Q: My father and I keep going back and forth about having a DJ vs a band. I want a band and he insists a DJ is good enough and that bands are too expensive. Which would you suggest?
Susan

A: Susan, this is a tough decision. We love bands and orchestras! Nothing can beat the energy, excitement or fun that a good band brings to a wedding reception. No disc jockey can beat a good to excellent band in crowd response or energy level, there is something about live music that will always be best. However a bad band will have your guests headed to the doors faster than a bad DJ will.
What you have will depend on your budget. A good disc jockey in the South Bend region will cost between $1000 to $1500+. To find a good band you are going to have to go outside the area to Chicago or Indy and that is going to cost you starting around $8000+. An orchestra has enough members that they don’t need to stop the music and take breaks every 30 minutes will cost you $10,000+. We really recommend finding an orchestra over a band. An orchestra will have enough members that they will be able to rotate out singers and players to take breaks but keep the music playing and the guests energized. When a band takes a break, many guests look at this as an opportunity to leave, so the more the music is going the better.
So it all depends on your budget. Do you have enough room to spend the thousands a good orchestra requires?