7 Best Wedding DJs on Long Island Near Huntington New York
Long Island wedding DJ getting the crowd dancing! © Dan Wagner 2023
This 7 Best Long Island Wedding DJs list will help you spend your entertainment budget wisely. As with anything desirable in life, brides and grooms owe it to themselves to compare the pros and cons of their DJ company, venue, makeup artist, photographer and other important wedding vendors. So, to maximize the usefulness of my Long Island Wedding Blog, I’ve decided to create a series of blog articles designed to make your vendor comparison searches easier, faster, and more informative. Being somewhat of a shopaholic myself, I’m an expert at separating the wheat from the chaff—in other words this blog can help you avoid the worst fate known to mankind—buyer’s remorse!
This list features DJ companies close to Huntington, NY, because most of the Long Island weddings I photograph are within an hour drive from my Huntington office. I figure it’s easier to work with wedding vendors closest to where you’re getting married and having your reception. Please feel free to let me know if I haven’t included your favorite DJ, so I can add them to this list. By the way, please don’t judge the DJ companies by the photos shown below—check out their website links for a better sampling. Also, the DJ companies below have screenshots from the DJ company’s website and/or Instagram. Thank you!
YouTube Video—DJ Tommy Tunes—renowned DJs in business for decades on Long Island, NY.
Use the DJs email addresses for information and pricing requests!
Note: Any best list is subjective. Just because I haven’t included a DJ company on this list, doesn’t mean they’re not one of the best. A few of the DJs on this 7 best list provide contact forms instead of an email address. If you decide to use them, make sure you get their email address so you have an easier way to reach them on the days leading up to your wedding, and on the day of your wedding.
The 7 Best Long Island Wedding DJs Near Huntington, NY
What Additional Services Do Long Island Wedding DJs Offer?
MCs—A good MC is a great addition for weddings with over 100 wedding guests.
Musicians—No need to give the DJ a commission for hiring a band—a few musicians is okay.
Percussionists—Not super necessary, but it can be fun.
Lighting—Ask about uplighting! Uplighting is something DJs are good at providing, and will add visual interest and mood to your wedding ballroom photos. Choose tasteful colors, and try to avoid the constantly changing colors and other cheesy effects.
Screens—Very cheesy and distracting, and often come packaged with annoying ZAP shooters.
Photo Booths—Consult your photographer before hiring a DJ photo booth. Why? Because your photographer’s contract might state “they are the only photographer permitted.” Plus, photo booths can be cheesy and make your wedding feel more like a bar mitzvah or a kid’s party. Up to you!
What Added Services Should I Avoid Getting From My Long Island Wedding DJ?
ZAP Shot Photographers—Why? Because they are annoying as heck. And because your photographer’s contract might state “they are the only photographer permitted.” ZAP shooters will ruin many of your photographer and videographer’s shots.
Cinematography—Why? Because, DJs know about music, not about video or cinematography!
Photography—Why? Because DJs know about music, and not about photography!
Please note, these are my own personal pet peeves, and don’t apply to every wedding or DJ!
How Much do Wedding DJs Cost on Long Island?
Great question! Naturally you can ask the DJ companies mentioned on this blog for a price quote. But, to give you a rough idea of what your wedding DJs might cost, I’ve provided a rough estimate. Remember, the 20-percent tip is additional.
Please Note—DJs being super personable and high-energy individuals are the best salespeople on the planet. They will pretend they’re your best friend, and then try to sell you additional services they have no expertise in or business selling—such as photographers, videographers, and more.
As with any wedding service, DJ costs can range quite a bit. A one-man DJ/MC combo for 4-hours runs about $1,800, and a two-man DJ/MC goes for roughly $2,200. Cocktail hour and ceremony coverage can cost upward of $300 each. Uplighting can run $700 and up depending on your wedding ballroom size. Instead of paying for each item à la carte, see if you can get your Long Island DJ to give you a cost-saving package price.
5 Tips for Saving Money on Wedding DJs
Book far in advance
Get competitive price quotes
Make your own playlist for the cocktail hour
If you’re having an evening reception, then you might be able to hire the DJ who is scheduled to work an afternoon reception at the same wedding venue. Naturally, this is a remote possibility, and would also depend on your liking the DJ scheduled to work the earlier wedding. But, as long as the DJ already has their equipment on site and set to go, you should be able to get a significant discount.
Think outside the box and be creative as in Tip #4.
7 Important Long Island Wedding DJ Company Questions
Availability for your wedding date
Price quote
Does your DJ play at other events and clubs where you can see them in action?
Find out if the DJ shares your taste in music, and ask for feedback on your “must play” song list
How much setup time do you need?
Have you worked at my wedding venue?
Ask for recommendations for added services based on your wedding venue and other criteria
Top 10 Most Requested DJ Wedding Songs
I Wanna Dance With Somebody—Whitey Houston
Uptown Funk— Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
Sweet Caroline—Neil Diamond
Don’t Stop Believin’—Journey
Shut Up and Dance—Walk the Moon
September—Earth Wind and Fire
Can’t Stop the Feeling—Justin Timberlake
Yeah!—Usher
Cupid Shuffle—Cupid
Dancing Queen—Abba
4 Tips for Long Island Wedding DJ Photography
Make friends with the DJs so they will let you store your gear and charge batteries near their sound equipment—take some promotional photos of them as a thank you.
Take advantage of the cool wedding photos you can create by including the DJ’s spot and special effects lights.
Quite often, the DJ / MC can make announcements to help get everyone you need on the dance floor for a group photo.
Coordinate all the important reception events like cake-cutting, and parent dances with the DJ and maitre d.
Children love listening to DJ percussionists at weddings. © Dan Wagner 2023
Stay tuned for more Long Island wedding photography blog articles!
“Dan Wagner was the best money spent on our wedding. He was nice, professional and did a great job. He took great candid photos—which I love. Not only did we get every picture he took, but the photos were full size and without any writing on them, and they arrived just a few days after we came back home from our honeymoon. We got to choose many pictures for our album. Because everything was digital, he e-mailed me exactly what the layout of the album would be before it was printed, and I was able to make changes. Our album was the nicest I have seen, and everyone who has seen it wishes they had hired him.”
—Genevieve and William
Every Bride and Groom Deserve Beautiful Wedding Photos!
Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences about the best Long Island wedding DJ companies in the comment box below. Have a wonderful wedding, and many thanks for visiting my Long Island wedding photographer blog!