*** Is your wedding on a tight budget? Click here to request a quote (or click to call us: 763-438-7146) and tell us about it to see if we can help, or continue reading below for ideas to keep your wedding cheap and affordable!

Most every Bride and Groom has a wedding budget. However, that budget has its limitations. For many Brides & Grooms, this is their first time getting married and have not gone through the entire process on their own terms. Many Minnesota Brides ask, where should I splurge on our DJ and where should I go cheap? We’ll tell you how to keep your Wedding DJ affordable, on budget, and on target.

Keep in mind the graph below.

Picking out a DJ for your Minneapolis wedding is no easy task. With all the packages available, hidden costs that other DJ companies can have, the shameless upselling of things that they didn’t include in their contract with you….like their “top of the line DJ” or suddenly you’re buying the DJ a hotel room for the weekend! We’ve heard it all!

How to avoid these costs while cutting the costs, and keeping on budget? We’ll give you some tips.

1. Reading their contract is key #1 to maintaining your budget and keeping your wedding affordable. Check for that fine print and those unwanted hidden charges! Ask about anything you do not understand. If you don’t like a clause, ask them to change, delete, or even add something.
2. As you research, make a list. In that list are likes & dislikes. (You can find an example here) What’s included and what’s not from the various companies you talk to. Don’t forget to record likes & dislike from their websites as well. It can be anything from how they answered the phone, how attentive they were to answer your questions, to their personality even.
3. DINNER MUSIC: Do you really need Dinner music…from the DJ? Check with your Venue as a lot of Minneapolis wedding Venues already have a sound system installed that can play dinner music through their own sound system. If they don’t have a sound system, you may need to choose to have the DJ play dinner music.
4. WIRELESS MIC? Again, check with your wedding venue on this. They may be able to supply you with a wireless mic and already is included in the cost of the room!
5. SOUND SYSTEM? Just a side note, we suggest this for MOST weddings except those on a really really tight budget! But your venue may already have a sound system! Then all you need is the DJ. Any professional DJ can plug their professional turntables, controller, or computer into just about any sound system, if they can’t, their not experienced enough! We have a guarantee on our professional sound systems and backups available. That’s why we suggest going with the DJ company’s sound system 98% of the time.
6. LIGHTING. Do you need a huge light show? Or some of the typical dance lights. Here at DJ sound Productions, we have lighting that is specifically designed and paired for all weddings so that you aren’t paying for unnecessary dance lighting that isn’t applicable to a wedding dance. In some cases, your venue may provide stage lighting.
7. TIME! Do you really need those 8 hours? When filling out forms online, misquoting happens all the time because the bride and/or Groom is inputting the TOTAL Wedding time, from Ceremony to end of the dance. Unless you’re wanting the DJ to also do the wedding Ceremony, the Wedding Dance (reception) portion time is all that is needed for quoting. Many Brides & Grooms don’t know the EXACT amount of time needed and over purchase. With DJ Sound Productions, you can book the least number of hours and always add hours at a later date with no extra fees! Be aware that some other DJ companies charge you for making time changes after signing the contract.
8. FEES! Always ask and read their websites! Some contract clauses state “and agree to our policy found on our website…”. Check to see if they are charging hotel stays, set up and take down times, travel fees, special song request fees, online planner use fees, unwarranted taxes, Venue access fees, parking fees and a ton more that you may not see. All these add up and blow your budget away and less affordable. Your cheap DJ just became very expensive.

Separate what is important to you in a wedding DJ company. Most will almost always say an experienced DJ, then next is sound, then lighting. But what about customer service? What about the planning part? Is the DJ company arming their (and your) DJ with all the possible tools to be 100% successful? Are they there ANY TIME you need them? Are they mindful of your budget or just upselling and charging for extras you don’t want or need? A wedding doesn’t happen without the DJ or entertainment company. Adjust your budget to afford the things most important to you.

Is your wedding on a tight budget? Click here to request a quote (or click to call us: 763-438-7146) and tell us about it to see if we can help!