Hiring music for your wedding is an important and difficult decision. The music sets the tone for your wedding reception, and you want to make sure the ambiance creates a packed dancefloor, matches your personal preference and is within your budget. Here are the pros and cons of a live band or DJ for your wedding.
Pros of Wedding Bands
There’s something about live music that is magical and unique. Seeing musicians play live is fun and like no other experience, which can be perfect for a special occasion like your wedding.
If you and your partner have specific taste in music, a band may be a better alternative to a DJ. That’s not to say a band, or DJ for that matter, cannot cover a variety of music types, but bands generally specialize in a particular genre of music.
Cons of Wedding Bands
The biggest con about wedding bands is they are expensive. Between the instruments and numbers of band members you hire, a live band can easily cost thousands of more dollars than a DJ. Because weddings are generally expensive in most categories, couples tend to choose a more affordable option for music when that time comes.
A live band is certainly a focal point between the members and instruments, but they will need a lot more space on a floor plan than a DJ will. If you’re tight on space because your invited guest count is closer to the venue’s maximum capacity than not comfortable capacity, a live band can eat up precious square footage,
Pros of DJs
The biggest pro about wedding DJs are they are generally more affordable than live bands. Between the equipment and the fact that it’s usually a one-person show, DJs can be significantly cheaper than live bands.
Outside of cost, professional DJs will have a variety of songs available to play at your wedding. If you’re into diverse music, DJs should be able to hit all the genres you want played at your wedding.
A DJ can also act as an emcee for the reception. There are a lot of events that happen during a wedding reception—first dance, cake cutting, toasts, parent dances, bouquet toss and more—and a DJ can maintain a smooth flow of events by informing guests of what is next through their professional speaking skills.
A DJ will not need as much space on a floor plan. Usually the only requirement they need from a venue is a six foot table and access to power, but they will bring everything else and it’s not nearly as large of a setup as a live band.
Cons of DJs
If a DJ is not a great mixer of music, the tunes can be boring or cheesy. Professional DJs will be able to mix music well, even if it’s different types of songs. If songs are mixed well, guests are pleased and will remain on the dancefloor. If a DJ plays one song after another in its entirety, guests can become indifferent and leave the dancefloor.
If a DJ doesn’t pay attention to what the crowd likes and dislikes, you can have an empty or sparse dancefloor. Some DJs are strict on their playlist and won’t take guest requests (which may be appropriate if the requested songs are on the couple’s do not playlist), but if a DJ won’t take into consideration what jives with guests and what doesn’t simply because they think they know what is best, it can lead to frustrated guests who leave the dancefloor.
Conclusion
As long as you provide great music for everyone to enjoy, you can’t go wrong with either option. Just remember to consider your budget, taste in music and priorities when choosing a live band or DJ for your wedding.
Thursday, March 31, 2022
