Answers to your budget questions. Such as: What does that come with? And how much does a Chicago Wedding DJ cost?
How Much Does A Chicago Wedding DJ Cost?
First of all, to say that a Chicago Wedding DJ costs an average of $xxxx.xx is misleading. Online sites do this all the time.
And if you follow any online forum you’ll see posts from couples touting their $xxx.xx DJ and how great he or she was. This too can be misleading. Mainly because, for most of us planning a wedding, it’s the first time we’ve done that.
But let’s say you’ve be to 8 of your friend’s weddings in the last year and seen eight different DJs. Or you have 8 friends who got married and will share their experience with you. You’d have some really great perspective, wouldn’t you?
Differentiating on price alone is not a good place to start.
For the sake of starting a budget though look at what you’re allotting for all your items. Then as you prioritize decide whether your entertainment is more important than the money you would spend on a sorbet course, or a veggie platter.
Brides & Grooms are spending more on the wedding DJ nowadays than in past as they are allocating more of their wedding budget to their guests’ experience. It’s a great value when you think of it.
What detailed services do wedding DJs offer?
Music is the most important. How it’s played, when it’s played, what it’s played on. It takes 10,000 hours they say for someone to master a technique… Hire a master.
You’ll also want a DC that will represent you appropriately on the mic. They are your spokesperson and will make sure that all the entertainment direction runs smoothly.
A great DJ can also “read a crowd” to keep your dance floor packed all night long.
Presentation is key, for the music, the communication, and the DJ’s equipment. Look for the style and the elements that will take your party from elegant to ecstatic joy.
Items included in a wedding DJ’s price?
By now you know there’s a lot more to a wedding DJ’s role in your wedding day than simply showing up to your reception and playing music. When you ask how much does a Chicago Wedding DJ cost, here’s a list of what a wedding DJ’s cost includes:
- Time Commitment: Including hours they perform at your wedding, in addition the time it takes for your pro to prepare for the big day. Your DJ will spend time planning how to fill your dance floor and creating scripting for your wedding. Then there’s travel, set up, performance, and break down.
- Gear: You don’t want the equipment to fail—so up to date software & hardware, along with well maintained and updated gear.
- The Right Music: Somewhere people started thinking that music should be free. A lot of piracy ensued. Your DJ should be curating your list (and be really good at it) and be buying music from industry legal companies. It’s the right thing to do!
- Operations and insurance: Did you meet with a DJ at Panera Bread or Starbucks? A real business is run like a business, paying office rent, keeping business licenses up-to-date, association dues, and also marketing costs. Make sure your DJ is insured—this protects you, the DJ, and the venue in any unlikely occurrence.
How soon should I book my wedding DJ?
Wedding DJs are often come of the first vendors booked. I recommend hiring your Pro DJ as soon as you know your date and have your venue booked. You’ll be meeting with your DJ a few times before your date, This will give you an easy plan to complete all the information they need to produce your memorable party.
Wedding DJs and special lighting?
In addition to music you’ll want to strongly consider the overall atmosphere in your event design. These are some Chicago Wedding DJ Add Ons you might want. Some questions to ask:
- What kind of lighting would work best at my venue?
- What types of effects will be a good addition to my wedding?
- Any pics or video?
- How much will this cost?
What gear do wedding DJs provide?
This is key to asking how much does a Chicago Wedding DJ cost. Your needs will vary based on the amount of people and the locations you’ll be using (ceremony, reception, cocktail). State-of-the-art gear, especially for mixing the music (don’t hire a dj who can’t mix. There are DJ’s who miss cue points, can’t match beats, thus hurt the flow on your dance floor). Video monitors and other special effects might be provided. Photo booths, too.
Saving money on Chicago wedding DJ music.
Finally when thinking about how much does a Chicago Wedding DJ cost, as I said in the beginning, make music a priority and save money by not paying a premium on less priority items. Here are a few tips:
- DJ vs Band. Huge save. Better value.
- If your DJ books by time make sure you are scheduling the right amount of time from the start of your event to the end. Running long could run your party out of gas. Save some for the after party.
- Compare. In the budget discussion earlier we recommended not going with the cheapest.
- Get everything you want. That means you don’t have to get everything. Let your DJ guide you through the options to find the price that best helps you create a Wow event.
Tipping your wedding DJ?
Tipping is absolutely not necessary (Your Disc Jockey is a professional working for you and the reasonable and customary fee that he charges). However, the amount of the tip is entirely up to you. There are many sites that will give you suggested breakdown on tipping. If you feel your DJ has provided you with exceptional service at a really great price compared to everything else you’ve been spending money on. Then feel free to show your gratitude with a tip. But again, if your DJ company is charging $xxxx.xx and paying your DJ $xx.xx they’ll want you to make up the difference. And what you’ll get is a DJ expecting for a tip and a meal.
Questions to ask a wedding DJ before hiring?
Your DJs personality is essential —a professional you like and trust will provide a great experience. However, there are several key questions you’ll want to ask your Chicago wedding DJ when booking:
- Your DJ style?
- How do we choose songs?
- What is included in your package fee?
- We like a specific genres of music, can you mix that?
- Will you help us to create a wedding playlist?
- What are some popular first dance songs?
- Are you familiar with my venue?
- What does your gear look like?
- Do we need to feed the DJ? (answer should be no)
- Extra services like lighting, photo booth, projection?
- What type of insurance do you have?