Hiring
How to choose a Chicago wedding DJ
Compare who will perform, how music is planned, how the DJ uses the microphone, what the agreement includes, and how problems are handled.
Wedding DJ planning guides
Sort the music, timeline, and sound out now — not the week of.
I wrote these to be genuinely useful whether or not you ever hire me. Compare DJs, get your music notes in order, build a reception timeline that doesn't feel rushed, and make sure your outdoor ceremony can actually be heard.
Start with whatever's in front of you
You don't have to solve the whole wedding today.
Each guide takes one real question and answers it — enough to make a decision, walk into a vendor call prepared, or catch a logistics problem before it turns into a wedding-week fire.
Music
Build music notes your DJ can use
Organize must-plays, do-not-plays, exact versions, genres, requests, clean edits, and the freedom you want the DJ to have.
Timeline
Build a reception timeline that can breathe
Place introductions, dinner, speeches, formal dances, traditions, and open dancing without turning the reception into a checklist.
Ceremony
Plan outdoor ceremony audio guests can hear
Think through microphones, speakers, power, wind, background noise, weather moves, and setup access.
A saner way to plan
Make the personal choice first. Solve the technical part second.
Picking your first-dance song and figuring out how it gets cued are two totally separate jobs — don't tangle them together.
Choose what feels right first. Then we nail down the exact version, the start point, the timing, the spot in the room, the mic, the speaker, and the announcement that makes it actually work on the day. Heart first, logistics second.
Talk through your plans with me