to take requests from the audience. If there are songs you do not want played — even by request — make sure your DJ understands this, and can politely decline specific song requests. However, the LUXELIFE team generally does not recommend taking requests, as this can add a lot of complexity to the DJ’s live mix when they have to field song requests. It can also lead to major complications if the song has to be downloaded, as venue wifi is often problematic and can lead to computer crashes.

Provide your DJ with a wedding agenda/itinerary

A wedding is made up of many smaller parts: arrivals, dances, speeches, cake cutting, more dancing. And every section will be outlined on a wedding agenda, with rough start times and durations provided. If you hire musical talent for your wedding, this information is key for them, not only to set the mood for special occasions during the wedding (and signal when it’s time to start eating or dancing), but also to keep the wedding moving on time from one set-piece to the next.

So make sure your wedding DJ is on the same page — literally — as the rest of your wedding team by giving them a copy of your wedding agenda, itinerary or timeline. As a bonus, you can dedicate part of the agenda or add an extra page solely for instructions to your DJ on what songs you want heard during specific moments during the wedding (eg, the ceremony prelude, bride’s processional, reception pre-arrival music, newlyweds’ first dance, etc).

This shouldn’t replace a master list of required wedding music that you provide your DJ ahead of time, but can supplement it and help keep everything going as planned.

LUXELIFE SOUND is one of Toronto’s best wedding DJ services, and if you have any questions about music for your wedding don’t hesitate to contact us.

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