Why a checklist
A wedding DJ does two jobs. One is playing music. The other, which nobody mentions in the offer, is being the one who keeps to the schedule when the cake is late, the bride's uncle wants to give one more speech and the photographer needs ten minutes in the sunset. The questions below are mostly about the second job.
The six about the evening
- How many weddings have you done? Under twenty is a risk; club experience does not carry over automatically.
- How do you handle the guests' requests during the evening?
- Who handles the microphone during the speeches, and is a wireless microphone included?
- What do you do if the dance floor empties at half past eleven?
- How do you work with the toastmaster and the photographer?
- What is the last song, and who decides it?
The six about the equipment and the contract
- What equipment do you bring, and what do you assume the venue has?
- When do you arrive to set up, and do you need a soundcheck?
- What happens if you fall ill: do you have a name to call, and is it in the contract?
- What does overtime cost, per half hour started?
- Which cancellation terms apply, and from which date?
- Do you have F-tax, and can you send a correct invoice?
The list that matters more than the request list
Spend ten minutes writing down the songs you definitely do not want to hear. That list does more good than a request list of fifty tracks, for two reasons: it is shorter, and it protects against exactly what tends to go wrong. A good DJ needs to know where the limits are, not which songs you like; they will work that out in twenty minutes.
What the contract should say
The date, the place, the exact playing times, the setting-up time, what the talent brings, what the venue provides, the overtime rate, the cancellation terms with dates, an illness clause with a replacement, and the payment terms. Spoken agreements about times are the most common source of conflict on the wedding day. A contract through Talentsio is made automatically from the offer and approved by both parties on Talentsio, precisely so that none of the above has to be written twice.