Music is pretty essential to a great wedding reception. When it comes down to it, your choices can be divided into two possibilities: You can hire a DJ, or you can opt for a wedding band.
Wedding entertainment is important. Certainly important enough to be able to make the difference between a fun, fantastic wedding reception, and the kind of event where people will talk about how beautiful the ceremony was, and skip mentioning the reception altogether.
The debate between which one is the better call, a DJ or a live wedding band, is one that’s bound to come up in any discussion of plans for the reception after the ceremony. Which one you choose is entirely up to you, and if you’re truly stuck for which one is going to be the best fit, it never hurts to weigh the pros and cons of one against the other.
Choosing a wedding band, or opting for a wedding DJ hire, is just one part of planning a wedding. You don’t want to get bogged down in it.
Wedding Band vs. DJ: Weighing Pros and Cons
Weighing the pros and cons of DJs and wedding bands is pretty easy. When you get right down to it, we’re talking about two fairly different styles of wedding reception entertainment.
Think about the type of ceremony you’d like to have, and then consider the pros and cons of each.
Wedding Band: Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Creates an atmosphere that only live music can create, encouraging things like sing-a-longs and live requests.
- A good band can always put a fun twist on old favorites.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- May not be able to play everything you want.
- Can be tough during negotiating prices.
- More people to feed.
- They can take up a lot of space.
DJ: Pros and Cons
- Considerably cheaper than a band.
- They can play any song you want.
- Songs will sound the way you know they sound. They won’t be live versions that may or may not sound good.
- A DJ takes up considerably less space than a band.
Cons:
- If you’re not careful, you may wind up with a second-rate DJ.
Wedding Band vs. DJ: Who Wins Out?
Taking a look at the pros and cons, it’s obvious that in almost every case, you’re better off with a DJ for your reception.