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Jasmine
Savvy April 2021

Live music or Dj?

Jasmine, on November 17, 2020 at 11:46 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 12
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Hi ladies! I am so happy with the progress I have made with wedding planning, it finally is coming all together. This site and all of you have been extremely helpful! So my next question is, what type of music are you having for your ceremony and reception? I would love to have live music for the entire wedding but I’m sure as you know bands are rather expensive. I definitely will be having a live musician for the ceremony and cocktail hour, but for the reception it will be a splurge. We’re having a small wedding of about 60 guests and I’m not sure how packed the dance floor would be, so perhaps just a DJ will do. Also, our venue has a max of a 5 piece band. What are your thoughts?

12 Comments

Latest activity by Pirate & 60s Bride, on November 18, 2020 at 2:57 PM
  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    I would probably go with a DJ since it's cheaper.
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  • M
    Super October 2022
    Michele ·
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    I would opt for a dj since most prefer songs by the original artists
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  • Rebecca
    Master August 2019
    Rebecca ·
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    Live bands are amazing, but they restrict your playlist to what they *know*. DJs give you a wider range of music that can adjust on the fly to the feel of the crowd.

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  • C
    Master January 2019
    Cassidy ·
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    I agree with DJ.
    Live bands are nice, but their library is limited and usually covers aren’t as good as the original.
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  • Michelle
    Master April 2021
    Michelle ·
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    Totally agree! DJ’s are the best way to go. Have a wider variety & have a knack to get people on the floor.
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  • Chrysta
    Master November 2022
    Chrysta ·
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    I think live music for the ceremony is great, but as a guest I would definitely prefer a DJ for the reception
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  • Meghan
    Master October 2019
    Meghan ·
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    For a reception, I always prefer a DJ. Every wedding I have been to with a live band reception, people just don't dance as much. A DJ will also act as an emcee and will really get the reception going!

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  • Jasmine
    Savvy April 2021
    Jasmine ·
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    Very true! The bands that I have listened to are very good, but the covers just sound a little off. I guess just because I am used to the original.
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  • Jasmine
    Savvy April 2021
    Jasmine ·
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    I will definitely be going with the DJ for the reception. Everyone is in favor of the DJ which is saving me thousands!
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  • Clarissa
    Super October 2021
    Clarissa ·
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    I wanted a live band but a lot of them are genre specific and with the versatility of guest I knew that I wouldn’t get as much diversity as I would with a dj so I’m going that route.
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  • Hanna
    VIP June 2019
    Hanna ·
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    We had a live band and over a year later, dozens of guests still tell us that the band was one of their favorite experiences at our reception. We definitely agree! While they did have a specific set list of around 400 songs for us to choose from, they were pros and they were more than willing to play/learn songs that weren't on their list at no extra charge. I think we ended up having them learn/play around 6 songs that we wanted that weren't on their original set list. However, live bands can be very expensive...ours cost over 3x as much as we spent on our honeymoon. If budget is a concern, then I'd go with a DJ. There are tons of amazing DJs out there who do fantastic jobs at weddings!

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  • Pirate & 60s Bride
    Legend March 2017
    Pirate & 60s Bride ·
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    We had a live band (7 piece) for our local reception (along with a Frank Sinatra impersonator) and it was awesome. People did dance, but most of our guests were 45-65. We only had about 50 guests, similar to yours. Our band was $2300, so a DJ would have been cheaper but a live band was my hubby’s #1 priority or he didn’t want the event at all. 😆



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