About this vendor
Fun and Versatile Wedding Entertainment
A Steve Bender Entertainment, INC. is a wedding DJ company operating out of Blue Ash, OH. For over three decades, owner Steve and his seasoned team of passionate performers have been providing private events with incredible musical experiences. Offering a range of entertainment options, they are ready to create the perfect soundtrack for your once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Steve’s journey as a DJ first began in high school when he began spinning records at school dances and parties. Eventually, he started performing at weddings of all shapes and sizes, and the rest is history. He has assembled a crew of some of the finest local entertainers who pride themselves on crafting bespoke musical experiences full of fun and flair. An award-winning team, they have been voted one of the best wedding-related companies in the city of Cincinnati by the Better Business Bureau.
A Steve Bender Entertainment, INC. is available to fill reception dance floors throughout the greater Cincinnati area, as well as Kentucky and Dayton. Steve and his team know there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to wedding entertainment, and they tailor their skills to fit every vision. As well as personalized playlists, they also offer a selection of lighting services, photo booths, monograms, and event design options to fit your specific celebration needs.
Details
Equipment
- Audio/Visual Equipment
- Sound Equipment
Music Genres
- African
- Arabic
- Bollywood
- Caribbean
- Celtic
- Classical
Music Services
- MC Services
- Recorded Music
- Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
Pricing
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Reviews
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4.7
out of 5.0365 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Steve Bender Entertainment receives glowing reviews for their exceptional DJ services at weddings. Multiple reviewers praise the DJs like Steve and Bob for their communication, professionalism, and ability to keep the dance floor busy throughout the event. Clients appreciate the easy planning process, online song selection tools, and the DJs' flexibility in accommodating specific music preferences and timeline requests. The DJs are commended for reading the crowd well, ensuring a lively and enjoyable atmosphere at the weddings. The overall consensus is highly positive, with many recommending Steve Bender Entertainment for a fun and memorable wedding experience.- Top reviews
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Great experience, excellent DJ! Good communication, too.
Steve Bender absolutely smashed our wedding reception out of the park. He understood what I wanted in music and played absolute banger after banger. I couldn’t sit down for more than a minute to catch my breath because the music made me stay on the dance floor! My guests had a great time. Steve had us cracking up and brought the vibes until the very last minute of our reception. Booking, communication and organization before the day were easy and breezy. I highly highly recommend booking him as your DJ.
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.
Any questions?
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
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you for the kind words regarding your experience with us! One of the things we often get recognition for is our online planning site. By allowing you to plan songs you want, songs you don't want and communicate quickly with us it makes ...
your planning easier. Again, thank you so much Catherine for the nice review.
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you so much Sally! Mike (a.k.a. DJ Casper) had a great time playing for you! He's been doing a great job for me all the way to our days at KISS FM and MIX 94.1. And as usual the Cincinnati Art Museum was a fabulous backdrop to the nigh...
ts events. Thanks again!
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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.
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you so much Maria! We truly enjoyed working with you and your entire family and Mike says thanks for the great review of his music and MC skills! We wish you the best!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Emma, you're making me blush, lol. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. It was awesome and the staff at the Madison were great to work with as usual!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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.
Response from the Vendor on 11/19/2021
Thank you so much for your kind words. It was a joy playing for you and your guests!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
https://www.SteveBender.com
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!
Response from the Vendor on 11/19/2021
Thank you so much! It's always a pleasure to work with great clients like the two of you and Danny wanted me to make sure I told you how much fun he had at your celebration! We wish you much happiness!
Thanks,
Steve Bender and Danny Earls
h...
ttps://www.SteveBender.com
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.
Response from the Vendor on 11/19/2021
Wow, thank you so much for your kind words, it really means so much to me and all of the people who I work with. I had a ball at your wedding and I wish the two of you much happiness and success!
Thanks,
Steve
https://www.SteveBender.com
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!
Response from the Vendor on 11/19/2021
Thank you so much Greg and Jennifer! It was a pleasure working with you and Dwaine a.k.a. The Luna Man had a blast. We were literally just talking about your wedding this past Sunday and he mentioned how the night could have gone on forever, ...
you guys were on the floor all night! The Spot is a great venue also, we love it there! Thank you again for the kind words, it means the world to us!
Thank You
Steve Bender and Dwaine (The Luna Man)
https://www.SteveBender.com
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.
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thanks Chelsea for the kind words! I agree the Caricature Artist is always a good bet for any event and everyone loved it! I wasn't aware there was an issue with the volume, if you're ever in a situation like that in the future (a party, spec...
ial event etc.) make sure the DJ knows. I would have lowered the volume for you no problem. Great to hear it was a good time for everyone, it was a great evening and the weather was perfect!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Hello Erica!
Thanks for the great review, and it was a pleasure working with you! The staff at Wetherington Country Club were a joy to work with as usual also. Glad we could keep your dance floor packed and having a great time. I truly enjoy...
ed it!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
WOW! What a night! That was truly a great party Kelly and I'm so happy you chose us to be a part of it. An the Little Miami Brewing Company was awesome!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Olivia and David, thank you so much for the great review! I was so bummed not to be able to personally attend your event but as you said, Bobby is incredible as are all of my DJ/MC staff. I've collected some of the finest and talented individ...
uals in the city and am proud of all of them. Bobby has been with me longer than anyone and he's amazing as you said. Glad you liked the Caricature Artist also! That's one of the exclusive options we offer and people LOVE it!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you so much Cassidy! I had a great time and Sonya and the entire crew at Drees Pavilion is awesome! I had a great time too along with your guests!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you so much Heather! Matt is an over the top talent and I'm so glad you and your guests had a blast! I'll make sure to let Matt know and we both wish you the best in your future together!
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.
Response from the Vendor on 04/19/2022
Thank you so much Sarah! RJ said he really enjoyed playing for you and Dale, and the Lake Lyndsay Beach House ( or any of their facilities on site ) is always fun! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Thanks,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender En...
tertainment
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!
Response from the Vendor on 05/29/2021
Hello Peyton! Thank you so much for your kind words. I had a wonderful time playing for your family and guests! And of course the Carriage House is a wonderful venue. From the ceremony to cocktail music setup outside to the fun inside for th...
e reception was so much fun. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day.
Thank You,
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
http://www.SteveBender.com
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.
Response from the Vendor on 05/29/2021
Matt wanted me to let you know how much he appreciates your kind words. He's enjoyed playing for your family through the years and sends warm thoughts to you and your family! Thank you for making out job easy, you have been a pleasure to work...
with through the years!
Thank You,
Matt and Steve
A Steve Bender Entertainment
http://www.SteveBender.com
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! 😊
Was a great experience. Steve was overall prompt with communication and getting back to us. Made things pretty seamless when we had to reschedule. Michael our DJ was great. Called a few days prior to the event, was very chill, and went through the whole ceremony with us. Everything went pretty smoothly! Michael was great with requests but also good with scanning the crowd and figuring how to draw people on the dance floor. Would highly recommend!
We had a great experience working with Steve Bender Entertainment as our wedding DJ. Steve was our actual DJ for our wedding and he did a great job running our reception! He was able to change things on the fly for announcing our wedding party and he really gained everyone's attention and kept the night flowing smoothly. He checked in with the groom and I to make sure the formalities kept moving so we had enough time to dance, which was important to us. He kept people on the dance floor all night long and we received so many compliments about how much fun it was! There was only a slight disconnect a week before our event because Steve was dealing with hackers but he called us back as soon as he got our message and made us feel comfortable everything would go according to plan, which it definitely did! Thanks Steve and we loved working with you!
We had to change our original plans of having a band due to Covid. Thankfully Steve had an opening. The whole process was wonderful with them! He was able to answer all of our questions in a very timely manner. Everyone at the wedding had such much fun! The dance floor was always packed.
My wife and I used Steve Bender to facilitate the schedule of our events for our reception and he delivered on that promise. He and his staff were a pleasure to work with and his online portal system made it possible to select songs with ease. We were impressed with his years of service, professionalism, and his abilities to get our guests out on the dance floor. We would recommend his services to all our families and friends.
Steve was so professional yet flexible, in a time where COVID changes plans daily! I had so many people all night tell me how great my playlist was, and I only gave Steve 10 "must plays".. he is a true expert!
I loved working with Steve on the front end to plan my event and get the booking taken care of. His client portal makes things super easy.
The only reason I can't give more stars is because of the actual DJ we worked with day-of. Despite us filling out all the event info forms and explaining our flow, there were several details that he struggled to grasp, which made my experience with him frustrating. We were a little nontraditional, so there was no aisle to process or recess down, and he kept asking about processional and recessional music or talking about "when you walk down the aisle". Not a negative experience by any means, just not what I expected.
Response from the Vendor on 03/25/2020
Hello Kayla, I just saw this review when I logged in to the Knot. I was not aware of an issue and as always we ask all of our customers to reach out to us so we have "specific" information so if there is a problem we can correct it in the futu...
re. I'll be reaching out to you and also Matt your DJ in the next day or so so I can understand what is was that occurred which kept us from getting a five star review. We want your experience with us to be a five star experience. If it wasn't, we want to know why and we will do everything in our power to at least make your Customer Service response from us a five star experience. I look forward to talking to you in the next day or so. Thank You!
Steve Bender
We had Bobby as our DJ from Steve Bender. He was amazing and communication was great! We couldn't have asked for better!
Response from the Vendor on 03/25/2020
Hello Emily! Thank you so much for the wonderful review of our service. Bobby especially wanted me to tell you how much he appreciates it. He truly enjoyed playing for you and your guests at Aston Oaks. We wish you much happiness in your ne...
w life together and again, thank you so much.
Steve and Bobby
A Steve Bender Entertainment Inc.
https://www.SteveBender.com
Steve Bender was our DJ for our 2/29/2020 wedding reception. There wasn't one time the dance floor was empty. People even started dancing at their tables before the buffet was taken down! Steve was SUPER accommodating and played various genres to get everyone to the floor! I found Steve at a bridal show and he seemed to be the only DJ that didn't "beg" me to hire him. He was relaxed and calm, and that is what I needed. I knew immediately he would be perfect for our special day. We would recommend Steve for any occasion a million times over. Dancing was a top priority at our wedding, and Steve Bender helped make it a night we will never forget!
Steve Bender took our wedding to a whole other level! We got to see Steve in action a year prior to our wedding and we knew we had to have him DJ our day. Steve is friendly, courteous, and so easy to work with. He's also one heck of a coach when it came time to introduce us, perform speeches, and he is a master at reading the room and tuning the music to it. Ask Steve about his personal experiences in the music industry, as well as meeting some of the Beatles. That was so cool to hear from him, and just added a personal touch. Thank you so much, Steve!
We loved working with Steve Bender Entertainment and our DJ Bobby was fantastic. He got everyone on the dance floor and helped move the event along seamlessly. I would highly recommend!
We were very disappointed in Steve Bender and regret booking him for our wedding.
When we first met with Steve, we hit it off with him and really wanted him to be our DJ, but he was out of our price range. Steve agreed to price match our other DJ front runner, and we were able to book him as our DJ within our price range. We were so excited!
Fast forward to two weeks before our wedding we were unable to get in contact with Steve. Multiple calls and emails went unanswered. Since the DJ is one of the most important vendors at a wedding, we were terrified. We finally got ahold of him and had our final consultation over the phone. Everything seemed fine until the day of our wedding when, without notice, a different DJ showed up to our wedding. Our photographer went out of her way to speak with the replacement DJ to find out that Steve was sick and couldn't make it. The two stars are because the DJ showed up and did his job. However, he was awkward on the microphone and played every single "must play song", in order at the very start of the reception.
My biggest disappointment is that the company never even called to notify us that Steve wasn't showing up or issued a refund for having a different DJ (Steve costs more to book than his other DJs). We wish we would have booked a different DJ.
Response from the Vendor on 02/28/2020
This review is puzzling because the review shows that the client listed September 7th 2018 (a Year and a Half ago) and we did not have ANY events on this date, we also checked for 2019th and we have no record of any bride or groom named Stephan...
ie on September 7th of that date either. As you can see we have a solid Five Star Review performance record and if in fact we did perform the event and there was an issue we cannot correct it if we do not know about it. Why did you wait for a year and a half to post a review we can find no record of on September 7th? Why did you not contact us directly so we could correct the problem if there was one? We have not been contacted at all in fact and had I not logged on to the KNOT to update some info I would not have even known about this. I just saw this review today on the KNOT. I would have thought that if there was an issue we would have been contacted the week after or month after not a year and a half later. We could not respond, or give any assistance or refund if we did not know about an issue or who in fact the individual is, which as I said before we have no idea who this is. If however I or any of our DJ's were sick or in an accident or death or unable to do an event we do have a provision in our contract that another DJ from our company will be available. It is part of our backup policy which both parties agree to in the contract. It has been two years, we can not find a Stephanie A. on that date or on any other September 7th date in our system before or after. Another concern is if there were any problems with the event why are we just now hearing about it? We are a reputable business and we do the right thing, if in fact there was a mistake or problem we address those immediately and take care of them. We are an A+ Rated Member of the BBB, KNOT Hall of Fame Member etc. A year and a half later minds will be foggy, and the fact we had no events on September 7th makes us wonder what is going on here.
From the second we met Steve we knew we were going to book, he was funny, kind, and knowledgeable. We had our wedding on a Sunday morning, not exactly the most popular time, but Steve never complained, he came to the event and rocked the house! I listen to everything under the sun so my song selections were a bit different, but the online planner was easy to use and helpful! He found every song I wanted and played my favorites but also included songs people could get up and dance to! He helped the event sail smoothly and was a joy to work with! We could not have asked for a better DJ!
Steve was awesome at our wedding reception! His online planning form was so helpful and organized so that nothing was left out or forgotten. Steve was great in helping us to figure out a timeline and checking in with us at the reception. We loved that he had us create a must play, maybe play, and do not play playlist. We also used their photo booth and photo booth attendant who created a fun album for us to enjoy after the reception!
We had Matt as our DJ and he was awesome! Our dance floor was packed all night....and it was SO much fun!!! The team at Steve Bender was great to work with. They were timely with communication, affordable, professional, and made our reception an absolute blast! I highly recommend them!!
Response from the Vendor on 11/24/2019
Megan and Andrew thanks for the review! Matt had a great time at your event and we ALWAYS enjoy playing the Steam Plant in Dayton, what a cool venue. The staff there is wonderful to work with. You guys were great also, and I wish you the be...
st in your new life together! From Matt and myself again, thank you so much for the kind words.
Thank You,
Steve and Matt
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
First off, Matt was our DJ and he was phenomenal. Seriously, I don't think he could have done a better job. The dance floor was fun and people keep telling me how much fun they had dancing to the music at our wedding. There are a couple of reasons why I gave 3 stars. First, communication could have been better. There were a few instances I reached out a couple times before getting a response and the automated communication from the online event portal could have also been better. I received automated communications telling me to submit my event planner right before the wedding, even though I already had, so this was confusing to me. Second was with the photo booth we booked with them. We didn't even find out who exactly was doing the photo booth until like 3 or 4 days before. Maybe this is normal, but when we did get contacted by the photo booth people, they were given a couple of wrong details. This added unnecessary stress right before the wedding for me. Everything worked out in the end, but leading up could have been better.
Response from the Vendor on 11/21/2019
Hello Katie, I guess I'm a little confused on this one. I appreciate that you loved Matt and our performance for your event and as you said "Matt was our DJ and he was phenomenal. Seriously, I don't think he could have done a better job" But...
in regards to the other things which caused you to give us such a low rating is confusing. We have a system in place to "stay in touch" with our clients and our automated system simply reminds clients that their online event planner is still open if they need or want to make any changes before the event. We are simply staying on top of your event to make sure it goes perfectly (which as you stated it did) thus the reason for our systems. I'm sorry if us sending you an email asking you to make sure everything was up to date and finished caused stress. In regards to the Photo Booth...again, we contact the client the week of the event to MAKE SURE everything is correct. You booked us in December of 2018 almost one year prior...and the times you gave us at that time were different from the times which wound up being on your online event planner for the event AND for the photo booth which is why we contact the client the week of to make sure everything is correct and nothing falls through the cracks. Had we not done this, we would have shown up one hour later than you wanted because you had moved your start time back an hour since the time you had booked with us. Mike who handled your booth for your event simply was confirming times (which were different from what you had booked a year before on the contract) to make sure again...everything would run perfect for the day of your event. We have procedures in place to give our customers the best experience possible. I'm sorry if you felt they were too much but these things are explained in the very first email you received and read when you booked. It details that we will be contacting you to go over your planner and sending reminders for you to "help" you with your day. I hope this clears it up a bit for you. Again, we do appreciate your kind words regarding Matt and stating how much fun everyone had and that it couldn't have been better, I just feel we did everything we did and or do to make sure we continue to give a Five Star Performance for our customers.
Thank You,
Steve Bender
https://www.SteveBender.com
Steve was great and did an incredible job at our wedding. The lights were beautiful and the music was perfect. Steve was always great when it came to communication as well and responded well within a reasonable amount of time. I would hiring Steve Bender Entertainment again!
Response from the Vendor on 11/21/2019
Thank you so much for the kind review, I really do appreciate it! The Pinecroft Mansion is one of our favorite venues to play and it was a joy entertaining you and your guests! I loved what you did with the plants and decorations and you had...
a fun party crowd! Again thank you so much and I wish you both much happiness in your new life together!
Thank You,
Steve
https://www.SteveBender.com
Steve Bender Entertainment was extremely easy to work with and was awesome the night of the wedding. The online-planning account made everything so clear on what we wanted for songs and how we wanted the night to go. Our DJ, Bobby, was on-time, kept everyone on the dance floor with the music, and kept the night moving without long periods of time of nothing (in collaboration with our photographer and other vendors).
We HIGHLY recommend using Steve Bender!!!
Response from the Vendor on 11/21/2019
Thank you Rose and Nick! I agree that Bobby is absolutely awesome and one of the reasons he's one of the most requested DJ's in the Cincinnati/Dayton area! I'm glad you liked our online event planner and also our email communication system th...
at keeps everyone in the loop and organized. I wish you much success in your new life together and thank you so much for letting Bobby and A Steve Bender Entertainment be a part of your big day!
Thank You
On behalf of Bobby Leach and myself Steve Bender
https://www.SteveBender.com
Bobby was our DJ and when I say he was amazing I mean he was AMAZING. From recording specific songs we wanted to use for our ceremony, to keeping the dance floor moving all night long and providing glow sticks and rings, to meeting our every request for songs and flow of the night - Bobby NAILED IT. he was so fun and easy to work with, and was in constant communication with us during the process. He was constantly checking in with us to make sure songs we wanted were played, and he even came to me before the last song was played. Bobby rocked!!!
The ONLY reason I might consider giving this company a 4 star review is because communication via email was a little frustrating at times. When we first booked with Steve there was some lag in communication time and in getting back with us that left us feeling a little nervous. However, once the event got closer this was no longer an issue and they met our every need!!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Thank you so much for your kind words...we're blushing ;) You are correct, Bobby is OUTSTANDING and that's why he's one of the most requested DJ's on our staff...for that matter in the entire Tri State Area! I'm so glad we were able to knock ...
it out of the park for you and your review means so much to us. Bobby has received a copy of this email and he wanted to make sure you knew how much he enjoyed working with you. We wish you the best in your new life together!
Steve Bender and Bobby Leach
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
Great experience with Steve and our personal DJ! Our DJ was so much fun and did a great job with playing a combo of all the songs we requested! He also stayed away from the ones we absolutely didn’t want, which was much appreciated! I highly recommend this company for your wedding!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Thank you so much Kelly, we enjoyed being a part of your day! Matt is an outstanding DJ and he wanted me to let you know how much he appreciates your glowing review of him and his work. And I want to thank you for being such a wonderful group...
of people to work with all the way through the process. I wish you all continues happiness in your new life together! Matt an I both thank you!
Steve Bender and Matt Fry
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
My husband and I had the best experience with Steve Bender at our wedding! Steve made us feel at home from our very first meeting. We originally were going to go with a different DJ, which works for Steve, who we have seen at my roommate's wedding in 2015, but after meeting with Steve, we felt so comfortable and had such good conversation with him and felt he would meet our every need at our wedding. Steve made sure to give us all the details and gave us a good deal. He was extremely tentative and professional. He also was able to adjust to our timeline and add on last minute ceremony music days before our wedding which eased our stress. Steve made the lighting in our tent at Pinecroft look beautiful and passed out glow sticks for us during the reception as he played music which kept the energy going the entire night. He was fun, entertaining and played a variety of music which made the guests want to keep dancing and the dance floor full the whole night. Casey and I also used Steve for the photo booth and upgraded to the premium booth for video. We LOVED watching the videos and pictures days after our wedding and will cherish these memories forever. We would highly recommend Steve Bender to anyone and are sad we can't hit replay on our wedding night!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Kim and Casey thank you so much for the review! Pinecroft is one of our FAVORITE venues to play, I'm lucky in that I'm actually playing there again this Saturday. What a beautiful day it was an I'm so happy you were able to enjoy the pictures...
and video's from our Exclusive Photo Booths. The up lighting did really make the venue pop, I took quite a few pictures which I've shown other clients who are interested in lighting at Pinecroft. You had a great crowd and they were on the floor all night, which makes it so much fun for me an all of my staff. Again, thank you so much for your kind words and I wish you both much happiness!
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
Steve was amazing crafting a playlist for our special day! We had requested a mix of everything from 80s to today, pop to country, and a heavy dose of line dances - he absolutely delivered. We had several of our family and friends come up to us during the reception to point out how much they loved the music. We picked Steve over a few other close DJs because during our first meeting he was able to give detailed examples of what songs he would play and how he would use the song selection to keep the dance floor full. He did not disappoint. The only reason I rated him 4 and not 5 stars is that they were also supplying the sound for the ceremony and one of the handheld microphones went out a few times making it hard for those in the back of the room to hear the officiant. Luckily the room acoustics carried her voice and she kept going - so not a big deal at all. I would highly recommend Steve for your special day!!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Danielle and Peter thank you for the great review! The Monastery is an incredible venue to play! Your crowd was AWESOME and so much fun to play for! It's always fun for us when we have such incredible clients like yourself to work with. I ...
hope the honeymoon was relaxing an I thank you once again for your wonderfully kind review!
Steve Bender
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
Sean and Steve were amazing to work with for our daughters wedding! They made sure they had her preferences down and executed flawlessly!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Thank you so much Cali! Shaun is an outstanding talent and really works hard to make sure everyone is happy with the service we provide. Your entire family was a joy to work with and the Lunken Hanger looked incredible! The airplane was a re...
ally nice touch and the lighting turned out perfect! Thank you so much for the kind words. Shaun and I both appreciate it.
Steve and Shaun
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
All our guests were on the dance floor all night long. We couldn't have asked for a better evening!
Response from the Vendor on 11/07/2019
Theresa and Ian thank you for the review! Your DJ Matt had a blast, he was talking to me about it on Monday and he loved your venue also! Congratulations on your new life together and I truly appreciate the fact you let us be a part of your s...
pecial day.
Steve an Matt
A Steve Bender Entertainment
https://www.SteveBender.com
Let me just say- the dance floor was on and poppin alllllll night! I can't tell you how many of our guests commented on the music and how excited they were to have great tunes all throughout the evening. We wanted to make sure our wedding reception was full of music from all ages, not just the most current Lizzo or Cardi B beats. Steve created such a fun atmosphere that got alllll the guests on the dance floor, everyone from my 6yo cousin to my 85yo grandpa! Our wedding was unique and did not include all the traditional wedding events and we wanted our music to match that and capture who we are as a couple. My fiance and I love Frank Sinatra and we often dance in the kitchen to that as we are cooking dinner, so it was important to us that his music be apart of our wedding dinner. Many of our guests commented on how much the dinner music set the tone and fit our vibes! Much of this was Steve behind the scenes curating the perfect blend of tunes, but some of it was planned ahead of time. His online planning forms were beyond helpful and easy to use! As a bride, it would be easy to overlook or miss all the songs that need to be planned and picked. I personally didn’t even realize there were so many songs for the ceremony alone. Music while the guests arrive, song for the mothers to walk down the aisle to, bridal party processional, brides processional, bride and groom recessional, bridal party recessional and the list goes on! This can be overwhelming and leave the bride feeling like there’s something she is forgetting. But all these worries were put to bay for me because of the detailed online planner. Steve is also exceptional in his work in that the day of the wedding he continued to find me at the best, most appropriate times to check-in and make sure everything was going as I had hoped. He asked for feedback and was always making sure I was happy with the music and if there was anything he could do to make things better. The entertainment was perfect at our wedding and I have Steve Bender to thank for that. We wanted our wedding to be a big party and we wanted everyone to feel included and enjoy themselves, and from what everyone has told us- we succeeded! It was the best party we have ever been to, and I heard that exact line from multiple guests which is all I really wanted! Thank you Steve! And to anyone reading this review and considering booking Steve Bender for your wedding or event- do it! You wont regret it!