An increasingly popular concept amongst our newly-engaged clients is the idea of getting married outside of the UK, whether it be France, Spain, Greece, Italy or further afield. So the question arises “how to book a DJ for a wedding abroad?”.
The answer is very simple: book a DJ from a reputable source who is willing and able to travel abroad to carry out the performance.
Who should I choose?
The answer to that one is very much the same as for any wedding. You can use recommendations from friends, family, wedding planners, and more. If you are starting from scratch with no recommendations, it would be best to search online for DJ companies who manage open-format DJs who are able to travel internationally. Once you have a shortlist, check out all the 3rd-party reviews (Trustpilot, Google, Facebook) for a balanced view of each.
How much will it cost?
The cost of a wedding DJ abroad will usually be upwards of £1,000, and will be based upon the following factors:
- The number of hours of performance required. There are companies who will just charge a fixed rate for the whole day, but in general if a DJ has to perform for 8 hours, the price will be a lot higher than 2 hours. Remember that the DJ will be spending a fair amount of time travelling to/from your wedding so expect premiums charged for full-days taken.
- Travel. Obviously as your wedding isn’t taking place at home, the DJ will need to be transported out to wherever it might be. As you will be aware of the pricing that you and your guests are paying to travel, you should have ballpark figure of the price to add on for the DJ. You must also allow for all transport between airports and the wedding venue because the DJ won’t be expected to pay for that.
- Accomodation. This is another part which often gets overlooked by wedding planners. The DJ is a human too and will need a place to kip for the night. Usually this won’t need to be more than a Premier Inn style hotel, but in some cases (peak season, limited selection next to wedding venue) you might need to fork out a bit more.
- Equipment hire. When you fly out your DJ, he or she will not be bringing an entire van full of sound and lighting equipment. So you will need to ask your venue manager for local businesses who can provide and install all the equipment ready for the DJ. Some DJ agencies may be able to help source local equipment to make sure you have the best technical setup booked.
- DJ name/popularity. If you are hoping to book a slightly bigger name DJ, then the price will go up accordingly, and the amount of available performance time will decrease (for example Fred Sirieix could perform at your wedding abroad, but the price would be a lot higher, he would only DJ for a maximum of 2 hours, and would require a much higher class of travel and accommodation!).
How far in advance do I need to book?
You can get booking as soon as you want. There is no hard and fast rule, however the closer you get to the wedding date, the less choice you will have, and the higher the travel costs will become.
What about local DJs?
A local DJ will usually be a more cost-effective solution, however there are a few things to check:
- Do they speak English effectively enough to be able to communicate with you as required before and during the wedding?
- Will they stick to your playlist, or wander off into foreign music?
- Try to get help from someone local (who is not likely to profit from the arrangement) to verify (a) whether the DJ has a good local reputation, and (b) whether he or she is inflating their regular local prices just for you.
In conclusion, wherever you are getting married, it’s worth doing your research to find the best solution to fit your particular needs. As with the rest of your wedding planning, when you have decided on the best supplier, always make sure you are provided with a fully-worded contract and invoice.