DJ v.s a band.

The general consensus I got from round here was that if you can afford it a band will always be better than a DJ. We are having a band and they also DJ for the times in between sets so a bit of both. I'm not sure you get bands who will be able to play from 7ish til midnight without breaks.

Cost wise for bands although it seems alot youhave to factor in how many people there are and playing that night is not only what is included in the cost. They have to travel, practise and have insurance so all of these things will be included in what you are paying.

Personally I am more likely to dance to a band even if it is a different genre to my usual taste in music.

I am one of the minority who isn't overly keen on wedding bands. That's not to say I haven't heard some good ones, but just that we never considered one for our own wedding. We had an indie club DJ and it was fab fab fab.

I don't necessarily agree that having the same genre music all night is a bad thing. However, when it's a relatively narrow and slightly Marmite genre like ska, I have to say it would get tiresome.

Yes, I know it's not everyones cup of tea, and OH has said himself he'd get fed up of it after a few hours. He has a wide taste of sounds and songs (not many modern songs thank god) and wasnt the variation, but I love the idea of a band. Looks good, sounds great, and is a stamp of "us" (we go out a lot to see bands and concerts).

Aaaah yes, but i've looked for local bands, and still a flaming fortune hehe!

What type of budget were you hoping to stay in for a band? Perhaps I can recommend one?

My OH and I are both musicians. He's a musician in the army and I'm a music teacher. We couldn't possibly have a wedding without live music and thankfully we got great mates rates on a wedding band for the evening. They do all sorts of music - all the typical party stuff and also a great swing set, and we love that era of music. The band has 3 saxes, 2 trumpets and a trombone so can do mini big band type music. Should be fun!

We're also having a ten piece brass ensemble plus timpani and organ during our ceremony so there will be lots and lots of live music. When we weren't sure whether we'd be able to have live band or not (due to finances), we were really unsure about even having an evening reception. We really didn't want to have a DJ! Fortunately, our financial situation changed a bit which means we can afford live music.

I let OH decide on entertainment and he's chosen a band who also do a dj set, I think they do 2 sets live music and 2 dj sets, so a bit of both! I would have been happy with just a dj though! I think it's a good idea to get a band or dj who will play a variety of music to keep all your guests happy! We went to an evening reception and their band just played rock all night, not my cup of tea!

I definitely would prefer a band! They are pricey but every wedding I have been to seems to go a bit flat with just a DJ! I am on a band mission now!

I personally prefer a band, I've seen some really good sets - the atmosphere is always great. But as you say, it can also be quite costly. I've seen some couples who have had both a DJ and a band, and I absolutely love that! It worked really well, it was nice to have a change and it actually worked really well together. Maybe some of the girls could give recommendations, I'm not sure if there's such a thing as DJ and band and you can hire them together, or whether it is entirely separate and you book them both at separate prices. Maybe if you could find a package deal it may be a bit cheaper to do both? I'm not sure if perhaps bands and DJs work together sometimes at all for weddings (e.g. sometimes you find photographer and videographers working together under the same company), but that might be worth looking into, and I imagine it would be cheaper than hiring two different companies.

I have been looking for a band for ages, so many to choose from. The agents are good as they have got loads of choice but the ones with their own website also really worth looking at. you get some national agents i.e. alive network, silver dog music who are brilliant but also a good source of bands to choose from are the wedding blogs suopiiers etc I do get a bit worried about the DJ side (I want one too) but as you can hear demo tracks/ see videos with the bands, you cant with the Djs - how can you tell whether they are good or not? Recommendation I suppose. If anyone knows a good Dj in North West feel free to let me know, not too cheesy

Prefer a DJ by miles, we have booked a club DJ who totally gets us and our crowd - in fact by coincidence his 90s Manchester club residency was one of our regular nights out. I think unless they're really good wedding bands can be a bit naff.

I'm one of the few that prefers a DJ at a wedding but I love the cheesey music that gets all the people up dancing. I find that when bands are playing people are more likely to stand and watch (until they are drunk anyway) but with a DJ people generally get up as soon as you get the cheese on.

That said, my friend had a swing band and they were great and people got up and danced to them (prompted by the oldies who were first up).

We originally wanted a band but the one we had in mind are friends of ours and already booked up.

Every other band we listened to I wasn't keen on the sound or something wasn't clicking.?

We've went for a dj that we can give as many requests too as we want and that doesn't speak too much

That way we can have loads of our fave songs in there but without having the whole night rock music and he can play other genres to suit everyone.

I love live music and we're always going to gigs, but for me a band can either make the night or ruin it for me.

I love a great cover band but I don't like hearing bands that I think to myself i'd rather listen to the cd and hear the original.

We did both!

We're both music geeks (snobs?! hah!) and the music was important to us, but we also didn't want to alienate our friends and family.

We compromised, so late afternoon/ early evening we had a playlist of 40s/ 50s songs, then two of our singer-songwriter friends did short sets, then in the evening H and I performed a (non-cheesy) song, then we had an awesome ukulele band who did loads of covers for about 45 minutes - as others have said when it's a niche band, any more than that can get a bit tiresome. Then we had an ordinary DJ for a couple of hours, playing cheese and pop, then for the last hour, my friend played loads of cool 60s rock'n'roll so we had the best of all worlds, and it all went down really well!!

I haven't been to any weddings with a 'normal' wedding band, but I'm not sure I'm keen. I guess there's less scope for flexibility. If I was you, I'd try and go for the best of both if you can - do you know any friends in bands who might want to get together and do a short set made up of your favourite songs for example?

Hi Frootishus,

Classic question, band vs DJ...

There are some big plus points to either choice: DJ - cheaper, widest possible range of music & styles; band - best possible atmosphere, fantastic if they can kick things off with a live rendition of your first dance song.

A ska band may possibly be a bit niche for some of your guests? But it's your wedding after all, so if that's what you really want there's nothing to stop you going for it!

The best of both worlds, as others have commented, may be to find a band who can also offer a DJ service between sets. That's what we'd recommend, more often than not. That way you get all the benefits - continuous music, wide range of styles covered (or narrow - depending on what you want), best atmosphere, a live song for the first dance.

If you do go down that road, you could go one of two ways:

1 - Book that ska band, and make sure when they DJ they can cover all the other bases and play a mix of rock 'n' pop, dance/rave tunes, etc.

or

2 - Book a typical, non-niche wedding band playing a more conventional mixture of songs, i.e. 50s or 60s to modern rock 'n' pop, maybe soul/funk/disco too. Then ask them to play lots of ska tracks in the breaks. Or put together an iPod playlist of your favourite ska tunes and ask them to play that over the PA.

Or of course you could book both a live band and a separate DJ. Possibly overkill? And definitely the most expensive option. But a professional DJ could offer more "frills" - better & fancier lighting; maybe lasers & dry ice, added touches which may be important to you - or not...

Just today, we posted on our wedding blog about what to do when the bride and groom have different musical tastes. Doesn't sound like you do, but it might still be of interest as we covered genres of music, first dance songs, what guests might like, etc.

The "Ideas & Advice" section of our blog has plenty of other tips for planning your wedding music, which might be of interest.

Good luck working this one out! We'd love to know what you decide... Do tell! :-)

Bands are good as a focal point (I am biased though!) but a DJ can cater for a much wider range of music. Unless you have a band with an extremely extensive set list!

Band + DJ is good as its a nice dynamic having the two.

We had a band at our wedding and if I was getting married again I would go Band and DJ

Hi Frootishus,

Ska bands are really good fun but this only would be fitting if it was a Ska themed wedding. Probably be better to go with a mix of genres but ask your band to play some extra Ska!

I'd suggest 'Monkey man', 'Too much too Young' or some madness for favourites that your guests will know (and dance to!)

In your post you mention half set from a band......as this would take your bands evening up it will still cost the same.

The advantage of a combined band/DJ is the best of both plus a much tidier setup with only one set of equipment.

All the best,

James

The Spectrum.

Thank you for the further comments, all extremely helpful. I shall read again in detail with OH,

Hi All

My other half and I are looking for either:

a) A band between 7:30 - 9:30 then a DJ

b) 3 x 45 mins set from band with DJ in between

Our wedding is in Northampton on 2 August 2014 and all our local contacts are already booked.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

We are into Indie, Rock or acoustic genres but love a little motown too

Thanks in advance

I really wanted a band at first but OH pointed out that it's a summer wedding so people may go outside or to other rooms so don't want to waste the money if no one's actually going to be watching them. Also think people won't want to talk over a band and they may not dance as much as they would if we had a d.j so decided against it.

Hi,

Summertimes are usually the busiest periods for bands and of course weddings. This is where timings are really important!

It's great having your wedding breakfast and speeches then followed by a few drinks out in the summer sun. Let your DJ take the early part of the evening, then around 10ish ask your band to play first set. It's getting dusk outside and you & your guests will start filling the dance floor.

James

The Spectrum