Every event needs music, and a wedding reception is no exception. After all, music can make or break the mood and overall vibe. When you’re entertaining family and friends in a confined space for more than four hours, the beats are about as essential as the food or wedding cake.
Can’t decide whether you want to go the traditional route with a band or prefer to keep it more contemporary with a DJ? To make it a bit easier, we’ve written a few things to consider before committing to a signed contract with a band or a DJ (or both!)
- Budget: When it comes to cheaper prices, it almost always is a DJ. Why? Because there’s more people to pay in a band. Unless you’re hiring an international act like David Guetta for the night, the 5-piece or 12-piece symphony will always cost more. Assess your budget together to see what you can afford, and how much percentage you are willing to put towards entertainment. If your heart is really set on a band but the price range is out of your budget, consider reducing or removing other elements that won’t break your event.
- Vibe: Well, it goes without saying that nothing beats live music. You get a raw feel of the singer and their acoustics in real time, rather than in a recorded studio. Also, some music genres just sound better live – for example, a string quartet or rockabilly. On the other hand, if you want to recreate a ‘70s feel, then a DJ can certainly bring the ambience unlike any other.
- Variety: As they say, variety is the spice of life and generally, both a DJ and a band can play both the fast and slow songs, as well as old and new tunes. Although it goes without saying that a DJ will have a much larger variety of music on hand, ready to play at a moment’s notice. The transition will also be much smoother too.
- Space: Of course, your venue will dictate whether you have enough room for a DJ or a five-piece band. You’ll also need to check whether there are enough electrical power sockets for all the instruments for a band. DJs do take up less dance floor real estate.
For us, we think the final deciding factor is when you see your chosen band or DJ live. This can help you determine which one has a more charismatic stage presence and can ‘read’ the crowd. You want everyone to get up on the dance floor and enjoy themselves, and if you’re seeing people slumped in their chair, you want to trust your DJ or band to be able to select music that will get them up again.
We would never recommend gatecrashing a couple’s wedding, so you’ll have to make do with a bit of online research if you can’t see them live. Browse the social media accounts of the DJ or band and watch their videos to get a feel of how they operate. Then, read reviews from married couples who have also hired them for their event. This should give you enough information to proceed with one or the other.
Looking for a DJ or band for your upcoming Melbourne wedding? We can help. At Melbourne’s Best Functions, event planning comes easily to us. Call us on (03) 8199 3733 to deliver your function in style.
