4.9 out of 5 stars and 129 reviews Best of Weddings (8x).
4.9
(129)Starved Rock, LaSalle-Peru, Ottawa, Mendota, Princeton
About this vendor
Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. We approach each wedding, understanding that it is a personal and unique experience. Our goal is to make your reception a ’stress-free’ experience.
Serving the Starved Rock Region of Illinois (LaSalle-Peru, Ottawa, Utica) - also Mendota, Princeton, Morris, Yorkville, Joliet, Metamora, Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon. (Some of the Pro photos of us in action courtesy of McConville Studios and Seth Morris Photography. BOW Video from Totally Kreative Video.)
Just a note: We love all the attention we are getting from Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and south. However, this can be pretty far from our home base. Anything farther south of Metamora is pretty much going to require a travel fee. The rest of our area is north to Dixon/Oregon/DeKalb/far Western suburbs, west to Princeton/Kewanee, and east to Joliet. Unfortunately, The Knot doesn't have a north central Illinois market. Thanks for understanding. :)
Details
Equipment
- Audio/Visual Equipment
- Sound Equipment
Music Genres
- Classical
- Country
- Dance
- Disco
- EDM
- Folk
Music Services
- MC Services
- Recorded Music
- Sound Equipment
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
8-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2025.2024.2023.+5 more.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
4.9
out of 5.0129 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 7
Guys on the Radio came highly recommended by our venue and photographer. The online planning tools and communication from the team was stellar every step of the way. Caryn and Tony...
were stellar day-of and were not only awesome at their jobs but patient with questions from myself and the bridal party. We had an amazing time dancing and singing, and so did our guests. Highly, highly recommend and thank you so much!!
Words do not describe how epic this DJ company is! My guests were asking JC to travel all over IL to host other events. People are also begging for a 5 year vow renewal because it ...
was so much fun and it’s all because of the DJ! They listened to our requests and nailed the music selection and there wasn’t a moment where everyone wasn’t dancing and having a blast!
JC did a phenomenal job of playing everything we were hoping for and then some. He was so good at coordinating the timing of everything and keeping the room in the perfect mood. He...
also does a surprise for the couple at the end of the night which was done masterfully. He is incredibly talented!
When planning a wedding, people (especially your vendors) often ask you what is most important to you on your wedding day. My husband and I had three main goals for our wedding day...
regarding the vendors: great food, good booze, and a dance floor full of our favorite people soaking in the memories and celebrating our marriage. JC Heerdt Guys on the Radio absolutely blew it out of the water. JC was AMAZING. EVERY single song that played was fun, to our liking, and made you never want to leave the dance floor. He was amazing to deal with from planning to the day of the event. He was quick to respond, kind, funny, and willing to do just about whatever we wanted that made our day more special. He was organized and thorough, and most importantly - PLAYED AMAZING MUSIC. We could not have picked a better DJ if we searched the globe. Thank you so much, JC and Guys on the Radio!
What an amazing company!! They made our daughter's wedding spectacular. So much fun and great hands on service. Highly recommend them for your DJ , Day of planners and photo boo...
th. So good!!!
Hands down the best decision we made for our wedding! We cannot say enough great things about Guys on the Radio! JC was our DJ and he went above and beyond to give us the most spec...
tacular celebration. We are from out of town so we really valued the multiple Zoom calls where we got to know JC and go through the details of the day. The online platform to add songs and make payments was such a plus, too! JC was so attentive to our sensitive situation with my mother in law and made us feel so supported and confident in his ability to adjust on the spot if needed. On the day of the wedding, not only did JC guide the timing so it all went smoothly, he curated the most intentional and perfect songs. JC kept the party going! The dance floor was alive the entire time.
Finally, the special ending the JC provided left us speechless. He brought so much magic and love to the ending and we will forever be grateful for that memory.
JC Heerdt and Guys on the Radio are truly THE BEST when it comes to making a wedding reception unforgettable! JC DJ’d my brother’s wedding in September, and we had such a great tim...
e that we booked him for our wedding in February.
He’s professional, incredibly talented, and made the entire planning process so easy. From creating playlists to helping us choose the perfect songs for the ceremony, first dances, and other special moments, JC listened to what we envisioned and brought it to life seamlessly.
He even visited our venue a month in advance— it was a new location for him and he wanted to get a feel for the space and make sure everything would run smoothly. That kind of preparation and care made all the difference.
One of the standout moments was my maid of honor's toast. JC worked with her privately to create a one-of-a-kind mix of a song with her own lyrics and timing. It was emotional, creative, and something I will never forget.
The dance floor was full all night, and our guests are still raving about the energy and music. If you want a fun, professional, and all-around amazing DJ—JC is your guy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dozens of our guests approached us after our wedding, and told us that JC of Guys on the Radio was the best wedding DJ they've ever experienced. We agree with them, wholeheartedly....
Leading up to the wedding, JC was attentive and touched base with us frequently. He demonstrated a deep understanding of weddings and guided us on music selection based on his experience, while still leaving us the creative freedom to make the day ours. I don't think each special moment would have been the same without the advice he provided. In addition to helping us make excellent music selections, JC went above and beyond creating a unique experience for our guests and (most importantly) us. He was an excellent emcee, and has a great framework for a wedding celebration. On top of performing all of the expected duties of a DJ at a masterful level, JC went the extra mile with so many extra touches, many of them surprises that I won't spoil in this review. I cannot recommend Guys on the Radio enough. You want them to DJ your wedding!!
oh, I have so many amazing things to say about guys on the radio. I had Karen and Tony as my DJs and wow did they blow it out of the water. They kept things on time and going so sm...
oothly. They worked so well with my venue to make the night seamless and perfect. Karen was constantly checking in with me and seeing if she could get me anything. And when I was super nervous right before the ceremony she even talked me through some deep breathing exercises to calm down. I absolutely love guys on the radio. They are organized, thorough and have great communication. from the moment I booked them they made wedding planning absolutely seamless. seriously I would not have had the smooth and easy day that I had without them.
If you are looking for a wedding DJ that has energy, passion and keeps that dance floor rockin’, you HAVE to call Guys in the Radio! The communication from the start was excellent-...
they have a detailed questionnaire to get to know you and your guests well ahead of time. We had some custom ideas for our grand entrance and he ROCKED it! (Could definitely pass as Dan Akroyd’s voiceover! 😎) Our Shoely-wed Game went flawlessly! Their lighting set the mood and their timeline for the day helped keep folks on the dance floor of ALL ages… many of our guests commented on the flow and how awesome he was! Finally.. if you are on the fence for the ‘special dance’, DO IT! It made our night and brought us to tears!!!!!!We will recommend JC and Guys on the Radio for years to come!
Hello JC!!!! Andrew’s mom, Julia, here from Saturday night! You are an incredibly gifted and talented DJ! From the first moment you said hello - you captivated the attention of eve...
ryone with your perfect “DJ voice” - the music selection was incredible all night and kept people on the dance floor, my son and now daughter, were beaming the entire night and loved every minute of it! You handled all the speeches perfectly and made things flow so smoothly - and never once did it feel like you were trying to be the center of attention or make yourself known through the night - you kept it all about Andrew and Emily and focused on making them shine. And that final song…..wow. I have no words to fully explain the awesomeness of that moment. Everyone’s voice was so clear and strong and you could hear it all perfectly. Outstanding job. And then the video! Wow!!!!!!! That is the best gift and keepsake and wraps up the evening so wonderfully. thank you for making this night so wonderful for us all!!!!!! Julia
Kevin was an absolutely amazing DJ! He is very professional and kind. All of our guests were raving about how well he was mixing. Very flexible & easy to work with. Our day wouldn'...
t have been as smooth without him! The Photo Booth was amazing as well & guests had a lot of fun!
Kevin Kramer was our DJ and we couldn't have been happier. He did an incredible job of helping us to merge our very diverse music tastes and had the dance floor bumping all night l...
ong. Super professional and an all-around cool dude.
We could not have asked for a better experience. The entire process was so easy, the event moved smoothly and guests had so much fun! If we did it again we would change nothing!
Caryn was so professional and helpful when getting our wedding timeline together. Her and Tony made an awesome team on our wedding day! They kept us on schedule and made sure to g...
ive us a few moments to enjoy our day! They made the environment so fun when it was time for dancing. We had a great time thanks to them!
Guys on Radio was such a great choice for DJ! The planning tools they provide were so helpful. Kevin was the best! He kept us on track and organized all night but also kept our par...
ty going! We had the dance floor going all night long and had an absolute amazing wedding night. So many of our guests complimented Kevin’s work and how fun he made our evening. Thank you Kevin and the Guys on radio team for being such a great part of our day!
JC and the folks at Guys on the Radio: DJ Service are THE folks to use for your wedding. We were recommended to them by our photographer and after meeting with JC and having one co...
nversation we knew they were the ones for us. JC and his team were punctual, organized, and courteous. They made our big day easier even 1 year out. If we had a question, even unrelated to their services, they always had a good answer or advice. With JC at the lead on the day of our wedding he was always there to make sure we were ready for the next assignment. The day of is a blur for the bride and groom for sure and it will for sure go off without a hitch using Guys on the Radio.
JC was the best DJ we could have asked for! He was so easy to work with and made all of our ideas come to life. He kept people dancing all night and weeks after our wedding we’re s...
till getting compliments about our music. Thank you for making our day perfect!
From the moment we met on FaceTime I knew we had made the right DJ choice. Karyn Brown was excited and eager to make our wedding day perfect. From the brief outline I gave her she ...
molded the event into a memorable day and evening, our fairy tale. Our guests danced the night away. We were all so sorry when we had to say good night.
We had the absolute pleasure of working with Guys on the Radio for our wedding, and it was one of the best decisions we made for our special day. Our DJ, JC, was phenomenal from st...
art to finish.
JC's professionalism, energy, and ability to read the crowd were unmatched. He kept the dance floor packed all night and played a perfect mix of songs that had everyone, from our youngest guests to our oldest, dancing and having a fantastic time.
One moment that truly stands out was our special "second" first dance. It was something out of my wildest dreams—so beautiful and breathtaking that it brought me to tears alongside my bride. JC orchestrated this moment with such precision and heart, making it an unforgettable highlight of our wedding.
If you're looking for a DJ who can create magical, memorable moments and keep your guests entertained all night long, look no further than Guys on the Radio. JC exceeded our expectations in every way, and we couldn't be happier with our choice. Highly recommend!
JC made our wedding reception absolutely magical. Everything was well done and professional, and he kept guests dancing all night long. The JC Special was worth every penny - we ke...
pt it a surprise and it was a moment I will remember the rest of my life! I recommend Guys on the Radio with no hesitation!
I truly wish i could give a higher rating. They have such attention to detail and worked so closely with us to make our day so special. they even sent us a special gift that i...
will cherish forever. THESE ARE THE GUYS YOU WANT!!!!!
Caryn was our DJ and she was amazing. She did everything perfectly. She kept in contact with us from the initial meeting about a month out before our wedding to the point of the w...
edding. She was a great MC and DJ kept the night going, even though it was hot as it could be and not many people want to be on the floor she kept her cool and kept getting someway of people to get involved.
I would highly recommend guys on the radio!
We booked JC to be our DJ and he was amazing! We had so much fun and so did our guests! He really knew how to keep the energy alive the whole night!
Our wedding celebration was elevated to great heights thanks to the incredible talent of Guys on the Radio. We had a suite of services from them and all were impeccable. We used Gu...
ys on the Radio for their DJ, Flash Foto Booth, Totally Kreative Video for videography, Sisters Stress Free Planning, and Adam Jamsa as an officiant., which was so incredibly convenient to have all together. This review will cover the first two, as the rest I have reviewed separately and were all phenomenal (and it will save space typing)
Kevin Kramer was our DJ. He was fantastic to work with and has a deep knowledge of musicality. We had an alternative wedding, so had a different style of music than is typical for a wedding played for our day, and Kevin did a phenomenal job seamlessly blending music that we wanted to play with crowd-pleasing hits, keeping the dance floor alive and our guests thoroughly entertained. I had guests comment on how it was the best music they had had at a wedding and was music they would have wanted to hear themselves. Kevin’s professionalism, responsiveness, and ability to read the room created for an unforgettable experience. Kevin truly made our wedding reception a party to remember, and we wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone in search of a phenomenal DJ.
We also had Kevin perform live for our cocktail hour and it was a beautiful touch to the overall ambiance. His performance was top notch and he has a great variety of songs to curate his live setlist with. We were thoroughly impressed and guests loved the entertainment while enjoying cocktail hour.
Finally, we had the Flash Foto Photobooth as well and guests were using it all night. They came with great props, a modern photobooth setup, and we loved that there were instant print outs for everyone and we got a book with all the photos and signed by everyone that took a photo plus USB with digital versions at the end. The entertainment and sentimental value from the photobooth made it well worth it.
I would highly recommend the Guys on the Radio for all of their services for anyone looking for convenience with extremely high quality professional output!
Guys on the Radio did an amazing job!! We hired them for the DJ, the Photo Booth, the Officiant, and the Sisters Event Planning!
DJ REVIEW:
Their DJ wedding form was super detaile...
d and let us include songs that were "Must-Plays" and "Please play if you have time" and "Please don't play". They asked about our music tastes, our guests' music tastes, and played an awesome selection of music that had guests on the dancefloor for the whole night.
We had separate musicians for the ceremony (i.e., violinists), and Guys helped set up any audio they needed. Also, they provided microphones for speeches/toasts and helped keep the night going on schedule by making announcements and really keeping the energy up.
PHOTO BOOTH REVIEW:
The Photo Booth was so much fun, and the guests loved it and all the dress-up hats and signs. Every guest who wanted one got a photobooth picture strip printed out, and the person running the booth compiled a spiral-bound book of everyone's photostrips, as well as gave them colored pens to write little notes to us. Such a cute keepsake!
OFFICIANT REVIEW:
See review under Adam Jamsa (officiant)!
SISTERS EVENT PLANNING REVIEW:
The Sisters were a last minute addition courtesy of the husband's father, and we honestly don't know how we could've done this without them. They made the wedding completely seamless, and we cannot recommend them enough.
From rehearsal to getting ready to guiding the bridal party during the ceremony to cleaning up at the end of the day - it was all perfect. I'm (the wife) a perfectionist and constantly worried about everyone, and the Sisters let me relax for the day because I trusted their capable hands. Not having to clean up at the end of the night was so, so nice (because I was dead exhausted).
The Sisters, the DJs, the Officiant, and the Photo Booth workers were all so kind and seemed so happy to be a part of our day. We cannot thank and recommend them enough.
I will be recommending Guys on the Radio to everyone getting married! JC was very professional and easy to work with. He took our requests and suggestions and amplified them to exc...
eed our expectations! I recommend the JC Final Dance - it was one of our favorite parts of the day.
Working with JC, Peggy, Lana, the whole crew really, made the entire process simple, easy, and comfortable as they helped us navigate which songs, timeline, the ceremony, and so mu...
ch more! I could not recommend them more. I am lucky to have worked with this group both professionally and as a 2023 bride! They truly are fantastic and make sure your big day is the best that it can be. So a big thank you to Guys on the Radio-I am so thankful for you!
We had Caryn from guys on the radio. She was great. Even though we didn't have a huge dance crowd she felt the room out and kept the music going. Caryn handled everything with prof...
essionalism. Anytime it was time to do something on the timeline she was always right there to help. She was amazing. and we highly recommend this company.
JC and his entire team were incredible to work with! Their professionalism and organization was unmatched. We had scheduled meetings leading up to the day, reminder/informational e...
mails, an online portal to make sure no detail was missed, and a very smooth day. I (bride) didn’t have to answer a single question the day of, everything was totally taken care of ahead of time.
On top of that, JC had so many great tips & ideas I hadn’t even thought of. Plus, he kept the dance floor PACKED the entire night, which was so important to us!
I can’t say enough good things about JC & Guys on the Radio!
Planning our day with Bob was so easy. He was easy to reach and communicate with, answered our questions, helped us brainstorm, and his coordination the day of was flawless. Even w...
hen we were running behind, or had no concept of what time it was, he was calm and collected. He played all the songs we wanted, none of the songs we didn't, and really took our creative direction and ran with it.
Caryn was extremely professional, easy to work with, fun, and engaging. She brought life to the party, accommodating our needs and preferences. Communication was top-notch, with he...
r being patient with us for a few song selections we had difficulty picking. She made our special day enjoyable and come to life.
Peggy and JC were a great team and had solid communication with me from beginning to start. They are genuinely very nice people (as a bonus) and you could tell they take their job ...
very seriously but know how to lighten things up when needed. Peggy was very organized and was there for me to answer all my questions. JC is great at what he does and did a nice private dance for my hubby and I with our vows interlinked within our last dance song. This was a nice special touch. I'm happy that I choose them both for my wedding. If you're from the central valley area, this duo will be perfect for your wedding.
WOW! Jon was absolutely amazing, he did exactly what we wanted! I was so happy he was able to edit some of the songs to an appropriate length for a wedding and was able to judge th...
e crowd to ensure that the dance floor remained packed!
Would highly recommend this company to any couple that is looking to have a DJ that will get to know you and coordinate to match your taste perfectly!!
Everything and everyone was so nice, they were so accommodating to the little kids as well! We really appreciate them coming out, and helping with the big day!
Guys on the Radio and Kevin Kramer were amazing! Couldn’t recommend them enough! The music was perfect for the crowd and kept people on the dance floor! They were also super helpfu...
l in moving the night along and keeping things on a schedule, letting us enjoy the night and feel more at ease!
The Guys on the radio were extremely kind, fun and helpful in the planning of our day and making it special! Everyone had so much fun!
We cannot recommend Guys on the Radio & JC enough. We were absolutely floored by our wedding & how smooth it went, our dance floor went all night long! From our ceremony, to our an...
nouncements to the reception- he exceeded every expectation & we received SO MANY compliments on his special second first dance. Having these memories of our big day is priceless. We would recommend him over and over again! 100/10!
During our wedding, we utilized JC--owner of Guys on the Radio--as our DJ, along with several branches of his company, including the Sisters Stress Free Planning, Flash Foto Photob...
ooth, and the live Trio. Words cannot even begin to express just how thrilled we were to work with JC and his team! They made the entire day sooooo special and one we will truly NEVER forget :) This was made possible through several Facetime meetings with JC to discuss various details, texts with Kevin concerning our live playlist, and the Sisters emailing/calling to coordinate our arrangement details to ensure they were able to maximize their tear-down time. Wedding planning is not the easiest task, but Stress Free Event Group: Guys on the Radio 100% earned their name and deserve every bit of praise they have coming their way! Well done everyone and thank you for the forever memories :)
In addition to the entire team, if you decide to utilize JC as your personal DJ, please know that his second-first dance finale is one that you and your spouse will NEVER forget!
Jon and Angela were our DJ and officiant and they were fantastic to work with! They both took the time to meet with us over FaceTime before the wedding so they could get to know us...
as a couple and to find out what exactly we expected from them on the day of our wedding! Jon had an assistant that I unfortunately don’t remember the name of but she was also very helpful! Angela had a beautiful script for our wedding and Jon and his assistant knew how to keep the guests entertained and the party alive until the very end! Huge thank you to Angela, Jon and Jon’s assistant that night!!
Guys on the Radio was recommended for our wedding at Starved Rock so we decided to book with them! They offer a LOT more than just DJ services. The photobooth, the monogram light, ...
the Sisters clean up, ceremony sound. It was all really great! There were a couple minor details that could be improved like our DJ didn't really "emcee" the wedding (for example: "We're gonna slow it down for this next song") while the music was played. I also assumed the chorus of songs chosen for the introductions would be played but they were played from the beginning.
BEST DAY EVER!!! I can’t say enough about Guys on the Radio!!! Extremely helpful throughout the whole process of making our wedding perfect!!
Everyone that helped us was super ...
sweet and professional!! Jaimie was so amazing, and so sweet, and Kevin was awesome!! Everyone at my wedding raved about them!!! Peggy and the stress-free set up and take down was perfect!! They brought my vision to life and then some! Everything looked so beautiful!!! I couldn’t help but cry!! Adam, what else can I say other than PERFECTION!!! He was amazing through out the whole process, and it turned out to be so beautiful!!! My guest couldn’t stop talking about him!!!
I want to thank everyone at Guy’s on the Radio, from the bottom of our hearts, YOU GUYS ROCK !!!
Our specific DJ was Bob Tieman and he was AMAZING! I cannot put into words how wonderful he is! So nice, helpful, and played everything we wanted and more. He made our day so amazi...
ng and we are so thankful!!!
Guys on the Radio were a perfect fit for my wedding. We had a meeting with JC a month before the wedding and he went through every little detail and put it all on a google doc for ...
me to reference and add/change things. The played great music and my friends and family were constantly on the dance floor. Thank you!
Choose Guys on the Radio! Jeremy was our DJ for our wedding reception and he was great right from the start. He was easy to communicate with through the whole wedding process and ...
helped keep us on track. Jeremy did everything we asked for and more. He added special touches with added audio and made the most special moment with the 2nd First dance. We wanted our wedding to be fun with a filled dance floor the whole night. Jeremy made this happen as he kept things flowing nicely. He really is more like a reception coordinator and a DJ. Kevin Kramer performed at our wedding ceremony and during our reception hour and was amazing! He sang and played all of our requests beautifully. We really cannot recommend these guys enough.
JC and his crew were absolutely AMAZING to say the least. The music was perfectly tailored to our guests, young and old, and the dance floor was filled the entire night! He complet...
ely understood the vibe we were going for, the wedding ceremony and after went so smoothly led by his direction. I felt so calm and comfortable as he led us through the day/night. THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME. I highly recommend them for any event!
Everything I wanted & more!! JC helped us with our timeline & made the night run SO smoothly!! He listened to our ideas & our music styles & exceeded every expectation we had. Plus...
he gave us the best surprise toward the end of the night that is BY FAR my favorite moment of the night. HIGHLY recommend!!
Highly recommend for your special event. Guys on the Radio was a great choice for our wedding reception. They listen to what you ask for and exceed expectations. Very easy to work ...
with and communicate with! 10/10 recommend!
SOO many of our friends used Guys on the Radio for their wedding and we knew it was one of our MUST HAVES for ours! JC was our DJ that night and we could not have asked for a bett...
er night! JC was great to work with from the beginning with planning and made us feel so relaxed leading up to the day! The event ran extremely smooth and he made sure to keep us on track with time! He made sure our guests requests were played and kept the party going! We also rented the photobooth as well that they offer and our guests really enjoyed that as well! Overall would hire them again in a heartbeat and would advise anyone in the area to definitely take a look at them!
Contact
Starved Rock, LaSalle-Peru, Ottawa, Mendota, Princeton
Guys on the Radio: DJ Service