Wedding Budget: Music

The normal approach to providing the music at a wedding these days is to hire a disc jockey to do everything. This makes a lot of sense. After all, not only does a good DJ have far more music at their disposal than the rest of us but, in theory anyway, they are skilled at drawing crowds out of their chairs and into the celebration.

But what are the alternatives? What if a brides wedding budget just does not allow for the cost of a disc jockey. Does that mean that you have to skip music all together?

Of course, that is an option. I have been to more than a couple weddings that ignored music completely outside of the ceremony and they managed to be great celebrations. BUT most of us do not want to go that far. So what are the options?

• Electronic: Most everyone has an MP3 player of some sort. One possibility is to provide your wedding reception's wedding music by loading an MP3 player with the music you want to celebrate with, hook it too the sound system, hit shuffle, and then play. This will make certain the music played is the music you want to hear. Of course you won't have anyone to "read the audience" like a DJ would and it is difficult for people to make requests.
• Jam Session Wedding: In most cases the most meaningful wedding is not the one with the most polish on it. The most meaningful wedding is the one that celebrates with their community. Toward that end, have friends and family participate in providing the music - create a 'jam session' atmosphere for the celebration where musician friends can pitch in and everyone else can dance and sing.
• Book Early: A bride that wants to make use of a Disc Jockey or even a live band will have most success controlling their budget if they book months in advance. As with any professional, a bride will have to pay a premium to get what they want at the last minute.

No wedding has to have music and the lack of it will not ruin your wedding, but music sure adds a lot to a celebration. The trick is to find a way to have the wedding music without breaking the budget at the same time.