When it comes to the music for your wedding day, it can be tough to decide how you want the day to sound. Should you hire a live band or a wedding DJ? How important is a DJ for the day? And what do you need to know to make sure everything comes together?
Those are just a few of the things we’ll be talking about in this post. So let’s jump right into the wedding music vendors you’ll need for your day so your first dance can look like this:
Wedding Music Vendors
First of all, how do you decide between hiring a live musician or a DJ for your wedding day? To be honest, at destination weddings, it’s not very common to have a live band playing for the entire day (from the ceremony to the end of the reception).
Most couples book a live musician for their wedding ceremony and/or cocktail hour and then have a wedding DJ for their reception. In that case, you get the best of both worlds!
A live musician can add a unique flare to your celebration, while the DJ can keep the party going all night long.
For a romantic beach ceremony a violinist, saxophone player, or jazz band can create the perfect scene you’ve been dreaming of. Imagine walking down the aisle at your own pace and having the music end at the exact moment you reach your partner – almost as if the song was written just for you. Doesn’t that sound magical?
The band can stay for the cocktail hour to play soft, cool music for your guests while you and your new hubby get your photos taken.
Or:
Liven up the cocktail hour with some Dominican flavor. The Caribbean Trio is a great choice for some bachata and merengue.
If you’re on a tighter budget, you may want to skip the live musician and only hire a DJ for your event. They’ll still be able to create an amazing atmosphere from the ceremony to the end of your reception, and you’ll have a little more control over what the songs will sound like since you can send the exact version you want to play for each big moment (like walking down the aisle and your first dance).
Here are Our Top Picks for Wedding Music Vendors
GC Star Punta Cana Wedding DJ
Website: http://www.gcstarpuntacana.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gcstarpuntacana
Email: german@gcstarpuntacana.com
DIDEA Events & Entertainment- Punta Cana
Website: https://www.dideashow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dideashow
Email: info@dideashow.com
Punta Cana Live Entertainment
Website: https://www.puntacanaliveentertainment.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/punta_cana_live_entertainment/?hl=en
Email: info@pcLIVEe.com
Pascal Aubrion Saxophonist
Website: https://www.puntacanalivemusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Puntacanalivemusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puntacanalivemusic/
Loveinpuntacana Wedding Musicians
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveinpuntacana/
Email: loveinpuntacana@gmail.com
Should You Hire a Wedding DJ?
Of course!
It’s always a good choice to hire a DJ for your wedding day! Even if you have a live band for your ceremony or cocktail hour, you’ll still want to hire a DJ for your reception. And if you don’t have a live musician booked, you’ll definitely want to hire a wedding DJ.
They will help set the mood for the entire day.
They’ll let you choose your favorite songs for special moments like walking down the aisle, the first dance, and parent dances. And they’ll time everything out with soft transitions so that your day runs smoothly. They’ll keep the vibe mellow during the cocktail hour and will pump it up when the time is right after dinner and speeches.
They’ll know all the right songs to play to get your guests up and grooving. And they’ll know when it’s time to slow it down. They can read the crowd and decide which songs you and your guests are really getting into to ensure everyone is having a good time – all night long.
Plus, a good wedding DJ will work with your wedding planner and MC to ensure a smooth, seamless wedding day from start to finish.
Isn’t that exactly what you need?
Let’s also consider:
In most cases, the wedding DJ will bring all of the sound equipment you need for your wedding day. We’re talking speakers, microphones, the entire sound system. Not to mention the actual DJ and audio technician. So it’s not even just about the music. A wedding DJ does so much more than that!
Do I Really Need to Hire a DJ for my Wedding?
I can already hear what you’re thinking: “Is it realllllyyy necessary? Can’t I just make a playlist on my phone and plug it into a speaker?”
The short answer is yes, you could.
But should you…? Probably not.
While this may work for a cocktail party or welcome dinner, when it comes to your wedding day, there’s really no substitute for a wedding DJ. You’ll have so many other things going on during the day that you won’t want to be in charge of the music, too.
First of all, let’s get down to the main reason you don’t want to hire a wedding DJ. It’s based on your budget, right? After all, DJs are not cheap. But most wedding venues in Punta Cana will charge a flat rate that includes the DJ, MC, and sound equipment. And you can’t skip the sound equipment as this not only includes the speakers (which you’ll need to play your own music) but it also includes the microphones you’ll need for your ceremony, speeches, and reception. So while you may save a few bucks by only getting the equipment, the trade-off in quality is going to make a huge difference! (And it’s not really worth it.)
Now, what about playing music on your phone?
Please…. Don’t even think about it.
There are so many things that can go wrong! And probably a few things that you haven’t thought of yet…
Playing Music on Your Phone for your Wedding
While this may seem like a good idea, in theory, it usually backfires for a few reasons. First of all, you’ll still have to designate someone to be in charge of the music for the day. Who will press play, stop, and change songs as needed? It can’t be you, your fiancé, or anyone from your wedding party. So who else do you trust with the task? Are you okay with them missing out on your wedding to play DJ all day?
Next:
Are you prepared to spend hours upon hours creating a full wedding playlist? When you hire a wedding DJ, you’ll still get to choose the songs you’ll walk down the aisle to, for your first dances, and for other important moments, but you’ll get to submit genre ideas for your cocktail hour, dinner, and reception. That’s a lot easier -and faster- than making a playlist to cover 7-10+ hours of the day.
Is spending a little bit more money worth your peace of mind?
Finally, there are so many technical issues to consider when using your phone instead of trusting a DJ.
What could go wrong when you try to DJ your own wedding?
There are so many unknown factors that can come into play when you don’t hire a DJ for your wedding day.
Here are just a few:
- Your music app doesn’t work in the Dominican Republic so you no longer have access to your playlist.
- Specific songs on your playlist won’t play because they don’t have rights outside of the US.
- Your phone doesn’t work with the audio equipment at your wedding venue. Maybe you can’t connect to the Bluetooth or the audio jack doesn’t work with your phone (iPhone users, specifically, beware).
- You keep getting “Congratulations” texts from your friends and family back home so the music cuts out and your phone dings on the loudspeaker every couple of minutes.
- Your phone needs an update, overheats, or the battery dies in the middle of your reception.
Okay. So these are the worst-case scenarios… but they can (and do) happen.
Save yourself the hassle and hire a wedding DJ!
Can You Skip the DJ for your Wedding?
Now, as we know, not every wedding is created equal. There are so many unique wedding celebrations that may not require a wedding DJ after all.
Here are a few situations where you may be able to skip the DJ:
- You’re having a small, very simple wedding (less than 10 people) and don’t plan on having a reception. In this case, you could only hire a live musician for the ceremony so you still have music playing as you walk down the aisle.
- You’re not having a “traditional” destination wedding so the music isn’t important to you. This could be a quick beach ceremony where you simply read your vows to one another, an elopement-style wedding, or another unique event. Maybe you’re having a morning ceremony and brunch at the resort buffet so music isn’t even on your radar.
- You’re a very laid-back bride and don’t mind a little chaos on your wedding day. You don’t mind the awkward silences between songs, your guests randomly taking control of your playlist to play their top hits, or hearing the same song played multiple times. Everything is a-okay in your world.
If any of these sounds like you, then you may decide to take the risk and skip the wedding DJ. But if not… scroll back up to our list of preferred music vendors above and save yourself a lot of frustration by choosing an amazing wedding artist.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, by now, you’ve decided that you’re going to hire a DJ for your wedding day. Maybe you’ll also hire a live musician. It’s an excellent choice!
Next, you’ll want to Create Your Wedding Day Playlist from the Getting Ready to the Cocktail Hour. After that, you can craft your Wedding Reception Playlist.
And finally, you’ll want to hire an amazing photographer to make sure all of the amazing memories from your wedding day get captured on film. (Okay, no one technically uses film anymore, but you get the point.)
Make your wedding memories last forever.
Get in contact with us to learn all about our photography and videography packages. We’d love to be there for you!
