Your Wedding Music: Canned or Live Music?

No wedding can ever be considered complete without the wedding music. But the real question is whether the wedding party should hire live musicians or a DJ to spin canned music. Many couples go back and forth on hiring a DJ or live musicians for their wedding until the last minute. This is a debate that should be settled long before the day of the wedding to give the musicians or the DJ to come up with a customized program.

There is no "correct" answer to the question, however. While budget is often the main deciding factor - DJs are generally more affordable than live musicians - wedding experts say going with the less expensive isn't necessarily the wisest choice. It all boils down to which is the more appropriate music provider for the wedding setting, the personalities of the bride and groom and the guests.

The following are some things the wedding party should consider before making this decision.

Reasons for Hiring Live Musicians:

- Accomplished musicians that specialize in wedding music can provide custom-made music for certain wedding situations. For instance, in bi-racial weddings the band can play music to celebrate the distinct heritages of the groom as well as the bride. Musicians can also come up with a program that would fit special theme weddings.

- Live musicians have a wider appeal for the audience. They can play an eclectic variety of music for all ages and eras seamlessly. It's much harder to accomplish this when using canned music.

- Wedding reception entertainment is both a participatory activity and a spectator sport. Even guests who are not fond of dancing or reserved can still enjoy themselves by watching and listening to the band as if they were in a concert and not feel awkward for remaining seated. Well-seasoned musicians can also provide extra entertainment through jokes in between numbers or accommodate playing a requested song not on the list.

- Experienced musicians can adjust to the acoustics of the locations of the wedding ceremony and reception. This is particularly important if the wedding ceremony is held in a church and the reception is set in another venue. Musicians can mix and blend their instruments so that the music isn't too loud that it makes conversation difficult or too soft that it loses its impact.

- Live musicians add a personal, human touch to the occasion that canned music can never be replicated by recordings no matter how skilled a DJ might be in spinning canned music.

Reasons for Hiring a DJ:

- An excellent DJ knows how to read and engage the guests. Ideally, he or she can come up with the right music mix by merely scanning the audience to see how many seniors, middle aged people and teens are at the reception. A highly skilled DJ also knows when to play an upbeat number to rouse the guests or when to slow down to give them time to rest.

- There are no talented and experienced live musicians available for the wedding. If it comes to hiring mediocre or unproven musicians and an accomplished wedding DJ, the latter is the better - and safer - choice.

- Live musicians need to take breaks between sets to give them time to rest and take their meals. On the other hand, DJs can set up the music to play continuously even while taking a break. If the wedding party feels that it is important to have non-stop music playing a DJ is obviously the way to go.

- The wedding party prefers certain musical genres that not all live musicians can provide. For instance, the couple may want traditional music during the ceremony but wants to shift to a musical program dominated by hard rock, hip hop or rap music.

These are some of the reasons that determine if the wedding party should hire a wedding DJ over live musicians, or vice versa. When planning for the wedding music always think about the overall entertainment value and not the price. This way whatever the choice the event will be a more memorable and satisfying experience for the newly weds and their guests.