DJ costs

julieanne912

ETA: just realized this probably should have been put in music...

We're still weighing out whether we want to spend money on a DJ, or just load up and ipod and use the venue's dock and speaker system to do our own thing.  

I sent out some pricing requests to some well rated DJ's in the area, and was pretty much shocked at the prices that came back... ranging from $690 to $1100!  Is this normal pricing?  Venue is in Longmont, CO.  I was thinking they'd be in the $300-500 range.  The $1100 one has his studio (which is property his house based on the address) literally 5 minutes away from the venue.

Our (short) ceremony begins at 5 and I was thinking it would be nice to have a microphone and speakers for that, and then cocktail hour/reception would start immediately after that, and end at 10pm.  

JoanE2012

Your local board will be able to better give you ideas on pricing.  FWIW, we paid about $1000 for a DJ for just the reception and we are in NJ.  

The advantages to having a DJ is that he or she will be able to read the crowd and play music that will keep the party moving.  This is important....you don't want the party to fall flat.  They will also be able to select appropriate music for dinnertime and have it cued up for any spotlight dances, cake cutting, etc.   To me, it is definitely worth the money.  The only way I'd lean towards an ipod is if you were having an outdoor reception during lunchtime with no dancing.

Nymeru

One thousand times over, I think it's worth it to have a DJ, but they need to be a good DJ.  The music really does make all the difference at a wedding.  I paid $1,000 for my DJ, which was CHEAP in my area (I'm so jealous of everyone who talks about getting one for around $500...not even an option out in the boonies in northern California.  Most of them tack on extra for travel and hotel costs), but it was worth every penny and was probably the best use of money out of my entire wedding.

AuroraRose41

This definitely depends on your area, but we are paying $1500 for our DJ in Upstate NY for ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception music. That's about average for the area, but he has hundreds of amazing reviews and has been great to work with so far. I absolutely think hiring a good DJ/band is a must for your wedding, second only to having good food, to keep the party going. 

FWIW, my FI and I attended a wedding this past summer where the couple used an Ipod, and the entire bridal party had to fiddle with it to get it to work during dinner and barely got a chance to eat their meals. It did also stop playing music every once in a while during the reception, and it just made it inconvenient for the couple and their bridal party to enjoy the day.  

mrscomposer

We paid just a hair under $900 for our DJ, and it was some of the best money we spent on our wedding.  We used his mike for the toasts and dinner announcement, and then he seriously rocked the dance floor the entire evening.  We briefly discussed loading up an iPod, but then we still would have had to rent a sound system, and someone would have had to keep an eye on it all night.  Plus all the time J would have put into crafting the 'perfect playlist'

banana468

Our DJ was about $1500 and worth every penny. A bad DJ can be reason your guests leave early.

HappyinLove56

I am spending $800 on my DJ.  I live in Los Angeles and that's a great price.  I know this DJ is good because he did my cousin's wedding in September.  

[Deleted User]

I'm in the Northeast and we're paying $1,300.   Personally, I think a DJ is one of those areas that you don't want to skimp on, especially if your friends/family like to dance and have fun.   A DJ will help keep up the party atmosphere, and keep the reception moving at a lively pace. An iPod isn't a live person that can feel out the vibe of your guests and know how to get people excited.  You also have to make sure you have a back-up plan in case you have tech issues.  You generally don't have to worry about that with a DJ.    Check with your local boards to see if anyone can give you suggestions on less expensive DJs.  

julieanne912

Thanks everyone.  This wedding is getting expensive.  It seems every expense is something "you don't want to skimp on" :-P

My local boards are not active at all, so that's why I posted here.

haleyk620

I'm in Northwest Illinois, and we are paying $895 for our DJ. My FI's brother and sister-in-law used the same DJ for their wedding two years ago so I knew they would do a great job. Our DJ will play as long as you need him until midnight (music for cocktail hour, dinner and dancing!) His cost is similar to others DJ's in our area. 

Good luck and happy planning! 

badbnagdway

DJ's around here are not that expensive, I don't know why. I think the highest I was quoted was $800. I kept looking though, as we didn't want to spend that much. I found a guy on Thumbtack who does DJing part time and he is charging us $350 for 4 hours. We had considered self-DJing, but when we booked a space that has a lot of dance floor room, I just felt like it would be awkward if people didn't dance. The benefit of a DJ is they can do announcements, keep things flowing, and feel the room and make changes to the music if needed. I think it depends a lot on the vibe you want, and I could imagine settings where self-DJing would work totally fine. 

donethat

$690 - 1100 ... for quite a lot, don't you think?  

Ceremony.  Why Yes.  I agree it would be nice for your guests to be able to hear your wedding ceremony.  And prelude music, and the processional music, and the vows, and the recessional music too.  (So kind of more than just microphones and speakers)  

Cocktails/Dinner/Dancing ... A (Good & Professional) DJ can musically make ALL of this better, and will be your MC so that your guests will know what's going on.  Your (good & professional) DJ will be able to work with your other vendors for a seamless event, AND eventually manage the dance floor to play the right song at the right time at the right volume.  

Of course you're hearing AND feeling "This wedding is getting expensive.  It seems every expense is something "you don't want to skimp on" :-P   

I get it, there is only so much money, regardless of your budget.  So, you and your fiance have to prioritize and decide what's important to the two of you and your wedding.  

For me, it was food, drink and entertainment.  I skimped/budgeted down on flowers, cake, linens, and even photos ....  We wanted a fun and happy party!  But, I have a friend who LOVES flowers and budget up there, and another friend who had to have THE BEST cake person in town at a per slice rate that I thought was CRAZY!.  

It's choices.

Without knowing how many guests you're having, or your budget for everything else ... I think the quotes you got to provide sound and MC and music for Ceremony through the end of dancing are actually VERY reasonable.  

Good Luck :-)

 

thisismynickname2

This is one of the things you don't want to intentionally skimp on because you get what you pay for. 

I just attended a wedding where the DJ definitely played what the happy couple wanted to hear, and it kept the friends on the dance floor and the party was great, but he had equipment issues. I felt bad for the guy. A few times the speakers just gave out, and once, the sound came back with a literal bang that shocked the crap out of everyone. 

I was thinking to myself, "Our DJ had assured us they had backup equipment in case of malfunctions... Hmmm."  

Get the best you can afford. 

goblue111315

The two things we're not "skimping on" for our wedding is photography and a DJ.  I know it seems like nothing is worth skimping, but these are for real not worth skimping on  A good DJ can make a party and a bad one can ruin it.  We thought about "self-DJing" too but let's be honest, we don't know how to do that, nor do we want to worry about it.  FWIW, we spent just under $1100 for seven hours.