Get in touch for helpful and friendly advice
« Blogs and Press
How a DJ can save you money
It is not often that I hand over the reigns of the blog to someone else, but I am always willing to when the content is something I have little or no knowledge about, and DJs happen to be one of those topics. We opted for a live band for our reception, but they also put together a playlist of music we liked to play in between their sets. However, the ease of a DJ is appealing, for any event. Especially when you know they wont be playing crap. It also means you don’t have to spend hours prior to your wedding sorting out music, and downloading songs.
Seven ways a wedding DJ can save you money
Advice by award-winning Mighty Fine Events, a leading DJ hire and mobile disco provider. In the days of iPods and instant downloads, many brides have started to believe that Wedding DJs are obsolete. Put off by the idea that a DJ will charge you through the roof, many couples are opting to “save money” by taking a DIY approach to their big day entertainment. But are wedding DJs out of date, expensive and going out of style faster than balloon arches and organza sashes?
Expert wedding DJ, Mark van den Berg of Mighty Fine Events is on hand to dispel the myth that DJs are too expensive, and lets us in on their money-saving secrets. We were recently approached by a wedding planner who was working with a venue that was very strict about using its preferred suppliers. However, once she collected their respective quotes, she was taken aback by the eye-watering figures in front of her. At best they were excessive, at worst they were plain devious (I don’t think anyone can justify a £90 gaffa tape fee unless they’re Christo & Jean-Claude)!
She asked us to look at the quotes for equipment hire and suggest ways to reduce the figures. The highest quote was a mammoth £10,000 and the lowest was for £6000. Based on our contacts, knowledge and our own eqipment list and manged to reduce the quote to £2500. This got us thinking about all the ways in which we manage to save couples money in other areas of their wedding and how hiring a DJ can mitigate some of the astronomical costs associated with hiring a production company, several music acts, an MC and more.
- Did you know that a wedding DJ can also act as an MC or host for the day?
Many professional DJs are trained to help coordinate and manage a wedding, and keep the day to schedule. For couples who can’t afford both a DJ and a planner, this is an ideal solution as a wedding DJ is perfectly placed as the epicentre of the entertainment to keep things running smoothly. - A DJ will often be cheaper than a production company when it comes to hiring uplighting and other equipment, and should always be willing to create a competitive package. Not only does this save you money, but it also spares you the hassle of dealing with many vendors
- A wedding DJ will have lots of industry contacts and will be better placed to negotiate great rates on your behalf with some excellent suppliers. Not only does this get you the best possible price, but you also have the peace of mind that the supplier comes recommended from personal experience.
- A DJ is often a cost-effective alternative to hiring a band, especially when your budget is dwindling, or when the size of the room or noise considerations might prevent a band from playing.
- Through years of experience, a good wedding DJ will be able to spot any anomalies in quote and contracts from other suppliers and suggest solutions and alternatives.
- A wedding DJ can supply music for the whole day from pre-ceremony to drinks reception to the wedding breakfast for very little extra cost thus saving money on live musicians.
- A DJ can saves the evening from stagnating (and guests getting bored) with a band that just plays one type of music. A wedding DJ will be able to play across genres and cater to different age groups with ease, saving you from a barrage of complaints. Very few guests will leave a wedding fondly remembering the table settings, but rather cherishing the memory of a great night of dancing.