Should I really hire a wedding DJ? It may seem like a big cost to pay for somebody that just plays music. Let’s look at 10 reasons why hiring a wedding DJ is essential for keeping all your guests entertained and engaged at your wedding.A good DJ will alleviate much of the stress involved with making sure your day runs smoothly. This is where you’ll see the value of hiring a professional. When picking out a DJ the first items you have to consider are your price range and looking at companies that have availability for your day. From there you want to do some research.You’ll want to look for testimonials and reviews of potential DJ companies. But don’t get discouraged if you read a bad review. Every company has one or two. A good rule of thumb is to look at how the company responds to those reviews and that will help you decide if you’re hiring a professional and somebody you want to work with.You also want to make sure that you get along with that DJ’s personality. Nobody likes a big headed DJ who will just add extra stress to your wedding. It’s the DJ’s job to alleviate stress, make sure everything runs smoothly, and put you at ease
Is it better to have a DJ or a band? The biggest difference of course is that some people prefer live music. The downside is that the band will need to take breaks during your wedding where no music will be played. The DJ is there to play music the whole time, but they’re also there to help with communication and coordinating events.
Moreover, the DJ’s job is to entertain all your guests. Unlike bands, they have the ability to change song styles really quickly, or even switch in the middle of a song.
Here in Portland a professional DJ goes between 700 to $2,000 for a 5-hour wedding. A band might cost anywhere from $1500 to $6,000 so this question is really going to come down to your budget and how much money you want to allocate towards entertainment
It’s really good to get an idea of what the DJ style is and what type of music he likes to play. We use SoundCloud to upload all our mixes from past weddings so you can see what we’ve played at other events. Each wedding is a little bit different but we can tailor your wedding music to your liking.
The style of DJ that you want is going to depend on a lot of different factors. It’s more than just a person’s style of music. The DJ is going to be in charge of communicating with your guests along with the planner and all the vendors. The DJ should have a friendly and clear style of communication to make sure everything flows smoothly just the way that you would like.
We usually give our clients a list where they can enter 25 songs that they want for their dance party. We also have a do not play list. You can upload your playlist suggestions via Spotify (Though we don’t play the music off Spotify).
There’s a good balance between requesting songs and letting the DJ have control of your event. I always say you should be able to trust your DJ to make sure that your event is successful. They do this week in and week out so they usually have a really good understanding of what songs work the best. At DJ Cutt Entertainment we try to freshen up some of the old songs by playing remixes of older songs to give the room a little bit more energy but still playing those great sing-alongs that everybody likes.
When it comes to picking out music, we provide planning forms where you can pick out all the music for the ceremony and reception, along with the dance party. We also have a section for the do not play list so if there’s any artists, genres, or songs that you do not want played at your wedding we can be sure to take care of this as well.
How much does a professional DJ cost? This really depends on where you are in the United States and what your package is. For a professional DJ, the standard price is $1100 to $1,700 but this can go up to $3,000 depending on the demand and how professional that DJ is. We start our packages at $1195 and build up from there.
Add-ons that can increase the price include a bigger sound system, lighting, videography, and a photobooth.
A standard wedding package is about 5 hours, but this really depends on the individual wedding and the timeline. We give our brides up to the Monday before their wedding to change their timeline. Once it’s one week out from the wedding day we need a final timeline in place so that we can bill you for the time.
$1195 will cover 5 hours and it’s $150 per hour after that. Our package time starts 30 minutes before the bride walks down the aisle and ends at the last song that’s played that evening. We don’t charge for set up time, but we typically show up two three hours before hand.
You can definitely have a wedding without a DJ but you should think of a DJ as just a person that’s playing music for your wedding. Yes that is the main job that they do but there is a lot more than just that.
They’re responsible for the full entertainment experience of your guests. It’s the DJ’s job to keep your guests engaged dancing. It’s not going to be a fun wedding if all your guests leave early.
The DJ can also organize events and communicate between vendors to really make sure that everything runs smoothly. Hiring a professional DJ helps ensure you have a stress-free event. So yes, you can have an iPod at your wedding but not if you want people to get up and dance in big groups.
As a professional entertainment company in Portland, we do events every weekend. We rely heavily on our professional equipment that is road-tested. It just takes one piece of equipment or one cord to not be working properly or the person hooking up all the AV Equipment to not know what they’re doing to ruin your whole day.
When you break down the cost of rental equipment you’re pretty much paying 80% of the cost of having a DJ already. Not only that, but you’re now including a person to be your master of ceremony. As a safety precaution, many professional DJs will come with backup equipment just in case anything goes wrong.
You’re relying on the value of the DJ that you hire. There are many different places to find DJs and entertainment for your wedding, depending on budget. Sure you can find cheaper DJ’s on Craigslist but if you’re looking for a professional with top of the line equipment, then your best bet is the Knot or Wedding Wire.
The term you get what you pay for could not be more true. This is not like a party where we can do it again next year. This is your one chance to celebrate with all your family and friends and you don’t want the gear to be an eyesore or malfunction at your wedding. This is where hiring a professional can come into play.
As a professional company here in Portland, Oregon, we have the ability to do multiple weddings or multiple locations. Many times, a wedding will need a setup for the ceremony, a different set up for the cocktail hour, a completely new setup and sound system for the dinner area, and sometimes even for the reception as well.
This is why hiring a professional company that does this every weekend and has the proper equipment to facilitate each location with proper gear is essential. When you’re hiring a newer DJ that does this as a hobby, at best they’re going to have basic equipment. But a professional company that provides a top-end service is going to have the ability to service multiple locations.
This is one of the reasons why we have been voted one of Portland’s best entertainment companies.
It doesn’t matter how big or small the wedding is, we show up in the exact same attire. Our DJ’s wear slacks, vests, and a tie. It doesn’t matter if this is a small backyard party or luxurious hotel wedding, our attire is always the same. Our goal is always to be professional. I never want to be the underdressed person at
the event. I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.
We take the same approach to our setup and the appearance of our DJ booth. This is why we make sure that our table is skirted with a custom skirt that flows all the way to the ground. Each one of our speaker stands and lighting stands come with a custom-made skirt that hides all of the chords for a sleek, clean appearance that is not an eye sore when you get your photos back.
We also make sure that all our cords are colored black so they blend into the ground with black gaffing tape. We also have a DJ facade that covers our area when we’re doing nicer weddings in fancy hotels.
Lighting plays a big role in the events that we do so we want to make sure that the theme of your event matches the lighting that we are going to offer. We like to have everything that we bring to your wedding blend into your aesthetic so you can have the dream wedding that you’ve wanted your whole life.
The whole point of the wedding is to create memories for your family and friends. This is the first time that the two families are coming together as one. Your wedding is a public announcement of your love and affection for one another.
Your master of ceremony or DJ is the one person who can have a dramatic effect on how the event is carried out. A professional DJ is going to make sure that these memories are fun loving and last a lifetime. Your guests have traveled from near and far to celebrate this time with you.
WeddingWire suggests saving 10 to 15% of your overall budget for the entertainment. Sometimes a DJ is just part of the entertainment. One thing to consider when creating memories for your wedding is a photo booth. Here is a link to our photo booth website where you can check out some of the precious memories from previous events we’ve attended.
We are a full-service entertainment company in Portland that provides its clients with top-quality service and leaves them feeling like they made the right decision in choosing us. With our wide range of services, we strive to meet your needs and exceed your expectations. We have extensive experience in DJing, videography, and live streaming, as well as other aspects of live events such as lighting design, sound engineering, and more!
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