What you might not know about a good wedding DJ.

We tend to think about weddings visually: the colors, the fabrics, the scenery. But sound is an equally important element of your big day.

Wedding DJ packages generally start around $1,000, so choose yours carefully, and book early.

I asked two local wedding DJs – Justin Horrell (DJ Tunabunny) and my own groom, Hanif Panni (DJ Hanif Wondir) – to share advice for couples planning what’s likely to be the biggest party of their lives. Here are some of their key tips.

Good DJs do more than mix music. They take care of all your wedding’s audio needs, including sound, wiring and speakers. They should be able to provide lavaliere microphones for the couple and officiant during the ceremony, and a mic on a stand for the toasts.

Your DJ can also serve as party emcee, making announcements about when it’s time to be seated for dinner, move to the dance floor or wrap it up.

“A DJ is a shepherd of sorts,” Tunabunny says, “making announcements to keep people in tune with what’s going on and keep the energy up.”

Of course, the bread-and-butter of wedding DJing is the music. During the initial consultation, tell your DJ what kind of music you and your most important guests – bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents – like to hear.

While you’re at it, mention the genres you’re not into. “Then you know what kind of liberties you can take with the music,” Tunabunny says.

Your DJ should ask for a short list of must-play tracks for certain critical moments, like the bride’s appearance on the aisle, the couple’s first dance and the father-daughter dance.

DJ Hanif Wondir’s Top Wedding Requests

1. “All About that Bass” – Meghan Trainor
   “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
2. “Celebration” – Kool & The Gang
3. “Blurred Lines” – Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell Williams
4. “Don’t Stop Believin” – Journey
5. “Cupid Shuffle” – Cupid
6. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
7. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
8. “Baby Got Back” – Sir Mix-A-Lot
9. “Thrift Shop” – Macklemore

Trust your DJ to honor your instructions, then give them the freedom to do that DJ thang you hired them for.

Your DJ should mix tracks in a way that feels fluid and plays off the crowd’s energy, choosing songs to keep booties shaking and sometimes taking requests.

For Wondir, that means mixing popular crowd-pleasers with compatible selections from his own music library.

“I sculpt my playlist to every individual wedding,” he says. “Even if it’s a song I personally don’t love, the day of the wedding is not about me. Mostly it’s about the bride. As long as she’s happy, that’s the main thing.”