During the planning process, you and your fiancé will eventually have to decide between a DJ or a live band. There is no right or wrong choice. Both options can complete your wedding reception and keep your guests on their feet. In case you’re needing some help deciding on what to choose, the Snyder Entertainment team has provided some pros and cons to help you decide on your wedding entertainment!
Wedding Bands
If you’ve ever been to a concert or been around live music, you can’t help put tap your foot to the beat or even dance a little. Almost nothing can get a crowd going better than a live band. The band brings a unique energy to your reception. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy live music surrounded by all of their favorite people?
Pros:
· Live music gets your guests going and on the dance floor almost immediately.
· Great themed music- most wedding bands know ALL of the classics spanning a wide range of genres and decades.
· Guests seem like they need to slow it down for a song or two? The band can easily change the tempo when necessary.
· Some of your guests aren’t dancers? It’s more comfortable for guests to sit and watch a live band.
Cons:
· The band equipment can take up a lot of space. Consider how many guests are attending, how many tables will be in the space, and how much space will you need for a comfortable dance floor.
· Smaller variety of music. If you have any spur-of-the-moment song requests, it’s possible that you won’t be able to hear them.
· Bands take breaks. The reception could loose momentum between sets.
· Wedding bands tend to be more expensive typically running anywhere from $2500 - $10,000 +.
Wedding DJ
Your wedding playlist can go from jazz for the cocktail hour, soul for the dinner reception, and then Ke$ha for the dance reception. While everyone loves to hear a great live cover of “Brown Eyed Girl,” everyone also loves to hear the original version that can take you back to a particular time and place. If you and your fiancé both love different genres and want to include a mix of all of your favorite songs, then a DJ may be the right choice for you.
Pros:
· You can include anything and everything you want on your wedding playlists. Your DJ has access to any song ever created, or that’s on Spotify. Huge variety!
· You have the ability to hear cover songs done by different artists, or you can have all originals.
· The music can go all night without breaks.
· The DJ and his equipment take up very little space leaving plenty of room for the dance floor.
· Wedding DJ’s are significantly cheaper than live bands costing anywhere from $500 to $2000+ (not including other services like lighting or photo booth). But you can have more options by adding that photo booth or lighting package with your DJ for less than the cost of a band.
Cons:
· You don’t want your wedding reception to be remembered by a cheesy DJ. We recommend you take the time to check out your wedding DJ during a meeting, check out online reviews, and ask past couples who have used that DJ. You need to make sure you love their personality because they will be the emcee of your evening!
· If the crowd is shy, it can be difficult to improvise or change the tempo.
· It can also be boring for the guests that don’t like to dance whereas they could still enjoy a live band.
Now, here are a few questions you and your fiancé should ask each other:
· Will our wedding venue have enough space to accommodate equipment?
· Would you rather have a wide variety of music or a limited selection of live covers?
· How much are you willing to spend on musical entertainment and what works better with your budget?
Whatever floats your boat will float the guests as well. Regardless of your choice, the night is about being with your loved ones celebrating the union of two families. People will be laughing and dancing the night away.
Once you answer these questions, then you should find the answer of what to choose for your wedding reception. Have more questions? Ask us! We can help you with any of your entertainment needs!
