Matthew DJPrivate event DJ · Florence
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Dressed, empty dance floor at a Tuscan villa at night with festoon lights among cypresses

Weddings

Wedding DJ in Tuscany and across Italy

Over 2,000 weddings in historic villas, Chianti wineries, coastal resorts and private estates. From the ceremony to the last track of the night.

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A wedding isn't saved by the right playlist

Anyone looking for a wedding DJ has one simple question in mind: will the guests dance? The answer does not come from the track list. It comes from whoever is reading the room and knows what to play next.

Over twenty years I have played more than 2,000 weddings. I have seen floors erupt at 10:30pm and others stay empty until midnight with the same music. The difference was always timing, reading the group, and changing direction without anyone noticing.

I keep that sensitivity alive every week: since 2017, alongside weddings, I play at El PavoReal in Florence, on the Saturday for the over-30 crowd and the Friday for a younger audience. That is why the repertoire runs from the timeless seventies, eighties and nineties through to current hits: a wedding room holds three generations and each one has to find its own track.

Available for the party alone

At high-end weddings the day is often shared between several artists: a string quartet for the ceremony, a soloist or ensemble during the aperitivo, a band over dinner. If your programme is already built that way, you can book me for the party and the after-party alone: I coordinate timings and the handover with the other artists, so the changeover goes unnoticed and the energy of the evening is never broken. I am equally available for single moments — the ceremony, the aperitivo — when that is what is needed.

What the service includes

  • Pre-event music consultation: a proper conversation about your tastes, the tracks you want, the ones to avoid, the first dance, the programme moments.
  • Music for the whole day: ceremony, aperitivo, dinner and DJ set. One person responsible, with no gaps or volume jumps between moments.
  • Sound system and lighting design on request: a system sized for the spaces and guest count with backups on every critical component, ambient light for dinner and effects on the dance floor. A separate line in the quote, supplied by the service company of which I am a founding partner or coordinated with the one your venue has chosen.
  • Technical check of the venue: decibel limits, outdoor music curfew, power supply, booth position.
  • Coordination with planner, venue and photographers in the run-down format you already use.
  • Live musicians on request: sax, violin, percussion.

Every wedding gets its own quote, built on the hours required, the size of the venue, the line-up chosen and the distance from Tuscany. You receive it in writing, itemised line by line, within 24 hours of your enquiry.

Getting to the night

Eight stages, from the date to the dance floor

A defined process, with clear timings and responsibilities at every stage. Nothing is left to the night itself.

01

Date check

You send the date, venue and guest count. Within 24 hours I confirm availability and send a written quote, itemised line by line.

02

Music brief

A dedicated call or meeting: genres, artists, essential tracks, tracks to exclude, first dance, entrances, cake cutting.

03

Deposit and signed contract

The date is secured with a signed contract and a deposit. From that moment the evening is yours and I accept no other enquiries for it.

04

Technical check of the venue

Site visit or call with the venue: acoustics, noise limits, curfew, power, booth and speaker positions relative to tables and dance floor.

05

Music preferences form

A dedicated form collecting your choices for every part of the day, from the ceremony to the last track. It returns a complete picture, in writing.

06

Contract update, if needed

If anything changes in the meantime — timings, line-up, an extra musician, an additional space — the contract is updated accordingly.

07

Balance

The balance is settled before the event, on the terms agreed in the contract. An invoice is always issued, with a VAT number.

08

The night

I arrive early, set up and sound-check in an empty room. Then the evening takes the direction your guests indicate, moment by moment.

DJ and saxophonist performing at sunset at a sea-view venue

Line-ups

When to add a live musician

A saxophone during the aperitivo completely changes how the welcome feels: it adds warmth, fills the space and creates a moment worth photographing without interrupting the musical flow.

Later in the night, live inserts at the peak moments lift the floor in a way a DJ set alone cannot reach. I work with musicians I have collaborated with for years — tested line-ups, not last-minute introductions.

DJ and live music

Venues

Where I play most often in Tuscany

Each type of venue brings different technical constraints. Knowing them in advance avoids improvising on the night.

Florence and the surrounding hills
Historic villas and estates on the Florentine hills, luxury hotels in the centre, rooftop terraces with Duomo views, event spaces in Oltrarno. This is my base: I reach the venue on predictable timings and already know the acoustic limits and curfews of most properties.
Chianti and Val d'Orcia
Wineries, hamlets and estates with courtyards and gardens, parties under festoon lights among the cypresses. Beautiful contexts and technically delicate ones: almost always outdoors, with tight noise limits and power supply that needs checking.
Lucca, Versilia and the Tuscan coast
Coastal villas, resorts and historic beach clubs, weddings that start at sunset and finish on the sand. Wind, salt humidity and the need for a covered set-up: things you solve at the planning stage, not on the night.
Siena, Arezzo and the Maremma
Remote estates, high-end agriturismi and venues with large capacity. Greater distance from towns means more freedom on curfews, but also logistics and generators to plan.

No DJ ego. At the end, your guests should remember how the night felt, not who was behind the decks.

Matthew DJ

FAQ

Weddings: the questions I get most

How much does a wedding DJ in Tuscany cost?
I do not publish rate cards, because no two weddings call for the same service. The quote is built on four variables: how many hours you need, the size and acoustics of the spaces, whether you add live musicians, and the distance from Tuscany. Every engagement includes a pre-event music consultation, the DJ set for the whole evening, and either a site visit or a technical call with your suppliers; sound and lighting are a dedicated line, which I can supply through the service company of which I am a founding partner. Send me the date, venue and guest count and within 24 hours you will have a written, all-inclusive quote, itemised line by line: it covers travel, accommodation and, if you want it, sound and lighting. Nothing new appears after signature.
Can I book you for the party only?
Absolutely, and it is a frequent request. At high-end weddings the day is often shared between several artists: a string quartet for the ceremony, a soloist or ensemble during the aperitivo, a band over dinner. In those cases I come in for the party and the after-party, coordinating timings and the handover with the other artists so the changeover goes unnoticed. Bookings for the ceremony alone or the aperitivo alone are equally possible: the service is built around the moments you actually need.
How do travel fees work?
Once you give me all the details of your event, you receive an all-inclusive quote: travel, accommodation and transport — or local hire — of the technical equipment are already in it, as explicit lines. No cost appears after signature and there is nothing to reimburse once the event is over. For destinations with difficult access, from the islands to the Amalfi Coast, logistics are planned in advance with you, the venue or the planner.
How far in advance should I book?
For a wedding between May and September, 10-14 months ahead is the sensible window. Saturdays in June and September in Tuscany are the first dates to go. For corporate events and private parties the average lead time is 2-4 months, though dates do get confirmed two weeks out — it is always worth asking.
Can we talk before I commit?
It is the part I like best. If I am available on your date, I would love a short call: we get to know each other, I explain how I work, I answer your questions, and we find out whether we click. If we do, we formalise the contract. The call is free and comes with no obligation to book.
Can I choose the music?
Yes, and that is exactly what I will ask you for before the event: the tracks you want to hear, the artists and genres you love, your first-dance song and, above all, your do-not-play list. Your preferences provide the direction. On the night, I decide the order and the timing based on how your guests are actually responding — the part nobody can write in advance.
Do you follow a fixed playlist on the night?
No. A rigid playlist is the easiest way to empty a dance floor. I arrive with a clear direction and a very deep library, then I read the room: who is dancing, who is sitting down, when to lift the energy and when to let it breathe. That is the difference between playing music and building an evening.
Are sound and lighting included in the DJ fee?
No — they are a separate line in the quote, and there is a reason. Every venue has different needs, and bundling a standard system would either make you pay for more than you need or bring you less than you need. I can however provide everything, from the ceremony to the party, through the sound and lighting company I have worked with for years and of which I am a founding partner: professional speakers, mixers and microphones sized for the spaces and the guest count, with backups on every critical component, so music and speeches are never interrupted. The lighting design we develop together — ambient light for dinner and dance-floor effects, matched to the mood of each moment — or I coordinate with the light designer already appointed by you, the planner or the venue. Either way you receive a single all-inclusive quote and deal with one point of contact.
Do you also cover the ceremony and the aperitivo?
Yes. The service can cover the whole day: ceremony music (with live musicians if you wish), aperitivo background, dinner accompaniment and the DJ set for the dance floor. Having one person responsible for the entire day avoids gaps and volume jumps between moments.
How long does the service last?
The standard wedding format runs from the aperitivo to the end of the party, typically 7-9 hours. It can be extended at the start to include the ceremony, or at the end with an after-party. Extra hours are agreed in the quote, not improvised at 2am.
Are you insured? Do you hold the required certifications?
Yes. I work with full public liability insurance covering damage to people and property during the service, and with the certifications required to operate inside venues and at corporate events. Villas, hotels and procurement departments often request these documents before approving a supplier: I attach them at quotation stage, without you having to chase them. It is the simplest way to guarantee a safe, legal and thoroughly professional event.
How does SIAE work? Do I have to deal with it?
In Italy a SIAE permit is compulsory whenever music is played at a party, and venues always insist that it is in order: without it, both you and the venue risk a fine. The obligation falls on whoever organises the event, not on the DJ. You can apply in person at the relevant SIAE office; if you would rather not deal with it, I can obtain the permit on your behalf with a written authorisation from you. Many Tuscan venues handle it internally: it is one of the first things I check.
Do you work with wedding planners and agencies?
Yes — it is the majority of my work. With planners and agencies I use their run-down format, join production calls, return the completed technical sheet on time and provide a single point of contact for the whole music supply chain. There is a dedicated page covering the technical and administrative requirements.

Let's check whether your date is free

Saturdays in June and September in Tuscany go 10-14 months ahead.

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