Can a Toronto DJ be both a wedding DJ and club DJ?

Many a time has it occurred that prospective clients have asked me “how can you DJ a wedding if you are a nightclub DJ?” This question kind of baffles me, as it seems, they have been misled by other Toronto wedding DJs. The question does have some merit however, since the two different types of events require a different formula for success. It ultimately comes down to: can the DJ maintain a packed dance floor and entertain? Regardless of the type of event, an experienced Toronto DJ should have, in his arsenal, a list of hits that will get guests to the dance floor and keep them there.

Toronto Club DJ

Toronto, arguably, has the most diverse and successful nightclub district in Canada. With big name clubs such as The Guvernment, Muzik and Maro, you can never have a dull moment, on the night out. To become a resident DJ at any of the popular clubs, one must be an experienced Toronto DJ, have extensive crowd reading skills, have the ability to mix tracks together without software assistance and have a following of fans that will come to the event. Although, the task of a Toronto club DJ is much easier than a Toronto wedding DJ, it does come with its responsibilities. A very competitive industry, the Toronto party DJ has to have 2 hours of straight club banger music that will have the club goers roaring, frequently during prime hours. There’s big money to be made in nightclubs, and the last thing a club owner wants, is a guest leaving, complaining about the music. Depending on the type of club, usually the music caters to 1 generation of people, which consists of: Top40 (HipHop, Pop and House music), new radio and classic hits (usually from the 90’s and early 2000’s).

Toronto Wedding DJ

The wedding entertainment scene differs drastically from the club scene. The Toronto wedding DJ usually brings the sound system and console to the wedding venue, the entertainment hours are usually over 7 hours and the music genres cater to 2-3 generations of guests. For every sequence of events such as ceremony, cocktail, dinner and dance there is usually a different genre of music played. This makes the task of a Toronto wedding DJ much more difficult. The most difficult aspect of the wedding would be, getting all the guests (of different ages) to the dance floor and keeping them there. This is where you would need an experienced Toronto DJ and MC team. Wedding music usually consists of wedding classics such as “Follow da leada, YMCA and Cha Cha Slide” and club hits for dance and classic 50’s and 60’s for dinner.

So Can A Club DJ Be A Wedding DJ?

It comes down to experience. Make sure the wedding DJ for hire you have in mind for hire has an abundance of experience with weddings. A minimum of 25 weddings a year is a good number to base judgment on experience. Some couples like the wedding to have club music, in this situation a club DJ would be your best bet. It may also be a better choice to hire a DJ who has nightclub experience because, as competitive as the nightclub industry is, it forces DJs to have the best remixes of songs, the latest hits, and redrums of classics to differentiate themselves from other DJs. This added effect will benefit your wedding, come party time.

Have you experienced a wedding or club DJ that impressed or failed to impress you? Leave a comment on your experience. Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.