Help, I Hate DJs

Ash2903

Hi --

I really, really do not want to have a DJ.  We're kind of going for more of a party feel than a wedding feel -- so I won't really be requiring anyone to make any announcements or anything like that.  I have a friend who has a professional sound system which he has offered to lend us - something we could set up and then hook up to an ipod.  I'd really like to do things this way, but my venue keeps telling me that they "strongly recommend" a DJ.  I just don't want to spend $1500 on a dude to sit there and press the play button on a list of songs that I've given him in the first place! (Our music tastes aren't that eclectic, but far from standard DJ fare.)  We went to a wedding once where the couple used an ipod, and it was absolutely fine, but now the venue has me scared.  Has anyone else used an ipod and professional speakers for their music before? Pros, cons? Thanks for the help!

ginadog

My venue come with iPod speakers since it's a pavilion/outdoor atmosphere, bands/DJs are sometimes just too much.  I guess many people go this route.  We're going to prepare a series of playlists and bring them up when appropriate.  If my sisters want to dance to ToneLoc then we'll have a 90s dance music ready. 

Check out this iPod Wedding Info:
http://2000dollarwedding.com/search/label/Music

ljhollan

I want to do the same thing! I don't need all the announcements and such, and we are having a really small party so a DJ would just feel silly....and take up too much room in our small venue.

Hopefully someone who has done this can share some pointers! I'm a bit nervous about planning out a playlist that will last all night, especially since I'm not sure exactly what time we'll be ready to switch over from dinner music to dance music.

davenport52803

I think it depends on the vibe you want. I am sure an Ipod reception can be perfectly fine. I guess the problem I personally would see in this is the akward pauses between songs when you go to change playlists, or what if a song skips(seems odd but I have seen it happen on ipods). Also, what about the level of sound each song is at. Depending on where you get your music from, one song might play really loud on your ipod and the next one at a completely different level.

I guess overall its a personal choice thing, years ago when my sister got married they just had a sound system with a cd player in a community room, and that worked fine for them. You have to decide what vibe you want. Without a DJ, I think it would be a less formal vibe, if thats what your going for it, I say go ahead, it will surely save you some money.

telepjm

i'm getting married in the fall of 2012. 

the dj is more than just a record player.  a good dj will be a project manager for the evening.  Arriving to you reception early, setting up and having the appropriate music for when your guest start to arrive.  Your dj will make all of the required announcements.  Your dj will make sure you stick to the time line for all of the traditional events (drinks, wedding party annoucements, first dance, speaches, etc).  Your dj will coordinate with the photographer to make sure they capturing all the key events. 

Your dj will have high quality music files.  Once all the key events are completed and the party is in full blown mode,  your dj will watch the dance floor and make sure they stay there.  this is done by playing the right songs at the right time, watching the floor and knowing when to switch up, etc.   Your dj should be skilled in blending music and setting moods. 

Its one thing to go the ipod route because you are on a budget or its a small gathering where the size of the event does not warrant all the bells and whistles. if your budget can afford it,  i suggest you not cut corners. This is your big day, make it special.

T
 

lsatterly

My husband and I weren't going to use a DJ when we started planning our wedding.  We started putting together a song list and tried to figure out when we wanted what song to play.  Then we started thinking about, who is going to be the one that plays the right song for the first dance, and the cutting of the cake and other key moments, then add to that the hassle of getting the sound equipment there and set up and then cleared out at the end of the night and we decided to use a DJ.  Besides the food, it was the best thing that we did for our party.  Our DJ MADE the party.  We used Oddessy Mobile Entertainment.  We found him at a Bridal show when we were drawn by his display of music videos and our guests enjoyed his videos too.

katie88f

I am planning on hiring a DJ, however this was not always the case.  I went to a wedding two months ago where they used an ipod and it was pretty awful.  The bride kept going up to change playlists and no one could make any requests.  Also, you never know what the mood is going to be at a given time, on your day do you really want to worry about how to match the mood with the music?  Also after several drinks have been had several guests thought it was appropriate to change the songs on the ipod since they saw the bride and groom doing it.  This lead to songs being switched in the middle and repeats.  Not to mention the level of sound differs from one song to another, the bride was going up to adjust the volume all the time. 
After that I decided to hire a DJ and so far he's been a lot of help.