Reception Music Too Loud

I would just talk to your DJ about it! Some venues have noise restrictions, and a professional DJ will be used to working with all sorts of different crowds and preferences. He'll be able to reassure you.

This is actually something I'm not worried about (surprisingly, lol!).

Daughter's venue had a very strict noise restriction (it was a country club in the middle of a high-end gated community). She hired a DJ from the venue's preferred list. He was VERY familiar with the noise restrictions and made sure everything was perfect. We had a couple tables of older guests who didn't dance much, so I'm assuming they had no trouble talking with each other. As others have said, talk with your DJ. They will be working for you, so they should comply with your requests. Good luck!

Talk to him about it now, talk to him about it day of — he can adjust if it needs to be adjusted ! I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to discuss in preliminary conversations, but also— don’t stress this one! This is one thing that can EASILY be changed in the moment. Too loud day of, run up and mention it , and you should be good to go. Of course that’s not something you want to be caught up with doing, but, my DJ was awesome— easy to talk to , approachable— and he checked in with me on a couple different occasions night of just to make sure everything was good/as expected/he was delivering exactly what we wanted

Some venues I think even have a requirement for how loud

YOUR FEAR IS JUSTIFIED! The reasons are as you stated, you want your guest to have a good time, be able to catch up with relatives and old friends without having to leave their table or speak into each other's ear to communicate. Many of those attending may not have seen each other for a long time. NOT ALL, BUT MANY BANDS, OFTEN ARE WORKING ON THEIR SET OF RULES. MOST MEMBERS WANT TO HEAR THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT OR VOICE, THUS THEY TURN THEIR PERSONAL VOLUME UP TO THE LEVEL OF THE LOUDEST INSTRUMENT, OFTEN THE DRUMS. THEY HAVE NO REGARD FOR THEIR AUDIENCE. THUS YOU WHO PAY THEIR BILL NEED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. Ask them directly, will they turn the volume down if you ask, will they take a pay cut if you are not happy with the volume? Put that in your agreement with them before the wedding. AND you must be willing to carry through on the cut if they do not comply. So, how can you police the situation easily. You can download a program to your phone which measures the decibel levels of the sound in your reception area. Anything above 70 decibels becomes a problem. These meters can calculate an average. Use that as your full pay cut control. I am 73, one of those older folks who love to catch up at weddings with friends and relatives. There are too many weddings where the volume was way too high and the band refused to lower the sound. My own son's band was so loud I could not remain in the reception area while they played. I am also a vocalist, have recorded concerts. So I know there is absolutely no reason a band cannot lower the volume. BUT YOU MUST REMEMBER TO REMAIN IN CONTROL, TALK TO YOUR BAND EARLY, EVEN GO TO ONE OF THEIR LIVE EVENTS TO CHECK THE VOLUME OUT. AND WRITE INTO THE CONTRACT, THAT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DECIDES IF THE VOLUME IS TOO HIGH AND THERE WILL BE A PENALTY. GOOD LUCK, MAY YOUR WEDDING BE A TIME TO REMEMBER.