How-to guide
How far in advance should you book wedding entertainment?
The short answerBook wedding entertainment as soon as your date and venue are set. Peak-season Saturdays often book six to twelve months ahead. Elite, Exclusive and Artist DJs are chosen by name; on Premium, our team matches you with a DJ from our big pool of Premium DJs. 4,000+ events, 20+ Elevate-Certified™ DJs, 18 awards, 9.7 NPS and 4.9★ across 1,058 verified reviews, as of August 4, 2026.
4.9(379)
4.9(218)
5.0(305)
5.0(156)
Photo: Graystone Valley, 2025, Jenna Pautler
The method
When should you book wedding entertainment, step by step?
You book wedding entertainment in this order: set your date and venue, start sooner for a peak-season Saturday, know what your night needs and see your range, design the night in one free conversation, hold your date, find out who picks your DJ, and plan the night with your DJ once you have booked.
- Set your date and venue firstWhat to look for: Have the date and the venue settled, so every company you ask is checking the same night in the same place.How Elevate handles it: Book early. The date decides who is available before it decides anything else.
- Start sooner for a peak-season SaturdayWhat to look for: If your wedding is on a Saturday in peak season, start looking for your entertainment soon after the venue is signed.How Elevate handles it: Saturdays in peak season are the first dates to fill, and the DJs couples request by name fill with them.
- Know what your night needs, and see your rangeWhat to look for: List the parts of the day you want covered, from the ceremony to the last dance, and any extras you are thinking about.How Elevate handles it: Pick your event, your guest count, your DJ and MC and any add-ons in the estimator, and it shows one rough range for the whole night. Your exact price comes from your quote.
- Design the night in one free conversationWhat to look for: Talk the night through before you commit, and come away with a plan and a number you can hold the company to.How Elevate handles it: Your free Entertainment Design Session is 60 minutes with our team, by video or phone, and you leave it with a complete plan and an exact number.
- Hold your dateWhat to look for: Find out what holds your date, and hold it as soon as the plan is right.How Elevate handles it: A deposit holds your date. You can place it during your Entertainment Design Session.
- Find out who picks your DJWhat to look for: Ask whether you pick your DJ when you book, or the company matches one to you.How Elevate handles it: On Elite, Exclusive and Artist, you choose your DJ, and we hold your pick for your night. On Premium, we match you with the right DJ from our big pool of Premium DJs.
- Plan the night with your DJWhat to look for: Once you have booked, plan your running order and your music with the person who will run the night.How Elevate handles it: A planning meeting with the DJ who runs your night comes with every DJ booking.
What is included
What comes with every Elevate wedding DJ booking?
Every Elevate wedding DJ booking comes with state-of-the-art, premium-grade equipment, dance floor lighting, a 150,000-song library, a planning meeting, the Performance & Show-Up Guarantee and your MC, on every tier. When you book a Wedding DJ from Elevate Entertainment, the DJ and the Wedding MC are one Elevate-Certified™ person.
Six things in every DJ booking
- State-of-the-art, premium-grade equipmentThe same state-of-the-art, premium-grade equipment at every level.
- Dance floor lightingIt comes with the DJ.
- A 150,000-song libraryMust plays and never plays locked in, all loaded before the night.
- A planning meetingWith the DJ who runs the night.
- Performance & Show-Up GuaranteeA matched backup DJ, full system backups and a 100% show-up record.
- The MCYour MC coordinates the night on the microphone, connects all of your vendors, and makes sure the whole night flows effortlessly and seamlessly for your guests. Your MC is your DJ: the same person, not an extra one.
Some couples skip a day-of coordinator. Your Elevate MC often fills that role, running the timeline, cueing your vendors and moving the night along.
Additionally, Elevate Entertainment serves every client, weddings and corporate events alike, with add-ons such as sound production, photo booths, event lighting, live musicians, the DJ-Band Hybrid and special effects. Here’s what our couples frequently book.
46% of our events
Sound production
Grandma can hear the vows. Mics on the officiant and on you, clean sound to the back row, and extra speakers wherever the room needs them.
Sycamore Creek Ranch, 2025 · photo Sheri Holloway Photography
30% of our events
Photo booth
The one favor guests actually keep: a print in hand, on every booth that prints. A second copy goes into the scrapbook that goes home with you.
Greenhouse Two Rivers, 2024 · photo Jenna Lynn Photography
Nearly 1 in 5 of our events
Lighting
The room in your colors, and your photos come back finished instead of flat.
Sycamore Creek Ranch, 2025 · photo Stem Visuals
Live musicians
Live players set the ceremony and cocktail hour before the floor ever opens.
Integrity Hills, 2026 · photo Madison Thompson Photography
Special effects
Cold Sparks, Dancing on a Cloud and CO2 cannons, staged where they belong in the night.
The Bardot, 2025 · photo Jefferson May Photography
DJ-Band Hybrid
Live musicians play over the DJ’s set.
Greenhouse Two Rivers, 2025 · photo Kyla Taylor Photography
Tap any add-on to see how it works.
Starting late
What if you are booking wedding entertainment late?
If you are booking wedding entertainment late, check your date now rather than later. Send us your date, and we will check it for your city and your event.
Booking
How do you book your wedding entertainment once you are ready?
Once you are ready, you book your wedding entertainment with Elevate Entertainment in three steps: see your price range above, design the night in one free conversation, and read the itemized number in your quote.
See your price range
Tap what your night needs in the estimator above. It sorts your running order and shows one rough range for the whole night; your exact price still comes from your quote.
See your price rangeDesign the night in one conversation
Your free Entertainment Design Session: 60 minutes, video or phone, with the team behind 4,000+ events. You bring the vision. You leave with a complete plan.
If you would rather build your night with a person than on a screen alone, or want more guidance on what to choose, you can do it together here.
Book your Entertainment Design SessionGet your exact number
A real, itemized quote for exactly what you choose. Or skip ahead and build your quote online any time.
Pricing
What does a whole wedding night with Elevate Entertainment cost?
Experiences begin at $1,500
Most couples spend between $2,500 and $7,500. Highly produced events can run up to $25,000. Where your night lands depends on how much of it you hand to one team: the DJ and MC alone, or the sound production, the lighting, the live musicians and the booth with them.
Build it online, or get your exact number in your free Entertainment Design Session. Klarna and Affirm financing are available.
In their words
What do couples say about booking Elevate Entertainment?
Couples say Elevate Entertainment kept checking in through the planning, worked out the details on calls before the wedding and built the night they wanted. Filter the reviews by topic or by DJ, check whether we have played your venue, and read the rest on the reviews page.
Or pick a topic
Filter by DJ
Showing all 4 reviews
★★★★★“…Our DJ was Ian and he was amazing to work with. We had multiple calls leading up to wedding day to ensure all minor details were worked out and communicated.…”
★★★★★“Super responsive and kept checking in throughout our wedding planning process. Our guests LOVED all the songs on the dance floor and kept the party going all night!”
★★★★★“ELEVATE was fantastic!! They worked with us to curate exactly what we wanted for a DJ, MC, and photo booth experience.”
★★★★★“…Everything myself and my bride wanted for our wedding came to pass and it was all because of Broc and his team!…”
No review on this page matches that yet. Show every review
Related guides
What else should you read before you book wedding entertainment?
Four more guides help before you book wedding entertainment: choosing your DJ, what a DJ costs, the reception in running order, and our pricing.
How to choose a wedding DJThis guide turns choosing a wedding DJ into a method you can run yourself: what to look for, what to ask, and the order to do it in.Read the guide →
How much does a wedding DJ cost?This guide explains what moves the price of a wedding DJ and MC: the hours on site, the tier of DJ you book, the date and the drive, and what a booking covers before a single add-on. Its estimator shows a rough price range for your night.Read the guide →
The wedding reception timeline, hour by hourThis guide lays the reception out in order, from the entrance to the last song.Read the guide →
How pricing worksThis is Elevate Entertainment’s own pricing page: what a booking includes, what moves the number up or down, and the two ways to get an exact price for your night.Read the guide →
Questions to ask a wedding DJ before you bookThis guide is the question list to take into your Entertainment Design Session, with what a good answer sounds like.Read the guide →
What should a wedding DJ contract include?This guide walks a wedding DJ contract clause by clause: what it should cover, what a backup promise should say, and what to read twice.Read the guide →
Wedding DJ red flagsThis guide names the warning signs that show up before a booking goes wrong, and what to ask the moment you see one.Read the guide →
Wedding entertainment mistakes and how to avoid themThis guide covers the entertainment decisions that are easiest to get wrong, and how to avoid each one.Read the guide →
Before you book
What do couples ask about when to book wedding entertainment?
Couples timing their booking ask whether they can talk to us before the date is set, when a Premium DJ is assigned, when they plan the night with a Premium DJ and whether they can pay over time.
Can you talk to Elevate Entertainment before your wedding date is set?
Yes. A rough idea of your date is fine when you book your free Entertainment Design Session, and you can tell us you have not set a date yet.
When is your Premium DJ assigned if you book early?
About four months before your event. On Premium, our team assigns your DJ then, matched to your crowd, your energy and your vision.
When do you plan the night with a Premium DJ?
About 30 days before the event, when you meet your DJ to plan it.
Can you pay for your wedding entertainment over time?
Yes. You can pay over time with Klarna or Affirm financing.
Your Event Made Perfect
How do I check my date with a real person?
You check your date with a real person by booking an Entertainment Design Session in the short form here, and your date is part of it. One free conversation, 60 minutes, video or phone. You leave with a complete plan and an exact number, without any pressure on the call.
Complimentary · real numbers.
Call or text(816) 477-4077