Wedding DJ advice and venue guides for Omaha, Lincoln, Madison, and Milwaukee

Alternative Wedding DJs has been DJing weddings across Omaha, Lincoln, Madison, and Milwaukee since 2017. Every guide on this page was written by the DJ who worked the room. You'll find venue guides for more than twenty Nebraska and Wisconsin wedding venues, planning advice on reception timing and music selection, and breakdowns of real weddings we've played. We have 130+ five-star reviews and Hall of Fame status on The Knot and WeddingWire.

You've got a big party to throw and you're probably not a party-throwing expert. We are. Pick whatever you're worried about and start there.

Where should I start if I'm early in planning?

The questions couples ask us before they book anything. How long a reception should run and why five hours beats six. How a room gets set up and why that decides whether anyone dances. How to pick your music without losing three weeks to a spreadsheet.

Start here if you don't have a venue-specific question yet.

The stuff every couple asks us about. How to time your reception so people don't leave early, how a room's setup either helps or kills your dance floor, how to pick music without spending three weeks on it.

What can I learn from other couples' weddings?

A surprise flash mob at a small venue in Bennet. A saxophone drop only two people in the room saw coming. A do-not-play list from a wedding at The Admiral that quietly saved the night.

Take the ideas. Skip the mistakes we watched other people make.

Weddings we've played, broken down. Flash mobs, a surprise sax player, a do-not-play list that saved the night. Take the ideas, skip the mistakes we watched other people make.

Which Omaha wedding venues do you have DJ guides for?

Villa Aletta, the Harper Center, A View on State, A View West Shores, Lauritzen Gardens, Founders One Nine, Tiburon Golf Club, Le Bouillon, Bohemian Gardens, the Empire Room, and the Kimpton Cottonwood.

Each one covers where the DJ booth goes, what the ceiling and walls do to your music, how the space handles a full crowd, and the venue rules nobody mentions until you're loading in. Read yours before your planning meeting so you know what to ask.

Room-by-room notes on Omaha venues. Where the booth goes, what the acoustics do to your music, how the space handles a crowd. Read yours before your planning meeting.

Which Lincoln wedding venues do you have DJ guides for?

Roca Berry Farm, The Acreage, Wilderness Ridge, and the Apothecary Lofts and Ridnour Room. Same format. Notes from nights we worked, not descriptions lifted off a venue website.

Same deal for Lincoln rooms. Real notes from nights we worked.

Which Wisconsin wedding venues do you have DJ guides for?

The Majestic Theatre and Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, and the Riviera Ballroom in Lake Geneva.

What each room taught us about running a reception in it, from a 1906 theater with a concert rig to a glass garden with an 11 p.m. hard out.

Madison & Milwaukee venues we've played and what each room taught us.

Frequently asked questions

Who writes these guides?
The DJ who worked the venue. Every guide comes from a night we actually played, so the load-in notes, acoustics, and timeline advice are first-hand.

Do you have a guide for my venue?
We've published guides for more than twenty venues across Omaha, Lincoln, Madison, and Lake Geneva. If yours isn't here, reach out and we'll tell you what we know about the room.

When should I read my venue guide?
Before your planning meeting with your DJ. You'll know what to ask and what the room needs.

Do I have to book AWDJ to use these?
No. They're free and they work whether you book us or not.