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Negotiate DJ price?

NcsuPsychNcsuPsych member
2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary Combo Breaker
in North Carolina
Hello!! So a couple of weeks ago I went to a bridal show thing with my FI (he was such an awesome sport :) ) We met a DJ we liked while walking around and talked to him about his services and rates. He qouted us 799 since our wedding is in Feb which apparently is "off season" and his normal price is 999. While I see that this is already a nice drop, Im still having trouble getting 799 into our budget (its a rather tight one) but we're trying our best to get a DJ as both my FI an I have seen how fun and benefical it is to have one. How would you try to negoitate? We've considered the Ipod way of music, but I'd really rather not go that route.... I honestly think it wouldnt turn out pretty. TIA :)
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Re: Negotiate DJ price?

  • andrea01012009andrea01012009 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    is is a one man show or a group of djs.
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    It definitely cannot hurt to ask, especially if you arent asking for a lot off. IMO, if you're going to ask for more than $100 off, you may not get it... but the worst thing he can say is no, esp. if business is slow for him (and wedding season definitely isnt in full swing in February). The first string quartet I talked to and almost booked, they had a special they were running for a bridal show, and I talked to her the day after.. well I told the owner I'd sign with her if she gave me the discounted price that she gave the other ppl at the bridal show (I didnt go), and she said yes. Everything is negotiable ;)
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    PS I decided not to sign with the string quartet because I had to keep asking and asking for the contract, then supposedly it fell out of her mailbox, etc etc so I just got a bad vibe and decided to go with someone else. But I DID finally get the contract and it did have the negotiated price on it.
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  • NcsuPsychNcsuPsych member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    He's a one man gig. We got a great vibe from him. Very fun and up beat which is what we want and he has experience which is why im sure he likes to stick to his price.. Honestly, I'd like to bring it down to 700 if possible. (We just got a qoute from a caterer and so now we're really pinching pennies where we can)Do you have an recommendations for a DJ that does 4 hours for 700? Thanks :)ps. . . Im glad you went with a different group. . always listen to your vibes :)
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  • andrea01012009andrea01012009 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    "fell out of the mailbox" sounds to me like they booked someone else who was willing to pay more money and that was just their easy way to let you off without creating a fuss.
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  • meredithl618meredithl618 member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I'd just ask. However, he may only be able to work the price lower by shortening the time. You could do a combination of ipod music and him. For example, you could just have preset songs to play during cocktail hour or dinner from your ipod or cd... Then when the dancing and fun begins, he could start. That might be a way to reduce time you need him there and then reduce the price.

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  • birdcagebridebirdcagebride member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I like Meredith's idea. but 999 as his original price is what we were quoted on average for ceremony AND reception music. are you using him for both? Working with the number of hours is the easiest way to drop your price. But in February I would think you asking for $700 would still be a great offer since he might not book a wedding otherwise on your date. It doesn't hurt to ask. Just say "this is our DJ budget, can you come down to this?"
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  • abozzabozz
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Mine was running a promotion for free lighting which is usually $150 if we booked by a certain date. We ended up booking a week later than that, but I asked if we could still get it free, and he said yes. So, it never hurts to ask!
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    No, I eventually DID get the contract for the string quartet. They did not book someone else, they wanted me to book with them. What I was saying was, they took forever to GET the contract TO me, and they are located in Charlotte, so it should get to me the next day via mail. But I had to keep asking for it, which is when I heard the mailbox excuse. The day after that, though, they mailed it out again and I received it. It was me who told them, "I dont want to book you now."
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I guess All the Right Grooves is booked? You get 5 hours with them for $575.
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Or wait, maybe it's 675.
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  • keserzankeserzan
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    All the Right Grooves isn't booked any in February. $650 for a Charlotte wedding, $675 in Greensboro, and $750 in Raleigh for standard package. [url]http://www.therightgrooves.com[/url]
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Whoa... ATRG isnt booked?? Psych you gotta book them asap!!!!
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  • NcsuPsychNcsuPsych member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Im looking into it right now :) Has anyone on here used them ?
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  • keserzankeserzan
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Lots of girls on here have used them and raved about them. Click on the NC Bride Bio Link in my siggy and go to the DJ page to see all of the comments left from different brides that have used them. I, unfortunately, had booked and paid deposit on my DJ before I heard of them. I'm still really excited about my DJ, but they are more expensive, therefore I'm not recommending them to you.
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  • Kellybeth124Kellybeth124
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We had Bethany from ATRG do our wedding and she was fantastic. The music was cued perfectly, all the songs we wanted to hear were played and the guests just loved her. She did our ceremony and reception.
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  • dontworryloverdontworrylover
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Jill from All the Right Grooves did our wedding last weekend and she was great. She totally got our style of music (not at all mainstream) and she gave us CDs with all the songs we picked out :) It was $650 for 4 hours in Charlotte.
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  • katherineUTCkatherineUTC
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I am using ATRG also in 3 weeks and am REALLY excited, they have a fabulous reputation on here. As soon as I booked my venue, I sent them a deposit without meeting with them or talking to them, that is how confident I was in how good they'd be.
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  • andrea01012009andrea01012009 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    personally, i think $700 is a fair price for a dj for four hours. the guys charging $800 and up are way overpriced. at 700 for four hours, think about it thats 175/hour.
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  • NcsuPsychNcsuPsych member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    700 isnt bad, ideally we'd like to find something lower, but much lower and I think the music might suffer. We're going to give our first pick dj a call this week as well as ALRGs :) thanks for all the advice!
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