Do I even need a DJ at my wedding?

First of all, let me address the elephant in the room. Asking a Wedding DJ if you need a wedding DJ is like asking a barber if you need a haircut. I get it. But I also do this job because I genuinely believe in what I do and the value that wedding DJs can provide.

Even so, you may be thinking: “a DJ just plays music, right? What can they do that I can’t do with an iPad and a portable speaker? Surely I can do that and save myself a couple thousand bucks on the budget?”

Many brides wonder if they can DIY their music with an iPad and a speaker. While it might sound easy, the truth is that professional equipment, sound quality, and timing make a huge difference. A DJ brings expertise, reliability, and a musical instinct that keeps the dance floor alive and your special moments flawless.

From delivering and setting up top-tier gear to reading the room and adjusting the playlist on the fly, a good DJ ensures your wedding soundtrack runs smoothly and memorably. So, ask yourself—do you want to leave your music and mood to chance, or do you want a dedicated pro who makes sure every beat is pure magic?

In this article, I will take you through the multitude of reasons why I believe it’s “worth it” to get a wedding DJ. Let’s Dive in.

Equipment supply, delivery setup and packdown.

First of all, if nothing else, there’s the logistical value that a DJ provides. They will be arriving before the reception starts, and they will be there after it concludes, to deliver, set up, pack down and remove all of the physical sound and lighting equipment for the night.

Would you want to be carrying a heaver speaker in your wedding dress, or would you like to be make a trip to the speaker hire warehouse the morning of your wedding and trying to fit a 15” PA speaker and stand into the back of your Mazda?

The convenience of having someone there to take care of that is already a huge weight off your shoulders and one less thing to worry about, (and as you probably know by now, there are already a lot of things to worry about.)

Technician & Expertise

A DJ not only supplies the equipment, they know how to use it best. A good DJ will be able to position the speakers in a spot the gets the best coverage for speeches and the dance floor, without blasting anyone’s eardrums open. They can set the microphone receiver in a location where there won’t be any signal issues.

They will be able to use their technical knowledge of gain structuring to set the levels correctly in the mixer and the speaker, so that there is no feedback (that harsh ringing sound) form the microphone and that the sound is coming through crisp and clear.

They will be there to troubleshoot any issues so you won’t be left scratching your head on why the microphone is not picking up any sound even though you’ve turned everything on.

Quality of Equipment

If you’re planning on doing a DIY setup, the chances are you’ll be borrowing a speaker from a family member, or using an entry level bluetooth speaker form JB HiFi, does that sound about right? I can almost guarantee that unless you are having a micro wedding of <30 guests, it probably won’t be sufficient.

I supply over $20,000 Worth of pro equipment to a wedding. My speakers alone are worth $10,000. When you hear them side by side to a consumer speaker, you’ll realise that a quality speaker really makes a difference in how likely people are to get up and dance.

Timing for Key Moments

If you want a grand entrance, with multiple songs for each bridal party member, then you really need to nail the timing of the music. When you get up for your first dance, you want the right song to play, without any hiccups or awkward pauses.

Are you planning on giving this job to one of your bridesmaids or guests? What if they’ve had a few drinks by then and can’t be relied upon?

A pro DJ can set up cue points on each track to make sure the right song is played at exactly the right time, and your guests can enjoy the wedding as much as everyone else without worrying about a job to do.

A DJ is well priced anyway!

I know weddings are already very expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, DJ is generally cheaper than:

• Florals
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Wedding cars
• Catering
• Alcohol
• Venue
• Invites & stationery
• And almost every other vendor.

I don’t want to throw any florists or stationery companies under the bus, but ask yourself when was the last time you left a wedding and the thing you remembered was the flowers, or “wow their menu cards were really pretty” If you can find room in your budget for a DJ, then it’s definitely worth it for creating a lasting memory for yourself and your guests in terms of bang-for-buck. 

Music knowledge, DJ Skills, and reading the crowd

I’ve left this point to last, but arguably it’s the single most piece of value that a DJ can provide. If you take away nothing else from this post, please let me drill this single point into your brain.

Here it is: A DJ is not there to just press play. Bolded, underlined, and italicised. A DJ’s skill comes with the ability to draw on a wealth of musical knowledge. They know what works, and what doesn’t. They know the hits. They’ve been there. 

I can count on one hand the number of times where a strict playlist instruction from the couple has outperformed what I would have played if it were left up to me, and all of those times are due to very niche elements like specific cultural music or in-jokes from from family/friend groups.

A good DJ will be able to respect your playlist, but still work within it to play the right song at the right time. They can mix the songs so that the transitions maintain the energy on the dance floor, they can do creative edits and cue points so if a song is too long you don’t hear the whole thing.

I could talk for hours nerding out on this point alone, but the key takeaway you need to trust me on is that a DJ’s skill matters in creating and maintaining the energy on the dance-floor.

A Hypothetical

You want to save the $$ or just don’t think it’s worth it, so you think you can manage to DIY the music. The morning of your wedding, you check that uncle Bob is going to bring his speaker, your brother is bringing the iPad that you loaded up with your playlist. You’ve texted the list and timeline to your bridesmaid who is going to play your key moments. 

During the speeches, people are asking to speak louder or turn it up because the single speaker isn’t carrying the volume to the back. Then your bridesmaid has to fumble through her phone to find the right track while you awkwardly stand there waiting to start your first dance. Finally it gets under way.

Then it’s party time, but you notice a song skips halfway through. What’s happening? A guest who has had a few too many beers, suddenly fancies themselves a bit of a DJ and has wandered over to the iPad to skip some songs and add their own. They skipped past your favourite songs that you envisioned rocking out to since you started planning your wedding. You’re having to head over to the iPad and sort it out instead of enjoying your night.

The vibes are not quite there, nobody is dancing. Before long, guests start queuing up to you and your partner to say goodbye. You were planning on doing a sparkler exit at 10pm but all the guests have left by quarter past nine, including your uncle who owns the speaker, so you’ve packed down the equipment yourself, and need to drop it back to him the next morning.

If this scenario makes you shudder, then you are perfectly sane! Hopefully this demonstrates the value a pro wedding DJ can bring to your wedding day.

Once more, for the people in the back…

To summarise, a DJ is not the same as hiring a speaker! A good wedding DJ will:

• Take care of the supply, delivery, setup, and backdown of the equipment
• Act as a technician to make sure its all working correctly
• In all likelihood, provide better equipment than you have access to
• Get all the timings right for key moments to avoid any awkward hiccups
• Be one of the more modestly priced vendors in the grand scheme of things
• Read the room and use their skill to keep the vibes high.

In conclusion, if you envision guests dancing or incorporating music as part of your wedding, you should strongly consider booking a DJ! There are enough things that can go wrong at your wedding already – don’t let this be one of them.