iPod or DJ?!

tmccubbin

We have a friend who has all the DJ stereo equipment (but isn't a pro DJ), so my fiancee wants to save money and just hook-up the iPod with a set playlist.  I like the idea of saving money here, but I'm nervous that without a "human" the party just won't flow like it should.  Our friend said he'll monitor it, but I'm not sure.  Has anyone chosen an iPod over a DJ?  Why?  Did you like it?  What was the sound quality?

Jessica41381

I think if its better for your budget to use the iPod option then go for it. I personally like a Dj better for a wedding as some times they are able to get everyone up and dancin but that's strictly my opinion. Whenever my fiancé and I do a party ie birthday, Halloween, etc we use an iPod and had we not found a dj as inexpensive as we did we probably would of contemplated going that route.

aleykit42514

It would be nice to have a DJ, but I am cheap and I really don't feel like forking out an extra $500 for a DJ; So I am thinking about going with an iPod/Mp3 player.

CheleLyn

We have a friend who DJs, but we are just going to download all the music. The friend will "DJ" only for the spotlight dances.

southernredandwhite85

Keep in mind that keeping an eye on the music isn't all that a DJ does. A DJ typically emcee's the event.

music11

Ditto the PP.  You need someone to make announcements for first dance, parent dances, etc.  That being said, I have been to "ipod weddings" which went very well.  You just need to make sure you have your basses covered.

D3bride

I've been thinking about exactly this question! I have a band covered, so we'll have the first dances and stuff, but after that I'm not sure. If your friend really is going to monitor it, then I think you'll be fine - check with your venue about sound quality - you may be better renting a PA (still cheaper than a DJ!) - but I'd say it'll be fine. Although I'm still thinking about going with a DJ

clueclaw.defunct635777689035314155

I am using an Mp3 player for my wedding. We had some friends do the same thing, and everything was fine. They asked one of the groomsmen to do all the emcee/announcement jobs. They didn't introduce the wedding party.

We will ask a friend to take care of that part. It won't take a lot of their time.

doeydo

A relative of mine had a playlist at her wedding instead of a DJ.  The reception was ran just fine by one of her friends handling the usual DJ duties.  I guess you really have to trust that they will do their job.  The music sounded great and the only downside I saw was that no one could request a song, which some people wanted to do.

afaye86

Our budget is insanely tight and hiring a dj was absolutely impossible so we're self djing with an ipod. We found an app for $5 that makes it super easy to organize and transition the music for all staging of the wedding (WeddingDJ) and a wireless bluetooth receiver and adapter for $21 (iLive Blue) that will allow us to carry the iPod with us at the ceremony and control the music as needed. Because we won't have a dj, we're doing a quick thank you speech at the begining of the reception to (a) thank everyone (b) let them know what's going on (c) invite my aunt to say grace. When my sister finishes her matron-of-honor speech, she's going to announce our first dance. Rather than someone announcing the father daughter or mother son dances, we're going to say a quick minute about how grateful we are for our dad/mom and invite them up to dance with us. Planning out how you're going to unawkwardly announce things without a dj is important to flow.

OH and have a backup plan! What if the iPod gets dropped and breaks? What if the battery dies and that's the day your charger decides not to work anymore? We're backing everything up on one of our android phones and a friend's iPad just to be sure that if something does happen to the iPod, it doesn't ruin the day!