Wedding Wednesdays Q&A: Band vs. DJ

Q: Should I hire a band or a DJ?

Good question!  And I have to say, both are great!  There is absolutely no right answer here, just the right answer for you.

A band is great if you love live music and you want them to be able to interact with your guests.  There is also something nice about having a live person singing and real musicians playing.  It’s like a mini concert, you get to hear the instruments and it’s a bit unscripted.  Bands also work really great if you have a specific type of music that you are going for (e.g. jazz, 80’s music, etc.) because they tend to specialize.  But, one thing to keep in mind is that a band’s repertoire can only go so far.  Although there are cover bands that can do lots of different types of songs, if you want something specific they may not be able to do it.  This is when DJs are awesome.

DJs have the actual songs sung by the musicians, so you know exactly what you are getting.  They have the ability to play anything which is really great when you want a wide variety of song types.  DJs also have the ability to sense the crowd and what they are feeling and can adapt song choices to fit the guests.  I think one of the best things about DJs is that you can get really specific about your song choices and they should be able to accommodate you.  And in terms of dancing, DJs really know how to get people to dance.  It is one of their main goals, so they work to have the right music going all the time (because they can easily switch it up) to get the crowd excited.

So, choosing between a band vs. DJ is really up to your preferences, what types of music you like/want and what you think your guests would enjoy.  If you are still not sure which to pick, consider hiring both!  Have the band for cocktails and your dinner and then bring in the DJ when you get into the thick of dancing.  Or you can have them switch off.  No matter what you decide on, you’ll get some awesome music and guests will definitely have a good time.

(Photo credit: Chrisman Studios)

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