If you’re a natural-born entertainer, musically-inclined, and love being the life of the party, DJing might be for you. But did you know you can make a career out of it? You don’t have to confine yourself to make beats in your basement or build your friend’s party’s playlist any longer.
Consider a career as a wedding DJ. You could be the pulse of the party and join two families. You drive the energy of the reception, play people’s favorite songs in a variety of different genres, and have a pivotal role in the biggest day of a happy couple’s life.
At RMF Entertainment, we take pride in being the most reliable wedding DJ company in Montana since 2007. We dedicate long hours, and provide the best DJs who blend professionalism with fun. With more than 10 highly-qualified, best-in-the-business DJs and live musicians, we’re determined to create memorable experiences for important celebrations.
If you want a career that means something important, will provide you with fun and fulfilling experiences, and will have an impact on people’s lives, consider turning your DJ hobby into a career in weddings.
How Do I Become A Wedding DJ?
First of all, becoming a wedding DJ is not about you or your career. You need to dedicate yourself to bringing people’s dream wedding to life. Taking the reins of someone’s big day is a big responsibility and you should understand what it entails.
Being creative and playing music are two of the best perks of becoming a wedding DJ, but make sure you’re in it to bring others’ unforgettable and cherished memories to life. If you’re doing it for fun, that’s one thing. But if you want this as your career, there are some things you need to make sure are covered before diving in.
- Ask for advice:
Make sure you reach out to wedding DJs already in the business for advice and guidance when entering this field. They’ll know the ins and outs of the industry and they can provide a stabilizing presence as you navigate a new career.
They can help you decide what your next course of action will be. They’ll also provide you with valuable tips in navigating a celebration, like diversifying your playlists for different events throughout the night, working the crowd, MCing best practices, and so on.
- Take classes in audio mixing or sound engineering:
You likely already have a knack for blending songs or creating playlists, but you can always learn more. The last thing you want is silence during a reception or in the middle of the bride and groom’s first dance. Brush up on your skills so you feel like DJing is effortless and you truly know how to put a three-hour set together.
- Have the right gear:
Make sure you have the essentials: a PA system, a mixing board, turnstiles, a solid laptop, nice headphones, and everything to make it all work together. You don’t need the best equipment around, you just need to fully understand how to operate the DJ equipment you use. This can take time and money, so make sure you’re prepared. DJ equipment is often worth up to $50,000.
- Set rates, write contracts, have a business plan:
If you’re in this for the long haul, crunch some numbers to ensure you can have a sustainable business plan. Once you have all your equipment and training in order, you can begin to set your own rates,and write contracts for soon-to-be newlyweds.
Why Weddings?
It’s reliable income: Weddings are a year-round affair, particularly as the world reopens. Many couples that couldn’t get married in 2020 and 2021 are not wasting any time in 2022 and 2023. Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, and if you establish yourself enough, you could make a pretty penny in providing the fun for a wedding in a smooth, professional manner.
- Wedding DJs are in high deamand:
Not only do wedding DJs save couples money compared to hiring a full live band, they’re often more versatile and can play an endless variety of different genres and styles. A wedding band is, on average, $1500 more than hiring a wedding DJ. Considering 45 percent of couples go over their initial wedding budget, a wedding DJ can provide an inexpensive, yet highly effective option for a celebration’s entertainment. Sixty-seven percent of couples reported hiring a wedding DJ as entertainment in 2021.
- It's fun:
You’re the captain of the party ship and the conductor of all the big moments of a wedding celebration. You get to build customizable playlists for couples, kick off the first dance, manage the cocktail hour, dinner, and reception dance-floor playlists, and steer the mood of the celebration with requests.
- It's fulfilling:
Being surrounded by newlywed happiness and playing an active role in this happiness is a very fulfilling experience. You’re already a musically-driven individual; the music part speaks for itself and building a life in it will reward you. But a perk is being able to create memories that couples and families will remember forever.
How Much Do Wedding DJs Make?
Unless you work for an established wedding DJ company, what you bring in as far as income will fluctuate due to a number of factors, including:
- How much you charge per your rates
- How many weddings you get hired onto
- How available and flexible you can be
- How much you can travel
- How good you are at your job
- If weddings are your only source of income
According to The Knot, while the average wedding DJ cost varies, the average amount couples spent in this category in 2021 was $1,400, up from the national average of $1,200 in 2019. If you’re a solo practitioner, you get to keep all that money. But if you work for a company, which provides valuable resources like equipment, planning, transportation, and others, you’ll likely receive a percentage of what you make.
The math adds up if you can find weddings to work every week or every other week, but likely what you make depends on how much you’re putting into your craft and how many events you can lock down. DJs work an average of two events per week (190 events each year), 43 percent of which are weddings.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time wedding DJ makes roughly $50,000 on average.
Conclusion - Turn Your DJ Hobby Into A Career In Weddings
If you’re a passionate self-starter and want to have a positive impact on people’s biggest day of their lives, a wedding DJ is the perfect career field for you. Before diving in, make sure you have the expertise, experience, skills, and equipment you need to work a full wedding by yourself.
But that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Ask for advice from professionals in the industry or take classes to brush up on your DJ skills. Wedding DJs provide a unique, tailored experience for any couple’s wedding day, so each wedding will be different. But providing the fun, meaningful moments, and cherished memories for couples and their families will be constant.
To learn more about the world of professional wedding DJing, visit our website to learn how our DJs became the best in the business, and how you could possibly be next.
