Unless you're very familiar with what makes for a great wedding DJ, it's hard to know what questions to ask to see if the DJ is a good fit for you. If I were getting married, these are the first three questions I would ask. If you like the DJ's answer, and if you mesh well with their personality, you can be confident you are in capable hands.
1) Ask for a sample of their microphone skills during formalities and dance time.
A skilled DJ will speak personably and engage the crowd without being pushy or over-the-top. Done properly, your DJ will keep guests in the loop, and add to the energy in the room. Done poorly, a DJ might be really pushy with your guests, speak in a cheesy “monster truck rally” type voice, or have no idea how to keep your guests in the loop.
2) Ask for a sample of their mixing transitions.
A skilled DJ will match the beats of the incoming song with the beats of the current song, allowing for a seamless song transition. This is called “beatmatching”. Beatmatching is crucial in building energy on the dancefloor. It allows guests to get into a rhythm while dancing. If you’ve ever heard a DJ that only fades in and out of songs, you’ve probably felt the energy instantly drop in the room. Or even worse, if you’ve ever heard a DJ that thinks they’re good at beatmatching but isn’t, you can expect what we call a “trainwreck transition”, an earsore that is sure to kill the mood and the dance floor.
3) Ask them to walk you through their wedding planning process.
Many DJs are good in a bar or club environment, but know very little about planning and coordinating a wedding day. A great DJ will have planning forms, know how to make a timeline, and know how to keep things on track once your wedding day arrives.