Wedding DJ

We're paying £250 for ours! Prices varied considerably but this guy gets rave reviews on Facebook and gave us the confidence he'd put on a good night for us

We're paying £300 for ours. We were really unsure too and online the prices seemed such a lot. We found ours through wedding fayre at our venue. Spoke to him, he seemed nice (who wants an idiot with a microphone!!) And when he said price we booked him there and then. Good luck

Cricket I think I've probably overpaid but we've gone through functioncentral website and it's £350 but the good thing about the website is that they cover you if the dj falls ill etc they will send another and you can be prescriptive in advance eg no chatting, these specific songs - I've found them to be really professional and helpful x

My husband charges £150 for an afternoon/evening (from 5pmish til end) but that's without a PA system or lights and reasonably local, if you need a PA it's more like £250, and possibly a bit more if he has to drive a long way. He asks the bride/groom to compile a Spotify playlist which he links to his own account to play their requests, and always complies with requests to chat/not chat, do announcements etc. I have seen people say they've paid £600 and I don't know how any DJ justifies that.

We're paying just over £1K (I think, last time I checked the spreadsheet of doom!), BUT, he is delivering a lot! He's basically going to be there the whole day, he's doing the ceremony music, wedding breakfast background music, evening disco, also includes all lighting, PA system, moodlighting around the room, fairy light backdrops behind top table and dancefloor, photobooth and photobooth memory book.

Thanks everyone.

Thats really interesting. We were quoted 375 by one and 750 for the basic package by another..

Wondering if the prices are higher because we are near London. But still, quite a big difference in price between the two!

I'm London based and paying just over £800 for all the set up and lights and stuff like that as well as the music

I'm getting married in Kent and paying £500, that includes lights and PA.

We are paying just under 1k but are receiving a lot, he is playing music for ceremony, wedding breakfast, providing all lighting, microphones, acting as master of ceremonies all day and doing all the announcements as well as hosting a gameshow in the evening. So it is the complete entertainment covered so I am pleased with the cost.

Our DJ charges £500 but we managed to haggle with the venue and him thrown in for free as they insisted that we had to use him! X

Interesting question and answers, so I thought that I would add some information that may help others looking for entertainment for their weddings.

It's important to remember that hire of entertainment, whether DJ's, Bands etc is a service. Like any other service, the phrase "you get what you pay for" remains the same.

When searching for a DJ its important to find the right DJ that fits with you. Not just fits you budget but more importantly fits with your style and music tastes.

Not all DJ's are the same, nor do they provide the same level of service. This will be reflected in their fees but ultimately the last question you should ask a DJ when enquiring about their services is their fee's.

Here are a few questions that you should ask a DJ before booking them

• Can we meet to discuss our wedding? The best way to determine if a DJ is right for you is meet them in person. Meet at your venue or in a coffee shop. Ask the DJ what he can do to make your day special. If he or she just talks about music, then they probably are not the right DJ for your wedding. A wedding specialist will have lots of ideas how to make your wedding unique, and will share a couple of ideas with you.

• Are they insured and legal? Without the right documentation, not only is your wedding at risk of not having entertainment, but there is also a serious safety aspect here too.

• Will it be YOU as our DJ or will you send someone else? Agencies and multi operators have many DJ's working under their umbrella. So make sure the DJ that you meet will be the DJ at your wedding. Otherwise all the meetings will be pointless.

• Will you provide a contract? Expect any professional supplier to issue you with a written contract which will state exactly what has been agreed and what they will provide you.

• What events do they perform at? A DJ who performs more weddings and corporate events will arguably be better at wedding etiquette than a children's performer or club DJ.

• Have they performed at your venue before? Not essential, however a DJ who has previous knowledge of your venue will be in a better position to discuss placements of equipment, venue layout and any issues to overcome before arriving at your wedding. They will also know the right equipment to take for the size of the venue.

• Are they members of any professional or trade associations? DJ's who take their profession seriously will be a member of at least one trade or professional association, these could include but not limited to Trading Standards, SEDA, NADJ, Equity, Musicians Union

• Ask to see pictures of their set up, preferably at your venue. Most DJ's will have have pictures of the set up they use at your venue. Ask to see pictures to make sure that it fits in with the surroundings and you're happy with what you see.

• Do they carry back up equipment should the unexpected happen? Most DJ's will use digital equipment. Controller and laptop to play music. Carrying back up equipment is essential as it only takes an unexpected update or corrupt file to render the equipment useless.

Also do your own homework, look around the internet for independent reviews about the DJ. Also have you been to a wedding recently? What did you like or didn't like about the DJ or what he or she did or didn't do? Remember, the evening reception is the last thing your guests will remember at the end.

Ask friends who they used for their weddings, what did they think about them?

If you're simply searching for the cheapest - you may well be disappointed in the results. You need a reason for your guests to stay until the end, especially with alcohol prices the way they are - poor entertainment with no direction or insight into what you and your guest enjoy with ultimately end up in disappointment when your guests leave early.

Meet a few DJ's get a feel about what they can do for you and book the right one that best fits your wedding theme, and music style. If you're guests are predominantly younger, then you'll want music to reflect this and not an 80's specialist, and visa versa. So make sure they are knowledgeable about the music that you require.

Lastly, there's no right or wrong price. Obviously everyone has a budget but finding the right DJ will pay dividends. After all what's the point in spending hundreds of pounds on chair covers if everyone is sitting down. You want then to get up and see how lovely they look.

As a full time wedding specialist myself, I have lots of information on my website and blog, so please do feel free to pop along and read what I can do for you myself and of course gain some free information that may help you with your wedding planning.

"The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low cost is forgotten"

I'm Andy Collins, 3 x award winning wedding entertainment and master of ceremonies. I am Trading Standards approved and a member of NADJ (National Association of Disc Jockeys)

You can find lots more information about me and free advise at www.andycollinsdj.com

I hope this helps?

Our venue hosted their own wedding fair (fayre??) and my OH and I both commented that the DJ was playing a good mix of music. Low and behold the venue recommended this DJ, and we are paying £350 for him.

Bespoke playlist has been offered (pretty important for us), but we also plan to give him carte blanche if that is what it takes to get people dancing.

£350 all inc, Oxford.

We are paying £650 (I think!), he will be there all day (12:00 until 00:00), he is providing lights PA etc, and is being the MC for the day