How much are Wedding DJ's?

Here's the secret reason why Wedding DJ's are so mysterious about their pricing.

You're probably noticing that for some reason pricing is a controversial topic for Wedding DJ's but you shouldn't blame any of them for this because it's actually an industry wide problem, not just in Nebraska.

There are some really good DJ's out there who are undervaluing their services because they've seen a lot of cheap DJ's in their area and felt pressured to charge a similar rate. Then there's these other DJ's who just aren't good enough to charge more because they're new, inexperienced or just one of those "push-button and play" DJ's. And lastly there are some DJ's who really understand the true value of their services because they know their labor costs, travel fees and other costs of doing business. So that's why you'll see pricing vary anywhere from $200 to $2,000+.

Since this is most likely the first (and only) time that you'll be doing this, you're probably not sure what is a good or bad price. There's a few variables that you should consider:

#1 Don't just be looking for the best deal

Booking someone to be the DJ at your wedding isn't the same as shopping for other things, such as a clothes, furniture or a TV. You're shopping for what kind of experience that you want to have, not just on your wedding night, but the entire experience as whole. That's why you'll want to make sure that they always have your best interest in mind from now until the very end.

It really needs to come down to these three things:

• Personality

• Trust

• Value

This will be the most important day of your life and you want someone that checks all three boxes here. How have your interaction(s) been with them? Did you click at all with them? Can you trust them to execute everything flawlessly?

It's hard for many engaged couples to understand value because they have a mindset that says "I only need the DJ for five or six hours..." That's when I caution people to be careful about paying for a Wedding DJ based on time because they may not understand their value and if they don't understand that should actually be a revealing sign to you that they might not even be worth their hourly rate.

A good Wedding DJ will spend a lot of time (20+ hours) for each wedding to make sure that every detail is squared away perfectly. Some weddings might only have one meeting and a few email exchanges but many others are very particular about how they want things to go down and will go into a lot of detail.

Instead of looking for the best deal, you should be searching for a Wedding DJ who will give you no concerns leading up your wedding day. Someone that will help you sort out all of the planning in advance so that you can actually enjoy the moment because you only get to do this once in your lifetime!

#2 Reliability

You'd be surprised how many calls I get last minute that a Wedding DJ didn't show up or it's the week of their wedding and they can't reach them.

Other times I'll get an email from another DJ the day of, week of, or even month before saying that they're in a bind and can't work the event they had booked coming up... usually it's because they double booked the date.

The problem with either of these scenarios above is that most of my weddings typically are booking 12-18 months in advance, so it's never been possible for me to help them out. And I never find out if the situation worked out or not.

Unfortunately, this is something that you're more likely to run into when you choose someone with a cheaper price. They'll take your money when you book then completely disappear several months down the road by not answering calls, texts or emails.

One way to prevent a headache like this from happening on the happiest day of your life is to thoroughly check reviews.

Here's what I look for on the review page:

• Lots of reviews from people with the same last name

• The dates on their reviews are all new and within a few days of each other

• Do they look like they were typed by the same person?

If you see warning signals of any kind, it's not worth your time!

#3 Research DJ's before you pick a wedding date

Many couples tend to back themselves into a corner when it comes to who they should have as their Wedding DJ because they've already picked a date without doing any research about who they want rocking their party.

The problem is that you might find someone that would be the perfect DJ for your wedding but they're already booked and you already put down a deposit to hold the reception hall. It's not uncommon for really good DJ's to book 12-18 months in advance, and in some cases even two years. By not doing any research prior to picking your wedding date might result in being forced to hire someone that is less than a perfect fit for your wedding because they're already booked for that night.

There's a reason that basically every survey out there says the most important factor of their wedding night was the DJ, that's because your guests will be talking more about the party than they will about your bouquet or cake.

Ultimately this is your decision and I hope you cherish it, regardless of who you hire for your wedding night. There's plenty to consider when it comes to hiring a Wedding DJ but I hope you pick value over the price because you won't regret!

Derrick Heydon is the owner of Crown DJ's LLC. Please follow @crowndjco on Instagram. And we'd love to be a part of your special night, check us out at crowndjs.com.