How much does wedding lighting cost?Coming soonEvent lighting and the monogram: what each adds to the room and to the price.
Cost guide
How much does a wedding DJ cost?
The short answerPrices start at $1,500. Most couples spend between $2,500 and $7,500. Highly produced events can run up to $25,000. Every booking includes premium gear, dance floor lighting, 150,000 songs, a planning meeting, our guarantee and your DJ as MC; add-ons: event lighting, photo booth, live musicians. 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: Integrity Hills, 2025, Jefferson May Photography · Maddie and Andrew at Integrity Hills
What moves the number
What changes what a wedding DJ costs?
What changes what a wedding DJ costs is the hours on site, the tier of DJ you book, the DJ’s experience and professionalism, the quality of the equipment, the guarantees behind the booking, the date and the drive, and the add-ons you choose (sound production, event lighting, the photo booth, live players) on top of what every booking includes. Here is what each one changes, and how we handle it.
- Hours on siteWhat it changes: A longer night means more hours on site for your DJ, and a ceremony in a second room means set-up in two places.How Elevate handles it: The Entertainment Design Session sets the hours from your running order, so you are scoped for the night you are actually having.
- The MCWhat it changes: With some companies the MC is a second person, or a second vendor. At Elevate the DJ and the MC are the same Elevate-Certified™ person.How Elevate handles it: One Elevate-Certified™ DJ runs the music and the microphone, so your night has a rhythm and a coordinator on the mic who makes everything flow effortlessly.
- Sound productionWhat it changes: Adds a second system where the vows happen, plus any extra speakers and microphones the room needs.How Elevate handles it: An add-on, set up and taken down by the same team, so Grandma hears every word of the vows.
- LightingWhat it changes: Adds event lighting in your colors around the room, beyond the dance floor lighting every booking includes.How Elevate handles it: The room in your colors, and your photos come back finished instead of flat.
- Photo boothWhat it changes: Adds the booth for the hours you book; most booths bring a host and prints, and the Mini Mirror is self-serve with digital copies.How Elevate handles it: One team runs every booth: the one favor guests actually keep.
- Live musiciansWhat it changes: Adds players for the ceremony or the cocktail hour.How Elevate handles it: Live players set the ceremony and cocktail hour before the floor ever opens.
- DJ-Band HybridWhat it changes: Adds up to six live musicians over the DJ’s set.How Elevate handles it: An add-on: live players over the same DJ’s set.
- The DJ tierWhat it changes: Premium, Elite, Exclusive and Artist. Premium: we match you with the right DJ from our big pool of Premium DJs. Elite: hosts who earned the step up from Premium at real shows; they run the event. Exclusive: wedding and corporate specialists who perform only for Elevate; they plan with you and shape the night around your vision. Artist: our headliners, booked when the entertainment is the event.How Elevate handles it: On Elite, Exclusive and Artist, you choose your DJ, and we hold your pick for your night. Every tier is Elevate-Certified in the same 12 disciplines of DJing and MCing. The higher the tier, the stronger the DJ in all 12 and the more experience behind them: Premium DJs deliver a great night, and Artist DJs are the best we have in every one of the 12.
- The DJ’s experienceWhat it changes: How many nights the DJ has run, and how they were trained to run them.How Elevate handles it: Every Elevate DJ trains in Elevate U and is Elevate-Certified™ before running a night for clients.
- ProfessionalismWhat it changes: How the DJ plans with you before the night and works with your other vendors on it.How Elevate handles it: A planning meeting with the DJ who runs your night comes with every booking, and your DJ, as your MC, connects your vendors on the night.
- Equipment qualityWhat it changes: How the music and the microphones sound in your room, and what happens if a piece of gear fails.How Elevate handles it: The same state-of-the-art, premium-grade equipment at every level, with full system backups on every booking.
- The guaranteesWhat it changes: What is promised to you in your contract if a DJ or a piece of gear cannot make it.How Elevate handles it: The Performance & Show-Up Guarantee on every tier: a matched backup DJ and full system backups. The guarantee is in your contract.
- The date and seasonWhat it changes: Peak Saturdays go first, which narrows which DJs are still open for you.How Elevate handles it: Book early. The date decides who is available before it decides anything else.
- Distance from Kansas City or SpringfieldWhat it changes: A venue far from either office adds travel for the team.How Elevate handles it: We serve a 3-hour drive around each of our offices in Kansas City and Springfield, and further by request. Travel to your venue is built into your quote and priced by distance; a venue more than about four hours away gets its own travel price.
What does Elevate-Certified™ mean for my wedding DJ?
Elevate-Certified™ means your DJ passed Elevate’s own training. DJs train in Elevate U on the 12 core disciplines of DJing and MCing, for weddings and corporate events. The program runs four months, and experienced DJs move through it faster. Nobody skips it. Every DJ then passes evaluations and successfully DJs a first event, and then becomes Elevate-Certified™ and starts DJing for clients.
- 4 monthsin Elevate U
- 12 disciplinesof DJing and MCing
- Evaluationsand a first event, done well
- Certifiedthen booked for clients
What is included
What is included when you book a wedding DJ from Elevate Entertainment?
When you book a Wedding DJ from Elevate Entertainment, every booking includes 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, and the DJ and the Wedding MC are one Elevate-Certified™ person. Everything below comes with every booking, on every tier.
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.
DJ or band
Does a wedding DJ cost less than a band?
Yes. A wedding DJ costs less than a live band for the same night, because one Elevate-Certified™ person covers the whole night, where a band brings several players and their sound and plays in sets. Couples who want both add the DJ-Band Hybrid: up to six live musicians over the DJ’s set, band energy with DJ coverage. The full comparison is its own guide.
How we build it
Why does Elevate Entertainment build every quote from scratch instead of selling packages?
Every Elevate night is custom-tailored from scratch, because no two couples, no two weddings and no two sets of preferences are the same. A package puts you in a box: package A misses something you want, and package B adds things you do not, so you pay for more than you use. We build your night with you, piece by piece, in your Entertainment Design Session, so you get exactly the experience you want.
The exact number
How do you get an exact wedding DJ price?
You get an exact wedding DJ price from 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. Nothing on this page is a quote. Here is how you get the real one.
Elevate EntertainmentYour exact number, three steps
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
How much does an Elevate Entertainment wedding DJ 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.
$1,500Experiences beginOne experience, done right.
$2,500 to $7,500Most couples spendA DJ who is also your MC, plus live music, lighting, photo booths and effects.
$25,000Highly produced events run up toEvery part of the night from one team.
Build your quote online
Build it online, or get your exact number in your free Entertainment Design Session. Klarna and Affirm financing are available.
Worth it, in their words
What do couples say a wedding DJ from Elevate is worth?
Couples say a wedding DJ from Elevate Entertainment is worth what it costs, in their own words. The reviews below are from Elevate’s 1,058 verified reviews, each with the platform, the month and the DJ named; filter them by topic or by DJ, check whether we have played your venue, and read the rest on the reviews page.
Tap a question below.
Or pick a topic
Filter by DJ
Showing all 9 reviews
★★★★★“…We did our initial consultation with DJ Apollo. We immediately vibed with him, as he gave us a detailed rundown of how they work, plan and execute the perfect party. He also detailed the different price points (depending on the DJ selected, extra perks like glow sticks/lighting/cold sparks) very thoroughly…”
★★★★★“We used Elevate Entertainment as our DJ for our wedding back in October and had the pleasure of working with Kassie. She was incredibly personable and easy to talk to, and she took our vision and truly ran with it. Throughout the night, Kassie checked in with us several times to make sure we didn’t need anything. She even got out on the dance floor to teach our guests a line dance, which everyone loved! We had an amazing time at our wedding, and Kassie was a big part of the reason why. We would absolutely book her again if we ever needed a DJ for another event. Although Elevate may be a bit on the expensive side, you genuinely get what you pay for…”
★★★★★“…What made this an exceptional experience was that Broc took the time to understand what mattered most to us and tailored every moment to reflect our vision, making the entire experience feel so personal and special. He was well worth the cost!…”
★★★★★“…Mike AKA DJ Apollo had our dance floor going till they kicked us out of the venue, he was amazing at reading the room and giving everyone what they wanted to hear. Not only that, he went above and beyond working with every vendor on timelines, coordinating for smooth transitions for every part of the night. Would 100% recommend Mike if you are going with Elevate Entertainment. Best money we ever spent!”
★★★★★“After attending a friend’s wedding DJ’d by Broc with Elevate Entertainment, my now husband kept Broc’s business card in his wallet for almost 3 years until we finally got to have Broc DJ our own wedding! He met or exceeded every expectation we had and was so easy to work with. Our venue even included an in house DJ but Broc was one of our best spent budget items. Everything went smoothly on our big day (in big part thanks to Broc) and he did a great job getting everyone involved at our reception.”
★★★★★“Broc partnered with me, understood exactly what I was looking for and delivered! I wanted our wedding to be an epic adventure with amazing music and just what these elder-millennials needed. Everyone had so much fun and he kept the energy up the whole night. I am truly grateful for someone who is so in tune with their client and their guests! If you’re debating on whether or not you should up your budget to have him or fly him out....don’t hesitate. Do it!!!!”
★★★★★“…We had guests comment on it being the most unique, high energy & fun wedding they had been to. Booking with elevate was super easy & communication was generally fairly easy to come by with them. I would tell any bride your dj is your most important cost behind venue. Thank you 100000x to Ian & elevate for keeping the night electric.”
★★★★★“Broc was amazing!! We had a smaller wedding but what we all needed was an epic night out with music from our elder-millennial days. Broc brought so much fun and energy to the ceremony and reception that not a single person had a bad time. Everyone was so excited to be there and had the most fun!! If you’re debating on spending the bucks for a “DJ”, Broc and his team are way more than that. I had zero worries for my day and got to enjoy every minute of it because of Broc and his team. Spend the money, hire Elevate, do it!!”
★★★★★“Broc was incredible. He was worth the extra money! He had the guests entertained all night long. We got so many compliments on the dj. He was bringing us waters while we were taking all of our pictures. He held my plate as I walked through the buffet line. Just above and beyond what I imagined! Highly recommend”
No review on this page matches that yet. Show every review
Related cost guides
What else does a wedding night cost beyond the wedding DJ?
The wedding DJ is one line of a wedding entertainment budget; the guides below cover the other parts of the night the same way this one does, with the exact number left to your quote.
How much does photo booth rental cost for a wedding?This guide explains what changes the price of a photo booth: the format, the hours, the prints, the props, and whether a host stays with it for the hours you book.Read the guide →
How much does wedding lighting cost?Coming soonEvent lighting and the monogram: what each adds to the room and to the price.
How much do ceremony musicians cost?Coming soonA duo, a trio or a quartet for the processional and the cocktail hour, and what changes between them.Before you book
When should you book a wedding DJ, and what about deposits, travel, overtime, tipping and the guarantee?
Book your wedding DJ as soon as your date and venue are set. The rest of what couples ask before they book is answered below: deposits, travel, overtime, tipping and what the guarantee covers.
When should you book a wedding DJ?
Book your wedding DJ as soon as your date and venue are set. Peak Saturdays go first, and the DJs couples ask for by name go with them.
Do you need a deposit to book a wedding DJ, and can you pay over time?
A deposit holds your date. You can place it during your Entertainment Design Session. The rest is paid in two more payments before your event. Klarna and Affirm financing are available.
Is travel included in a wedding DJ quote?
Yes. Travel to your venue is built into your quote and priced by distance, with no hidden fees. We serve a 3-hour drive around each of our offices, and further by request. Elite, Exclusive and Artist DJs also travel from their home market when you want them, and any travel cost is already folded into the price you get in your Entertainment Design Session. A venue more than about four hours away gets its own travel price.
Can you add wedding DJ overtime on the night?
Yes. Extra time is billed by the hour at your DJ’s tier rate, and a half hour costs half.
Should you tip a wedding DJ?
Only if you want to. A tip is not part of the price and is your call.
What does the Elevate Entertainment guarantee cover?
The Performance & Show-Up Guarantee covers every booking on every tier: we show up and perform your event, every booking is matched with a backup DJ and backup equipment, our show-up record is 100%, and the guarantee is in your contract. On Elite, Exclusive and Artist, you choose your DJ, and we hold your pick for your night.
Your Event Made Perfect
How do I talk to a real person about my wedding DJ cost?
You talk to a real person about your wedding DJ cost by booking an Entertainment Design Session in the four quick steps here. 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. A real person will text you within the hour.
Call or text(816) 477-4077
Step 1 of 4
Which event are we designing entertainment for?
One tap, then we check your date.
Pick the one that fits best and we’ll take it from there.
When and where is the celebration?
A rough idea is fine. Peak Saturdays go first.
Your date
Which of our locations is closest to your event?
Choose your closest market, and either a date or the no-date box.
Help us tailor your session.
Honest answers get you a sharper plan. There are no wrong ones.
Where are you in planning?
Which venue?
Optional. It helps your designer prepare for that room.
By when do you want to have found your best fit?
What do you feel is non-negotiable, if you had to pick one?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Tell us about the event.
Enough to bring the right ideas, nothing more.
What kind of event?
About how many guests?
Where is it being held?
Optional. The city is enough if the venue is not set.
When do you need this decided?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Tell us about the celebration.
Enough to bring the right ideas, nothing more.
What’s the occasion?
Where is it being held?
Optional. The city is enough if the venue is not set.
When do you need this decided?
At its peak, how loud does the dance floor go?
Tap one answer in each row and you’re nearly done.
Last step. Your details, so we can check your date.
Your designer reviews your answers before the session, so the conversation starts at your event, not at a blank page.
We need your name, a working email and phone, and the consent box checked.