Detroit wedding DJ and live ceremony music

Weddings we've played in Metro Detroit

Patricia and Bryan at The Masonic Temple, July 2015

Dave's first wedding at the Masonic Temple was on July 25, 2015, when he played it with The Groove Party, a Michigan wedding band. Patricia and Bryan built the day around their love of live music: concert tickets in the invitations, 12-inch records as chargers, a concert poster for guests to sign instead of a guest book, and tables named after Detroit landmarks. Allie Siarto & Co. photographed it, and The Knot ran it as a Real Wedding feature, "A Traditional Ballroom Wedding With a Musical Twist".

Wedding storyPatricia & Bryan The Masonic Temple, Detroit · July 25, 2015See the wedding

Nick and Liz at The Masonic Temple, July 2017

Two years later Dave was back in the same building, this time behind the DJ booth, for Nick and Liz on July 8, 2017. He called it his biggest event of the year so far.

Justin and Alyssa at Laurel Manor, Livonia, September 2017

Dave DJ'd Justin and Alyssa's reception at Laurel Manor on September 30, 2017. The packed dance floor in the photographs above is from that night, taken from the DJ booth.

The Emerald Theatre, Mount Clemens, 2018

Dave DJ'd a 2018 wedding at the Emerald Theatre in Mount Clemens. Two years later, the bride reviewed the venue and named him as their DJ: they'd wanted a good venue, good food and a good DJ, and said they got all three.

Rob and Kristen at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, June 2018

Dave DJ'd Rob and Kristen's wedding at The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms on June 23, 2018. The War Memorial is a lakefront estate on Lake St. Clair, so the water is part of the day whether you're inside or out.

Marissa and Joel, February 2022

Dave played this winter wedding in Metro Detroit, which opened the reception with a lit grand entrance. February weddings don't get enough credit. Nobody's outside, so the whole party is in one room from the first song, and an entrance like that lands with everyone watching.

Cafe Cortina, Farmington Hills, May 2025

Dave DJ'd a May 2025 wedding at Cafe Cortina in Farmington Hills. The bride's mother, Linda C., wrote afterwards that he did an excellent job of reading the guests, and that her two-year-old grandson couldn't stop dancing. Her review is further down this page.

Detroit wedding venues Dave has played

• The Masonic Temple, Detroit: a historic downtown building with big, ornate rooms. Dave has played it with a band and as a DJ.
• Grosse Pointe War Memorial, Grosse Pointe Farms: a lakefront estate on Lake St. Clair.
• Laurel Manor, Livonia: a large banquet and conference center in the western suburbs.
• The Emerald Theatre, Mount Clemens: a theatre venue in Macomb County.
• Cafe Cortina, Farmington Hills: an Italian restaurant and event venue in Oakland County.

Getting married somewhere else in Metro Detroit? Tell us the venue when you check your date. The full list is on our venues page.

What's different about a Detroit wedding?

Historic buildings downtown

Detroit has wedding venues you can't find anywhere else in the state: old temples, theaters, banks and hotels from the city's first boom. The Masonic Temple opened in 1926 and is often called the largest Masonic temple in the world. Rooms like that are part of why you choose them. High ceilings, stone and plaster also carry sound a long way, so speeches need a clear microphone and dinner music needs to sit at a level where people can still talk.

Older buildings also come with their own logistics: where vendors load in, where they park, how long setup can take. Those details differ at every venue, and your coordinator knows them. We'd rather get them early than learn them on the day.

Motown, and everything after it

Berry Gordy started Motown in Detroit in 1959, and a lot of Detroit families have a Motown song that's theirs. Maybe it's "My Girl" for a father-daughter dance, or "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" when the floor needs everyone on it. Those are ideas, not a set list. Your reception is built from the songs you and your families care about. Detroit's music runs well past Motown too, and if your crowd wants something else, the night follows them. Our Motown wedding songs guide has more ideas.

Game days, concerts and traffic

Downtown fills up when the Tigers, Lions or Red Wings are home, or when there's a big concert at Ford Field or Comerica Park. If you're getting married downtown, check those schedules against your date, and give guests a plan for parking. Metro Detroit is also wide. Grosse Pointe to Livonia is a long drive on a Saturday, so a ceremony in one suburb and a reception in another needs a realistic gap in the timeline.

Big families, lots of traditions

Metro Detroit weddings bring together a lot of families, faiths and traditions, and many of them come with their own music and their own moments. Tell us about the traditions you're keeping, and we'll plan where each one goes and how the MC introduces it. Away from weddings, Dave has also worked the Chaldean Diocese Bishop's Dinner as a vendor, in 2023 and 2025.

What can you book for a Detroit wedding?

The wedding DJ and MC is the core booking. Ceremony music, a cocktail-hour set and DJ plus live music are add-ons to it. A live band package can have a DJ too, playing between sets and closing out the night, so you don't have to choose one or the other.

Wedding DJ and MC

Dave has DJ'd the Masonic Temple, the War Memorial, Laurel Manor, the Emerald Theatre and Cafe Cortina. The job is the same in every room: dinner music people can talk over, then a dance floor that builds, with your do-not-play list close all night. On the microphone, grand entrances, introductions, toasts, cake and the last dance are announced clearly and on time, with every name said the way your family says it. In a big Detroit ballroom with a long wedding party, that matters. See wedding MC and what a wedding MC does.

Live ceremony music

Acoustic guitar and vocals, or piano, for your prelude, processional, signing and recessional. In a big room, live music gives the ceremony a focus that a playlist can't. On a lawn by the lake, it carries without needing to be loud. We choose the songs together, and we time your processional so the part you love lands as you start down the aisle. See live ceremony music and our acoustic ceremony songs guide.

Cocktail hour

A live acoustic set while you take photos and your guests find the bar. In a marble lobby or on a lakeside terrace, it sets the tone before anyone sits down. See cocktail hour music.

DJ plus live music

Live drums, guitar, sax or violin, in any combination, over the songs your guests already know. Picture a Motown classic late in the night with a live sax or guitar line on top, and the whole room singing the chorus. It's added to your DJ booking. See DJ plus live music.

Live wedding band

If you'd rather have a band on stage for the whole reception, see the live wedding band page. A band package can have a DJ playing between sets and closing out the night. Compare the combinations in our DJ, live band or both guide.

What does a wedding DJ cost in Metro Detroit?

It depends on how many hours you need, whether you add live music, and what your venue needs. We don't publish prices, because every quote is built around your day. Our Michigan wedding DJ cost guide explains what drives the price, and if you check your date we'll send you a quote for yours.

Towns around Detroit we play

Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Harper Woods, St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens, Dearborn, Wyandotte and Downriver, Livonia, Plymouth, Northville, Canton, Novi, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Rochester, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township and Clarkston. Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and further. See also Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Northern Michigan, or browse the portfolio and the FAQ.