The DJ decision is the highest-leverage booking of an Asian wedding. Venues and caterers set the stage — the DJ decides whether three generations of two families actually share a dancefloor. Here are the ten questions that separate a specialist from a speaker-hire company, and the answers you should expect.
1. Who exactly will be behind the decks?
The most important question, asked least. Many entertainment companies operate a roster: you meet an impressive founder, and a different DJ arrives on the night. Ask directly: "Is the person I'm speaking to the person performing?" If the answer involves the word "team", get the performing DJ's name in the contract.
2. How deep does your desi collection actually go?
Anyone can play last year's hits. The test is the room's memory: can they reach the Punjabi classics the grandparents know, golden-era Bollywood, the UK Bhangra records that raised the London generation — and this month's releases? Ask what they'd play to bring the over-60s up, and watch how quickly a real answer arrives.
3. Can you run the whole week, not just the reception?
Mehndi, jago, sangeet, baraat, ceremony, reception — each function has its own energy, and a DJ who covers the week arrives at the reception already knowing your crowd. Multi-event bookings also usually price better than five separate vendors.
4. How do you handle the baraat?
Listen for specifics: coordination with dhol players, timing with the videographer, the handover from live dhol into the venue. If the answer is "we'll play something upbeat", they haven't done many.
5. What happens during the ceremony itself?
A specialist knows where music belongs and where it doesn't — that the Anand Karaj belongs to the gurdwara's kirtan, that the mandap has its own rhythms, that a nikkah may want no music at all. Respect for the ritual is non-negotiable; ask how they've handled your tradition before.
6. Our guest list is mixed — how do you hold both sides?
Most London weddings now span cultures. The wrong DJ plays "a bit for them, a bit for us" in blocks, and the floor empties on rotation. The right answer describes blending — Bollywood into R&B, Bhangra into house, Afrobeats as the bridge — so the whole room stays up together.
7. What's your backup plan?
Redundant decks, mixer and laptop on-site — not "in the van", not "twenty minutes away". Equipment fails; professionals carry the spare. Ask, and ask what happens if the DJ is ill.
8. Are you insured and PAT tested?
Premium venues demand public liability insurance and PAT-certified equipment before anyone plugs in. A specialist sends the certificates to your venue without being chased.
9. How do music requests work?
You should get all three: a must-play list, a do-not-play list, and a pre-event consultation that maps the night. Be wary of both extremes — a DJ who ignores requests, and one who just plays your Spotify playlist in order. You're paying for judgement.
10. What do the quiet moments sound like?
Dinner sets separate professionals from amateurs. The music should hold the room at conversation volume and build imperceptibly — if a DJ only talks about the party hours, the first three hours of your reception are being left to chance.
The pattern behind every question
Each question is really asking the same thing: has this person actually lived these rooms? Cultural fluency can't be downloaded the week before. Prit Nasha has spent twenty years inside South Asian weddings — from family jagos in West London to the O2's VIP Blue Room alongside Diljit Dosanjh — and every booking is the artist himself, direct.
Related reading: Asian Wedding DJ London · Sikh Wedding DJ · Hindu Wedding DJ · Muslim Wedding DJ · The Sangeet Playlist Guide