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Acting as the Deejay for your own wedding can save a bunch of money. Live music is nice, of course, as long as you can afford it. A professional Deejay can eliminate one more thing off your Things-to-Worry-About list. But if you’re into doing it yourself, realize there’s more to being the Deejay than just spinning platters.

Equipment

Instead of flipping vinyl, a DIY Deejay needs to go digital. A reliable Mp3 player is a must. Don’t rely on cellular or Wi-Fi connections—they’re unreliable and sound quality can vary from good to horrible.

You’ll also need good speakers—either externally-powered or battery-driven—a mixing console and enough cable of the right types to make connections. People can’t dance to music they can’t hear, so the speakers need to be powerful enough to fill the space with sound when it’s full of noisy people. You’ll probably want a microphone, too. Cordless is nice, but be sure you can turn it off and that it doesn’t get interference from other devices.

Plan Your Playlist in Advance

Putting your iPod on shuffle won’t cut it. You want to have a playlist worked out ahead of time and stick to it. You can invite your guests to submit suggestions in advance, but don’t let them access the player unless you trust them to make good choices and not mess up your equipment in the process. Your playlist should be at least an hour or so longer than the reception so you can start the music as guests arrive and have some extra tunes just in case it runs long.

Avoid mood-killing gaps and too-long lead-ins or fade-outs with DIY Deejay helpers like gapless playbacks and crossfade and cuts that are available on some Mp3 players. There are also Deejay apps that offer advanced options to make your presentation more professional. Check out Virtual DJ or My Wedding DJ for examples.

Set Up and Test Your Equipment Ahead of Time

When guests are arriving is no time to discover you’ve overlooked something or it isn’t working right. Check for static, feedback, balance and volume. The more advance testing you do, the more likely you can deal with problems without ruining the event.

Have a Backup Plan

Mp3 players can fail at the worst times, so having your playlist backed up on a second device like a laptop or extra Mp3 player can save the day.

Choose a Reliable Supplier for Your Equipment

Chances are you don’t have all the equipment to do a quality job as Deejay. The people you choose to rent from are an important part of your team. At Avista Rentals, we’re committed to delivering the right AV solutions for your event at the best price.

We have DJ Packages designed especially for easy use that cover the conditions you’ll likely deal with at a wedding. If speakers are all you need, our Premium Speaker And Subwoofer Package delivers 3,000 watts of room-filling sound. No power? No problem. Our Battery-Powered Speaker and Microphone Package is perfect for outdoor weddings. It takes a variety of inputs including Mp3 players, laptops, mikes and instruments.

Simply give us a call at 888.462.8478 to reserve equipment and schedule an in-store pickup at any of our San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles locations. We’ll give you step-by-step instructions for using it and even help you load your car. You can also arrange for delivery to your location. And if you have questions or problems onsite, call us 24/7 and we can help get you back on the right path.

We're very proud that our principles and commitment have driven strong growth since our founding in 2005, to where we are now one of the premier providers of AV rentals and AV production services on the West Coast. Visit our website, AvistaRentals.com, for complete information about our company, our staff, and our services. You can count on us to be a trusted partner in making your wedding special.