BAND OR DISCO???

Sandysounds is the one to ask about disco's!!

We are having a band they are called VEGAS although we didnt realise at the time of booking they are quite local to us but do travel all over the UK check out their site @ www.vegaslive.co.uk x

I dont really like discos beacuse i think they can be a bit cheesy, and the last wedding i went to had one and NOBODY danced!

so i decide to have a band, then atleast if people dont dance a band is more entertaining that a DJ who just stands there. Also a lot of the bands i looked at say they are experts at getting people involved and dancing, and even singing along with them, i think you need to choose an upbeat proffessional band. Take a look on www.alivenetwork.com, thats where i got my band, there are loads for all tastes.

My friend got married last year (at the same venue as us) and they had a band and the dance floor was full all night. They got guests up singing with them and they were giving out feather boas and inflatable guitars and saxophones, it was fab. However I've been to weddings where they've had a DJ and the dance floor has been full all night too. I don't think you can really compare the too, I think it depends on your guests and the type of music which is played. I'm hoping for a full dancefloor at my wedding. We would have loved a band however have decided to go for DJ as we wanted something different to our friends with it being the same venue x

I agree its all to do with what music is played!

I have been to 2 wedding the last 3 weeks and 1 had a DJ and 1 had a band and to be honest you would not have known any different if you had your eyes closed and both dance floors were full.

My oh thinks a DJ is for birthday parties but since being at the 2 weddings I think he has changed his view on this.

I had contacted a guy who had won a VOWS award and he turned out to be a DJ so he must be pretty good at his job!

I am still in 2 minds though about this I just cant decide on entertainment its sooo hard x

Hi,

I really wnated a band but because of the size of the venue and it all being in one it really isn't possible so having a disco instead. Went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago and they had a band which was great when they were playing but when they went to have a break after every 3-4 songs some background music was put on which was shocking! So if you are going to have a band make sure the music inbetween is done properly to keep people up and dancing. ?

A disco is good if you want to appeal to many different music tastes. I like bands too, but was once subjected to a 'rat pack'/sinatra type band and that bored the bobbins off me.

I think you need to get a good all round band... these ones in my area are pretty good, have seen them do a few weddings/functions here; https://faketanband.com/

I'll try to keep this brief....although I could write an entire book on the subject!!!!! Bear in mind, I do weddings every week during the season (out tonight) so have lots of different examples.

Last weekend I worked with a band. They were brilliant....sound was perfect, playing all the known dance floor fillers (for our area)......brown eyed girl, Galway girl, sex on fire, etc . The most they got up was 6 people on the dance floor. They tried everything.....mind you they did get everyone singing at one point to sweet caroline. The lead singer had a chat with me after their set and wished me luck....he was expecting to see tumbleweed roll across the dance floor at one point. Before I took over I walked round the guests and gave out my request cards to get a feel of what they want. I ended up playing happy hardcore, 90s dance.....and the floor was bouncing. With a different crowd, the band would have had the place rocking.

The point i am making is that a band has a playlist and a repetoire. A DJ has every genre of music at their finger tips. If the dance floor isn't filling, I will try every genre until I hit the button....a band can't do that. Also, if a band finds a song that works, they may not have others in their repetoire of a similar style to keep the momentum going.

If you choose a good wedding DJ, they will perform to your remit. If you say to them 'no cheese'...there shouldn't be a YMCA in the room.

Hope that ramble helps. I've got loads of examples where having a band has been brilliant too. Smyvicki made a good point about during the band's breaks. I would always advocate having a proper wedding DJ alongside the band so that the energy and momentum is kept going.

If you're looking for good dedicated professional wedding DJs, pop in an enquiry to https://www.weddingdja.co.uk/find_your_wedding_disco.php . All our members are approved (in fact we make them jump through hoops before being accepted)

Thanks for this...that's what i was thinking as much as i'd love to have a band for the entertainment me and my mates will want to do the robot ot Lady Gaga and our band won't be able to provide that lol And i just think theres so much more a disco can play. The only thing is we want quite an off the wall song for our first dance and wondered if disco's are able to get hold of them...i have it on CD?????????

Katie...I'm often asked for obscur songs...and have been able to get them all. The most obscur was one that wasn't available anywhere.... so I ended up contacting the artist directly in Amerca (thank goodness for the internet) to buy it off him. As long as you give your DJ enough notice as these things can take a few days, they should be able to get anything you want.

OMG!!! i have just posted a thread similar to yours

spooky lol

i was at a wedding party recently with a band. They were fab! And people...including me...danced the whole night! Im in NI though so they're possibly a bit 2 far from you, but they do a bit of djing as well so there is plenty variety!

There are pro's and cons to both that only you can decide based upon your circumstances - not least of which may be your budget - a good band being significantly dearer than a good DJ.

Whatever you decide try to see them perform and ensure they can play the music you want.

Live musicians should put on more of a 'show' than a DJ, however there are some great party DJs out there, who may not be 'specialist wedding' DJs but will certainly rock your party.

Bands do require a lot of room, and sometimes have difficulty turning the volume down to suit smaller venues - typically the bands levels are set relative to the sound from the drummer, who plays an instrument without a volume control!

We have never seen a bad wedding band (well other than one the Best Man played in......) but we have seen some very bad DJ's. Most are great and play a good variety of music but some are totally cheesetastic and like the sound of their own voice just a bit too much!! If you are on a limited budget and decide a DJ is best for you then make sure you get recommendations and meet the DJ who will be at your wedding else you could end up with Smashey or Nicey on the day!

My brother in law got married last June and he had a wedding band and a disco (and gospel choir in the church as well as a harpist during the meal, boy that must have been an expensive wedding). The covers band were really good, but as they are not cheap, they were only hired for a couple of hours and then a DJ took over. It was great actually.

As for us, we're having a 50s rock n roll band, it will go with our vintage feel wedding (we have seen them, they're called The Atantics and they're brilliant). We will be having Ipod during meal and before/after the band though.

Vicky :0)