Band or DJ at Your Wedding? The Debate Continues

If you’re a spouse-to-be, you’ve probably been thinking nonstop about colors, venues, outfits, flowers, food, invitations, dates, and the silverware on your registry. Wedding planning sometimes seems like it’s nothing more than a series of endless choices, choices that you have to run by multiple people, then go back and change all over again. If you’re in this position, I congratulate you, and I’m sorry for all of the choices you have to make. 

One thing you’re probably stressing over is the mind-tangling choice of a new-fangled DJ versus a traditional band. So let me help you in a small way, spouse-to-be (or whoever you are, no matter your current participation in wedding planning). I’ve put together some advice to guide you on which entertainment to choose.

The Advantages of a DJ:

Note that eighty-five percent of all modern-day weddings use a DJ. So if you always like to go with the crowd, this fact should be a deal maker. DJs tend to cost under $2,000 for the night, which is (comparitively) affordable.

You can direct your DJ to cast just the mood you’re looking for--they’ll have a wide array songs to pull from. It’s also much easier for a DJ to play specific songs you might want to hear; they can load pretty much anything on their laptop and simply press play. This seems even easier when you consider the alternative, which would involve a band spending hours learning and rehearsing new songs. With a DJ’s ease of song selection, you can even ask your guests to send over their favorite party songs for playtime at the reception. In fact, you can tell the DJ to not play "Cha Cha Slide," if you’ve heard that song at one reception too many.

Because they have to set up less equipment and don’t have to move their bodies around as much as a band, a DJ can keep the party going for around six hours. Even better, a wedding reception with a DJ tends to revolve around the couple, socializing, and some cheerful dancing, rather than everyone turning their heads toward a live wedding act. 

Many DJs come with fancy lighting setups. For example, some of DJ Danny Aon‘s more expensive packages include custom monogrammed lights. Danny is not only experienced with weddings, but he’s a master turntablist, so you can ask him for a vinyl set and hear your guests talk about your wax-only reception for years.

The Disadvantages of a DJ

In my opinion, there are no specific pitfalls of a DJ, just the absence of any "pro" a band might offer.

The Advantages of a Band:

There’s nothing like the transcendental atmosphere of live music. A good wedding act will have an elegant style and diverse repertoire, making for a sense-invigorating performance. They’ll sense the tone of the room and provide a dynamic charm. Plus, a band is a show. Whether you’ll like this or not is a very subjective thing. But it’s clear that a band is good for couples that want a focal point at their reception, rather than a more ambient atmosphere.

Don’t let the reason "DJs can take breaks, bands can’t" excuse get in the way of hiring an ensemble! A lot of bands put on masterfully curated "break playlists."

Many bands let your guests perform wildly fun sing-alongs. DJs do this too, but this is a good opportunity to mention one wedding band that offers a live karaoke show: Republic of Music. Receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews online, ROM offers Las Vegas extravagance in all the best ways. Aside from live band karaoke, they offer a variety of theme shows to please everyone such as Top 40, ‘80s music, big band, Latin, and acoustic ambience.

You can also hire any niche genre band to accompany your specific tastes: string quartet, funk, salsa, zydeco, gamelan--they’re all out there.

Another band idea: Daring Greatly. DG has been playing the San Diego bar and the event circuit as of late, including Fine’s "Art, Rhythm and Wine" event. They play a passionate embodiment of ‘70s southern rock, updated with a post-grunge vocal flair.

The Disadvantages of a Band

A band can be a huge visual centerpiece, as I said in the "pro" section--but some people don’t want their weddings to be like a concert. Bands have no choice but to be loud; it’s very difficult to control the volume of an instrument, especially when it comes to drums.

The rumors are true--bands are not nice to your wallet. Depending on the size and popularity of the band, you could find yourself dropping anywhere from $1,000 to $15,000. The average sits around $1,000 per band member. In addition, you have to feed all your band members. Caterers often charge less for vendor meals, though.

A band’s setup takes up much more space than a DJ, so check your venue’s size capacity. A big setup also takes a lot of time to put up and take down, so your band might not be able to play for as long as you’d want. Even more unsettling, more can go wrong with a band. In the end, a DJ plays songs that have already been recorded impeccably. If you hire a band and they end up playing badly, they could ruin your wedding. Make sure your band has a good demo video and experience playing weddings so you know they know how to work with a crowd.

The music’s mood is confined to the band’s style and instrumentation. Although a good wedding band will play a variety of styles to please a wide audience, I doubt they’re going to sound just like Billie Holiday, the band that did Bon Jovi, and Katy Perry in the span of one hour.

So DJ or Band?

I wish I could end the debate once and for all, but instead I’ll just relay some important knowledge. Definitive black-and-white statements such as "A band is always better!" are almost never true. Life is a grey, grey spectrum. So I conclude: do what fits your personality and budget. Bands are for the extravagant, and DJs are for those who want a more balanced and atmospheric experience. Of course, that’s a black and white statement, too. So go over the information I’ve given you, do some research of your own, make some calls, and check "music" off on your wedding to-do list!