I am trying to hire a dj for my wedding but everyone is so pricey!?

Question

How can I get a dj without going over my budget for the wedding. i don't want cheesy or boring and have about $200-$500 to work with...Any ideas?

I have a budget of $200-$500 and wants some one who is not cheesy, but entertaining and in the az area

Answer 1

We actually got a musician and it wasn't any more expensive then a DJ. DJ's come with a whole bunch of expensive electronics and lights and stuff, but you can get a piano player who will work for $100/hr then you've got 4 hours of live music, which is classier then 200 iterations of the chicken dance anyway. Go with live music. We've been married for years, and when we see friends who were at our wedding, they still say things about the music. Of the 80 people who were at our wedding, only one person didn't like the music, and we didn't really like her anyway. She wanted to grind on boys and that's not what we wanted at our wedding anyway. Seriously, look into live music.

Answer 2

My suggestion would be to have a morning wedding followed by an afternoon reception that ends before 5 pm. Not only will you save money on catering for food (brunch or lunch is much cheaper than dinner), most reputable companies will provide a discount for receptions that only need a dj for shorter periods and if they still will be able to book another reception in the evening as well. If this option doesn't work for you, then you might have to shop around a bit more or find a reputable discount dj with good references.

Answer 3

Try and ask around, ask your friends, work colleagues, etc if they've had any Dj's at their functions who did a good job, maybe if they even know someone who is in the business. We got an amazing deal on our DJ from doing just this. My fiance's work colleague had a DJ do his wedding, and they became friends afterwards, so gave him a call and used the name drop, and TA DA, 50% off. He's got a pretty well known company in Ottawa, and for what we're getting, it would normall cost $750.

So just try and stick it out a bit, I know they can be really expensive, ranging anywhere from $600-$1200 really. I'm sure some places are even more than that.

Answer 4

How about hiring a musician or two. I have been to receptions with a saxophone player and a keyboard player. The music they played was lovely. They are only there for two or three hours at the most, so you shouldn't have a problem paying them within your budget. If you are having a hard time finding someone, post a bulletin at a local school for the arts or a nearby college. There is a lot of talent among the young, and they will be thrilled to make a couple of hundred dollars for a few hours of work.

Answer 5

Why not try someone who is not yet a professional DJ? Check out the colleges / universities or even high schools near you - check with their music / audio-visual clubs or groups / student unions / career & employment centres. The only way for kids / beginners to get experience is for someone to give them a chance, it will be a lot less expensive for you, and you may get a lot more input into what you want played than you would with a pro who has a certain way of doing weddings you might not like

Answer 6

That's not a big budget, but you can still do what you want with a little planning. Gather up all your downloads and those of your friends and start burning discs. Have one of your cousins or bridesmaids, or someone who will help you switch them when they stop. Then you have as much music as you burn for your reception and the songs that YOU choose for the cost of a pack of blank CD's from Wal-Mart. Make sure you put your special songs like first dance, dance with Dad, etc., on a seperate disk so you can have it put on easily when you're ready.

Answer 7

My son who is 26 and disabled is into music.....he started DJ'ing party's for friends a few years ago just to have fun and word of mouth has began to get him paying gigs.....but he is cool about his prices, as he is still doing it for fun...which is what is so cool about his gigs..he is fun! He has 4 weddings lined up in the next 3 months and is only charging $300.00 each. It is very inexpensive for the couples who are all paying for their weddings on limited incomes....but the way he looks at it...it will be fun and between the 4 gigs it will be $1,200.00 free and clear in his pocket. It is a win win deal for all involved...and I am sure that there are people in most areas that have the same attitude as my son has. Just make sure that you check out the selection of music to make sure that there is a variety and it will suit your needs. Have fun and best of luck!

Answer 8

if you are from Pennsylvania my husband is a DJ he charges $250-300 for a wedding of 4 hours

Answer 9

go to the local high school and ask for a dj around there they do it for about 200 dollars

Answer 10

Where do you live? Dj's in our area only cost about $450-$550. Also we have Djs who will set up the equipment and then you hook up your iPod and you're all set.