4.4 out of 5 stars and 30 reviews
4.4
(30)Los Angeles,San Diego,Inland Empire,OC Areas
About this vendor
Freelance Event Sound & Lighting is a wedding DJ company based in Upland, CA. This team knows that each wedding is unique, and will customize their services to match your unique theme and style. Whether you're planning an intimate gathering or extravagant reception, they will work with you to help create your dream celebration.
The DJs behind Freelance Event Sound & Lighting are passionate about music, and go above and beyond to ensure that guests have fun all evening. They are known for their upbeat, high-energy performances to keep any couple’s dance floor full. They happily travel to venues throughout Southern California, from the Los Angeles area to San Diego. These DJs are also bilingual in both English and Spanish, and work to accommodate clients with all sorts of nuptial visions and musical tastes.
You will have an array of genres to choose from for your set list, including disco, country, Arabic, Latin, and classic rock. Your DJ will arrive at your setting with high-quality sound and A/V equipment, to ensure that each song reaches all of your guests. Freelance Event Sound & Lighting also offers custom uplighting, monograms, and other visual effects to transform your venue into a breathtaking setting.
Details
Business Attributes
- Asian-owned Business
- Hispanic or Latinx-owned Business
Equipment
- Audio/Visual Equipment
- Sound Equipment
Music Genres
- Arabic
- Classical
- Country
- Dance
- Disco
- Folk
Music Services
- MC Services
- Recorded Music
- Sound Equipment
Planning
- Se Habla Español
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
2014 'Best of Weddings'
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.
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Reviews
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4.4
out of 5.030 reviews
Ron Zapata was AMAZING and so essential in helping our July 2025 wedding weekend at the Athenaeum at Caltech in Pasadena come to life! He was extremely easy to work with and very k...
nowledgeable when it came to the DJ setup and lighting, giving guidance on where he recommended the set up and how he did the lights (from amber and blush hues to colorful changing lights). He dropped everything to do a venue tour with us and was our most flexible vendor, adding an extra speaker on the day because he wanted the sound to be perfect. He made a professional remix of Indian dance songs for us and read the room well, incorporating everything from our playlists and more to keep the energy high with no bumps or sound issues at all - it was seamless! His team went above and beyond to add so many touches. We highly recommend Freelance DJ and Lighting - booking with Ron was the BEST decision for our wedding.
Our DJ services were included in our wedding package. I will say the lighting and the upgrades we purchased through them was definitely worth it, the pics came out awesome. There w...
ere a few bumps with songs played incorrectly during ceremony but besides that everyone was happy and me and my now husband had a great time! I was on the dance floor all night
Our dj was amazing! He was very energetic and an amazing MC. They were set up and ready to go as soon as the event started. The manager was easy to contact during the planning proc...
ess. They’re very organized with their schedule and set up of the day. The music was great and all our guests had an amazing time. We also had a live Banda and the Dj worked well with them in alternating.
I hired this company to not only DJ but MC my wedding and could not believe how unprepared and unprofessional Ron was. Let my start with my ceremony. He played my husbands song the...
entire time and did not play my bridesmaids and groomsmen song I had planned. He also did not announce me coming in! People that attended said they noticed the awkwardness of that part. He never checked his email so he didn't get my updated list order of my bridesmaids and groomsmen or the songs I added for dancing. So that was a mess. I txt him the day before, making sure he got my slideshow (that I spent late nights and weeks making) and he said he would double check and let me know, so as I am sitting there on my wedding day, about to eat, I realized my slideshow was not playing; I asked him where it was, he said "I never got it"..... As you can imagine, how that makes a bride feel on her wedding day...livid! Luckily, I had the flash drive, since I was prepared and he was not! However, he claimed that wasn't working either. Then I said I can log into my google drive to play it, and then their internet hot spot was not working, so I get my friends hot spot and finally pulled it up (mind you, this took about 30 min of my dinner time and I did not get to finish eating) I finally pulled it up and he then says its not loading. So that slideshow that I spent so much time on, was no big deal to him, but it was so special to me to be played. I spent days looking through baby pictures etc. to make it perfect but he showed how much he did not care due to his unpreparedness. He also did not know how to call out tables to get their food! I had to literally yell out myself (as the bride) for two tables to go since he had forgotten! He did not know how to MC, so if you are looking for that, be prepared to hear mumbling, as if he has never MC'd a wedding before. It was absolutely horrible! I spent $2,075 on this joke of a "company" and I asked for at least something back since he did an embarrassing job! However, he only refunded me the $75 for the slideshow! I thought I was paying top dollar for the best of the best but instead I got ripped off and was in a stressed out mood and was pissed off the whole start/half of my wedding day! A day I can never get back! A day I spent $17,000 on! A DJ and MC can make or break your wedding! They have such an important role! Don't make the mistake I did for someone who is SO unprepared for such an important day!
I had to move my wedding due to COVID and during the time I was trying to book a day with all my vendors. This company was soo understanding and helped me feel at ease when it came...
to working with me. I am so excited to work with them on our wedding day. They have great communication and are very professional. I would highly recommend them.
Ron and his team were AMAZING! I was super nervous about everything going perfectly on my wedding day, and perfect it was. The price: a steal. The planning: clear communication and...
consideration. The music: no one stopped dancing all night (and we had a very diverse wedding guest list). You will not regret booking Freelance Event Sound & Lighting for your wedding.
I hired Ron specifically (freelance event sound & lighting) to DJ at my wedding. Multiple times I specifically requested him before and after hiring him as my vendor. He was at the...
walk through with his sister. However he never showed up at my wedding. I was very upset, weeks of communicating with him went down the drain because he never communicated specific and important information to his replacement. This affected my wedding and I was very upset. Later that night Ron posted that he was DJ at someone’s party... very disappointed. His sister was very sweet but she was not given the proper information that I had given Ron.
I hired this guy (who will remain nameless) to DJ at my wedding last September. At the walk through a couple of months before the wedding, said DJ assured me he would be the one t...
o DJ my wedding unless something unforeseen happened (illness, etc). Long story short, i did not receive what i paid for and i did pay a considerable sum. The DJ i hired said he was sick and sent a replacement, but yet he managed to come at the end of the night (miraculously healed) to help his replacement load up. Additionally, the DJ i hired was dressed as if he had just finished DJ'ing somewhere else. Stay away at all costs. You can find a better DJ for less.
Ron was my DJ and he was amazing. He played most of the songs from my playlist and even adjusted the songs at the very last minute. He also accommodated my guests who had special...
requests. He even stayed an extra 1/2 hour at no charge because people were still dancing and he didn't want to stop the party. Thank you for making my reception a blast!
Ann was the DJ/ MC for our wedding day, she was super fun to work with. She worked with us to create a unique feel for each part of our day. Starting with the ceremony, cocktail ho...
ur, dinner, and finally dancing. They read the crowd perfectly and knew what will get them dancing. People were on the dance floor all night made the wedding a true success. I highly would recommend Freelance.
We used Freelance as our DJ and also for bistro lighting. We could not be happier with our choice! The process for selecting the music was a breeze: there's an online form that all...
ows you to choose as much or as little music as you want to add. My husband basically picked music for the entire wedding and our DJ was ON POINT! He played everything we wanted at the perfect times, and he played some other music after reading the room. Also, our lights were stunning and really set the mood. 100% recommend!
OMG talk about value, great service and amazing people! Our original wedding venue had to cancel last minute due to the weather abc7.com/weather/el-nino… and they rolled with ut, s...
howed up at the new place set up and were such a great help! We ended up having to get Costco pizza as no one could cater that last minute and DJ Ann was even helping serve guests! She kept the party lively and was so much fun! I'm so glad they were able to come and mc the event!!
Came across this DJ at a wedding expo a few months ago. I've called both numbers and left messages as well as emailed (Jennifer Wong) at least 5-8 times. It's been 2 weeks and I st...
ill haven't heard back. Luckily we came across "Dance all night DJ" in Rancho and they're helping us out! I'd avoid this company at all cost.
Ron, was a great help the night of my wedding! Not only did he play great music and kept the party going but he also stepped and took the initiative as wedding coordinator. He was ...
always coming to me making sure everything was ok and sounding great as well as keeping up with and following the timeline of the night. He was on top of everything and we really appreciated everything from him! We had a issue during one of the special dance and he covered it perfectly and no one knew a thing! Definitely recommending him to friends!
Ron and his team turned a plain room, into an elegant room lit with purple uplights and a personalized gobo design. We loved it!
Freelance are the best of the best. I would like to thank Ron, and specially Ann and Andrew for making our wedding a very memorable one. They executed what was promised, The Musi...
c and sound quality was amazing, The lighting and ambience delight fully romantic and fun. Their attire was appropriate for the occasion. The way they coordinated and entertained our guests was top notch, totally exceeded our expectations.
Ron, Ann and Andrew you so much for your professionalism for answering every question we had and for making our wedding a very special one.
God bless u Lots!
We LOVED them so much we booked two events with Freelance Event Sound and lighting.
They were always available and willing to offer ideas to help our event come up a notch to the...
most amazing planned event.
Our guest are still talking about how well versed the music and the lighting of our dance floor for the wedding. Our 2nd event was my bridal shower. We had string lighting in our back yard.
Not only were they willing to come and set up, but always spend extra time with us when ever we had questions.
Not only did we gain a DJ for all our future events, but a family friend. It was as thou we had know each other forever.
I had met a few employees of Freelance at a bridal expo in Pasadena, CA. They were extremely friendly and mentioned they were having a package deal with DJ and Photographer. Right ...
away I let my fiancé know and quickly we called and scheduled an appointment to meet with Freelance. They provided such a great presentation of their previous events with music and lighting. They had us sold and on our drive home we called right back to let them know we were booking them for our special day. Every moment I needed to speak to anyone at freelance we received a call or email right away. Our special day finally arrived and music was great. They played what we requested and not once was the dance floor empty. Thank you everyone at Freelance. You guys did such a great job and made our night very memorable.
Freelance Event Sound & Lighting was amazing! Words cannot explain how beautiful they made our wedding reception look. I was almost in tears when I walked into our reception and sa...
w it for the first time, it turned out even better than I had envisioned. Ron Zapata is such a professional and very talented at what he does. We had compliments ALL night about the entertainment and are still talking about it. I am so glad for the referral to them. Ron was able to help with me with a last minute request a few weeks before the wedding when I asked him to make me a CD mix that my father and I was going to dance to and surprise all our guests. It came out so good! My guests could not stop telling me how beautiful everything looked, including the staff at the Ontario Convention Center! I highly recommend DJ Freelance Event Sound & Lighting, it will NOT be a party without them and you will not be disappointed!!! They are organized, they give you so many options, they are flexible and they will make any vision come alive. They were worth EVERY penny!!!!
This was a Platinum style wedding without the cost of one. Omg! I was blow away by the lighting, music, spot lights, washed flooring, and everything else that I can't remember lol....
It was an amazing wedding that I will only have once and my dream wedding. I ccouldn't say anything better that, "The Best". Thank you everyone who helped and especially Ron. My husband and I were soo happy with the way our wedding turned out. Thank You again
Clariza & Raul Velasquez,
I’d like to start by saying that Ron was EXTREMELY professional and creative. We had a very good experience with him during our daughter Jessica’s Quinceanera. The music selection ...
was excellent and he made sure to keep the crowd entertained with different types of music. Overall, he was a crucial part to an unforgettable party!! He is also very reasonable with price and set everything up the day before the party perfectly, as well as cleanup the next day. He had a superb setup of color changing LED lights to illuminate the entire party area. I would DEFINITELY recommend Ron to ANYONE who needs a DJ, and I will certainly hire him again any chance I get!!!
-Bertha Banuelos
Best DJ around, thank you to the freelance crew for making my cousins one of the best weddings I've been to in some time now. The dance floor was always packed, the dj was awesome....
The lighting and gobo made a huge difference in the room. No need to look any further for DJ's...Freelance Event Sound and Lighting will rock your party.
We used Freelance Event Sound and Lighting for our wedding on June 22, 2013. We are so glad we had Ron DJ for our wedding. He was extremely helpful from the first day we met him. I...
loved how we could manage our song selection through his website. Ron also took care of our lighting too. He worked with us to find the perfect lighting to match our wedding color - "mint green". The best part of working with Ron was that he had lots of great ideas on how to entertain our guest. We had several fun games. People are asking us about the shoe game we played. Our guest all said they had a great time at our wedding. Thanks, Ron. If you are looking for a great DJ stop looking and call Ron.
Ron was the most amazing DJ ever. He was very professional, helpful and accommodating. He gave us a user-friendly website to use so that we could hand pick each song that we wanted...
to have played at each moment (cake cutting, grand entrance, first dance, last dance, etc). Everything was right on point. We even asked Ron if he could remix one of the songs that we chose, to say our new last name in it, in place of the original lyrics, and he absolutely pulled it off perfectly. All of the lighting was absolutely beautiful. We had pin spotting on our cake as well as all of our centerpieces. The lights really made the whole room come together. Everyone commented on the beauty of the room, and i definitely think the lighting had a great impact. Overall, Ron did such a great job with the music and keeping the party going and also with the beauty of the lighting. Thank you so much Ron!
Your DJ was so good!” is all I’m hearing from our guests. We hired Freelance Event Sound & Lighting through our wedding planner and we could not be happier about our decision! The...
DJ and MC worked well together and kept the party going from the first song to the last dance – they ROCKED THE HOUSE! The MC was so lively and kept our guest engaged throughout the night without skipping a beat. They showed up on time to the event, set-up the lighting and were ready to go for the ceremony without a glitch. I highly recommend Freelance Event Sound & Lighting to anyone who is looking for a quality DJ and MC and wants a party to remember.
I was absolutely blown away by the professionalism, friendliness and most of all how they made sure everything was what we asked for. DJ Ann gave us 200% and words could not expres...
s how grateful we are for the beautiful turn out. I will most definitely be using them in the feature. Thanks again Freelance Event Sound & Lighting YOU ROCK!
We loved loved Ron so much! He totally made our wedding,. we had great music and he also provided the lighting and our videography. Everyone is still complimenting us on our deejay...
and how good he was and how he just kept the reception going. I have to say there was no one sitting down they were all dancing all night long! we definitely can't wait to have some more parties just so we can have Ron deejay again =)
We definitely recommend him for your wedding.
Can't go wrong with this company! Professional, friendly, flexible, and fun! They made things so easy for me the day of. They got all of the songs I wanted, had a great team that w...
orked well with our family and us to get our wedding reception done right. Our MC was lively and professional, I've seen some that mess up the husband/wives names! lol. The lighting agains the walls and from the stage was perfect. They worked with our band even though the band was hours late! They made things stress free and I really appreciated it :)
You guys were amazing and so nice. We are definitely using you guys in the future and recommending you to many people. (: Thank you so much.
My husband had known Ron from previous business, but there was no doubt in his mind to choose him for our big day. Ron was professional and totally catered to the various groups t...
hat we had there. He played music accordingly for the kids, the older folks and definitely the ones that were trying to party. His packages even include lighting to set the ambiance and he was perfect at being a bilingual MC and included everyone in the events and accouncements. Ron was super dope and it honestly felt like one of your good friends is mixing at your wedding.
Contact
325 N 2nd Ave Suite D, Upland, CA | Los Angeles,San Diego,Inland Empire,OC Areas
Freelance Event Sound & Lighting