Hiring A Band Or DJ: Things To Consider For Your Wedding Day

I've probably said this at least a 1000 times on my website, if not more. "The entertainment you decide to hire for your wedding day is the single most important part of your overall day and is a decision that should NEVER be taken lightly. It's a decision that should come right after you save your date and secure your wedding venue.  You are free to listen to The Mike Bills Podcast, as well as learn more about the importance of wedding entertainment through some of the many pieces of content created on this blog. You can listen to all the podcasts and read over all the blogs, but the burning question still remains: Should You Hire A Band Or A Wedding DJ For Your Wedding Reception.  Would you believe in all the years I've been blogging and becoming a thought leader about hiring your wedding DJ I've never written about this? Yeah, I know what you are probably saying. That's hard to believe.  As someone who is a true music lover, I love a live band and I cannot wait until COVID is totally over where we can go to concerts without a worry in the world as we once did.  But modern brides and grooms need to know that a band will provide a totally different vibe, at a much greater cost than your top wedding DJs.

It is certainly NOT my intent to bash any band, but as a professional wedding DJ who has forged an amazing reputation for providing my clients, I wanted to use my platform to discuss what it would mean to your wedding day should you decide to hire either a band or a live wedding DJ. 

Before I get into the thick of things with this post, I need to remind modern brides and grooms who have just gotten engaged that being a professional wedding DJ comes with it a laundry list of tasks, most of which may not be covered by a band. You'll find some of these tasks listed below.
Unlimited Consultations About  Music
Help With A Wedding Timeline
Getting To Your Reception Early
Emcee
Playlist Creation With Numerous Transitions
Play Music / Provide Microphones For Your Wedding Ceremony

As you can see, a professional wedding DJ has a well-rounded list of tasking that they must do on your wedding day. This does not include site surveys, meeting with wedding planners, venue coordinators, and playlist preparation before your big day. 

Wedding Bands Are More Expensive Than Wedding DJs
In today's post COVID-19 world, modern brides and grooms are pinching pennies even more and actually decreasing their guest list to save money in an uncertain economic environment. One thing that is for certain, bands are going to cost signficantly more than one of the best wedding DJs in the geographical area where your wedding is going to be held.  Brides and grooms can expect to pay upwards of $5,000 if not more for their band, plus booking and agency fees (if applicable). Feel free to click back over to this very important article about Why You Should Book Your Wedding DJ Direct and you'll learn how you can eliminate booking and agency fees.  If you are set on hiring a band for your wedding entertainment, you need to do a Google search for wedding bands and hire the band "direct", instead of going through an agency. On top of the fee to hire the band, you will be charged booking and agency fees that can be eliminated if you hire the band direct. Feel free to click back over to my website to view my prices. To  stimulate the wedding industry as we come out of COVID, I lowered some of the prices to hire one of the top wedding DJs to 2015 and 2016 levels. No wedding market should EVER raise prices 5-10% per year.  Always hire your band direct. The best wedding bands will have professionally designed websites and videos to entice you to learn more. 

Wedding Bands Take Breaks While Wedding DJs Do Not
Correction. Some DJs do not take breaks, like myself. Others can be found in the buffet station line as quickly as they are allowed getting a plate full of food and acting like they have not eaten in 2 weeks.  For me personally, I don't eat unless I can safely hide and grab a few bites, because it's rude to eat in front of a bride and groom and guests. Bands usually perform for upwards of an hour, then take a break.  How does the band maintain the tempo when the music stops? I don't stop the music ever. If a bride and groom have hired me for 4 hours, they are going to get 4 hours of non-stop, nicely blended music, along with all the special moments like the first dance, father / daughter dance, and mother / son dance.  Your wedding DJ can quickly make an announcement if need be about anything, where it's a little difficult to do so with a band. 

Wedding Bands Don't Have The Flexibility Like A Wedding DJs
If you should decide to hire a band for your wedding reception, would they also be able to provide music for your wedding ceremony and cocktail hour?  I've made investments in my DJ rig that would not only be able to provide my clients with their wedding ceremony music, but also cocktail hour too. Your typical wedding band may not be able to provide these extras and as a result you may end up spending more money on your music because of investing in these other parts of your wedding day separately. Plus, the top wedding DJs are going to provide upwards of at least 4 wireless  microphones, which is usually ideal for any wedding ceremony needs.

Venue Requirements For A Wedding Band And DJ Are Different
When you sign a contract to hire me to be your wedding DJ, the terms of the contract are fairly simple. All that I request of my clients is a 6 foot table, and also another table  should I be needed for their ceremony.  Bands require way more time to get set up, and lots more space inside your wedding venue which can dramatically affect the floor plan of your wedding venue. 

Who Is More Professional? A Band Or A Wedding DJ?
One of the biggest selling points that I convey to my clients and why I have been hired by so many great brides and grooms over the year is the laser focus that I provide them. I am the business owner. I am the wedding DJ. When you work with the owner of a company, you are going to get better service, guaranteed. The business owner has a vested interest in the continued success of the company.   Unless the wedding band that has been hired has a designated point of contact to interface with during the evening, you run the risk of working with a variety of different band members instead of ONE WEDDING DJ. For more information on Why You Should Hire A Wedding DJ Who Specializes In ONE Wedding Per Day... <----CLICK HERE. Hiring a wedding DJ will come with it LESS moving parts and a greater chance of minimal confusion with coordination of your wedding reception.

Does The Wedding Band Have An Emcee?
Unless you intend on having a wedding reception with NO announcements, every wedding reception must have announcements. From my humble beginnings as a wedding DJ, I've always thought "less was more" in terms of how many announcements need to be made. Wedding DJs who just get on the microphone to hear themselves talk are not the ones you want to hire for your big day.  Wedding DJs have far more experience on the microphone than your average wedding band, even though the band members are singers.  Most professional wedding DJs are highly trained and sound polished on the microphone. They know when to make announcements in short order and can make adjustments and stop the music for special occasions. 

Can A Wedding Band Play All Of Your Favorite Songs?
One of the biggest selling points of hiring a professional wedding DJ is the ability for that DJ to bring with them a catalog of thousands of songs.  When you hire a wedding band, they are only going to know certain songs.  If you were looking forward to hearing the original version of that song, you'll be in for a disappointment.  This is something to take into consideration when hiring a wedding band.  You can make a list of songs to hear, but you'll be limited as to what the band can play.  When modern brides and grooms hire me to be their wedding DJ, they are created an online portal where they can log in at their leisure to begin selecting their songs. For more information on How You Can Log In At Your Leisure To Create Your Wedding Playlist <-----Click HERE

Interested In Speaking To Mike Bills And Hiring Him To Be Your Wedding DJ?
You know there is no easy answer to the Wedding Band or Wedding DJ Question. Your decision is going to come down to whatever vision you had about your wedding day when you first got engaged and started dreaming about your big day.  For most modern brides and grooms, the post COVID-19 wedding might be a little smaller so "price" is going to factor into whether they hire a wedding DJ or band. Wedding DJs are simply going to be much easier on the pocketbook. Don't get me wrong. Hiring a wedding band can be an awesome experience for some couples. It really depends on the vibe you are looking for.  While there are some bands who effortlessly get the wedding party and guests out on the dance floor, bands are to be watched, just like you would when you go see Hootie & The Blowfish during their homegrown concert each year. 

Professional wedding DJs (if they truly are pros) will walk you through the entire process of putting together an amazing soundtrack for your wedding day. Those same professional wedding DJs will communicate with you from the time that you book your wedding until the last song plays at your wedding.  I cannot vouch for any band and if they will carefully walk you through this process.  My only recommendation should you decide to proceed with hiring a band is to book the band directly. Should you go through the motions and use a booking agency, you will pay even more for your wedding entertainment (sometimes upwards of 25% more).  The wedding bands who want to separate themselves from the booking agencies will design and upload a quality wedding website with sample videos and a way to get a hold of them. 

I wanted to thank you for finding me online. In a very crowded wedding industry, I am so happy that the content you found online in regards to finding the best wedding DJ for your big day inspired you to learn more about me.  While the pandemic looks to be easing, the wedding industry continues to be oversaturated. For more information about How You Can Navigate Around An Oversaturated Wedding Indistry <-----CLICK HERE.   I would love to speak with you about your wedding. I absolutely love what I do as a wedding DJ. You are invited to check out my reviews at all the major wedding websites, as well as Google. If you just recently got engaged and are beginning your search for the best wedding DJ that fits you as a a couple, please click the link up above and let's set up a time to discuss your big day.   Your music is what you and your guests will remember the most. Take your time on picking the right entertainment for your wedding day. 

In case you missed this very important link on my homepage, please go ahead and click over to the link down below and find out more about me as a wedding DJ.
Why You Need To Hire One Of The Top Wedding DJs Mike Bills