Wedding band versus wedding DJ

It’s the age-old dilemma every bride and groom face when they start planning their wedding: do they go with a wedding band, or a DJ? There are pros and cons to both, so it usually just comes down to personal preference, and how you want the evening to turn out for you and your guests. Read on as we pit the two against each other and see who comes out on top…

Wedding Band

A live band has a completely different dynamic and can interact with your guests in a different way to a DJ. Live performances can be quite loud, so you might need to consider what your best option is for providing background music during the meal. However, during the speeches the band’s drummer can give the occasional badum-tish on the drums when a joke is told, so it adds to the overall atmosphere of the occasion.

A wedding band will usually play requests, but their repertoire of songs may be much more limited than what a DJ can provide. However, everyone loves a live band and the front man of the band will be experienced at keeping people moving, dancing, and having a good time.

The first dance between the bride and groom, or the father-daughter dance can often be much more special when done to live music rather than a recording of a favourite song. However, when you’re dealing with a live band there are more things that can go wrong. They come with a lot more equipment and if something goes wrong it can be difficult to get a replacement at short notice.

Wedding DJs

A DJ doesn’t have as much presence as a live band, and the sound is very different. However, a good DJ will have the skills to work the crowd and provide great entertainment at your wedding. DJs have an extensive catalogue of songs so they can take requests and play tunes that are particularly special to you, without having to retune a guitar!

A wedding DJ is usually much more reasonably priced than a wedding band because it’s most often just one person. If you’ve hired your wedding DJ through a DJ service then there will always be a back-up DJ on standby in case of emergencies. A DJ will be able to play some light background music during dinner, and MC during the speeches etc.