DJ Pricing (TOP SECRET Tips + Tricks)

As a couple, you want to find the best deal that you can because you are paying for this on your own or maybe with some help. You might be saving for a house. But regardless of the reason, you don’t want to start your marriage in debt.

The lowest price does not always mean the best fit. When it comes to searching for a wedding DJ, you will run into a wide variety of prices, from $200 all the way up to many-of-thousands. So the most important thing to understand is WHY do they vary and how do you make the best decision to fit YOU?

We’ll give you a little guideline below, as well as some things to think about. Keep in mind that these prices are based on having a Saturday wedding. There are companies like us that have incentives for having your wedding on non-peak days.

$200-$300

Typically a beginning DJ, most likely a part-time hobbyist without a business license and insurance.

$400-$700

More experienced than beginners, but most likely part-time DJ. They may be more prone to making mistakes because they don’t have time to prepare for your wedding. After all, most probably have another full-time job, so they can focus less on the success of your wedding.

If this is your budget, you might find a gem in this group, after all, we all start somewhere.

$1,000-$2,500

Most experienced, professionally trained, full-time DJ. These DJs are making this kind of money for a reason. They also are going to carry the type of insurance that your venues are going to require. They are committed, doing it for a living and commit all of their time to make sure the weddings they do are as close to perfect as they can be. They typically spend 10-30 hours of time making sure your 4-6 hour wedding reception is perfect. This kind of preparation shows through in their accessibility to help you with questions, coordination and suggestions.

Now, all of the above are not always 100% true. There are some poor quality DJs charging way more. So, it’s up to you to interview the companies that you feel are the right fit for you and to ask the right questions to ensure you are getting a wedding DJ that can deliver the experience you want.

Things to Consider

You should base your budget on what kind of experience you want at your wedding reception. Here are some things that you should consider when interviewing your DJ because these are the core areas that will set them apart from each other.

1. Before the Wedding Day

What kind of preparation do they do prior to the wedding? What kind of experience do they have to bring to the table to help you plan?

Leading up to the wedding day, as your choosing your special songs, you’ll use the Our DJ Rocks online planning system. This online planning tool helps keep us organized and provides us details for your wedding, from the special songs you want played, the announcements you would like made, to little things like who is toasting and if there will be a blessing.

This ensures that come wedding day, we have absolutely everything we need to orchestrate things from start to finish. Our goal is for you and your fiancé to have an amazing time at your reception, letting us create the memories.

2. Equipment & Investment & Reliability

What kind of equipment do they use? What associations are they part of? What accolades do they hold? These are the types of things that will make you feel more at ease once you find out.

You will be amazed at the amount of information you will find out if you look up each of these companies on reputable sites like WeddingWire, TheKnot, and Google to find out what other clients are saying about them. We also suggest asking the other vendors you hire who they recommend or what they think about the companies you are looking at hiring.

3. Performance Time vs Preparation Time

Most DJs will only charge you for their performance time. Keep in mind that most experienced, professional DJs will spend 10-30 hours preparing for your wedding day.

For example, we believe in being 100% present on the day of your wedding. So, for us, we don’t take sales appointments on the day of your wedding and we don’t take more than one event a day. This allows us to go over your timeline the morning of, double check your music and special requests again — and back it up. We take our time to get there extra early, ensuring plenty of time for setup, sound check and to fix any mistakes without stress.

4. Price vs. Value

It’s not just showing up and pushing play. The DJ is in control of the entire flow of the evening. Remember, choose value over price and experience over the bottom line.