We used Dean from ACT Selectsounds for our wedding in 2010. He met all of the requirements you’ve listed above and cost around $600 from memory.

I can recommend 3D Entertainment and ACT Selectsound, both good and both around $600 from memory depending how long you need them for
http://www.3dentertainment.com.au
and
http://www.actselectsounds.com.au/

Stan from 3D entertainment is great!!!

Wouldn’t recommend MobyDisc

I have been working as a DJ in Canberra (including many weddings and functions) for a number of years and could meet all of your requirements above. Happy to arrange a competitive quote for you as well.
Check out http://www.creativesoundconcepts.com.au/dj if you want more information.
Good luck with the planning!

I’ve had good experiences with mobydisc (x2). You can build a playlist on their website (new) or print off the songlist, and highlight the songs you like and bring it in on the day. Even with absolutely no guidance they were able to pick songs that people liked. This wasnt a wedding though, so you might want to read their songs list. You get what you pay for, they’re not going to ‘mix’ the songs per say.

It astounds me that in this day and age these sorts of businesses can make money. I was groomsman at a few weddings where the DJ was given a set list of songs to work with, and he played about 10% of them. The rest was whatever it was he wanted to listen to. All you need is a computer with i-tunes and some good speakers and you have yourself your own playlist that you have 100% control of (and for a fraction of the cost!).

Henry82 said :

You get what you pay for, they’re not going to ‘mix’ the songs per say.

What did they do instead of ‘mixing’ the songs? Just played one after the other?

We found Dean from Select Sounds and 3D entertertainment to both be a bit pricey (we are spending wayyyy too much money on this wedding already). At this stage we are tossing up between Moby Disc and DJ 4 U, can anyone give us more information about hiring a DJ from these companies?
Also, have emailed creative sound concepts for a quote.

laura_2716 said :

What did they do instead of ‘mixing’ the songs? Just played one after the other? At this stage we are tossing up between Moby Disc and DJ 4 U, can anyone give us more information about hiring a DJ from these companies?

Yeah, they just queue them up after one another. from memory they rocked up about half an hour before and had it all ready to go in a self contained unit. They come with two speakers on stands, and from memory there was a light bar. The guy was polite, we showed him where the toilet was at the start, and that was it. He played when required, took a break during the meal, and had an external mic for speeches. They also have 2 folders with the song lists, and a note paper/pen for requests.

They charge extra for the karaoke function which kinda turned out not to be as entertaining as planned. Mainly because everyone was trashed by that time (and didnt like anyone elses song choice), and the lyrics were on the one screen (not ‘in front’). But i doubt you’d use that in a wedding.

Its been 2-3 years since i used their services, so you might want to double check what i’ve said.

another vote for Stan from 3D entertainment – he knows what to play and when to play it & when to get on the mike and when not to. He DJed our wedding and everyone had a great time. Other DJs we’ve seen at weddings make it all about them whereas Stan sets it all up and keeps it going without being too much center of the spotlight.

I can’t sing the praises of Vinn from Ardanien Entertainment enough.

My Wife and I were very happy with his handling of our wedding back in 2009, with a couple of good meetings beforehand to knock out a playlist (or really, a list of stuff we wanted to say “Don’t play this one, EVER”). He was a pleasure to work with and a great guy to boot.

Can’t remember the price at the moment, sorry.

If you want a DJ who will play your song selections and stick to the running order of your reception then DO NOT go with Ardanien Entertainment. They turned our reception into a comdey of errors, which I can laugh at now, but it was not very funny on the night. We got sucked in by their offer of a free video of the reception, only to discover after the event that they don’t have the rights to reproduce the music on the video… So we have a 5 hour silent movie of our reception! Don’t waste your money on a DJ who will only disappoint you and ruin your wedding, put your favorite music on an iPod instead!

http://www.concordesoundandlighting.com.au/

http://www.puredjs.com.au

Heh, its funny how terms evolve, I tend to think of DJ’s as musical artists in their own right. I guess most people don’t want real musicians, just a nameless schmuck to stand near the laptop and make sure it doesn’t stray from the “hot hits of the eighties”. What you’re looking for sounds like Karaoke.

mouldy said :

It astounds me that in this day and age these sorts of businesses can make money. I was groomsman at a few weddings where the DJ was given a set list of songs to work with, and he played about 10% of them. The rest was whatever it was he wanted to listen to. All you need is a computer with i-tunes and some good speakers and you have yourself your own playlist that you have 100% control of (and for a fraction of the cost!).

Probably because that is illegal as your music you have bought or downloaded don’t have the appropriate licence for playing in public. Venues in Canberra should not allow this to happen.

+1 3D Entertainment.