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Bands vs. DJs?

phelene1phelene1 member
First Comment
in Wedding Ceremony & Reception Music Discussions
Why are so many couples choosing canned music over live? Is it just the money or is there something else? Seems to me that my guests just got out of their cars with music from the radio or another device and I decided to make the event special by having a band for my guests to have a visual as well as something to dance to. A mistake? I haven't sent back the contract yet.
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Re: Bands vs. DJs?

  • emmyg65emmyg65 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I've heard way too much terrible live music to think a band is better than a DJ just because it's not "canned."

    We didn't consider a band because we didn't think we could afford it and we wanted to hear a wide variety of music.
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  • mysticlmysticl member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    It can be cheaper.  

    Bands take breaks so you need something (like a dj) to fill in those gaps so you don't just have dead air.

    Bands often have a certain style so you don't get as much variety.  Even if they play songs from different genre they can come out sounding the same.  

    People like their favorite songs they way they are used to hearing them so when a band plays them they don't sound "right".

    Recorded music doesn't have a bad night.  With a band the lead singer could lose their voice, a drummer get sick, guitar strings break, etc.  
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  • misscoffeepleasemisscoffeeplease member
    5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper First Anniversary
    I'm not a fan of live music unless it's a certain artist performing. FI's had a company Christmas party with live band music and it wasn't fun at all. Hardly anyone danced or enjoyed themselves because it wasn't that type of music that can get you going.
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  • InkdancerInkdancer member
    First Comment First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its
    Also, if the type of music the band plays doesn't get the crowd partying, you're stuck.

    If your DJ is playing songs that aren't working, they can switch genres pretty easily.
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  • SBminiSBmini member
    5 Love Its First Comment First Anniversary Name Dropper
    One word: Diversity! 

    We're having a mixed cultural music and a DJ can play EVERYTHING not just the 'canned wedding songs' you'd get from a band. 
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  • vmj23vmj23 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer

    We didn't even consider a band.  It wasn't a budget thing, i just prefer a dj for the variety in music.

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  • hyechica81hyechica81 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    bands can be cheesy i think of them as going to a local bar that has bands on the weekends and watching them play cover songs there way.

    with a dj you get more selection of music that can be adjusted for the crowed say the dj is playing some 80s music and the crowd is not dancing he can switch it up to more recent hits.

    i had family that went to a wedding with a band and no one was dancing

    i have a dj and hes playing lots of hits from all genreas its what my crowed likes


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  • Grabows14Grabows14 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary First Comment Name Dropper
    we are going with a band, my Fiance's family only uses bands for weddings (or at least the 3 that I have been to). A good live band will get the party going no matter what IMO
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  • chimeg55chimeg55 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I felt the need to comment as My husband and I struggled quite a bit with this very decision. I felt a DJ would be better for all the same reasons listed above. My parents really wanted a band and offered to pay for it so I agreed to meet with the one they were leaning towards. Honestly ended up being the best decision we made of the entire wedding planning process! They played a huge variety ( 80s, Motown, current., country.... Their playlist was literally 5 pages long! Our dance floor was packed the entire night and I rarely left. They had 4 singers so nothing sounded the same. I'm sure a DJ would have been fine but looking back, I could not have imagined the night without them. I do think its worth at least a little consideration if it can be fit into your budget.
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  • kittenkatykittenkaty member
    First Comment
    It's a tricky one but I'm sure it'll be fine. We've booked a band (via Function Central here in the UK) mainly due to the visual aspect as you say - a band is a much stronger focus for guests than a DJ and we'd been to weddings where guests could take or leave the DJ and the dancing was a bit non-committal.. Even the cheesiest wedding band will create a more fun atmosphere than a DJ in my view. Guests who aren't into music and don't dance to a band probably wouldn't dance to a DJ either. In this case, I would say worth the expense going for a band, and a cheap DJ would probably do..
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