We recently asked a couple of DJ's in our group to answer the following question: Why do DJ’s charge a lot of money to DJ a wedding? The first to post a response is Adam of
Adam's DJ services. 
Here’s what we put into our events. First, as the owner of the business, I spend a lot of money marketing the business to get our name out there; advertising, networking, community service, etc. We also have lots of costs involved, from licenses and insurance, our extensive music collections and the gear we use.
Another important aspect is time. I am willing to meet with every potential client face to face prior to having them make a decision. This can take up to 4 hours sometimes, including mileage and travel expenses. Our next step is planning. On average, we spend over 25 hours for each event we’re involved with (weddings take more time). We are here for our clients 24/7 to answer questions and help guide them throughout the planning process.
With most wedding packages we offer, our DJs have a final consultation with the client – again, a face to face meeting. These meetings usually run anywhere from 2-4 hours! It helps getting to know the clients personally to understand their needs and wants for their events. Then we prep our gear (cleaning, organizing, double checking certain things), make sure our music collection is up to date and make sure we have the appropriate gear for each event (some customization depending on each event’s needs).
On the day of the event, we show up early to setup and make sure all is in order before guests even arrive. Hopefully, all goes as planned and the event is a success. However, it doesn’t end there. One of the things we like to do to add value to what we provide is offer to record the audio from an event; like a photographer captures the visual elements of an event, we like to capture what was said during the ceremony and toast for our clients.
Again, transferring audio and editing files takes time! Other things we offer to do are pre-wedding slide shows, post-wedding photo montages, and running extra equipment most other DJ’s don’t have (video projectors, spotlights, karaoke, etc.)
One more thing to point out, I’ve personally DJ’d over 600 weddings in my career – I’m no longer the weekend warrior with minimal equipment or music collection – I’m a pro who does this for a living. And most of our DJ’s on our team have DJ’d over 100 weddings. It’s kind of like the difference between purchasing a meal at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse vs. McDonalds! Service and quality are two things we offer and live up to with our clients.
So know what you’re getting into…hire a reputable company to help with music on the day of your event, one with a backup plan in case something happens to your assigned DJ – not one who may cancel on you if he’s in a car accident the day before your wedding!
If experience is important to you, be willing to work with and pay for a company with a good reputation who does this all the time, not just on the side.
Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member Adam Tiegs of Adam's DJ Service.
