How important is experience when booking a wedding band/DJ?

Experience is essential when it comes down to any party of your wedding day. If you budget low and go with someone inexperienced then the end result may leave a sour taste with the result, however if you chose a vendor that has a wealth of experience then you can be sure that the money spent will go a lot further and will be gauranteed the service they are providing will be just as they say.

Hi Emma,

Look a good musician is a good musician, but after personally being involved in so many weddings and in so many different roles, I think experience with weddings particularly is a great thing.  There are intricacy's with weddings you don't get anywhere else.  Timing is everything to keep things flowing smoothly, from finishing the walk down the aisle song while everyone gives themselves a moment to be settled and not doing it in silence, to being intuitive to where the ceremony is up to, where Uncle is up to with wrapping up his speech at the reception or feeling the nuance when to start really getting the party going after dinner and the formalities have ended.  To have a band/DJ that knows these things is one less thing for you to have to be aware of on the day you want everything organized beforehand and now you can just enjoy knowing the day is in the hands of the professionals! 

All the best,

Christy. 

Experience is important but it doesn't have to be 20 or 30 years experience!

Having a chat with the DJ/band will show you how well experienced they are. They will be confident in their answers and know what is needed.

Hi Emma

I think when booking a band, musician or DJ for your wedding, experience is crucial. Unlike pub or cafe gigs, weddings have very specific needs, and the timing of when and how songs are done is also very important.

Good luck, enjoy your day

Dominique

Experience is key to making a great show, IF you are able to change your show to suit the crowd. If you are a band with 30 songs, it doesn't matter who's in the audience you get those pre-rehersed songs. I play over 400 live songs and have played shows all over the country and in-fact the world. I change the music when required, choosing when it should be laid back and when it needs dance floor filler favourites. Any decent act will be able to chat with you and work out whats best for your day and your guests.

yes - very important. Check reviews and their music, try to see them live. But in the end you will need to love them. A musician can have many years experience but if you don't like their style then there is no point in hiring them. It is a very individual taste! Experience in the wedding industry is great, but general experience as a musician and ability to perform well is vital! make sure to check them out live, or at least live videos (any one can have a great recording nowadays)

very. Not only with choice of music but also with interacting with your venue. An experienced musician or Dj has done 100's of weddings while your planning on having one. That experience is like gold.

I cannot stress how important this is. Don't just take their word for it either. We publish all our testimonials on our website as an example

De Bellis Entertainment and Xclusive Dee Jays specialise and are able to tailor your entertainment for your big day. Entertainment you choose for your wedding will have a large impact on how you and your guests enjoy and remember your special day and its because of this that we will go out of our way to ensure we provide the right entertainment for you at the right price. Our Wedding Bands, MC's, and DJ's are some of the best Entertainers in the business.

Depends on what you want to achieve. My take on it is that your wedding day one of the few days in your life that you really want everything to go 100% right. There is no substitute for doing due diligence and actually talking to and seeing your wedding band or DJ perform - that way you can tell if they are good to deal with and are competent at their art. If the band or DJ has done lots of weddings, is it because they are the cheapest and have been around a long time and promote themselves well or is it because they are recommended by many people who have seen them perform and know that they deliver the goods? From my point of view I have gained a lot of experience over the years as a performer/musician at weddings but don't think that is the main ingredient. The main thing by far, in addition to what I have already mentioned, is having a band working with you and prioritising your wishes and plans for the day over any limitations they may have as a band or DJ. If you have someone willing to use their craft to make your day fantastic then that is a beautiful thing...... Live music always makes a wedding that much more special and one strategy that I use when I don't have a particular song in my repertoire is to offer to play the song as a DJ would in one of my breaks. I have had many weddings where I have acted as a DJ in between the band sets for most of the evening or even just one song. Inevitably at the weddings I do, when it gets to the dance side of the evening I am usually fielding requests and putting on dance tracks for members of the audience as well as showing people how to do dances like the "Nutbush". Experience is important but enthusiasm and ability combined with it will deliver a much better result!