How much does a wedding DJ cost in the Bay Area?
Most DJ pricing pages hide the number. This one doesn't: here are our packages line by line, what actually changes the price in this market, and how to compare quotes from different DJs without getting burned by a low starting price.
What a Bay Area wedding DJ package should include
Before comparing numbers, compare what is in the number. In this market a complete wedding DJ package covers four things, and a quote that leaves one out is not cheaper, it is incomplete.
- DJ for the whole day: ceremony music cues, cocktail hour, dinner and the open dance floor, not just the reception.
- MC: grand entrance, toasts, first dances, cake, bouquet and last dance called on time and coordinated with your planner.
- Sound and mics: a system sized to the room plus wireless microphones for the officiant, vows and toasts. Ceremony sound in a second location should be included, not an add-on.
- Planning: a planning call, a run of show shared with your venue, and your must-play and do-not-play lists built into the set.
Everything below includes all four, plus setup, breakdown and travel anywhere in the Bay Area.
Our prices, line by line
| Package | Starting price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Essential+ | $3,600 | DJ and MC for ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, full sound, wireless mics, timeline coordination, planning session. |
| Signature+ | $5,300 | Everything in Essential+ plus the photo booth: unlimited sessions, custom strip, on-site prints, digital copies, props and an attendant. Our most booked package. |
| Luxe | $6,700 | Everything in Signature+ plus custom-color uplighting through the venue, dance floor lighting and a styled DJ booth. |
| All-In | $8,300+ | Full production: DJ and MC team, photo booth, lighting and day-of coordination. Quoted for your event; multi-day on request. |
| Private events | $650 | DJ and sound for birthdays, debuts and parties. Mics, lights, hours and the booth added on the call. |
These are starting prices for a standard Bay Area wedding. Hours, guest count and venue move the final number, which is pinned down on the planning call before you sign. Corporate events are quoted individually.
Check your date and get the exact number
What moves the price up or down
Hours and overtime
A ceremony-to-last-dance wedding is a long day. Packages are built around your timeline; if the party runs past the contracted hours, overtime is $250 per hour, settled at the end of the night. A later end time quoted up front is usually cheaper than overtime after the fact.
A second ceremony or cocktail location
A lawn ceremony, a terrace cocktail hour and a ballroom reception are three sound setups. We include them, so nothing moves while guests are present. Ask any other quote whether ceremony audio is in the price.
Guest count and room size
A 300-guest banquet hall in San Jose needs more PA and subwoofers than a 60-guest restaurant in the Mission. The system is sized to the room, and very large rooms move the number.
Photo booth and lighting
The booth is the most requested add-on, which is why Signature+ bundles it. Uplighting and dance floor lighting are the next step up (Luxe) and matter most in hotel ballrooms, barns and warehouses, which look flat under house lights after dark.
Travel
Travel within the nine Bay Area counties, Napa and Sonoma included, is free. Oahu and other destinations add one flat travel fee quoted with the package. See the Oahu wedding DJ page.
The date
Saturdays from May through October book first and are the dates most DJs will not discount. Friday, Sunday and off-season dates often have more room to tune the package.
How to compare quotes apples to apples
Directories like The Knot and WeddingWire show a starting price and sometimes a "couples usually spend" figure for each vendor. The gap between those two numbers is where the add-ons live. When you compare DJs, line up the same five things:
- Hours included, and the overtime rate.
- Whether the MC is the same person as the DJ, and whether MC is included at all.
- Whether ceremony sound in a separate location is included.
- Photo booth: is there a print limit, is an attendant included, do you get the digital copies.
- Travel fee for your venue, and whether setup and breakdown time is billed.
Our answers: hours set on the agreement, overtime $250/hr; DJ and MC are one person on Essential+, Signature+ and Luxe; ceremony sound included; booth has unlimited prints, an attendant and digital copies; Bay Area travel and setup are free.
Payment terms
- A signed agreement and a non-refundable retainer hold the date.
- The balance is due 14 days before the wedding.
- We accept cash, Zelle, Venmo and other electronic transfers.
- One reschedule without penalty, subject to availability, with 60 days' written notice.
- Overtime is $250 per hour.
When to book
Most couples book six to twelve months out. If your date is a peak-season Saturday, reach out as soon as the venue is confirmed; we'll hold the date while details firm up. Corporate and party dates move faster.
Is $3,600 the final price for Essential+?
It's the starting price for a standard Bay Area wedding. A very large room, a long timeline or a second ceremony location can move it, and you'll have the exact number after the planning call, before you sign.
Do you charge for setup and breakdown time?
No. Load-in about two hours before, sound check and breakdown after your guests leave are part of every package.
Why is the photo booth bundled instead of priced separately?
Because almost every couple who wants a booth also wants the DJ and MC, and one crew running both keeps the booth open on your timeline. Signature+ is the bundle; booth-only dates are quoted on request.
Is a Napa or Sonoma wedding more expensive than a San Francisco one?
Not for travel: Napa and Sonoma are in the nine-county Bay Area, so travel is included. Winery weddings sometimes need extra ceremony or cocktail setups outdoors, which are also included.
What about Oahu?
Same packages, plus one flat travel fee quoted up front. See the Oahu page for how a destination date works.
Tell us about the night.
Date, venue and what you need. You'll hear back with availability, one recommended package and the price, typically within the hour.
Replies go out seven days a week. On event days we answer between sets.