Would you DJ a wedding for $550 in 2021?

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Would you do a $550/4 hour wedding reception in 2021?

  • Absolutely! It's fair pay in my opinion!

    Votes: 6 28.6%

  • I would only do this on a weekday.

    Votes: 3 14.3%

  • I would only do it if it's under 10 miles or 15 minutes from my house

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Nope. There is just no situation where I would do a wedding for $550 today

    Votes: 7 33.3%

  • No, I have never even booked a wedding that low before!

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • No, but I would for $595 to $650 if it is logistically favorable for me to do it.

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • Total voters
    21
Albatross said:
The last time I offered a price close to that low it was a guy I knew from college that was getting married in 2010. I offered to do it for $500 since I knew money was tight - and my girlfriend at the time was a bridesmaid so I thought I was going to have to be there anyway.

Sure enough, they found someone even cheaper than that rate and I still had to go and listen to Uncle Bill's horrible DJ set. I was not pleased.
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This made me realize... there were 3 times I offered my services for free. 1 back in 2015 for my best friend who also was with me for 8yrs and helping in getting things going in the DJ business. Then my other assistant who was w me from 2012 to 2019 and my sister. I didn’t charge... I’d rather it be free and say they’re getting a $4000 service as a gift then to even bring the value down to $500 or something.
 
I charged $600 for my first wedding 20 years ago. $550 is way below the national average, and I would think that any couple doing research would take note that such a low price is a red flag.

I have kind of gone the opposite approach, and charge more than most people in the area, and have had great success. I have found that people notice higher prices and are intrigued to find out why I charge so much more and take great interest. Kind of like a higher-end car company that price their products way above others. Think Bentley... There are plenty of people who just want the best or feel they need to spend a lot more to get the best :)

Of course, it has to be justified, meaning you need to have the talent/skills/business sens/professionalism. You better be prepared to show them why you charge high prices and how you are different from "the other guy." Just as Bentley would with their cars compared to a car that is half the cost.
 
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Albatross said:
The last time I offered a price close to that low it was a guy I knew from college that was getting married in 2010. I offered to do it for $500 since I knew money was tight - and my girlfriend at the time was a bridesmaid so I thought I was going to have to be there anyway.

Sure enough, they found someone even cheaper than that rate and I still had to go and listen to Uncle Bill's horrible DJ set. I was not pleased.
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What did the couple think of the DJ they booked?
 
Albatross said:
I have no idea, never asked. I haven't seen them since that wedding.
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I understand that when I'm a guest at an event, I can't help but judge the DJ. I just don't bug the DJ unless I know them personally and just to have fun with them while they work.
 
Back in the 90s, in NYC & Long Island where I provided my entertainment services, rates were over $700 for Weddings. My current service area, Tampa Bay, FL, there are DJs on WW & FB that advertise and will go out for less than that. It's sad that we are still talking about raising rates, when Mark tried to encourage DJs to charge $1200 more than 1/4 of a century ago. This is still an industry primarily made up of "botton-feeders" weekend warriors" and companies and agencies that are sending out DJs for pennies on the dollar. Everything has gone up, except for DJ services. Thankfully as a legit business I justify my fees and would never accept or condone such low ridiculous rates for professional services.
 
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It's never completely fair to use an actual price number in a poll like this. It would be much more accurate to talk about pricing relative to the local market.

It's also impossible to get a real number on what DJs locally cost. You can see what prices they advertise, but plenty of small business owners offer deals and reductions frequently. The advertised numbers are misleading.

So with highly imperfect data, we all try to price ourselves where we think we are in the market and relative to what we think we can get. And then this cycle goes round and round where you hear little pieces of data.

Some numbers are so obviously very low that it's easy to beat them up. So Mix gets beat up every time he actually tells us he works for < $300 to bring his big ass speakers out. Some numbers are obviously high, so when Taso gets $3,500+ for a gig everyone has a tinge of envy.

I would argue this always comes down to evaluating where you fall on the Product, Sales, Marketing Matrix (I'm making that term up).

If your product is not at or above average... you have to start there. It's not just gear, it's all of it. Does your set up look tidy and professional? Are you easy to work with for other vendors? Do you communicate well and quickly when needed during planning? Are you good at selecting the right energy tunes for the moment? Can you mix and blend when it's appropriate? If you offer lights are they 30 year old spin and pukes, or are they coordinating with the music properly? Do you have good instincts on what is important at any given time and yield the spotlight for the benefit of the overall client and guest experience? I could go on forever.

If/when your product is good, you've got to be able to communicate that and instill trust. This comes down to how you sell. Do you demonstrate command of your craft without sounding like a blowhard? Can you explain why you are different from any of your other GOOD competitors - not just the crappy ones? Is your pricing easy enough to understand? Can you accurately describe what clients should expect from working with you quickly? Do you make the prospect feel heard in the meantime?

Last but not least, it's where your leads come from - your marketing. If you're being referred, you're likely on a list of 1 - 5 providers, but perhaps most commonly 3. You are in a small competition and have good odds. If you're not being referred, you have to fish in broader pools. On WeddingWire/Knot/Google you might be 1 of 200. Granted, you can pay for top placement, but it's pricey. As a result your lead quality is going to be weaker and you'll just statistically have lower odds of closing. That's ok as long as you are calibrated. And more at-bats means you can improve on the sales skills with a higher number of reps. But the goal is relying less on the big pool sources and more on reputation and brand as you do this longer.

That's the whole thing, but small business owners seem to complicate it all the time. The price you can get will come down to how much demand you are generating, how good you are at communicating your value, and whether your product is actually good.
 
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Albatross said:
It's never completely fair to use an actual price number in a poll like this. It would be much more accurate to talk about pricing relative to the local market.

It's also impossible to get a real number on what DJs locally cost. You can see what prices they advertise, but plenty of small business owners offer deals and reductions frequently. The advertised numbers are misleading.

So with highly imperfect data, we all try to price ourselves where we think we are in the market and relative to what we think we can get. And then this cycle goes round and round where you hear little pieces of data.

Some numbers are so obviously very low that it's easy to beat them up. So Mix gets beat up every time he actually tells us he works for < $300 to bring his big ass speakers out. Some numbers are obviously high, so when Taso gets $3,500+ for a gig everyone has a tinge of envy.

I would argue this always comes down to evaluating where you fall on the Product, Sales, Marketing Matrix (I'm making that term up).

If your product is not at or above average... you have to start there. It's not just gear, it's all of it. Does your set up look tidy and professional? Are you easy to work with for other vendors? Do you communicate well and quickly when needed during planning? Are you good at selecting the right energy tunes for the moment? Can you mix and blend when it's appropriate? If you offer lights are they 30 year old spin and pukes, or are they coordinating with the music properly? Do you have good instincts on what is important at any given time and yield the spotlight for the benefit of the overall client and guest experience? I could go on forever.

If/when your product is good, you've got to be able to communicate that and instill trust. This comes down to how you sell. Do you demonstrate command of your craft without sounding like a blowhard? Can you explain why you are different from any of your other GOOD competitors - not just the crappy ones? Is your pricing easy enough to understand? Can you accurately describe what clients should expect from working with you quickly? Do you make the prospect feel heard in the meantime?

Last but not least, it's where your leads come from - your marketing. If you're being referred, you're likely on a list of 1 - 5 providers, but perhaps most commonly 3. You are in a small competition and have good odds. If you're not being referred, you have to fish in broader pools. On WeddingWire/Knot/Google you might be 1 of 200. Granted, you can pay for top placement, but it's pricey. As a result your lead quality is going to be weaker and you'll just statistically have lower odds of closing. That's ok as long as you are calibrated. And more at-bats means you can improve on the sales skills with a higher number of reps. But the goal is relying less on the big pool sources and more on reputation and brand as you do this longer.

That's the whole thing, but small business owners seem to complicate it all the time. The price you can get will come down to how much demand you are generating, how good you are at communicating your value, and whether your product is actually good.
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This should be framed and put on a wall..Thanks Ross

Be the best you can be. Know your market. Strive to be the top of your market whatever that top is. take it to the next level. if you came here and charged $3500 you simply wouldn't be working..You might pull a few gigs at $1500 but you'd have to be over the top good with production. The other side is if I was in NYC and charged $500 I would probably work less because I was too cheap

Taso is one of the top guys in North America right now I admire what Taso has done to me he is one of the leaders in this business. For many years these boards have had people come through and preach GWYW and set rates that they thought we should all achieve regardless of market. Twenty years ago it was $1200 then it was $1500 then it was 2K. Taso has surpassed all of the GWYW guys with a big difference he is actually doing it. The majority of them barely made a dime DJing they didn't have to they made their cash consulting and selling books. They came and proposed to tell you how to for a fee when asked the question how many did you do last year NONE would answer which to me was very telling. I firmly believe in getting what your worth but not the advice they were selling

I use the system of not selling someone something they don't need. I looked at packages other DJ's had and thought how often do you use this stuff on an average wedding? I stripped down to the basics with a 4 hour package and add what they need
 
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Jeff Romard said:
I use the system of not selling someone something they don't need. I looked at packages other DJ's had and thought how often do you use this stuff on an average wedding? I stripped down to the basics with a 4 hour package and add what they need
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We operate almost the same. I would say my older brother operated exactly like this.

He sells himself with his sound system. He tells his clients he has a battery powered speaker and microphones for the ceremony when they need ceremony coverage. As far as cocktail hour goes...He tears down his ceremony system, and sets it up for cocktail hour. So while he is setting up 3 different places, he only really uses two different set ups to make it happen.

If a client wants up Lights, He get's the Up Lights from me. I charge him for the lights, and he charges his client a little more so he can make some money on the extra work. He usually doesn't make more than $100 to $150 when he upsells up lights on his events so it's not a big deal to him to offer them to every client. He quotes based on what the client needs, and if they want more, he quotes what the additional price will be.

I always ask about Up Lights to clients when they book (Unless it is a day time wedding). These days, I simply sell my middle tear package to most clients because that package makes the most sense for what they need. Most clients are 6 hours ceremony/cocktails/reception and that package covers it all in an all inclusive way. No hidden charged for any sound needs.

Very few want my top package. I may actually change how I present these packages on our website. I currently use "Top Down" selling as I tried getting the most expensive package in the eyes of the prospects first. I have talked with sales people in the past that said this is the way to go to improve sales of higher priced items, but I have seen no difference, and I believe my customers just don't want the "Club Feel". The wedding I am doing this weekend, they don't want any light effects at all. No up lights either. They just want a DJ with sound system, and a Photo Booth there, and that is what they are getting.
 
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Just tossing out a number for a fictitious event is not useful. Generally, I can't book a wedding for $550 because the cost to replace myself should I be unable to perform is at least twice that much. The risk to both the customer and myself is too high. Savvy clients know this and would not book a $550 wedding DJ they do not already have a working relationship with.

I've got a lot of skills and experience - and a 4 hour wedding is a piece of cake for me. Weddings have also been trending smaller for the last decade. I'm not over-equipped (as so many DJs are) and can be in and out quickly and easily. Still, it matters who, what, when, where, and how a deal like this comes about.

My ego doesn't drive my price - I look for opportunity, efficiency, gain, and community involvement - the latter keeping me present in people's mind and generating referrals. Generally, if I'm out at $550 I'm likely working a non-crossover, for someone who can afford a lot more, but has an event plan that works nicely for both of us at that price.

For about 6 hours of my time I'd be earning nearly $92 /hr. I'll take it when it fits into the described mold, and the associated risks are fully understood.
 
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Proformance said:
For about 6 hours of my time I'd be earning nearly $92 /hr. I'll take it when it fits into the described mold, and the associated risks are fully understood.
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That would be fantastic. However, unless the wedding location is 1 mile from your house, and your vehicle is always pre loaded with all the necessary equipment that you need, then facilitating a 4 hour wedding booking with 6 hours of total time involved is unrealistic.

I think that 7.5 - 8 hours is achievable and within reason when it pertains to a "normal" 4 hour wedding booking, but less than that is really pushing the bar. Especially for me because I arrive on site at a minimum of 90 minutes prior to start time, and 90% of the time it's 2 full hours. Even for a single sound system set up and no lights. I don't like throwing stuff together or hustling to load in, and sweat to death. With 45 minutes for tear down and load out...That is 6.25 hours right there. Then you have travel time which is super rare that it is less than like 20 minutes each way, loading/unloading your vehicle time. Time spent on the phone with the bride/groom...That has to be at least 15 - 20 minutes...at least with me, and really, their wedding has to be real cookie cutter, and straight forward, and they have almost no questions, and I get the feeling they are fine with just a very quick phone call. if I only spent 15 minutes with them over the phone I won't think too high of my relationship with them as their DJ.

I'm just pointing out that claiming to only spend 6 hours on even an easy 4 hour nearby wedding reception is a pretty hard time constraint to fall under. Your $92/hr is going to be closer to $67 to $75 per hour when really thinking about all involved in it at $550.

PS. Dry Cleaning a Suit in my town is now $20. A two piece suit is twenty freaking bucks now. So take $20 out if I had to dry clean my suit before the particular wedding LOL.
 
Ausumm said:
I'm doing one for $600 this Saturday.
The couple is older, perhaps a second marriage, and it's a very small crowd.
The alternative is that I stay home, don't get paid ANYTHING, and end up doing chores around the house.
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I did a backyard wedding this past Saturday for $700. I offered this price on Craigslist during the pandemic for open dates this summer, and I had this response from the ad. A planner found my ad, and then had the bride call me to book it after she talked with me. I also got the planner's info, so added another planner to my list of planners I know out of it too. 1 pm to 5 pm. 19 minute drive from my house. I actually ended at 4:50 p.m. because of potential storm moving in. It actually rained for an hour during the reception. and I was under a large beach umbrella. We used one of my speaker stands to hold the umbrella up Lowest booking I had in a long while, but it was easy. Only 25 guests. Hardest part was carrying my bags and speakers up a small flight of stairs to their patio overlooking the yard. I used my 10" Alto Speakers on this one.

I feel like if I had quoted them $1,100 I would be over charging for what was involved, and doubt this client would have booked me at my typical 4 hour rate. I would have loved to make $400 more on it, but $700 was a good pay day on this one. I also did not wear my suit jacket or a tie (I loaned my tie to the groom because he forgot his! LOL) He actually liked the tie I gave him better than the one he had. It was an older couple, he was near 70, and she was in her late 50s. 25 guest backyard wedding June 19th.jpg

Small set up for backyard 25 guest wedding.jpg
 
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DJ Ricky B said:
That would be fantastic. However, unless the wedding location is 1 mile from your house, and your vehicle is always pre-loaded with all the necessary equipment that you need, then facilitating a 4 hour wedding booking with 6 hours of total time involved is unrealistic.
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It's entirely realistic when you subtract the negative "can't do" attitude you appear to be applying.

I'm just pointing out that claiming to only spend 6 hours on even an easy 4 hour nearby wedding reception is a pretty hard time constraint to fall under. Your $92/hr is going to be closer to $67 to $75 per hour when really thinking about all involved in it at $550.

PS. Dry Cleaning a Suit in my town is now $20. A two piece suit is twenty freaking bucks now. So take $20 out if I had to dry clean my suit before the particular wedding LOL.
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You need to dry clean your clothes and do laundry anyway, so it's no more a direct expense of the wedding than would be the pencils on your desk. Such expense continues to exist absent any bookings, and they do not significantly change with more bookings. To put it plainly - your making excuses not to work hard. I see no reason why wearing suit would have any meaningful impact on what you charge. The DJ results will be the same and you're simply dressed appropriately or not. Performers and presenters regularly change clothes between periods on and off stage.

What you're really pointing out is that you need a lot more time than necessary to pull yourself together and get the job done. I don't - I move pretty fast, and can set up in a fraction of the time you allow yourself. I have a long track record of performing doubles while setting or striking other gigs before and after as well. A lot of that comes from working all week on other events. Social occasions like Wedding gigs seem small by comparison. As a result - you'll never find me delivering take-out food for Door-Dash - which is a striking contradiction to the way you assess expenses, risk, and the value of your time.
 
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Jeff Romard said:
The majority of them barely made a dime DJing they didn't have to they made their cash consulting and selling books. They came and proposed to tell you how to for a fee when asked the question how many did you do last year NONE would answer which to me was very telling. I firmly believe in getting what your worth but not the advice they were selling
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I don't know that many expert Mobile DJs that became wealthy selling books or doing seminars, but I get your point. I attended Mark's Love Story Workshop many, many, years ago and as a Certified Flight Instructor who knows a little bit about teaching, I'd say that for someone without a teaching DJ certificate, he did a formidable job. I'm a little different than most Mobile DJs that I've come in contact with, in that I'm never content. From all the books I've read, to all the videos I've watched, to all the DJ Expos I've attended, and all my years of experience, I'm always looking to improve my craft, and for that I feel I need to be compensated.
 
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Proformance said:
It's entirely realistic when you subtract the negative "can't do" attitude you appear to be applying.



You need to dry clean your clothes and do laundry anyway, so it's no more a direct expense of the wedding than would be the pencils on your desk. Such expense continues to exist absent any bookings, and they do not significantly change with more bookings. To put it plainly - your making excuses not to work hard. I see no reason why wearing suit would have any meaningful impact on what you charge. The DJ results will be the same and you're simply dressed appropriately or not. Performers and presenters regularly change clothes between periods on and off stage.

What you're really pointing out is that you need a lot more time than necessary to pull yourself together and get the job done. I don't - I move pretty fast, and can set up in a fraction of the time you allow yourself. I have a long track record of performing doubles while setting or striking other gigs before and after as well. A lot of that comes from working all week on other events. Social occasions like Wedding gigs seem small by comparison. As a result - you'll never find me delivering take-out food for Door-Dash - which is a striking contradiction to the way you assess expenses, risk, and the value of your time.
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You get a kick out of pointing out what people are doing wrong that you do right, don't you!? I bet you don't have many friends do you? You regularly point out people's flaws and yet don't point out your!! How do you fit your big ego in the universe? Have you ever made a mistake or did anything wrong!!?
 
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ProDJ Jose said:
I don't know that many expert Mobile DJs that became wealthy selling books or doing seminars, but I get your point. I attended Mark's Love Story Workshop many, many, years ago and as a Certified Flight Instructor who knows a little bit about teaching, I'd say that for someone without a teaching DJ certificate, he did a formidable job. I'm a little different than most Mobile DJs that I've come in contact with, in that I'm never content. From all the books I've read, to all the videos I've watched, to all the DJ Expos I've attended, and all my years of experience, I'm always looking to improve my craft, and for that I feel I need to be compensated.
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Yeah it wasn't a get rich scheme for them ;)

I've seen some of Marks videos and he is a spectacular teacher but I feel at least some of the skill he is teaching passed it's best before date around 2007. What he teaches really can't be learned. Speaking is something you either have or you don't. If you have the skill you can improve it but if you don't you wind up making a poor speaker more confident.

I've learned to learn about my clients and what they need or want. We used to do what is now known as the Love Story back in the late 80's early 90's here long before Mark made it popular among DJ's. I'm sure other areas did too. To be fair Marks method is much more polished than anything we ever did but I sort of feel that he released a lot of DJ's that aren't as skilled as him to do this
 
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Jeff Romard said:
Yeah it wasn't a get rich scheme for them ;)

I've seen some of Marks videos and he is a spectacular teacher but I feel at least some of the skill he is teaching passed it's best before date around 2007. What he teaches really can't be learned. Speaking is something you either have or you don't. If you have the skill you can improve it but if you don't you wind up making a poor speaker more confident.

I've learned to learn about my clients and what they need or want. We used to do what is now known as the Love Story back in the late 80's early 90's here long before Mark made it popular among DJ's. I'm sure other areas did too. To be fair Marks method is much more polished than anything we ever did but I sort of feel that he released a lot of DJ's that aren't as skilled as him to do this
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I agree 100% that not everyone is NOT cut out to be a great speaker, but that's also is true for the art of mixing dance music live, producing hits, or being an interactive entertainer. This reminds me of my time at Toastmaster's International where each week I had to evaluate a new speech and after about 10 speeches most had developed the confidence to deliver a speech, but that did not make them competent communicators.
 
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