May 2013 Brides

[KristieT]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

Ladies, I have a quick question about your sound equipment and music for the evening. What are you doing for speakers and microphone for the ceremony, dinner and reception? How much is your resort charging you for rental? Are you using a DJ or using your iPod?

 

Our hotel is quite small (non all-inclusive) and they don't have speakers for us to rent. We're hiring a DJ company to bring the equipment, set it up on the beach and then move it to the reception, operate it through the evening and then take it down once the party ends. We prefer to play our own playlists so we're not using the DJ to do anything but set the equipment up and make sure it's running. Our WC will be in charge of making sure the right playlist is playing.

 

Our WC quoted $800 for the speaker rental plus a suggested $120 tip for the guy running the equipment. Our ceremony is at 5:00 so I figure he'll come around 3:30pm and will leave around 1:00am. Does that sound about right for price? I have nothing to compare it to...

I think you recieved a fair price. I am paying $1500 for ipod setup, speakers some lighting and someone to run the ipod for 4 hours, set up and strike.

[KristieT]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

The tech guy is not actually going to be Djing at all or providing any lighting, he just works for a DJ company. It's just speaker & mic rental with set up & take down, plus "operation" which is just plugging stuff in and making sure it works. We're giving our iPod to the WC so all the tech guy will do is plug it in and make sure the speakers are playing. $800 + $120 for suggested tip seems steep to me but the WC says that's normal... Maybe it's because we have to hire an external company since our hotel doesn't have any to rent. I may see what a few local companies down here charge without mentioning a wedding and see what they say. Thanks for sharing your costs, ladies!

 

And yes Heather, we have TONS of music! We play music in our house from the moment we wake us until we go to bed. Sometimes Mikee will even play music while we sleep! We carry our Jambox (which is an AMAZING little bluetooth speaker by the way) with us everywhere and always have music; at the beach, at the pool, etc... Mikee is in charge of the music for the wedding and I know he'll do an amazing job! We had a going away party for over 100 people when we moved down here to Mexico and he made a 5 hour playlist that he got tons of compliments on! A lot of our friends are in bands or are involved in music in some way so they're not super easy to impress. I'm happy to share our playlist on here once we have it finalized!

I would love if you shared your playlist! I bring my ipad everywhere i go and take notes when i think of a song. The playlist seems to be the hardest and most time consuming part!

[JA2012]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

Ladies, I have a quick question about your sound equipment and music for the evening. What are you doing for speakers and microphone for the ceremony, dinner and reception? How much is your resort charging you for rental? Are you using a DJ or using your iPod?

 

Our hotel is quite small (non all-inclusive) and they don't have speakers for us to rent. We're hiring a DJ company to bring the equipment, set it up on the beach and then move it to the reception, operate it through the evening and then take it down once the party ends. We prefer to play our own playlists so we're not using the DJ to do anything but set the equipment up and make sure it's running. Our WC will be in charge of making sure the right playlist is playing.

 

Our WC quoted $800 for the speaker rental plus a suggested $120 tip for the guy running the equipment. Our ceremony is at 5:00 so I figure he'll come around 3:30pm and will leave around 1:00am. Does that sound about right for price? I have nothing to compare it to...

I've been quoted $250/hr for DJ services. BUT that includes speakers, PA and mic. And the dj of course. And my wedding is in JA. Hope that helps

[JA2012]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

The tech guy is not actually going to be Djing at all or providing any lighting, he just works for a DJ company. It's just speaker & mic rental with set up & take down, plus "operation" which is just plugging stuff in and making sure it works. We're giving our iPod to the WC so all the tech guy will do is plug it in and make sure the speakers are playing. $800 + $120 for suggested tip seems steep to me but the WC says that's normal... Maybe it's because we have to hire an external company since our hotel doesn't have any to rent. I may see what a few local companies down here charge without mentioning a wedding and see what they say. Thanks for sharing your costs, ladies!

 

And yes Heather, we have TONS of music! We play music in our house from the moment we wake us until we go to bed. Sometimes Mikee will even play music while we sleep! We carry our Jambox (which is an AMAZING little bluetooth speaker by the way) with us everywhere and always have music; at the beach, at the pool, etc... Mikee is in charge of the music for the wedding and I know he'll do an amazing job! We had a going away party for over 100 people when we moved down here to Mexico and he made a 5 hour playlist that he got tons of compliments on! A lot of our friends are in bands or are involved in music in some way so they're not super easy to impress. I'm happy to share our playlist on here once we have it finalized!

If he's not doing anything then $800 sounds like a lot!! PLUS A TIP??? They're crazy! I thought he was the DJ. lol...sorry

[PuntaBride]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

The tech guy is not actually going to be Djing at all or providing any lighting, he just works for a DJ company. It's just speaker & mic rental with set up & take down, plus "operation" which is just plugging stuff in and making sure it works. We're giving our iPod to the WC so all the tech guy will do is plug it in and make sure the speakers are playing. $800 + $120 for suggested tip seems steep to me but the WC says that's normal... Maybe it's because we have to hire an external company since our hotel doesn't have any to rent. I may see what a few local companies down here charge without mentioning a wedding and see what they say. Thanks for sharing your costs, ladies!

 

And yes Heather, we have TONS of music! We play music in our house from the moment we wake us until we go to bed. Sometimes Mikee will even play music while we sleep! We carry our Jambox (which is an AMAZING little bluetooth speaker by the way) with us everywhere and always have music; at the beach, at the pool, etc... Mikee is in charge of the music for the wedding and I know he'll do an amazing job! We had a going away party for over 100 people when we moved down here to Mexico and he made a 5 hour playlist that he got tons of compliments on! A lot of our friends are in bands or are involved in music in some way so they're not super easy to impress. I'm happy to share our playlist on here once we have it finalized!

 

 

See if DJ Mannia is available in your area.  The company is in DR and Mexico for sure.  We are paying $900 for DJ services.  This guy is suppose to be amazing.

 

It might be worth having a DJ to run your music.  You can send him the exact play lists you want ... then he will spice up your evening by MCing and introducing your "dances" and "wedding party entrance".  Apparently he is amazing at keeping the party going.  He gives a party like no other.  Check out his reviews on the forums here for more info!

[melnryluvco]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

Ladies, I have a quick question about your sound equipment and music for the evening. What are you doing for speakers and microphone for the ceremony, dinner and reception? How much is your resort charging you for rental? Are you using a DJ or using your iPod?

 

Our hotel is quite small (non all-inclusive) and they don't have speakers for us to rent. We're hiring a DJ company to bring the equipment, set it up on the beach and then move it to the reception, operate it through the evening and then take it down once the party ends. We prefer to play our own playlists so we're not using the DJ to do anything but set the equipment up and make sure it's running. Our WC will be in charge of making sure the right playlist is playing.

 

Our WC quoted $800 for the speaker rental plus a suggested $120 tip for the guy running the equipment. Our ceremony is at 5:00 so I figure he'll come around 3:30pm and will leave around 1:00am. Does that sound about right for price? I have nothing to compare it to...

We bought a portable Bose sound system for $299 that works with Bluetooth. And it's pretty loud! As far as equipment goes our resort would charge us $150 an hour to use their sound system with our iPod. So $800 is pretty good if you'll be using it from 5-12 especially compared to the money a resort would charge you.

[MrsHK]

Originally Posted by PuntaBride 

 

 

 

See if DJ Mannia is available in your area.  The company is in DR and Mexico for sure.  We are paying $900 for DJ services.  This guy is suppose to be amazing.

 

It might be worth having a DJ to run your music.  You can send him the exact play lists you want ... then he will spice up your evening by MCing and introducing your "dances" and "wedding party entrance".  Apparently he is amazing at keeping the party going.  He gives a party like no other.  Check out his reviews on the forums here for more info!

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look into some local DJ prices, although our WC quoted $1000 for her person a few months back. I'm assuming its the same company and possibly the same guy. We actually already have a friend of ours MCing so we don't need a DJ for that. I'm going to contact some local companies and see if I can get a better price. It's too bad that I have to go around my WC to try and get better prices... I hired her to find me the best deals out there and I'm not quite sure that's happening. 

 

I'm certainly not the first bride to say this, but I'm getting really of tired of all the "wedding pricing".  I'm certainly not cheap and am willing to spend money on quality things, but I feel like some of these price quotes I'm getting are so silly! Why must we pay out the wazoo to celebrate our love?  As soon as something out there is for a wedding the item/service triples in price. Oh well, I'll just keep working on my DIY stuff to save our hard earned money and will keep negotiating with vendors for the best price possible. Nothing else I can do, really.

[melnryluvco]

Originally Posted by MrsHK 

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look into some local DJ prices, although our WC quoted $1000 for her person a few months back. I'm assuming its the same company and possibly the same guy. We actually already have a friend of ours MCing so we don't need a DJ for that. I'm going to contact some local companies and see if I can get a better price. It's too bad that I have to go around my WC to try and get better prices... I hired her to find me the best deals out there and I'm not quite sure that's happening. 

 

I'm certainly not the first bride to say this, but I'm getting really of tired of all the "wedding pricing".  I'm certainly not cheap and am willing to spend money on quality things, but I feel like some of these price quotes I'm getting are so silly! Why must we pay out the wazoo to celebrate our love?  As soon as something out there is for a wedding the item/service triples in price. Oh well, I'll just keep working on my DIY stuff to save our hard earned money and will keep negotiating with vendors for the best price possible. Nothing else I can do, really.

Vendors hear "wedding" and see $$$$$$!!! We're doing an AHR and I've stopped using the words "wedding reception" and just use "gathering". What the hell does it matter to them what the gathering is for. I've found that prices deminish when it's just a "gathering". UGH

[heather1214]

Originally Posted by melnryluvco 

 

Vendors hear "wedding" and see $$$$$$!!! We're doing an AHR and I've stopped using the words "wedding reception" and just use "gathering". What the hell does it matter to them what the gathering is for. I've found that prices deminish when it's just a "gathering". UGH

I agree with this 100%!!!  All the "extra" charges are really adding up and it's annoying!!   The way I look at it, we would have had 200 people at a formal wedding at home.  Although nothing is less expensive in a destination wedding, we are saving on all of those guests that aren't able go.  I still think paying for open bar at an all inclusive is ludicrous but we have no choice 

 

We are totally having a beach themed laid back AHR because I'm not paying for a wedding reception twice!!!

[KDoyle]

Originally Posted by JA2012 

 

I've been quoted $250/hr for DJ services. BUT that includes speakers, PA and mic. And the dj of course. And my wedding is in JA. Hope that helps

JA2012 can I ask who you are using. I have been thinking about hiring an outside DJ for ours. Thanks!