How much does a Wedding DJ cost?
An article we found that can be helpful for anyone looking for a wedding DJ.
How Much Does a Wedding DJ Cost?
MS Event Group can’t tell you how many times we see a question posted that asked the question, “How much is the cost-of-wedding-DJ?” or “How much should I expect to pay for a wedding DJ for a 4-hour wedding reception”.
The bad part about this is the answers are all a bunch of misinformation that can do nothing but lead a bride asking the question in the wrong direction, So we are going to try our best to answer the question here.
Average cost for a 4 hour Wedding DJ:
The average cost for a 4 hour wedding can vary depending on what kind of quality you want, and state you’re getting married in. I am sure you have heard the horror stories about the tacky DJ or the DJs that only play certain types of music. Generally, here is a breakdown of what you should expect to pay for certain kinds of DJs in the Southwest Region:
$200 – $300 Typically a beginning DJ, most likely a part-time hobbyist.
$400 – $600 More experience than the beginners, but most likely a part-time DJ.
$1,000 – $2,500 Most experienced, professionally trained, full-time DJ.
Now you should base your budget on what kind of experience you want at your wedding reception. Candidly, if your budget is really limited to the first group, you are probably better off saving the money by having a friend DJ your wedding with an iPod. This way, you won’t risk having someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, plays inappropriate music, or making inappropriate announcements.
The $400 -$600 range DJs are more prone to making mistakes because they don’t have time to prepare for your wedding. After all, most probably have another full-time job, so they can focus less on the success of your wedding! If this is your budget, you might find a gem in this group, but you run the risk of having a DJ who is not well-prepared or just “shoots from the hip”.
The $1,000 – $2,500 DJ’s are making this kind of money for a reason. It is typically because they are well trained, experienced professionals that do it for a living and commit all of their time to making sure the weddings they do are as close to perfect as they can be. They do not have another job getting in the way of them making sure everything is perfect. They also typically spend anywhere from 20-40 hours of time making sure your 4-6 hour wedding reception is perfect. This kind of preparation shows through in their accessibility to help you with questions, coordination, and suggestions to help drive the success of your wedding.
Now all of the above are not 100% true. There are some of the poor quality DJ’s charging more. You won’t find too many great ones charging less though. Think about it, if they can get a higher price, don’t you think they would charge it? So it’s up to you to interview the companies that are appealing to you and ask the right questions to ensure you are getting a wedding DJ that can deliver the experience you want.