Do You Want a Live Band, or a DJ?

Do I want a live band, or a DJ? This is a typical question perplexed brides and grooms-to-be often ask themselves. After all, the band or DJ really sets the tone for your wedding reception — a good one can throw sparks in an otherwise dull crowd. On the other hand, a poor one can put a noticeable damper on a group that’s ready to get down.

At my first wedding I learned a surprising amount about wedding entertainment, but I learned the hard way. Mine was a double wedding (a whole adventure in itself, let me tell you), and both my future brother-in-law and I were extremely passionate about music. We literally spent hours together, carefully crafting a list of songs that meant a lot to us, and — we hoped — meant to a lot of our family and friends as well. You all know how it goes. You have a list of songs you “must” hear, and a list of songs that simply make your hackles rise. Ours started like this:

MUST PLAY
Someone to Watch Over Me (Ella Fitzgerald)
I’ve Got a Crush on You (Frank Sinatra)
All You Need is Love (Beatles)
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)
Sugar Magnolia (Grateful Dead)
Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)
At Last (Etta James)
Rock Lobster (B-52s)
Honesty (Billy Joel) …

MUST NOT PLAY
Mony, Mony (Billy Idol)
Any medleys whatsoever
Old Time Rock & Roll (Bob Seger)
Celebration (Kool & the Gang)
We Are Family (Pointer Sisters)
Macarena, Chicken Dance, Electric Slide …

… and so on.

Armed with our three-page list, we interviewed three DJ’s, and ended up choosing the entertainment company with the best reputation. But we couldn’t help but worry about the fact that they didn’t promise to play the songs we’d requested, or even promise not to play the songs we didn’t want. In fact, the DJ was a little insulted by our specificity.

When the big night came, he played whatever songs he wanted — mostly at the expense of our painstakingly-prepared list. The moral of the story? When the DJ hints they aren’t going to honor your preferences, they mean it. Get exactly what you want, and get it in writing, or get another DJ!

Okay, now you’ve got some inside information on DJs. But how do you decide whether you want a DJ at all, or if a live band is better? There’s a few things to consider when you’re making this decision.

The first is probably price. A DJ is likely to be less expensive than most bands. The reason why is that a DJ, or their company, will probably send only one or two people to work at your ceremony, while a wedding band usually has five members or more. Naturally, each band member needs to be paid — and any number divided by five suffers some pretty serious shrinkage.

Another important factor when choosing a DJ or a band is how broad a selection of music you want. A band won’t have a set list as long or diverse as the number of songs a DJ typically has on hand. This might not seem awfully important, since you can only play so many songs at a typical reception. But if the guests really want to hear a certain song, a DJ’s more likely to have it on hand than the band is to know how to play it. (Sure, they can probably do a great job of “Fly Me to the Moon,” but can they really do justice to “Blue Monday?”)

One more advantage to having a DJ is that that the experienced ones are usually practiced emcees, and more capable of entertaining the crowd throughout the reception, including dinner. A DJ will usually play light music during dinner, then smoothly transition to more dance-friendly music afterward. Bands play sets of varied length, but they also need breaks, which can really interrupt the flow of a wedding.

So while there are a number of reasons for favoring a DJ, both financial and practical, a band has its strengths as well. For one, a band is usually more appropriate for an elegant occasion. A very formal wedding should always have a band instead of a DJ, since cost isn’t typically such a factor.

Outdoor weddings also favor the live band. Not only is there something vaguely odd about seeing a DJ in the harsh light of noon, a band’s sound tends to carry better in the difficult acoustic environment of the great outdoors.

Whichever option you choose, it’s critical that you have a chance to see your band or DJ perform before you hire them. Live bands and DJ’s build up a reputation and gain a lot of popularity through word-of-mouth. If you thought a band or DJ did a great job at a wedding you attended, get their name and number from the host.

Then, when you’ve made a decision and are ready to hire someone, make sure you look at the fine print on the contract. One detail you often won’t see is the exact names of the people who’ll be performing at a party. Many party bands actually have a number of different configurations and group members, so the band you saw at a particular wedding or event might not include exactly the same group of people when they show up at yours.

In addition, many popular DJ’s get booked early, especially if they work for an entertainment company. Sometimes, if names aren’t in the contract, an overbooked company will send another DJ to your wedding. And this can mean you don’t get the same guy with all that smooth patter and sparkling personality that you loved at your cousin Sarah’s wedding. Instead, you get the new guy, who’s somehow massively less entertaining. Cover yourself, and get down in writing exactly who’s going to perform at your wedding.

If you’re not familiar with the area, and there are a lot of bands and DJ’s for hire, you could have a tough task on your hands. The best place to start is asking friends and family who are from the area for recommendations. If they genuinely loved their choice of wedding performers, ask to borrow a copy of their wedding video. Watch the footage that shows guests dancing — and decide if that’s what you want at your wedding.

Finally, although you might already have your heart set on a band or DJ that you like, try to interview at least three to five potentials anyway before you make your decision. Even if you end up with the band you had your heart set on, the pricing you do will make you more comfortable with your decision. Of course, it might even turn up an even better candidate that you didn’t know about before.

Now that you’ve made your decision, get a detailed contract that incorporates exactly what you want. Make sure it spells out exactly what the DJ or band will do, and who’s going to do it.

Whether you choose a live band or DJ, the amount of fun people are going to have at your wedding rests largely in their hands. Like many decisions make as you plan your wedding, knowledge really is power. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make these important (and costly!) decisions — and the more likely your guests are to remember that great night they had, dancing the house down at your wedding.