Band or DJ? What''s your preference and why?

[peonygirl]

Are bands worth the extra 3-4k, or is a DJ the way to go? What are the plusses and minuses of each, and which are you using? Thanks!

 

[cinnabar]

As a wedding guest, I much prefer it when the bride and groom have a DJ and not a band. You get a better variety of music and the DJ is usually a better MC than the lead singer of a band.

The last wedding I went to where they had a band, it was Blues Brothers theme all night. I like Blues Brothers music, but not all night and not at a wedding; the older guests couldn''t dance and were all huddled as far away from the noise as they could get.

I think people consider a band to be more up-market and impressive; weddings that were obviously expensive always seem to have bands. I don''t think it''s worth the money, but that''s just my two cents.

 

[JessesGrl]

I think it''s a matter of taste.
We had a band, everyone I know has bands. I feel it''s more "classic". Plus the bands nowadays play EVERYTHING, if you book a great band that is!! I danced with my dad to The Beatles, In My Life...people were blown away by how great the band did this song.

 

[gingerBcookie]

I love DJs for the price and the variety. Bands are awesome, if you can afford them. THere is something about live music that just can''t be beat. However many things they can play, they wouldn''t be able to do many of the popular songs right now, esp hip-hop, reggaeton, rave/house/dance -- whoch a lot of my friends and i listen to. If you''re gonna play more bad type music, and can afford a band, its a nice touch.

 

[firebirdgold]

Yes, Yes, not on this board yet.

No ipods? I''m surprised!

 

[CourtHorn]

I like bands, if you can afford it. I think they are more special and fun. If you want to play particular songs that the band can''t play, then you can play them on a cd when the band is on a break. That way, you have the best of both.

 

[E B]

Date: 3/11/2006 1:50:02 PM
Author: Wren
Yes, Yes, not on this board yet.

No ipods? I'm surprised!

You better believe we're going the iPod route! There's no way I'd pay a dorky man in a tux $750+ to do what my iPod can for free!

ETA: oh, and a friend of ours (who's so excited to do it) will announce the first dance, the father daughter dance, etc. for free!

 

[curlygirl]

I prefer djs. The cost definitely is much less and I just prefer to hear the original songs, I don't really dig when bands try to do their own renditions especially of current music. We were at a wedding recently and the band played Yeah by Usher and it was just soooo bad!!!

 

[Faerievert]

Date: 3/11/2006 1:50:02 PM
Author: Wren
Yes, Yes, not on this board yet.

No ipods? I''m surprised!

I''m collecting my own music playlists and playing it off a laptop (an iBook using iTunes to be exact) through the room''s sound system. It saves A LOT of money, and I get to pick all the songs, which is a lot of fun. I''ve got a couple friends who will change the list when necessary and use the provided mic to make any annoucements we want (pre-ceremony music list to the processional, then hit stop, and then play the recessional at the right time, switch to the post-ceremony but pre-announcement music, announce us when we get back, put on the dinner music, play the first dance and cake cutting songs in there somewhere, and leave it on the dance music list for the rest of the evening). I know a lot of people on here wouldn''t even consider doing something like that, but in our situation (and venue that already has a built-in sound system) it''s perfect. We''re not exactly a high-class crowd and couldn''t stomach the price tag of the traditional route on our 4-digit budget.


Though to answer this tread''s question, if you''ve got the money for a live band, musical tastes that fit with what you can find (country, jazz, and traditional rock n roll work especially well this way), and the determination to find a good one, I think it will make for a fantastic, and very memorable evening.

 

[sunkist]

Date: 3/11/2006 3:09:23 PM
Author: Faerievert

Date: 3/11/2006 1:50:02 PM

Author: Wren

Yes, Yes, not on this board yet.

No ipods? I''m surprised!

I''m collecting my own music playlists and playing it off a laptop (an iBook using iTunes to be exact) through the room''s sound system. It saves A LOT of money, and I get to pick all the songs, which is a lot of fun. I''ve got a couple friends who will change the list when necessary and use the provided mic to make any annoucements we want (pre-ceremony music list to the processional, then hit stop, and then play the recessional at the right time, switch to the post-ceremony but pre-announcement music, announce us when we get back, put on the dinner music, play the first dance and cake cutting songs in there somewhere, and leave it on the dance music list for the rest of the evening). I know a lot of people on here wouldn''t even consider doing something like that, but in our situation (and venue that already has a built-in sound system) it''s perfect. We''re not exactly a high-class crowd and couldn''t stomach the price tag of the traditional route on our 4-digit budget.



Though to answer this tread''s question, if you''ve got the money for a live band, musical tastes that fit with what you can find (country, jazz, and traditional rock n roll work especially well this way), and the determination to find a good one, I think it will make for a fantastic, and very memorable evening.

Well, not that I''m part of the BIW yet (

) but I think we will go this route too. My parents are setting up a sound system throughout the house and my BF and I are going to pick out all the music and play it off a laptop. Since we''ll be having the reception at my house, there''s really no room for a band or a DJ.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 3/11/2006 2:55:34 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 3/11/2006 1:50:02 PM
Author: Wren
Yes, Yes, not on this board yet.

No ipods? I''m surprised!

You better believe we''re going the iPod route! There''s no way I''d pay a dorky man in a tux $750+ to do what my iPod can for free!

ETA: oh, and a friend of ours (who''s so excited to do it) will announce the first dance, the father daughter dance, etc. for free!

We''re doing this as well. A good friend of ours does the sound for a couple of local bands, so he has all the equipment- we''re just gonna plug in my laptop and run itunes. He''s also a total ham, and will do just fine as an MC. We''ll have a harpist for the ceremony, since we''re getting married in the middle of a vineyard.

In regards to the original question, I personally prefer DJ''s over bands. The music selection is greater. However, I''ve been to many weddings where the DJ was a dork, and the experience was not good. So, proceed with caution!

 

[lilyinct]

I did the ipod thing for our wedding last September, and if I had to do it again, I wouldn''t do it any different. We rented some huge speakers and some sort of transmitter base thing, hooked the ipod up, and it was great! We had a set of music for the appetizer hours (80''s, Billy Joel, U2, all different styles of music), then another set for dinner (classics and oldies), and then another for dessert and dancing (slow and fast songs, and ones that really got people up on their feet).

By the end of the night, at least a dozen people came up to me and told me that it was the best music they had heard at a wedding, all the benefits of a dj, but without the annoying comments and the dj attitude.

 

[peonygirl]

lilyinct, do you still have your playlist? If so, I''d love to see it!!

 

[KBerly]

Definitely personal taste. This was a very easy decision for us. We knew we wanted a DJ...basically our own party in a club (reception site)...play all the music we like and can dance to, bands just have never done anything for me. we wanted a "club" atmosphere, but will have our DJ play great oldies, beach music, then move into the hip-hop, dance music at about 8:30 or 9pm..I get excited thinking about it! I just feel like you can enjoy the music more when you have a DJ...a band is just so limited.

 

[Faerievert]

Date: 3/11/2006 6:37:54 PM
Author: peonygirl
lilyinct, do you still have your playlist? If so, I''d love to see it!!

me too!

 

[Tybee]

Oh,

I''m all about seeing people''s play lists!

First of all, Wren---you don''t have to say you''re not on this board yet! In my opinion, you''re on this board! You don''t need the official proposal to have great ideas, or excellent questions! So, there!

Secondly, If you''ve got the money, and you found a FANTASIC band, then go for it.

We don''t have the money. So we''re going the DJ route. I think the i-pod route seems even better.

 

[snapdragon]

Okay, say money wasn''t tooo much of an issue-

What would you rather have:

one of the top 9 or 10 piece wedding bands in a major city play for the entire reception

OR

a good 4 or 5 piece jazz/swing orchestra play during dinner/early dancing and then a semi-celebrity dj take over for dancing later in the evening?

 

[Caribou]

We are going the iPod route as well. Neither one of us dance and we can pick and play the same music for alot less than we would spend on a DJ. Just makes more sense for us.

 

[Tybee]

Date: 3/12/2006 12:30:14 PM
Author: snapdragon
Okay, say money wasn''t tooo much of an issue-


What would you rather have:


one of the top 9 or 10 piece wedding bands in a major city play for the entire reception


OR


a good 4 or 5 piece jazz/swing orchestra play during dinner/early dancing and then a semi-celebrity dj take over for dancing later in the evening?

To answer Snapdragon''s question. If money wasn''t an issue at all, I''d opt for the Jazz/Swing orchestra--hopefully with full on brass--I LOVE that and it sounds SOOOOOO much fun. Then maybe follow up with a DJ--or maybe just keep the Jazz/Swing thing going on all night.

Honestly, live music is just plain fun, especially if it''s really really good. There''s always something a little bit cheesy about a DJ, but
there''s fun in that too. We''re basically choosing a DJ for the sake of simplicity and cost.

If we were LOADED it would be a different event all together!!

 

[JulieN]

snap, I''d do the second.

 

[fountainfairfax]

Oh, can I be an old F*rt and hijack the thread to add:

Whatever form of music you choose, it''s a good idea (and a kindness to your guests) to have someone monitor the volume! (maybe someone in their late 20''s or 30''s who has a good understanding of who the average guest is.)

I had been making fun of my parents (in their late 60''s) as they complained about how loud the music was at the last few weddings, so loud that they couldn''t hold a conversation with anyone not seated right next to them. Then we all went together to another wedding and they weren''t kidding! We were seated far from the speakers and we couldn''t talk to each other- my sis and I resorted to hand signals, my father was just miserable and my BF and BIL just went outside the hall (and both of them were in heavy metal/speed metal bands not-so-long-ago and are both younger than me & sis, they can usually tolerate noise

)
If you weren''t dancing it was pretty sad.....we all left before the cake because it was that uncomfortable. I''ll suffer through cover bands or weird DJs, and think ipods are a great idea but when it''s crazy-loud all that hard work just goes to waste.

Enough of my PSA, I''ll get off my soapbox and drag my tired 37 year old bones back to the nursing home

 

[ivanadiamond]

I have heard terrible Dj''s and terrible bands and I have heard awesome dj''s and awesome bands, so I guess get the best you can afford. For me music was one of the most important aspects. We wanted people to dance and not remember what the centerpieces looked like, because they never sat down long enough.

For our ceremony and cocktail hour we hired a three piece guitar trio that played latin music and for the the reception we had a 13 piece band and they were to die for. We spend a small fortune, but we put a lot of our budget in the music. They had performed for Oprah''s birthday party and I can honestly say they were handsdown the best band ever...

But I would rather have Frank sing Sinatra than a cheesy bad singer sing him, so if you can''t get someone great, then the cd version never fails...

I love the ipod route!

 

[sunkist]

Hmmmm, where are those playlists?? Anyone want to share?

 

[lilyinct]

Date: 3/12/2006 3:27:19 AM
Author: Faerievert

Date: 3/11/2006 6:37:54 PM
Author: peonygirl
lilyinct, do you still have your playlist? If so, I''d love to see it!!

me too!

Ahhhh, I knew you were going to ask for the playlists...but we did it on my husbands old computer, and then reuploaded the ipod onto my computer, and lost all the playlists...sorry, guys

However, one big piece of advice- start writing a long list of all the songs you love- whether it be reggae or jazz or 80''s.... then go through and label them A (appetizer), B (dinner) and C (dessert and dancing)....then just kind of play with the order...we had a lot of fun doing it, and it didn''t take too long at all.

Dig deep into your head for songs that you loved in junior high and high school, those were the songs that everyone seemed to connect and comment on.....Alanis Morrissette, Huey Lewis, Heart, Pat Benetar, Styx, Eagles, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, James Giles Band, 10000 Maniacs, Chili Peppers....we even did Sir Mix a Lot''s "Baby Got Back"....it was awesome seeing the old women shake it!!!

 

[akw94]

I''ve been thinking of having a violinist (or some other instrument..not sure which) for the ceremony and then doing the IPOD for the reception. I think if I had the money, i''d go w/a live band.
Ooooh, I would love to see any playlists too. I also like the idea of having a friend make announcements and be in charge of changing playlists.
So anyone using an ipod, are you renting speakers to attach or how exactly does that work? Using the laptop is a good idea too, especially since I don''t have an ipod.

 

[eks6426]

I did the IPOD thing for both my actual wedding and the reception. Both our wedding and reception were outside. We hooked it up to my husband's giant 1970s speakers. The sound was fantastic. I made a playlist for the pre-wedding music, processional, then for different parts of the reception. We had one of my husband's nephew be in charge of running the IPOD. It worked great and cost us nothing. I really enjoyed picking out the playlists and hearing the songs sung by the actual artist. I like bands, but it is hard to get one that can play a lot of different styles well. They just don't seem to work well for popular music unless you find a rare exceptional group. Given a choice between a band's bad rendition of songs vs. recorded music (Ipod or DJ), I'd much rather hear the recorded music.

I can definitely see a band though if you have more instrumental music or a theme. I could see string quartets, small big bands, latin bands etc.

 

[E B]

Date: 3/15/2006 10:33:37 AM
Author: amy94
I''ve been thinking of having a violinist (or some other instrument..not sure which) for the ceremony and then doing the IPOD for the reception. I think if I had the money, i''d go w/a live band.
Ooooh, I would love to see any playlists too. I also like the idea of having a friend make announcements and be in charge of changing playlists.
So anyone using an ipod, are you renting speakers to attach or how exactly does that work? Using the laptop is a good idea too, especially since I don''t have an ipod.

That''s what I was thinking, too. I''m trying to find a violinist or two to play at the beginning of the ceremony (and, of course, we''ll be "iPoding" the reception) but they''ve all been so expensive for just an hour. If I can find a deal, I''ll go with it.

 

[aphisiglovessae]

I would prefer a DJ because of the wide variety of music and you're guaranteed the songs will sound how they're supposed to. I've been to too many weddings that had bands who actually were too nervous and didn't sound very well and did horrible covers of popular songs. I HAVE been to weddings that had awesome bands as well and they were fabulous, but I wasn't willing to take the risk with that much money. It's all a matter of how much you trust that the band will perform well, IMO.

ETA: We were going to do the MP3 player thing (I own an MP3 player, but not an IPod specifically), but we have a good friend who's a DJ and is a lot of fun. If we didn't have him to hire, we would've done the MP3 player thing because we think all the other DJs in town are too cheesy and a little overpriced.

 

[akw94]

Date: 3/15/2006 12:13:16 PM
Author: EBree

That''s what I was thinking, too. I''m trying to find a violinist or two to play at the beginning of the ceremony (and, of course, we''ll be ''iPoding'' the reception) but they''ve all been so expensive for just an hour. If I can find a deal, I''ll go with it.

If you don''t mind my asking, what sort of prices are you finding for an hour?

 

[sydneycasandra]

we''re having a bluegrass band come and play acoustic (outdoor reception). they were inexpensive and my DF LOVES bluegrass so it works okay. (I would''ve preferred a cellist or string quartet but I am probably the only one.)