How Much Does a Wedding DJ Cost?
An ultimate guide to understanding wedding DJ costs and the value they bring
First off, at Bass & Bliss we want every couple we talk to, and every person reading this, to understand that it is perfectly fine to ask the question “how much does a wedding DJ cost”. Budget is not a dirty word! The fact of the matter is that weddings are expensive and it would be irresponsible of most couples to NOT take cost into effect and be wary of how much they are spending on their vendors. But if we may, we’d like to propose an alternative question. Instead of asking “how much does a wedding DJ cost” we instead like to ask “what value is my wedding DJ bringing to the table?” Some DJ companies who charge much more than us may in fact be providing value that justifies their high price tag! And DJ companies that are charging less may NOT be providing enough value to justify their lower price. Below we will dive into some of the things that Bass & Bliss does to provide value to our couples that goes far beyond a dance floor. The way we like to put it is simple: as much as we want to crush your dance floor, we want to crush all those little details leading up to your dance floor as well. It’s those little details that provide immense value to our couples and ensure your day runs smoothly! So consider this a guide that you can use to help judge the value of any DJ or DJ company that you are considering for you wedding.
DISCLAIMER: We understand that couples from all over the country (or even world) may be reading this. We hope it helps you properly judge the value of the DJs in your area, but if you love what you read, check out the rest of our website and, if you like what you see, please reach out. We can travel anywhere!
Before The Wedding Even Starts
The value that a DJ provides when asking “how much does a wedding DJ cost” starts long before the ceremony begins. In fact, it starts from the moment you reach out. When you first reach out to a DJ, how long does it take to get a response? Communication is KEY, and if a DJ struggles to respond to your inquiry on time, that is a poor sign of communication to come as the wedding gets closer. Not only is ok to hold your wedding vendors to a high standard of communication, but it’s something you SHOULD do. Go ahead and email us (or fill out the contact form below) and see how long it takes for us to get back to you! If it takes more than 24 hours, we’ll give you a 10% discount on our services!
After initially reaching out, does the DJ offer to speak with you? And beyond that, do they offer to speak with you face to face? A phone call is great, but at Bass & Bliss, we like to do all of our consultations via Zoom. Not only does it give us a chance to speak “face to face”, but it also allows us to actually show you what we offer and how we work with our couples.
One of the major things we show is our planning platform. This is where all of our couples do their planning and it is awesome! It provides immense value and goes way beyond a Google doc or Google form a DJ might send you or, heaven forbid, trying to simply collect all necessary info through email. Take a look below at a video we’ve made breaking down the portal so you can see for yourself how great it is and how simple it makes the planning process!
Finally, do you get a chance to meet with your DJ before the wedding? All of our couples get to virtually meet with their DJ before the wedding to talk about details, dance music, and whatever else they’d like! This ensures that your DJ is not a stranger showing up on your big day, but rather someone you’ve met, talked to, and are confident is going to kill it.
Setting Up on Site
This is where we get into some of the nitty gritty of what separates good wedding DJs from ones that might be…less good. Unfortunately, at least 90% of couples have no idea what to ask or look for when it comes to these details. And that’s perfectly understandable! You’re probably planning your first wedding and you’ve probably never had to worry about hiring a DJ for an event or making sure sound is set up correctly. It’s the classic “you don’t know what you don’t know” scenario. And by the time you realize that your DJ hasn’t set up sound well, it’s FAR too late.
At Bass & Bliss, ensuring we set up sound effectively is something we take seriously. Maybe your ceremony needs two speakers to ensure everyone can hear those amazing vows you’ve written or the poem your loved one is reciting. Maybe it means simply not being lazy in how sound is set up at your reception. Go ahead and ask other DJs how they set up their speakers at the reception. After the look of surprise leaves their face, their answer will tell you a lot. If, as a DJ, they simply set up one speaker on each side of their table, they are potentially doing it wrong! Look at the diagram below and where the DJ is setting up. If he or she decides to put speakers on either side of their table area, they are going to potentially blow the eardrums of Table 1 and the head table in order to reach Tables 8 and 6. Instead, the DJ would be better off putting one speaker to his right (kind of behind Table 1) and then putting the second speaker on the other side of the head table somewhere behind Table 10. This is going to even out the sound much more!
But there is also second point: sometimes two speakers ins’t enough! Sometimes we need a little auxiliary sound to help cover the space. Is the DJ you hire aware of that? Do they even think that way? Or are they showing up with two speakers and hoping for the best? Hopes and prayers are great, but they aren’t an effective plan when it comes to ensuring a wedding sounds good!
The Ceremony
The ceremony is an easy thing to gloss over as a DJ. There isn’t a lot of music involved, it’s “lower energy”, and very few DJs get into the wedding game because they have a passion for providing ceremony sound. But we’ve found that, when asking (especially) brides what parts of their wedding they picture when they close their eyes, that the ceremony almost always is one of their answers. It’s a hugely important part of the day and something that you want to go smoothly. So why do so many DJs not run theirs well?
The ceremony, and the sound that goes with it, is another great example of couples not knowing what they don’t know. And it becomes very easy for DJs to say “we will cover your ceremony” and move on because you, as the couple, don’t understand what that entails or further questions you can (and should) ask. And that’s ok!
Let’s start with the microphones. I (as Alex Updike the owner of Bass & Bliss) have been to a wedding and talked to an officiant who told me about having to put a handheld mic in his jacket pocket because that was the mic that the DJ had provided. He needed both hands free to hold his book, but only had a handheld mic provided for amplification. That’s insane! At Bass & Bliss, we make sure that part of our final call with you is going over the mic situation for your ceremony. If you want a handheld mic for everyone, we can provide it. If you want to keep things hands free and go with a couple lapel mics, we can do that too. And if you need us to go over the pros and cons of each, we are happy to do that so you can make an educated decision!
But beyond the mics, it is so important to understand the best way to set up as a DJ at a ceremony. Far too many DJs bring one speaker and place it, along with themselves, in the back. That’s rarely the best place to be if we want the best sound and to reduce the chance of microphones cutting out or dropping completely. Think about going to a concert - do they put the sound in the back? Of course not! All of our DJs have had training through our company to understand how to better think through setting up for a ceremony so that we can provide better sound and help reduce the chance of microphones cutting out or feeding back.
The Reception
When asking “how much does a wedding DJ cost” the reception is probably more of what your mind goes to. But there are important aspects of that reception beyond the dance floor! Proper dinner music can help create a great atmosphere at your wedding, but is your DJ playing it? Or are they more worried about the vendor meal they required than doing their job? At Bass & Bliss, we purposely DO NOT require our DJs be provided with a meal. If you’d like to provide one, you are welcome to, but it is not required. We are there to do a job and not to eat free food. So what can we do during dinner? We can do our job! Dinner is not a time to put on a playlist and go sit down; it’s a time to DJ. And while we may not mix the music and transition between songs like we do during your dance floor, we can still consciously pick the songs so that we’re creating a great vibe and make sure we’re avoiding any long, awkward silences between songs that might happen should a simple playlist be played. If you’d like to provide a meal for us during dinner and allow us to sit and eat away from the DJ booth, that is your choice. But that is not our expectation. We want to actually DJ and create the awesome atmosphere you envisioned during your reception dinner!
And what does the DJs space look like during the reception? Have they put effort into their look? Or do they have an ugly table with a linen and their mixer sitting on top with cables and cords coming out? At Bass & Bliss, we provide our lighting package standard with all of our weddings, which means that we can create a nicer, more professional looking space!
Actual set up of lights and number of lights may vary
The Dance Floor
Finally…the dance floor! Ironically enough, there isn’t as much to write here because the dance floor is typically what couples think of when they think about the DJ. So this is where you all are more likely to understand what you want and what questions to ask!
One thing that is great about us at Bass & Bliss, is that all of our DJs have links to mixes they’ve posted online, meaning you can listen to those and be confident that your DJ actually knows how to, you know, DJ. While it’s not as common any more, there are still wedding DJs out there who don’t “mix” their music during the dance floor, meaning they will fade out of one song and then just fade into the next. At Bass & Bliss, all of our DJs will be mixing “club style” during your dance floor, meaning you get the songs transitioning over the top of each other and going from one track to the next smoothly.
With a roster of DJs, you can talk to us about your style and what’s important to you and we can suggest someone who we think would be the best fit. Or you can request a DJ and we are more than happy to assign them to you!
And with our lighting package, once the dance floor stars, we can change a lot of the lights over to a color changing or moving mode so that you get extra energy and fun for you and your guests on the dance floor. Check out our lighting hype video below to get a much better idea of what that looks like!
Actual set up of lights and number of lights may vary
Conclusion
That was a lot of information! I hope you found value in it and came away with a greater understanding of everything that goes into DJing a wedding effectively and better understand “how much does a wedding DJ cost.” And even if you ultimately decide to hire someone for your wedding outside of our company, I hope this has given you the tools to understand their value and ensure they will provide everything necessary for your day to run smoothly and be everything you wish!
If you’d like to see more about what we offer and how our pricing works, you can download our services menu below. We recently decided to simplify things for both us and our couples and implement a flat-rate pricing structure, meaning we simply charge one price to do your wedding! We do not charge extra to cover your ceremony or provide sound in a third area for cocktail hour or bring an extra speaker or two to cover a bigger space. We charge what we charge to provide a killer product and DJ your wedding the right way. And like I’ve mentioned before, our new lighting system comes standard with all of our packages as well!
If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to use the contact form below to reach out to us. We are based out of Palm Springs, CA but can travel anywhere. We can’t wait to hear from you!