Band or DJ? (Choose your reception music wisely!)

Let me begin this article by stating the obvious:

There is NOTHING better than a top notch LIVE BAND to provide entertainment at a wedding reception!

That may sound like an odd statement coming from a wedding DJ, but having been to events with both DJs and bands over the years, I'm going to be honest: A $5000 wedding band trumps any Disc Jockey service, and they should at 4x or 5x the price!

Nevertheless, reality dictates that on a typical weekend in May through October, there will be only 5 really good wedding bands in a large metropolitan area.

This is where a great DJ service will shine, because once you eliminate the top-tier bands and orchestras, there is more parity between the less-talented bands and experienced and talented Mobile Disc Jockey Emcees.

In order for a band to provide proper crowd control, they must provide an Emcee (master of ceremonies) to make announcements during the events. Furthermore, the best bands will provide a DJ during the 15 minute breaks (every hour). Finally, the top wedding bands will provide some form of pre-event consultation to ensure the event runs smoothly from start to finish.

This is the primary advantage to a mobile Disc Jockey (DJ) service: DJs do not take breaks. The best DJ services will provide continuous music throughout the entire event, without interuption (except for announcements or toasts/speeches).

When choosing reception music, you should make sure your music provider (whether band or DJ) will be playing your requests as well as the requests made by your guests. Furthermore, there should be a Do Not Play List allowed (where you tell them what NOT to play).
There should be no unreasonable limitation on the number of requests allowed.

Your reception music provider (whether band or DJ) should be able to coordinate the event, through the various individual parts. For example: at a wedding you have a grand entrance, toasts/speeches, table dismissals (if there will be a buffet meal), cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter removal, garter toss, first dance, father/daughter dance, etc. Each of these must be announced in a clear and concise manner, and be intelligible to the entire audience.

The music vendor should also be able to provide a wireless microphone for the various persons in the room giving speeches (as in during the toasts). A wireless mic allows the person giving speech to stay at their table, instead of having to walk across the room to the entertainment's stage area.

In addition, whomever you choose for wedding reception entertainment should be able to control the volume level. Speakers should be elevated (ie. on poles) to allow the sound to disperse over the crowd's heads. This results in a more balanced sound level for the entire venue.

Nowadays, many DJ Services offer more than just music. There are dual DJ/Emcee "teams" that work hard to make a lively party. With a tag team approach, there is always one person manning the DJ booth while another is on the floor working the crowd as a "motivator". Some DJ shows go even further, providing a Live Singer and/or Live Dancers to entertain the crowds. Having live entertainment as part of the DJ service is the best of both worlds, because you have the advantages of a non-stop DJ along with live performances.

In conclusion, if your entertainment budget is $5000 or more, please do everyone a favor and hire the very best wedding band in your area! (Note: in some high-cost metropolitan areas like Boston or NYC, a top-notch band will easily top $10,000). However, if your wedding reception budget is closer to the average for your area (say $8000), chances are you will only have 10% to 15% of this amount available for entertaining your guests (maybe $800 to $1200). This means you will need to make some compromises in the music provider. Unless you are personal friends with Mick Jagger, chances are you won't get the Rolling Stones at your event!

Therefore, the best recommendation is to shop wisely for a DJ entertainer who will give you the right amount of interactivity and quality of service. If you make the right choice, your guests will thank you!

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