So you're planning a wedding and thinking about hiring a Wedding DJ to provide the music? One of the most typical questions we hear at Pearl Entertainment is how much should I budget for a Wedding DJ.
As we begin to dive deeper and answer the questions for this we find that it really depends on what your wanting.
Inexperienced DJs can be anywhere from $350-$500
Experienced DJs ranging from $500-$3000
With the difference in price you'll be getting a different quality or expectation from your DJ. More experienced DJs will have better equipment and more capabilities than your inexperienced DJs. They also come with years of experience and better customer service.
Inexperienced DJs
Some of these lower cost DJs are just starting out who are inexperienced in the intricacies of announcing speeches, timing the music for a ceremony, reading a crowd and playing music for an audience of mixed ages and music tastes. They typically have less experience and knowledge of the specific skills that are required to ensure that your day is memorable and stress-free.
You may want to consider that the Inexperienced has only budgeted the time they will spend at your wedding, not the time required for meetings, calls and emails pre-wedding. This has the potential to lead to additional bills, cancelled performances, or in some cases, never hearing from them again (we typically hear about this a handful of times per year). Their performances tends to be more standardized and lack personalization because of the need to serve lots of couples with a minimum investment of time in order to make money. They exist because their price appeals to a certain percentage of the market that may be working on minimal budgets and is willing to take a risk on their DJ to cut costs.
Conclusion:
While there may be many talented DJs in the Inexperienced, I wouldn’t recommend this option to my friends and family. While it has worked for some, my advice is to be careful and only go this route if you know and trust the DJ (not just because they are family or an acquaintance), or can verify their testimonials.
Experienced DJs
Wedding Specialist DJ Companies have lots of experience. They’ve performed for hundreds, or even thousands, of weddings and have years of experience. These DJs invest in regular training and skill development in music research, mixing, music production, MCing, lighting setup, audio setup and so much more.
They buy the best equipment and attend industry events to learn more about weddings and what’s happening in the DJ world. To put it short, Wedding Specialists live and breathe weddings. Wedding Specialist DJs charge a premium because they deliver a premium service.
You can expect things like:
Thorough music planning consultations
Prompt response time (within 24 hours)
Backup DJ in place, in case of emergency
Above and beyond customer service
Stunning light shows
Articulate speaking skills
Creative ideas and customization
Dedicated customer service staff assigned to your wedding day
Industry standard, professional and high quality equipment, plus backup equipment
Backup plans for everything—a pro will plan for things that could to go wrong, so if something does happen, you never notice
These types of DJs understand that their role is about so much more than just playing good music; their job is to make sure everything goes smoothly both on the day of and in the time leading up to your wedding. You’ll find tons of five-star reviews for these companies for a good reason—they deliver.
You can expect the highest level of skill, professional service and attention to detail at every step of the way; they have a good reputation for a reason. Just like Airwaves, companies in this category are often a larger, more established DJ company with a team of DJs and support staff, as well as thorough systems in place to provide a quality experience throughout the entire planning process and on the day of your wedding.
Two things our company provides for our couples is a backup DJ on standby just-in-case their primary DJ is injured or sick etc. as well as a dedicated Event Manager on staff to oversee the entire planning process so that our couples have peace of mind that everything is taken care of and no detail is overlooked. While this level of service isn’t that important to all couples, it is one of the reasons that many larger, more well-established companies like ours may charge more than a one-person DJ company.
Conclusion:
Wedding Specialist DJs are the best option when it comes to ensuring that you get everything that you want in your DJ. They will take the time to consult with you, find out more about your wedding, your vision and your style, and then follow through with their promises. Now that’s not to say that every single DJ that charges more is a Wedding Specialist DJ, but “you get what you pay for,” definitely applies to wedding DJs.