Wedding - Band or DJ?

stokecity_m

stokecity_m

stokecity_m

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Stoke-on-trent
Well seeing as i'm getting married (not till jan 2018 so plenty of time) my partner wants me to be involved with the planing :(

I'm thinking if i sort the music out that should keep her happy.

I'd like peoples opinions on whether i should just stick to a normal DJ - looking around £400 or go a bit more and hire a band £1000

Anyone got any good or bad experience on either.
 
Dj at my mums wedding.. He done his job.. Incorporated songs that we requested. Kept people shall we say entertained? Saying little funny things but not to much. And he was a nice guy!
 
Create some of your own music plays lists to put on, you just know the disco DJ will playing tripe like lady in red and the birdy song later on.

I would hire a Jazz band if it was my wedding:)
 
Depends on the band, depends on the DJ, depends on your tastes. Bands tend to be a little more special but won't play for the entire evening.

We were very happy with our wedding DJ. He managed to get people of all ages dancing without resorting to cheese. He even turned down someone's request to play Hi Ho Silver Lining. :D
 
From seeing New York Brass Band playing at a gig in Sheffield, they absolutely blew me away. I'd definitely think of hiring a similar band.
 
Where've those number come from? I got married in Dec, and was looking at £1400 and upwards for bands that we liked the look / sound of.

In the end, we went with a DJ and I'm glad we did. He was great, kept lots of energy in the room, did ballon animals with the kids before the music had really started, ended up with a little dance competition going on. He read the room/crowd perfectly, and only cost £250.

If it was an outdoor / summer wedding, we'd have given a band more thought. We toyed with the idea of a band and a DJ for a while. I've been to weddings where there have been bands, and whilst the bands were amazing - there less people up and dancing for as long as weddings where there have been DJs.
 
hireaband.co.uk - the search option gives you a price band. I'm sure it's only a rough figure.

9 acts for Wedding Bands in Stoke on Trent and Stafford between £800 & £1000
 
A band, but go and see them before you book them.

I've a few friends that play in bands and one thing they do mention is that there have been a few occasions when someone hasn't turned up or was late.
Find out how reliable they are too.
 
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just get a band then have an ipod/tablet/laptop with a playlist after...

I don't see the point of a DJ at a wedding - it isn't like they're mixing dance tracks, they're just pressing play on a bunch of pop songs
 
As for both - a lot of band seem to provide an unmanned DJ service between their sets.

I guess its just a case of is the extra cost worth it.
 
As a wedding photographer I've had experience of both.

Bands/singers are always popular but I always find they always have the same sound for all their music so you have to make sure it's a sound you really like. They also take breaks, what are you going to do when they aren't singing?

DJ's - I've seen DJ's literally set up their gear, load a play list and walk away for 3 hours. I've also seen really good DJ's that provide a great service, play exactly what you like and are happy to listen to your requirements. We had a DJ, he was an ex radio DJ too and was excellent.

I am only down the road from you so if you need suggestions on things feel free to give me a shout.

My friend runs and agency for bands/singers/DJ's, I can't remember the company info but she also does princess parties so you can contact her via her Facebook page and see what she has on the books.

https://www.facebook.com/wishuponaprincess1/?pnref=lhc

dowie said:
just get a band then have an ipod/tablet/laptop with a playlist after...

I don't see the point of a DJ at a wedding - it isn't like they're mixing dance tracks, they're just pressing play on a bunch of pop songs
Click to expand...

It's not just the person you are paying for, it's the time spent setting it up and taking it down as well as all the speakers, lights etc. Unless you have some great speakers and lights then it's much more than just using a laptop/ipod. Also, do you want to be messing around setting things up, making sure it's running correctly on your own wedding day?
 
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I would always say a DJ.

Bands are good and all, but they are pretty restrictive. In that they will have their style, and while they may play many covers and stuff, they will still be limited in what they can play to the crowd.

A good DJ doesn't have this problem. A GOOD DJ can read the crowd, read the room, and play what is necessary to keep the energy in the room. They can change style whenever, and are not generally restricted in what they can play. And they can do it for pretty much the whole night. A good DJ is a MILLION miles away from just hitting play on a playlist.

Of course, finding that good DJ could be the problem. Word of mouth and all that. This guy knows his stuff : https://www.youtube.com/user/ellaskins don't know how much he costs mind. I suspect he charges the "right" amount, but won't likely be up for undercutting the competition.
 
AHarvey said:
It's not just the person you are paying for, it's the time spent setting it up and taking it down as well as all the speakers, lights etc. Unless you have some great speakers and lights then it's much more than just using a laptop/ipod. Also, do you want to be messing around setting things up, making sure it's running correctly on your own wedding day?
Click to expand...

plenty of venues have that already - it literally is just a case of plugging in your ipod, certainly is the case at the venue one relative of mine has booked this summer - lights, sound system are already there in one of the rooms

alternatively the band will provide as mentioned by another poster... again you can just provide the playlist on a laptop, tablet etc..

or you can pay someone and tell them to play the music you want... I'm not buying the reading the room nonsense - most of these DJs are just belting out any number of well known 80s, 90s or recent pop songs... play certain tracks and any number of drunken bridesmaids etc.. will start piling onto the floor... i.e.the same sort of tracks the bride would pick anyway
 
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