Live band or DJ? How to choose the music for your Vancouver wedding

If you're planning a wedding in Vancouver, someone has already told you the band was the best decision they ever made, and someone else has told you the exact same thing about their DJ. They're both right, which isn't much help. What actually decides it is a handful of practical questions about your room and your budget, plus one that's harder to answer: what do you want the last hour of the night to feel like?

What you get with a band

A live band gives people something to watch as well as dance to. Heads turn when the horns come in. If the floor is full, a good bandleader will stretch the song, and if it's thinning out they'll notice before you do. Ask anyone who hired a band and they'll describe one specific moment, like the singer pulling the groom's dad up on stage, or the last chorus of a song the whole room knew. Vancouver is spoiled for this. There are jazz trios who'll play your cocktail hour and eight-piece party bands who can take a room from the first dance to last call without the energy dipping once.

A band also needs more of everything: more space, more power, a real break between sets, and usually more money than a DJ. That's a list of things to plan around, and your venue will have opinions about every item on it.

What you get with a DJ

A DJ has every song ever recorded, in the version your aunt actually remembers, and no set breaks. The good ones spend the night watching the floor more than the laptop. They'll notice that the older guests are up and stay in that pocket a little longer. They'll know how to get everyone back after the speeches run long. The setup is a table and two speakers, the power draw is modest, and the cost is usually lower than a band.

The one thing a DJ can't give you is the live vocalist or the horn section. If that's the picture in your head, a playlist won't get you there, however good the sound system.

Five questions that usually settle it

1. How big is the room? A five-piece band in a sixty-seat restaurant is a lot of band. A DJ in a ballroom for three hundred needs a serious sound system and probably lighting too. Your venue has watched both work and both fail, so ask them.
2. What does the venue allow? Plenty of Vancouver venues have sound limits, curfews or a preferred setup. Find out before you fall in love with either option.
3. What do you picture at 11pm? Really picture it. Is there a stage? Is everyone shouting along to the original recording of something? That image is your answer more often than not.
4. What's the music budget? Bands cost more, and the gap widens with each musician. If music is the thing you care about most, this is a fine place to spend and trim somewhere else.
5. Could you do both? Lots of couples hire a trio for the ceremony and cocktail hour, then hand off to a DJ for the party. You get the live moment without carrying a full band through dinner.

What to ask once you’ve decided

Whichever way you go, the conversation before you sign should cover the same ground.

• Can I hear you at a real event? Full-length live recordings from a wedding, not a highlight reel. For a DJ, a mix they actually played at a reception.
• Who exactly is showing up? Bands rotate members. Ask who's confirmed for your date.
• How do you handle requests, and the do-not-play list?
• What do you need from the venue? Power, space, load-in time, a meal.
• What happens if someone's sick on the day?
• What's in the quote, and what isn't? Overtime, travel, sound gear, lighting.

One last thing, because it comes up constantly: the option that impresses other people is rarely the one you'll remember. A room full of people who love you will dance to either.