Wedding DJs and Club DJs – What’s the Difference?

At the time I was first introduced to the world of weddings, I thought a DJ was a DJ. I’d never considered that wedding DJs may need different skills the other DJs. Once you think about it, it does make a lot of sense though. Most couples would not want a nightclub DJ as their wedding DJ, and probably not a karaoke host either. But why does this really matter? What are the differences? Can one DJ be great at all of them? Below are the key differences in performing at a wedding, a night club, or the town bar and why that experience matters.

Club DJ

Let’s start here. This is what most people think of when they hear the term, “DJ.” This is the “cool” DJ that has all the glamour, keeps everyone dancing, and is always pictured in front of a packed dance floor. Sounds like a good plan, right? Well…let’s not jump on this too fast.

Club DJs typically have a very narrow skillset resigned to one or two types of music and no need to be a good MC (Master of Ceremonies). They aren’t responsible for managing crowd control, coordinating planned activities through the evening, and pivoting through dozens of genres, decades, and musical influences based on the crowd in front of them. They play what they’re good at, for a room full of individuals that arguably should be drinking a little less, and they generally caters to the same group of people all night every night.

Can a club DJ be a good wedding DJ? Maybe. But this would be a very rare case. A night club or bar doesn’t hire DJs who know a diverse set of music but rather are the best DJ at the type of music that attracts the type of clientele the bar or club owner wants.

Karaoke DJ

A karaoke DJ is actually much closer to a wedding DJ simply because of the span of their musical experience. They often have very diverse crowds, must be good on the microphone to announce singers and keep the crowd having a good time, and they know the biggest crowd pleasing songs from most genres and eras.

There are two areas where a karaoke DJ can get in trouble at a wedding though.

1. Many karaoke DJs spend too much time on the microphone, and are accustomed to needing to engage the crowd to keep things going.
2. There’s still the issue of managing a successful timeline and presenting as a professional, formal MC. And being detail oriented enough to execute an entire wedding reception.

Wedding DJ

What makes a wedding dj unique? For starters, they have to be incredibly versatile in their music library and knowledge. A typical wedding will have guests spanning every age and background in life, with nearly every musical taste represented. If you want to keep the dance floor alive and ensure everyone has a good time, you need to know the different genres, how to blend through them well, and know which songs can bridge the divides among such a diverse crowd.

Next, the top wedding DJs know how to MC the evening and keep that burden off of you. A good MC can manage and coordinate all the moving piece of the evening- from welcoming guests to kicking off the party with a good set of introductions for your bridal party, to helping everyone feel at ease and comfortable with what to expect from one moment to the next. You don’t have awkward moments with everyone looking at each other mouthing the words, “What do we do now?” The right DJ will guide you and your guests through an unforgettable evening of fun, laughter, and dancing.

Another key component to a wedding DJ is bringing top end sound and lighting equipment. Most club DJs don’t have high end wireless microphones, nor do they have to worry about setting up the speakers and ensuring there’s good sound coverage throughout the venue. A wedding DJ must know how to account for oddly shaped spaces, have wireless mics that don’t cut out across the room (and lapel mics for the ceremony), and bring lighting to set the mood throughout the evening.

The final critical piece for wedding DJs is a good process for planning your wedding day. From selecting and consulting on song choices, to advising on the right timeline and which activities to include, to getting all of the names right and in the proper order for introductions and speeches. These are crucial elements of your wedding that, if overlooked and not properly managed, can create a tremendous amount of stress the day of. The best wedding DJs know how important this step is toward creating a unique and perfect wedding, and they’ll invest in building and offering tools to make this easy for couples along the way.

Weddingwire.com wrote a great article on all the things a wedding DJ can do, and it’s both impressive and humbling! But it sure sheds light on the skillset of a wedding DJ and why it’s so important to choose right!

Can a Club DJ be a great Wedding DJ?

It’s certainly possible, but highly unlikely. Red Letter DJs is exclusively a wedding service provider. It’s all we do, all we know, all we love. All of our DJs complete a full year of training and certification before we let them step behind the DJ booth at a wedding, and an entire second year is spent as an assistant and under close supervision of an experienced wedding DJ. We train to understand the mixing skills of club DJs so they know how to mix from ACDC to Black Eyed Peas without an awkward pause or transition. We train to recognize the cues and responses from the crowd to determine if they should stay on the same track or pivot. We train on how to create classy, fun, professional atmospheres as great Masters of Ceremony. And everything in between.