Recently I spent some time with a highly-respected and talented planner in the Chicago area. We had a great discussion about pricing. The cliche ‘You get what you pay for’ is very true, and it is important when you consider your Wedding Entertainment.
High Quality attributes:
*Professional (Musicians, DJ’s, Sound Engineers, Equipment, etc.)
*Experience
*Easy to work with
-How quickly do they answer emails? Calls? Texts? Do they make you feel appreciated?
*Insurance
-Absolutely must have liability insurance, especially for venues in Chicago
*Professional Association
-Awards and testimonials matter, but so do referrals and shout-outs from other professionals in the industry
Why aren’t our prices posted online? We customize our packages based on the needs of our clients. For example, if we receive your song requests and “must plays” and notice you have an affinity towards 50’s and 60’s music, we may encourage you to add an additional vocalist who has the authentic “Roy Orbison” sound. Our band is fully capable of playing all styles, but it would be enhanced to bring on some additional singers. Or if you like Chicago, we would encourage you to add our vocalist who sounds like “Peter Cetera” and a full horn section.
Average pricing in the Chicago area for professional entertainers are (Our prices are a little below average but increase each year as the demand for our services increases):
- 6-Hour Wedding DJ in Chicago – $1,500
- 6-Hour Wedding Band (including a Jazz trio for cocktail hour and 3 hours of dancing after dinner) – $8,000
- 6-Hour Wedding Band (including the “East Coast Style Reception” of continuous “live” music and dancing throughout dinner)- $11,000
Some people will choose to skimp on the entertainment and others will recognize the importance and value of the entertainment. It’s certainly important for guests to enjoy the food and for your pictures and video to be of high-quality, but if you don’t have a great band and/or DJ to keep the dance floor packed all night long, there will be nothing for the photographer to take pictures of.
Your party will end sooner than you thought.