Should you hire a DJ or a band to play at your wedding reception?

Dj vs Live Music

Should you hire a DJ or a band to play at your wedding reception?

The music on your wedding day is one of the most important considerations that will determine whether or not your special day is a memorable one. Fortunately, nowadays, many different agencies and companies cater to this very aspect of weddings, providing you with two simple options to choose from for the kind of music you want to have for your wedding.

As such, it is not particularly difficult to find cheap wedding music that can help create both a lively and memorable atmosphere for your night. While you might have a large number of considerations regarding the type of music you want and the tone you want to set at the end of the day, your primary choice will come down to a wedding DJ vs a band.

Having a DJ or a band at a wedding is one of the most common ways to provide a good musical backdrop to your traditional ceremonies. Nowadays, it is not difficult to get cheap wedding music, which sounds phenomenal. However, making the ultimate choice between a live band vs DJ for weddings, is easier said than done. This is primarily due to the fact that having a band at a wedding often turns out to be more expensive than simply hiring a DJ and for good reason. However, it cannot be denied that the effect a live music band can have on your wedding day can be so much more impactful as opposed to a DJ.

 

Let us look at some of the advantages. A band has over a DJ when it comes to special events.

1. Variety

At an average reception, you will have time for roughly about 60 songs give or take. This is if your wedding reception will consist of a typical four-hour function. Were you to get a DJ for your wedding you will end up getting the same tired playlist that is often overused to the extent of being referred to as a cliche. While a DJ will have a repertoire of roughly 60,000 songs to choose from you need to keep in mind that the bulk of those songs may not be suited to your particular occasion.

This is where a band at a wedding becomes extremely important. When choosing a wedding DJ vs band, you will realise that a band will be able to play extremely well-known songs even if the band has never performed before. All you need to do is make a request for a particular song that is important to you even if it’s not on the top of the charts and you can be assured that a competent wedding band will be able to learn that special song and perform it to perfection. This is where the limited repertoire of a band becomes truly special because a wedding band can provide you with cheap wedding music that simultaneously contains a curated playlist that is ideal for your special moments.

2. The Fun Factor

The fun factor is where the live band vs DJ for the wedding debate comes to an end. A DJ will simply sit behind the turntable and play songs that are already set in a playlist. However, a live band has the added advantage of having talented musicians playing the instruments on stage. Just the sight of talented musicians having fun while performing the songs enhances the atmosphere and lightens up the crowd. If you don’t believe us, simply go to any pub and see the crowd behaviour on the night of a live performance vs the crowd behaviour when there is just background music coming from the speakers.

Furthermore, a competent band at a wedding will ensure that the crowd participation is enhanced to a maximum degree where they will often interact with the crowd to further enhance the overall musical experience. This is an aspect of music that a DJ simply cannot replicate.

3. Analogue vs Digital

If your primary consideration is cheap new wedding music then digital is undoubtedly the way to go. This is because contrary to popular belief DJs rarely use vinyl recordings for songs anymore and rather choose to go with a high-quality digital streaming service or in certain cases, even their own iPod. This essentially means that you end up listening to music in the form of a compressed file that does not create the punch that exists in many of these bass-heavy songs.

However, when a band at a wedding uses real live instruments with talented singers to perform, then you can be assured that your live band vs DJ for wedding debate will come to an abrupt end as they will be able to provide a stream of beautiful and authentic sounding music that will easily outrank any iPod out there.

4. Customization

One of the biggest downsides in the wedding DJ vs band debate is the fact that when you hire a DJ you are essentially hiring someone to play songs that can easily be found on the internet and are listened to by everyone else. For an individual looking for cheap wedding music, this would be an ideal pick. However, for someone who wants to make their night truly memorable, you would want your favourite songs to speak directly to you and this is where a band at a wedding can truly shine.

Band members can often add their own touches to well-known songs either increasing their tempo or slowing them down as the occasion demands it. A talented band will also sometimes change the lyrics of the song to better suit the current vibe and can even curate the songs to have lyrics that would specifically include the bride and groom, therefore, making the song even more personal.

This level of customization is something a DJ can simply not replicate and it helps give a band at the wedding a much finer edge. After all, the primary consideration for music at your wedding is to create a once-in-a-lifetime unreproducible moment and you can be assured that a wedding band will be able to do that with ease.