Every celebration, whether it’s a birthday, christening or a wedding reception, needs good music to get the party going. When arranging your wedding, you’re faced with two options for the music at the reception: a live band or a DJ. Both of them have their pros and cons.
So, before rushing in and booking anything, it’s worth weighing everything up and deciding which will fit in best with your ideal wedding day.
Live Band Pros:
- Live music is a great way to really get the crowd going at your wedding and encourage people to get up and dance.
- A live band will be able to change the tempo and wording to songs ad hoc to fit in with the mood and personality of the event.
- A particular kind of band can complete a wedding theme; for example, a Celtic band at an Irish themed wedding, or a steel drum band at a Caribbean themed wedding.
Live Band Cons:
- Hiring a live band for your wedding is much more expensive than hiring a DJ, so the cost may put some couples off.
- A live band will generally play songs from one main genre, so you may find yourself getting bored of jazz music after several hours of it!
- Live music tends to be very loud, so if you’ve got a small wedding venue, it might feel a bit overpowered by the band.
- Live performances require a great deal of energy and stamina, so you’ll usually find that live musicians will need to take regular breaks, which stops the party for 10 minutes or so every hour. This can cause the party mood to dip and it can be difficult to re-energise the crowd again.
Wedding DJ Pros:
- A wedding DJ will have a catalogue of thousands of songs, so it’s highly likely that they’ll have something to suit your guests and be able to take requests.
- There’s usually plenty of choice of wedding DJ in the big cities like Manchester, London, Birmingham etc, so wherever you are, they won’t have to travel far, meaning that most wedding DJs can keep their costs down.
- Wedding DJs are experienced at blending songs from different genres together seamlessly, so there won’t be any breaks in music and your guests can keep dancing.
- A DJ can stack up songs to play so that they can grab a quick break without having to stop the party.
Wedding DJ Cons:
- Some wedding DJs have been doing wedding gigs for a long time and can sometimes go on autopilot out of sheer boredom with the usual routine.
- A DJ on autopilot might start playing songs from the ‘do not play’ list or introduce the bride and groom in the wrong way – i.e. if the bride hasn’t taken her husband’s surname.
Choose a Wedding Band or a DJ with Care
When choosing a wedding band or a DJ try to make sure that you have seen them perform before you book them. You could also ask for recommendations from friends and family for DJs or bands that they have enjoyed previously.
Before booking a DJ, it’s a good idea to meet him or her and get to know their personality, as it’s likely that they’ll be the person acting as the main MC of your wedding reception; so they’ll need to have charisma and be able to work the crowd effectively!
Above all you need to be upfront with your band or DJ about particular songs that you do or do not want playing at your wedding reception. If they’re not willing to comply, then move on and find someone else who will! It’s your special day, don’t let the music dampen the mood!
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