Everyone wants to have the best on their wedding day. Finding a good wedding DJ should be no exception. When you have done your research about a wedding DJ, you’ll be surprised to find out how much their price varies. Why is there so much variation in their prices? Well, some DJs do their work as a hobby, then there are true professionals who have spent years learning. After many years in the wedding industry, here are our opinions about hiring a professional wedding DJ. vs. a hobby DJ.
We all tend to look for the best value but also the most affordable price. You may find yourself doing this when hunting for your wedding DJ as well. Many couples want a quality wedding DJ but at an affordable price. There is nothing wrong with wanting service at a lower price, but you should keep in mind result could be disappointing. The poor performance of a hobby DJ could totally ruin your day. Professionals train for years to build their skills so knows how to handle hiccups and ensure your wedding runs smoothly. You will feel better securing yourself with a professional wedding DJ and avoid disappointment and stress. After all, you have to make this the best day of your life!
How many hours will a professional wedding DJ perform?
Many people are confused with the “hourly” concept. When a wedding DJ has hours mentioned, people assume they will only work during that specific time. In reality, they work much longer than that. A professional wedding DJ spends a considerable amount of time in planning, meetings, sending emails, gathering music based on your tastes, load in/ out, and travel. Instead of the few hours mentioned, a quality wedding DJ will be spending around 25 hours on your wedding. Rest assured, by hiring a professional wedding DJ, you are getting more time than just what’s mentioned in the contract.
Professional Wedding DJ Equipment
Getting to know about the equipment used will help you understand a major reason for the cost variance between the hobby DJ and a professional wedding DJ. The amount of money they spend on their equipment affects their performance as well as their overall cost. They need to purchase professional equipment for optimal playback, pay for music acquisition, top-quality lighting, and redundancy equipment. If you research the cost of these items, you’ll find it costs thousands of dollars.
Here is a comparison of investments.
The Hobby DJ Setup
- $750
- Inexpensive Laptop: $250
- Inexpensive Speakers: $300
- DJ Controller: $150
- Corded Microphone: $50
The Professional Wedding DJ Setup
- $23,400
- Two Top End Laptops: $5000
- Quality Speakers: $6900
- Controller & Backup: $2000
- Wireless Mics and Transmitters: $6000
- Digital Mixers: $1500
- Cases, Cables, Etc. $2000
A hobby DJ may not focus on quality. They will provide pirated music and other services at a lower price. Whereas, a professional wedding DJ will put in the effort and money to provide high-quality services and ensure no issues occur on your wedding day. Some experienced DJs will bring additional equipment like expensive up-lighting, rigging, and monitors as well to give more value to your wedding day.
Reliability issues
Reliability issues are one of the most significant problems while searching for your wedding DJ. For hobby DJs, DJing is just that; a hobby, not a full-time job. Their real-life priorities fall under their “9-5” day job which could affect your wedding if they are required to work their full-time job on your wedding day. When you hire
The Professional Wedding DJ Value
Value is the most important factor while choosing your Wedding DJ. Remember, they will not just be playing music; they will be responsible for the proper flow of your wedding and keep everything running smoothly. The ability to read the crowd and play the right songs at the right time is a learned skill. You should have a meeting with your DJ before your wedding to give them all the details. Your DJ needs to know the guests’ names who are speaking and have a friendly relationship with the other vendors. If something goes wrong, a professional wedding DJ will come up with a plan B or C to keep things moving. In short; they need to make your wedding day the best day of your life! This is the kind of value a professional wedding DJ will bring to your wedding.
In Conclusion…
Here is our quick checklist for hiring your DJ
- Set up your budget and then research for wedding DJs.
- A quality wedding DJ prices vary from $1000 to $2000 (if a wedding DJ is offering less than that it means they are lacking a thing or two).
- Check the services of the Wedding DJ in detail.
- Make sure their personality syncs with yours.
- It will be best to book your wedding DJ for at least six months or more in advance.
Hiring a professional wedding DJ can make or break your wedding. Your wedding day is the most important day in your entire life, and you only get one chance to do it right. Contact us and remove all the stress and worry of possibly ending up with a hobby DJ. At Maximum Music, we know what we’re doing!