When most couples first start planning their wedding they start to look around for a wedding DJ and their pricing. What many of them don’t expect is the huge amount of price variation. Some wedding DJs might cost $500 while others cost $1500. Many brides will book with the lower costing DJs to try and save money and won’t realize the huge mistake they have just made until it’s too late. So keep yourself informed of what your price level means for your wedding DJ in Chicago.
$400 the “Friend Rate”No DJ works for this cheap and is most likely an offer or referral from a friend that DJs “just for fun”. These DJ’s generally will have consumer grade equipment that makes speeches and toasts hard to hear; they likely do not know how to conduct a proper wedding, and the possibility that they are highly inexperienced, and that their music selections will ruin your wedding, is very high.
$600 the “Craig’s List Rate”
You will find plenty of DJ’s advertising themselves on Craig’s list or other low cost sites like Thumbtack. Many of these DJ’s are either working for themselves or a high volume, low quality output company that pays their DJ’s very little. If you go with the self employed DJ you could run into the issue of no one showing up to your wedding due to sickness, or other personal problems. At the same time if you go with the low cost company, their staff turnover rate is very high and you most likely won’t know who your DJ is until the week of or even sometimes, day of your wedding. On top of this many of these DJ’s are very new and do not have very good mixing or MC skills to lead you and your guests through the wedding night and if they are self employed, do not have professional equipment.
$850 the “Weekend DJ Rate”Here is where you start to find DJ’s with some experience and better equipment. While many tend to work a day job during the week, they DJ on the weekends on the weekend for extra money and enjoyment of mixing music. At the begging of this price range, it is hit or miss with some DJs having great MC skills and know how to work well with venues, while others might stumble over names and have some trouble working with the event planner. When in this price range always ask for references from previous clients or venues to confirm whether your DJ has the experience you need. Also, when you get closer to the “Professional Range”(which we will get to in a minute!) things tend to even out and the DJs become much more reliable. However, these people still tend to have a day job and not much time to help plan and walk your through your wedding with you. So keep that in mind if that is what you are looking for in a DJ.
These are the professional companies and DJs who DJ for a living. They rely on good reviews and providing top quality experiences to expand their reputation and business. They will almost always have professional equipment that is checked beforehand and often have spare equipment on hand just in case. You get to pick your DJ, which all have years of experience and will always have a just as experienced backup DJ just in case something happens. They have professional MC skills, music skills and vendor cooperation. They also have insurance in case they accidentally dent a door, blow a fuse, or knock over a vase at your venue. This is also the “Peace of Mind” price range where you are guaranteed to have everything go smoothly on the DJs end and have an excellent night on the dance floor.
$2,500+ “The Deluxe Package Rate”At this point you are getting the works, and should have extra services provided besides just the DJ such as ceremony sound, a night club lighting setup, a percussionist or live band to accompany your DJ. This is if you want to take the entertainment level to the max and get all the goodies while having a professional DJ for your wedding.
