How Many Hours Do I Need a Wedding DJ? Sioux Falls Wedding DJ Guide
So, you’re probably asking yourself: "How many hours should we hire a wedding DJ for?" It’s a common question and we’re here to help answer it.
For most weddings, the answer is about 8 hours.
At Good Times, all of our wedding DJ packages include up to 8 hours of entertainment (setup is included in our package, but on our own time). We've found this covers nearly every part of a modern wedding day, from pre-ceremony music through the final song. Though in unique cases, we do add on an additional hour or two if you have a specific timeline you want to adhere to.
Most weddings in the Sioux Falls area follow a schedule similar to this:
3:30 PM – Guests begin arriving while the DJ plays pre-ceremony music
4:00 PM – Ceremony begins
4:30 PM – Ceremony concludes
4:45–5:45 PM – Cocktail hour
5:45 PM – Grand entrance
6:00 PM – Dinner
6:45 PM – Toasts and speeches
7:15 PM – First dances and parent dances
7:30 PM – Dance floor opens
8:00–8:30 PM – Sunset photos for the couple
9:00 PM – Family favorites and classic dance hits
9:30 PM – It's time to turn things up and keep the dance floor packed
11:25 PM – Last song of the evening
11:30 PM – We pack up while you celebrate an unforgettable night.
Every wedding is unique, but this timeline gives enough room for the day to flow naturally without feeling rushed.
One piece of advice we give every couple is to build flexibility into your timeline. Weddings rarely run exactly to the minute, and that's perfectly normal. A few extra minutes for family photos, a longer cocktail hour, or an emotional toast shouldn't create unnecessary stress.
That's why hiring experienced wedding vendors matters. Your wedding DJ should do much more than play music. At Good Times we help keep the evening moving, coordinate with your photographer, videographer, planner, caterer, and venue, make announcements, and adjust the timeline when needed.
The last thing you should be worrying about on your wedding day is, "Do my vendors know what's happening next?" or "Is the DJ ready for our first dance?"
With good communication before your wedding and a well-planned timeline, we'll handle the details. That’s why we emphasize the importance of our online planning tools that help you build your wedding timeline and keep us prepared with all of the details about your day. We'll fill in the gaps, keep everyone informed, help the evening stay on schedule, and make sure nothing important gets missed.
Our goal isn't just to play great music, it's to make your wedding day feel smooth, effortless, and memorable from the moment we arrive at your venue to the last dance of the night.
