A Steve Bender Entertainment DJ/MC,Lighting,Photo Booth

Steve Bender was a pleasure to work with even when we were being difficult in how much control we wanted to have over the music. He was willing to work with us and explain the process and gave us three separate phone conversations or zoom meetings to help us understand. With our particularity about certain music selections and timings, Steve opted to DJ the wedding himself and we were not disappointed. We did not have to worry when we stepped out to take photos, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. We highly recommend Steve Bender entertainment for any DJ or MC occasions.

Working with Steve Bender as our DJ for our wedding was an awesome experience! We felt that Steve did a great job answering our questions leading up to the wedding and took the time to understand exactly what we wanted our wedding day to be like. During our event he checked in with us multiple times to ensure the music was what we wanted. He truly elevated our wedding day and we are very thankful to have worked with him!

Steve is great at communicating over e-mail & in calls, showed up on time, and was phenomenal at working the crowd and MCing. He is a one-man show and was excellent! Wedding attendees were dancing for a couple hours non-stop.

As the bride I spent a lot of time organizing the music list to have what we wanted included and all the important details I wanted our DJ to be prepared for and ready to address. I think to say I'm underwhelmed with the results of hiring this company is fair. I'll start with the things that were subpar in my eyes: 1) I discussed with my husband the importance of paying SBE extra to do our ceremony music and we agreed having a professional would be the best decision. This STILL got messed up and our DJ Danny switched between the bridal party's entrance song and mine several times during my walk down the aisle. (He did apologize for it later but that's not something you get the chance to re-do). I now have to agree with my husband that we could have asked someone to do it and save the money. 2) For the mother/son dance he was supposed to invite other mothers/sons to the dance floor but instead invited fathers/daughters which was awkward because my father has been dead for 10 years and I wanted to avoid this. 3) I wanted to get the dance floor started by doing a reverse anniversary dance (where the bride and groom are on the floor first and then you add couples from least amount of time married to most) so that the dance floor was filled and then play a popular song to have a packed dance floor. Instead we did a slow song with everyone and then he removed all the couples so it was just my husband and I which I thought was VERY awkward. 4) When I called to hire SBE and spoke with Steve he said he was available for our wedding day and I asked for him to be our DJ. A week before our wedding we were told Danny was our DJ without being asked to switch. 5) I spent months working on our "Please Play" list and my husband and I agreed to keep it relatively short to 20ish songs to give the DJ freedom to judge the crowd on what to play next. ALL of these requested songs were played during dinner which didn't make sense because when talking to Danny on the phone we asked for classy songs from the 70s to now to appease our guests age ranges. Example: I would have loved to dance to WOP and Copperhead Road on the dance floor and not enjoy them while eating mac and cheese. 6) Other wedding vendors were reaching out several weeks in advance to schedule planning meetings and being a major planner myself I wanted to make sure I had time leading up to the wedding to chat with our DJ. I emailed SBE after I finished our online planner 10-11 days ahead of our date asking to set up a time to meet. This email (and SEVERAL phone calls) were ignored until the Monday before our event. Things that were okay in my eyes: 1) The online planner was very user friendly.2) We got CDs with the music that was played at our wedding which is unique. I hate leaving negative reviews but I do hope this review helps someone when making a decision about who to hire for their next event. I don't think I will be using SBE in the future. 

Very responsive during planning stages and they have an online planning form where you can set up your timeline, choose your songs, and add any comments for special requests. For example, we wanted some instrumental versions of songs and we just added YouTube links in the comments section and they were able to use those. We also asked them to start certain songs at a particular part, like the last chorus for our recessional song. Danny was our DJ and everything went great with him! We had a blast and our guests definitely did too!

DJ Steve hit it out of the park with our wedding. He helped bring our vision to life all the way from our ceremony to reception send off. The smooth transitions and spot on music selections impressed not only us, but our guests as well. I couldn't have been more happy with how full our dance floor was right up until the very end!!

Got a great price for our wedding reception and everything was organized and professional. Our DJ was fantastic and met our music taste for everyone to enjoy. Absolutely no complaints!

Choosing Steve Bender as a DJ for our wedding was one of the best wedding decisions we made! He played music that kept people on the dance floor through the very last song of the night and was a joy to work with through the planning process. He even worked with us with our customized cocktail/dinner music playlist so that we got exactly the music we wanted. We received so many compliments on him in the days after the wedding and had people asking for his name again. Truly his years of experience have made him the best DJ in the Cincinnati area. If you want your wedding to actually be a party, hire Steve!

We booked Steve Bender Entertainment for our DJ early on in our wedding planning and he and Bob, our DJ, went above and beyond! Their online platform is easy to use, and Bob surprised us with glow sticks during the dancing! It was a happy touch :)

Steve was incredible to work with and went above and beyond for our wedding(s). Unfortunately, we had to postpone our first wedding reception. Steve was generous enough to offer to return for our out of state make-up reception free of charge. He was fantastic from start to finish at both events. We’re so glad we chose to work with Steve and will absolutely do so again if we need a DJ in the future!

Steve was great, on time and played everything we requested! Had a blast!

Steve was amazing to work with for our wedding! He made the planning process easy and provided guidance on how to lay out our reception. Highly recommend Steve and his team for your event!

I thought the DJ was perfect. I liked the option to get what you want. We wanted simple. Our DJ was very nice and gave us good advice. He kept the dance floor going. I am glad I went with them!

Steve Bender is amazing! We really were worried because we feel like the DJ is the most important part of the ceremony. The second vendor we booked after the venue was the DJ, and Steve fit the bill! He's really great at making you feel comfortable, but most importantly, he and the rest of his staff are great at the subtle art of Reading a room. You might think you have a great playlist in mind or know some songs, but really it's the feel of the crowd and only an experienced DJ can really know how to make that happen. We had our dance floor going the entire evening, which was exactly what our specific wedding needed! five stars, very communicative and very clear with all expectations. super easy to work with and would recommend him in a heartbeat!

We could not be happier with our choice in Steve Bender for our wedding. DJ Casper (Michael) was amazing and kept the party going with the exact type of music that made everyone happy. We loved dancing with our friends and family all night and it was made possible because of his willingness to communicate with us. He also did the music for our ceremony and it turned out so well. We're so thankful!!

I booked with Steve Bender Entertainment for my 5/28/22 wedding. We had RJ for our DJ. Unfortunately, I was overall disappointed in the DJ services provided. I was assigned RJ two weeks or so before my wedding and then had a phone consult with him to discuss the wedding schedule and song choices. RJ had quite a few opinions and suggestions when it came to my wedding timeline as far as when to cut the cake, first dance, etc. Even though I had already created and finalized the schedule with my coordinator, photographer, and videographer. Through the website, you’re able to customize an online playlist and create a “do not play” list. RJ said that my do not play list was the longest he has ever seen and that the first 3 songs that he likes to start with were on my “do not play” list. He explained to me that he has been a DJ for 20 years and needs to be able to use “tools” (songs) when playing music. I’m not sure why I was given the option to create a “do not play” list if I was going to be talked out of it. He said that he would be able to “read the room” and I told him he could play the songs if people were dancing. I felt anxious for the wedding day after our phone call consult, but tried to stay positive. Not one single person danced to his first 3 songs. He also mentioned that the bridesmaids shouldn’t walk down the aisle to the song that I (bride) walked to. So after changing that, I gave him a song for the bridesmaids to walk to. The groomsmen and bridesmaids ended up walking down to the same song, even though the groom/groomsmen had a different song, which is not what I planned. All of his suggestions ultimately did not end up working out the day of. My Matron of Honor asked him to play songs from the playlist and he snapped at her throwing his hands out and said “I am playing the playlist!” It made for an awkward evening and was a major buzzkill. Yes, I did pay RJ to continue playing music 30 minutes longer, only because there were guests still present. Having an awesome DJ was really important to me and I spoke with 4 different DJs before booking with Steve Bender and decided based on his more affordable price and reviews. I’m giving 3 stars because Steve Bender himself was professional, made the booking process easy, and was great at timely communication. I would say if you plan to book with Steve Bender, pay extra money to specifically choose your DJ. Don’t wait a whole year to be assigned someone random two weeks before your wedding.

We just had our wedding last night and I couldn’t wait to write this review about Steve! What an incredible night and amazing DJ. The planning process was so easy and working with him was so effortless and fun. His website was very user friendly and easy to use and Steve was great to work with from planning the music that I’d go down the aisle to what music played during dinner and throughout the night. I had so many people tell me they’d never seen that many people dance at a wedding before and I know it was because of all the great music Steve played. He took requests, played the songs we loved, didn’t play the stuff we hated and kept the vibes up all night. But the absolute best part was the very last song of the night. Steve organized for all of our remaining guests to get into a circle around us and sway while we danced to piano man in the middle. As huge Billy Joel fans that was such a fun moment and such a special memory we get to have! Thank you so much Steve for everything and anyone reading this review - hire him for your next event!!

Steve was incredible to work with! He was very professional throughout the whole wedding process and even sent tips along the way. Steve was willing to meet as often as we wanted to answer any questions we had. Steve did an incredible job during our wedding to keep the party going. He was fantastic at reading the room. The dance floor was never empty. WE HAD AN INCREDIBLE TIME THANKS TO STEVE!

Steve was so professional, organized and a great addition to our big day. The online portal is extremely easy to work with, from entering a timeline to picking must play songs. We have received many compliments on how great the music was at our wedding. I would recommend Steve to anyone looking for an amazing DJ for their wedding.

We hired the Steve Bender Entertainment company after our consultation phone call. They were affordable, friendly, and so easy to work with. We loved having a client portal to list songs for the ceremony and reception. We also liked being able request songs and make a list of songs we did not want it played. Everyone we saw after the wedding commented on how great our DJ was and how much they enjoyed the music. We wanted a lot of classic rock, and our guests said is was the best collection of music they’ve heard.

Vendor was punctual and fulfilled every request we had discussed prior to the event.

Steve was amazing! He kept the party going and so many people complemented us on the DJ and how much they had!

Steve did an amazing job at our wedding! He asked us what we wanted in terms of music and we said, we just want everyone to dance and have an amazing time. That’s what everyone talked about, how much fun our wedding was! He also did our ceremony music and everything went according to plan. We love Steve and definitely recommend him for any occasion!

If I could give it less than one star, I would. Steve Bender single-handedly ruined my wedding. I did not actually interact much with any other staff, nor did I ever meet or have any communication with my DJ. I had signed the contract and completed all the dj surveys, but Steve never remembered who I was when I would call or email. At one point, about 2 months before my wedding, he told me I never signed a contract or sent a deposit when it had been cashed several months prior. 11 days before my wedding, when I still had not had any initial meeting or conversation with my DJ, I called and left a slightly panicked voicemail. Steve returned my call and I answered while at work, thinking it would be a quick conversation. He didn’t even say hello when I answered the phone and begin talking at me for 6 minutes straight, without letting me get a word in, before I hung up because I had a meeting. He then proceeded to send me long, combative text messages for the next 4 hours (until 10 pm). We ended up scrambling to find another dj, but Steve never apologized, nor did he return the deposit. I honestly considered reporting this to the Better Business Bureau for harassment.

Great website

Steve Bender Entertainment did an outstanding job at my daughter’s wedding this past May! Our DJ was fantastic! The dance floor was crowded all night long. Thank you Steve Bender Entertainment for providing such memorable entertainment. You are absolutely the BEST!

Wonderful experience with this vendor! Has an easy online song selection and planner. Experience was very smooth; DJ did a great job at the ceremony and reception.

We had Steve Bender as the DJ for our wedding and he was AMAZING! So much fun! Prior to the wedding he was extremely easy to work with. We met with him and gave him a couple things we wanted and he did them all, it really made our wedding that much more special. All of our guests were loving the music he played, everyone was dancing, he was the best choice. I HIGHLY recommend using Steve Bender or at least his company for your wedding!

We used Steve Bender for my daughter’s October wedding and he was totally awesome! He kept the dance floor rocking! His selection and timing of songs was fantastic. I could not have asked for better!! Nancy K.

This company is THE BEST!!! Steve is so quick with communication and is incredibly helpful. He gives advice on how the reception flows best, answers all questions, provides helpful planning sheets, etc. Made a very important part of our day SO easy. Our DJ for the night was Danny Earls. He was AWESOME! So much fun, gave us great advice, and kept the party flowing just the way we wanted. The guests had an absolute blast on the dance floor. Will always recommend this company to any future brides!

Steve Bender was on the preferred vendors list given to us by our venue and we had the privilege of having Steve Bender himself at our wedding. He knew exactly what to do at all times and had the dance floor packed the whole night! Having a good DJ is essential, and I wouldn't of wanted to use anyone else! Definitely recommend Steve and his team for all your DJ needs.

We just got married last Saturday, October 30th, and used Steve Bender Entertainment as our DJ. The entire process - from their online portal to fill out our music requests, to the specific requests and order of the reception night - communication was super easy with them. Our biggest compliments come to the night of our wedding - our DJ (Dwaine) was awesome! He was a great Emcee and did a great job keeping the evening on time and our family and friends on the dance floor. Highly recommend Steve Bender Entertainment!

Steve Bender was wonderful to work with! Booking with Steve was quick and easy. They provide an online client portal for you to build your ceremony and/or reception music choices and a must play/do not play list. This was so nice to make the tough music choices over time. Our DJ was awesome and kept the party going until the very end. He was also extremely helpful and insightful for when I was not sure of what music I wanted played during the ceremony seating/bridal party entrance. I cannot recommend this service enough!

Our DJ Sean (or Shawn, not sure how its spelled haha) was very kind and called us a few days before the wedding to make sure everything was how he wanted. Even the day of, if things didn't quite as planned he was very kind about it and planned around us. He was also just a cool person to talk to (: Would definitely recommend

We had a great DJ! He played the best music and kept the party going. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a DJ!

Steve was professional and had good energy throughout the night despite a few hiccups on my end, and the venue being a bit small. The caricature artist that we booked with him was a great hit. The music was slightly too loud for a few people and me because I'm soft spoken haha but not enough to put a damper on the evening.

Steve was attentive, very friendly, and easy to work with! He double checked things with us prior to the wedding and during our reception to make sure everything was the way we wanted it! He did a wonderful job!

Steve Bender was AWESOME! He was extremely professional, accommodating, and FUN! I am so happy we decided to go with him for our music/lighting. He was definitely the best part of our reception! 10/10 recommend!

If you want a DJ that brings a party, goes above and beyond to make sure the schedule for the day is managed, and keeps people on the dance floor all night long, look know further than Steve Bender's group! We had DJ Bobby for our wedding, and he was incredible! He was interactive, handed out props to guests, and I even saw guests running to the dance floor when their favorite songs were played. We had a large variety of decades and genres played at our wedding, and Bobby arranged the set seamlessly. Bobby made sure that each event I had in the schedule happened at the right time, at the same time making sure not to rush anything and "read the room," so to speak. You can tell it was not his first rodeo, and we are so thankful for his expertise and professionalism! We had originally booked Steve for our day, but a last minute emergency caused Steve to reschedule us with Bobby. Steve handled the unexpected event so well, and was very communicative with us during the process. Bobby took great care of us, and I wouldn't have changed a thing! My husband and I also booked a characteristic through Steve Bender, and she was a great add to our night! Guests loved it, and the drawings are great favors. Steve Bender and co make sure no one is bored, and you will not be disappointed with this team at your event!

Steve was amazing! He is so professional, talented and made our wedding a blast! I was on the dance floor the entire time. Steve was easy to communicate with, reasonably priced, and we would recommend any couple booking him for your wedding! Thank you Steve!

Our DJ (Matt Fry) did a fantastic job making sure that everything went smoothly and that everyone had a super fun time at our wedding! The online planning tool was extremely helpful, and Matt confirmed everything we planned ahead of time. He even accommodated a few last minute things that we needed without any hesitation. Thank you for helping us make this day extra special!

Steve Bender Entertainment did an amazing job for our wedding. Even though we had very specific, non-traditional songs for the ceremony and reception, they delivered in a big way. We wanted the timing of the songs a certain way and as difficult as that can be, it was done with perfection. They were great in communication leading up to the event as well.

Steve was our DJ for the night that evening. The uplighting looked great in the room, the photo booth people were fun to work with, Steve kept people out on the dance floor all night with his music. Steve kept things on schedule and ensured that we (the bride and groom) were the center of attention all night. I highly recommend Steve Bender.

RJ was our DJ and he was great! He didn’t talk our guests to death but kept the ceremony (and dance floor) running smoothly all day. Highly recommend this company!

We selected Steve Bender entertainment as a DJ for our wedding. We had DJ Casper (Michael) as our DJ. He was professional, timely and the tool made it super easy to request songs and create a playlist.

I contacted Steve about Dj-ing my wedding last minute. Not only was he able to accommodate me, Steve personally dj-ed our wedding. He was very professional and easy to contact. His set list was great and the dance floor was always full. He even played one encore song at the very end. I would definitely recommend Steve and his company to everyone.

Steve was the DJ for my wedding. He provided sound for my ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. He did a phenomenal job making sure that everything ran smoothly, and he did a great job of creating an extremely fun atmosphere! Steve found the perfect balance between being known and noticed at my wedding so that people got up and danced, but being subtle enough so that the dancing and fun atmosphere felt natural and not forced. My husband hates dancing, but he was even on the dance floor all night because Steve did such a great job making everyone feel comfortable and excited to dance! People keep telling my husband and I how good the playlist was, how great Steve was and how our wedding was the best wedding they have ever been to. That was all Steve! I'm so glad we booked him, and you will be too! Apart from the wedding, Steve was always willing to meet with me, no matter how often I wanted to meet with him, and was extremely responsive to all of my emails. Plus, you can't beat his price! It's very hard to find a top-of-the-line DJ that is the best in the business as affordable as Steve. I'm glad we booked him-he made our wedding an amazing night!

We used Steve Bender Entertainment for all three of our daughters' weddings (2 in 2016 & 1 ini 2021) and we can't say enough about their professionalism and how much of a joy they are to work with. They try in every way to meet your needs so the reception turns out to be the party you want to have in every way. We also were fortunate to have DJ Matt for all 3 receptions. He has the tremendous gift of being able to read the crowd and play the music that gets everyone up dancing. 3 out of 3 receptions the dance floor was packed and everyone had a great time. I would highly encourage any couple wanting their reception to be the party all of their friends and family talk about for weeks to use Steve Bender Entertainment for their music needs.

Steve was awesome for our wedding. Knew how to work the crowd, played great music, very professional and easy to work with!

MUST HAVE DJ. Steve bender was amazing at our wedding this past fall. My husband and I knew we both had families that loved to dance so we gave them the best! And let me tell you, we had family members coming up to us that night along with months after the wedding stating how they could not believe how our dance floor was packed from the first song all the way to the last song! We paid extra to have Steve himself be our DJ and it was one of the best decisions. He is amazing to work with and makes the whole process so easy! He plays what the crowd is feeling and we could not of been happier with him!

Steve is the best!! Although our wedding was cancelled due to covid, I cannot recommend Steve and his services enough. He is professional, experienced and is all around a good guy. His pricing is reasonable and he will work with you to ensure you have a the day organized to how you want it. This is a vendor you want to contract with!

Bobby was great! He kept the night flowing just like we anted and kept people on the dance floor All. Night. Long. Which is exactly what we wanted!

Best DJ ever! We’ve been to many weddings who had so-so DJs and I’m happy to say that was not the case for us. Steve was so easy to work with and everyone at our wedding raved about great he was. He keeps you on schedule while making it fun and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Steve Bender Entertainment was the DJ at our wedding. We highly recommend his services, and he did a wonderful job. The website is easy to use and they respond quickly to questions.

We had the man himself, Steve Bender, as our DJ and he was fantastic! He checked with me and made sure everything was going well with me multiple times, he really fed off of the crowd, and kept things running smoothly. Plus he was so nice and helpful throughout the planning process! I highly recommend these guys! You won’t regret it! 😊