Wedding DJ planning meeting: what to cover and when
Timeline, first dance, speeches, must-play and do-not-play lists: how a wedding DJ can run the planning meeting with the couple and let them book it online.
6 min read
Hold the planning meeting once the couple has their day's schedule from the venue and caterer, and use it to fix three things: the timeline of the evening, the key songs, and the practical details you need on the night (names, announcements, sound limits, contacts). Make it a bookable service, open a handful of slots on evenings and weekends when couples are free, and send the link once the date is confirmed. The couple picks a time that suits both of them, and you arrive at the meeting with their note already in your inbox.
Why a dedicated planning meeting
A wedding set isn't a club night. The music has to fit around moments that happen once: the entrance, the first dance, the speeches, the cake, the last song. Each of those needs a cue, a person to introduce, sometimes a microphone handed over at the right second. If the details are gathered by message over several months, some get lost, and you find out on the night that the father of the bride wants to speak before dinner, not after.
One structured meeting, with a clear list of things to decide, gives you a single timeline you can print and bring to the venue.
When to hold it
Too early, and the couple doesn't know the dinner time or the order of speeches yet. Too late, and there's no time to find a rare track or check a detail with the venue. A practical rule: once the venue and caterer have given the couple their schedule, and with enough weeks left for you to prepare the music. If the couple wants to change things afterwards, a short final call a few days before the wedding covers the last adjustments.
What to cover
- Timeline of the evening: arrival of guests, entrance of the couple, dinner, speeches, first dance, cake, opening of the dance floor, last song, end time agreed with the venue.
- Key songs: entrance, first dance, parents' dance if any, cake, last song. Ask for the exact version (original, remix, live) and whether to cut it short.
- Must-play and do-not-play lists: a few songs each, not a whole playlist. The dance floor still needs your judgment.
- Announcements: who speaks, in which order, how names are pronounced, who gets the microphone.
- Practical details: venue contact, load-in time, power points, sound limiter or curfew, where the DJ booth goes, meal for the DJ.
- Guests: rough age mix, languages, songs that mean something to the families.
Send the list before the meeting so the couple can think about it together. The meeting then turns into decisions rather than a first discovery.
Letting the couple book the meeting
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, and each slot has a number of places: one place for a planning meeting, since it's one couple at a time.
| Service | Example slot | Example price |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding enquiry call | 20 min | Free |
| Wedding planning meeting | 1 h | Included |
| Final check call | 20 min | Included |
| Extra planning meeting | 1 h | €60 |
Durations and prices are examples. In the description, say whether the meeting happens by video call, at your studio or at the venue, and that it's included in the wedding package. Your booking page is public: if you only want booked couples to take a planning slot, write in the description that it's reserved for confirmed weddings, and send the link once the date is signed.
Using the booking note
The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, and adds an optional note. Ask the couple to write the wedding date, the venue and both names. You receive them in your new-booking email, and the client's confirmation email includes a calendar file with the same note. The note can't be edited once the booking exists, so put the instruction in the service description where the couple reads it before booking.
Fitting meetings around your gigs
Couples who work during the day may prefer evenings or weekends, which is also when you play. One option is to open planning slots on two weekday evenings, repeated each week until the end of your wedding season, and leave Friday and Saturday for gigs. Sync your bookings with Google, iPhone or Mac so meetings and event dates sit in one calendar.
If a couple needs another time, create a slot for them and book them in yourself from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional. A slot with one place is full once booked and no longer shown on your page. Couples can't move a booking online: they contact you, you reschedule from your bookings list, and you let them know yourself, since Book doesn't email them about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.