Budgeting for Wedding Entertainment

Quite often the first thing on people's minds when deciding wedding entertainment is how much is this going to cost. They often wait to select the entertainment until everything else is planned; leaving whatever money is left to spend on the entertainment. The ironic thing is almost everyone agrees that the entertainment will usually make or break the event. So you’ll want to make this decision wisely. If you can prioritize your budget accordingly, a professional quality band is quite often always a better value, as proven by simple math. If you are seeking a professional DJ for $800 (one person), then a 6-piece band (multiply $800 by 6) should logically be $4,800. But most professional bands quote a range of $500-$800 per musician, which can make the band as low as $3000 for a 6-piece group - less expensive per person than your average disc jockey.

There's also another bonus! The band you hire will be providing live music whereas the DJ will be replaying pre-recorded music. Some may argue that pre-recorded music is never as good as the live performance. If you could have been a fly on the wall when songs such as Sweet Home Alabama, Respect, and Brown Eyed Girl were recorded you would have heard what the recording equipment could not capture - especially with the lower technology of the 60's and 70's. A great wedding band can re-create this missing sound of each of those artists right in front of you and your guests.

Now keep in mind not all wedding bands are the best. Your event is often a one-shot deal for you. You can't afford to take a chance on a budget band or DJ (not on the biggest event of your life). If your budget has you looking at the bargain basement bands, consider a DJ for sure. If the focus of your reception is more of a party atmosphere, then budget accordingly. Saving a few hundred dollars might cost you in the end when your guests decide to leave early from boredom. When your guests enter the room and see and hear a live band, the food, decorations, and even flowers, will become secondary. Put your money where your return will be its highest. Imagine in twenty years as you reflect back on your wedding festivities, imagine what you and your guests will remember the most. Nine times out of 10 you’ll remember the entertainment most. With this in mind budget enough to get the very best.

Most couples pay from $60 to $150 per guest for food and yet they try to hire a band for around $7.50 per guest (based upon 200 guests). This is not very wise since the food doesn’t hold everyone's attention for 3 or 4 hours like a band or DJ will. Ask yourself this: The entertainment has to pay for thousands of dollars of musical instruments, P.A., lighting, formal wear, office expenses, technical personnel, and the musicians themselves, right? How professional can an entertainer be if they are willing to play at your reception for one-tenth of what the food is costing you? I'm often amazed at how low a client's entertainment budget is in comparison to food and the photographer. Let's face it, the guests will eat three more meals the next day. In 6 months, they won't have a clue what kind of food you served them at the reception. But they will remember whether or not your reception was a ton of fun. And what kind of photos will the $6,000 photographer snap at the reception? Will they be pictures of guests eating chicken fingers or having a blast on the dance floor? The irony is that the chicken fingers cost you much more. Who creates the party? Will the reception end when the food is eaten and the photos are taken? Let's face it! The ultimate success of your reception is riding on the "low-bidder", the entertainer. So get the BEST!