Dj...

Whoops I got the wrong end of the stick! Sandysounds might be able to help.

How much depends very much on where you are in the country, what type of dj you go for etc etc...

For example, mine is costing £600 but most people find they range between a couple of hundred and mine is probably at the top end of the pricing.

More than price, I would look into recommendations for your area and listen out at other weddings you go to. Sandysounds will hopefully see this and explain my ramblings better!

Mine is costing £195 for 4 hours (in Bristol). Quotes I had ranged from £195 to £350.

Are yours playing naked for that price?

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Luckily, no! ?

He's our local radio stations Dj and is a (very very very) minor 'sleb around here!

£450. for about 4 hours music, he played what we wanted to hear as well as some other stuff he thought would mix in well. and it did, very.

Celebs at your wedding RaeF how very flash?!

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Now I did say a very very very minor celeb, and only in Essex would he even be classed as this!

Thanks for the input ladies, also please excuse my abrupt posts sometimes my son is tugging my arm so itys more of a post and go lol!!!

They're charging us £380 for 5 hours from 7pm-12am which I thought isnt too bad...

Hi SG...if you're not sorted try WDJA Our members fees range from £300 - £1000

Although there's a range of fees posted here, ultimately it is the service provided that distinguishes them. A full time professional is going to charge more than someone who has a main job and just DJs part time. You'll find a full timer will put more prep into your day, sourcing any songs, meeting with you etc. ie...not just turn up and play but really pay attention to the finer details and give you a totally unique evening.

On another thread I posted a few questions to ask your potential DJ here which you might find useful.

SG, ours is very similar to yours - £360 for 7.30-12.30am, with a meeting beforehand to go over track list etc.

Sidney x

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Now I did say a very very very minor celeb, and only in Essex would he even be classed as this!

Who is it? where abouts in Essex are you from? Im intrigued! lol x

He does the Essex FM breakfast show and has a friend called Su...

Not Martin???

Sorry, had to rush out in the end last night but...

Yep! ?

Hey Sandy and everyone

Thanks for your replies, Ive signed up to that website so hope to get some info soon...

Out of interest how did people pick their djs? Did they just go with whoever or have a specific reason??

x

Have a clear idea of how you want your evening to go. DJs all have different styles.

I'd say there are 5 DJs (including myself) out here in NI that I would recommend.........but we are all very different and fit a different remit....but are all top class.

I'll use us 5 as an example. My self and my partner take out a smallish show playing music at conversational level with a stunning light show of colour washes and lights on the dance floor only. Its ideal when you have a mixed age range with older guests there (they're not driven home early by loud music and flashy light). Its sophisticated, special and is different from what you'd have at a birthday party. Some people have a younger crowd and want a mobile night club effect, then the other guys are more suited as they take out a far bigger rig (takes a lot longer to set up too so an important consideration if you have turn around).

Some of the guys concentrate more on mixing so do less mic work.....just solid music. If thats what's important to you....then thats the style of DJ you should be looking for. On the other hand, I consider myself more of an entertainer. I do children's stuff early on (I mean really daft stuff where I go down on the dance floor with the children and do games, dances and competitions....and 9 times out of 10 the parents join in too)....... I do a fair amount of mic work in that I read dedications and requests out (some DJs don't).....it makes guests feel involved and important. I offer additional things like karaoke, Ceilidh dancing, games and quizzes during the evening....which is absolutely ideal if you have a non dancy or anti disco crowd......so basically a bit of a party animal....but its not everyones cup of tea. Some of the guys offer vdjing....big screens showing music videos during your disco.....again not everyones cup of tea.

You know your guests best....so think about what kind of entertainment they would enjoy. I know one fear people have is that the DJ won't play the music they want. All the guys I know out here all play according to the remit, playlist and requests. We all try to cater for all tastes.....but ultimately we keep to what the bride wants. If B+G say no cheese....thats how it is. We all go out of our way to source special tracks etc.

Don't be afraid to meet up with a few DJs before making an informed choice. If you are prepared to pay £350 - £800 you'll find the guys in this price range will be quite used to this practice and very aware that one doesn't fit all. I've often been part of this kind of 'interview process'. In conversation, you soon start to understand what style they are looking for. If its not me, I'm quite prepared to suggest one of my colleagues that are best suited.

Hope that ramble is helpful and gives you food for thought.

HI Steel Goddess and everyone else on this thread,

I'm Mitch, a wedding dj, listed on hitched, and also a husband to be!

I play at the UK's leading venues including Claridges and the Lanesborough, My skills are recommended by international wedding planners and major event organisers. My spelling and grammar isn't!

I hope this info is useful to you all and sheds some light on the DJ;

The UK wedding industry is worth over £5 billion a year; There is no such thing as a bargain.

DJ prices in the UK range from £100 to £1000+ depending on the skill of the entertainer, the equipment they bring and the time they spend with you.

Here are some things to consider to help you to decide how much to spend;

Unlike most single items that you purchase for your wedding, the right dj will have a major effect on your reception. Idea; As well as having a list of how much things are costing you try putting them in an order of how important they are to your day.

A budget dj will probably bring a lack of skill and old equipment costing from a few hundred pounds, maybe purchased from ebay, a good one can bring lot of skill in making your guests party and will probably have newish equipment costing over £5,000 pounds.

You cant fix a bad dj with a list of music; getting a few people dancing for the last half an hour is easy. giving people an amazing party where people dance all night is really complex.The bride from the wedding with the dodgy dj (the party you are trying to avoid having) had probably also given their dj a list of music and thought she had booked someone brilliant. Even the top venues that I play at try to give me a chair as their other djs sit down for half the night!

The price that you pay is not just for the 3 - 5 hours of entertainment but for the djs equipment, setting it up, marketing, pre event time that they spend with you; Each of my weddings takes around 3 working days of my time and uses £6 to 10k+ worth of equipment.

A good wedding dj will bring more expensive equipment than your photographer, spend just as much time working with you on your wedding, is just as skilled and is as important to your day.

Some general advice; talk to the dj directly before you book them, As well as some good dj's there is also a lot of rubbish hiding behind some agencies...and a dj getting paid a lot less than you are paying the agency.

Feel free to email me any questions and have a great wedding.

Mitch

Price!

Thanks everyone!

T8hink we have found our DJ through the dj association (Thanks Sandy!) hes charging us £250! which is imo

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Glad to be of help SG?

I am very pleased you have found a DJ that suits you but please be aware the Wedding DJ Association is just a commercial venture to bring together potential clients and DJ's (who pay money to subscribe to the WDJA).

The WDJA Terms and Conditions on their website make interesting reading - the WDJA make no guarentees about their members and cannot be relied upon to - so although your DJ maybe a member of WDJA this conveys no benefits to you as a customer of the DJ.

As with any DJ you book, WDJA member or not, make sure you are happy with what they are offering and confirm it in writing - search for 'DJ' in these forums and you will pick up loads of suitable tips - just dont believe everything you read in forums as gospel - think about what you read.

I've just joined on here to see what brides and grooms are looking for and I will give an experianced professional independant comment on advise given and provide some of my own to help anyone who needs some guidance.

Not accurate I'm afraid wedding DJ. The WDJA is a not for profit Association which abides by all the constraints and regulations concerning an association. It is for DJs that specialise in weddings and not all mobile DJs who apply are accepted....hence there is sometimes sour grapes.

You could try reading this thread:

https://www.hitched.co.uk/Chat/forums/t/150254.aspx

** Pistols at Dawn ** he he he

At the end of the day you really do get what you pay for. (within reason)

I've personally been a Wedding DJ for 10 years, that is I only ever work at weddings, I never do kids birthdays, nor do I take on the first job that comes my way, in fact and I think Sandy can vouch for this (as I am known for it) I turn down a good 70% of quotes that come to me.

I am very picky who I work for and where I work, I blacklist venues and other factors.

Why?, because this is my business, my full time business and I am in a position to do so.

I will never accept a booking if I felt I was not right for the job in hand.

I take out (when I accept a booking request) well over £10k in gear, sometimes £15k.

You get what you pay for!

As stated above, there are lot's of DJs out there who use sub-standard equipment and are not working legally, all I say to that is be very careful.

Check out your DJ, ask for references and get it all in WRITING!

Treat the DJ as you would the Venue, The Catering Company or any other service provider.

Many a wedding has been left without entertainment because their cut price DJ got offered an extra £20 from elsewhere.

Sometimes paying more for a DJ simply means not having to worry if he/she will turn up, or if their equipment will work until the end of the evening.

Now for some people a worry free wedding day might be priceless.

For others an ipod and a Boombox may very well suffice.

** Peace Out **