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I found this website which gives a little help when guesstimating the cost of a wedding. I found it is high in some areas and low in others. But it can help for sure.
It places DJs at $1300 for this area, which is low, and only 3.9% of total cost. Most experts say to plan for between 8% and 10% for entertainment.
J Squared Audio is $1500 for all services and no time restrictions, pretty close and a lot more service guaranteed.
Building a music list for a wedding is a daunting task to start, but once most people get started they end up with way too much music. I get more than 20 hours of music request from some clients, which has to be focused into about a 6 hour time period [about 2 to 3 hours of dance music and 3 to 4 hours of cocktail/dinner music].
I am good at doing this, but my clients know what they like, and what their friends like, much more than I do, which is why I encourage people to have a TRL [Total Request Live] party sometime before their wedding to help. This is a great excuse to have another party, and helps a bride and groom figure out what music their guests might like.
It is pretty simple, gather the giant list of music you like and have people over to listen and vote on what they like and what they do not like. It surprises people how passionate their friends might get over certain songs that bring back memories fro a junior high dance or songs that they can not stand to hear. I have seen some pretty lively …discussions…on songs they I had no real opinion on.
A few simple ground rules:
A TRL party can be a fantastic way to hang out with friends and be wedding productive!
So, about this time of the year every couple of years or so I take a look at the prices for DJs in the Sacramento area to make sure what I charge is a great value to my clients. What I found out this year was the same as before, but even more apparent.
I looked at the top few DJs in the Sacramento area (determined by reviews on wedding sites and the area’s “best of” and “tops” lists) and I found that I provide every bit of service and quality they do for about half the price.
I charge $1500 for everything I offer: setup for ceremony & reception, smart lighting, audio editing, client tailored playlist, unlimited client meetings, and no hour limit for an event. The DJs I found start prices around $1600 for their base packages, and for all the items I include it costs well over $3200.
I know that $1500 is a lot of money, but I do believe I offer my clients the best service and best quality that is possible AND that rivals or surpasses the “top” DJs in Sacramento.
It goes back to providing a quality service at a fair price, which to me is what value is.
If you know someone looking for a DJ, please pass them my information, I would love to meet with them and talk about their event.
Joe