iPod instead of a DJ????

khines18 · January 2012

I'd like to know if anyone used an iPod for music at the reception instead of a deejay. I am thinking that I would prefer a deejay, but can't make up my mind. I am paying for my wedding myself and it's hard to break my saving ways. Any advice or stories to share? Please help...soon!

texastorn8do · January 2012

Hi!
My best friend used an IPOD for her reception....we spend a little time to get the playlist in order, and she had a friend man the computer with Itunes on it....it went flawless. They did not having dancing, accept for the first dance.....I thought it was perfect for her....but for my wedding....I want to party it up, so I will going with a DJ.

Good luck!

HeatherR45 · January 2012

If you want someone to announce the wedding party, you'll probably want a DJ unless you can have a friend do it. You'll also want a DJ to pump up the crowd to dance...if that is what you want. If you're looking to save money, don't go with a DJ who goes to wedding expos, usually if they can pay to be at the wedding expo, they charge their customers quite a bit (from my experience anyways). Many radio DJs also DJ weddings, you could always call a local radio station to see if they have anyone or can recommend someone.

BeverlyandMike · January 2012

I have went to a few events that they used an Ipod instead of a DJ. To me the events were boring. Generally the receptions ended early. After seeing my friends and families weddings, entertainment and food is where I want my money.
But, that is just my 2 cents.

rmo57536 · January 2012

I agree with PP it all depends on what type of reception you want. If you want a dance party type I'd put my money towards a DJ. To save some money check a local college or HS that has a radio station. You might be able to get a student that can do it for a much cheaper price. I've heard others find people on craigslist just be cautious if you go that route. I went to a site called Thumbtack.com and was able to get quotes from multiple DJ's to quickly compare them.

juma1111 · January 2012

If you want a party feel, go with a DJ. You can usually find a good deal and stay within a budget and still have a good DJ. I know we were able to snag $50 off for reserving our DJ in advance at a wedding show, plus we received another $25 off if we paid in full another 3weeks in advance instead of the night of the show. He was awesome and he DJ'd throughout the dinner and then the reception.

Call around and price out everyone in your area so you know what packages places offer and what the going rate is for your area. Everywhere is different so shop around.

If you just want some background music and want a more mingle/casual feeling to your reception than I think an Ipod would be fine. I know for my 1st wedding we went with this feel and we played CD's through the sound system in the basement of the church and it was nice but not a party feel I wanted at my most recent wedding.

TiffannieF · January 2012

We were on a $10,000 budget wedding and we got a DJ...SO happy we did he was amazing and really kept the reception going, we received many compliments about him. He was $500 for 4 hours including set up, tear down, lights, and microphone (although he did stay until about 30-45 minutes later than then 4 hour mark).

For my brother's wedding they were on a $3,000 budget and did the ipod...the only dancing was first dance, father/daughter dance, and money dance. It was a lovely backyard wedding and the music mainly served as background music.

So, as juma said, so you want to party? If so get a DJ.

TiffannieF · January 2012

Boo TK ate my post...

acosborn · January 2012

Go with a DJ. I had my wedding a year ago and had a DJ and I wouldn't change it. People are looking to celebrate the evening and are expecting to dance - it is such a drag when you can't. (I recently went to a wedding that didn't even have music during dinner and had no DJ at then end. And what happened was...the bride and other guests actually went to the neighboring wedding and started dancing over at another person's wedding - tacky if you ask me.)

LaceAndTwine · January 2012

If you have a friend that will only be in charge of the iPod, and won't want to party then it will work. I was a BM in a friend's wedding and by the end of the night I ended up playing DJ for over half the songs because it was just sitting there and older guests couldn't figure it out. Or, plan out the entire thing with no requests at all and make sure you have enough music and just let it play all night. Good luck!

monkey0808 · January 2012

We're going middle of the road on this one. We have an EXTREMELY tight budget and really don't have another $500+ to spend on a DJ, so we're going to make up a playlist of fun dance songs, and FI's cousin is going to be our sort-of DJ. He's a really fun guy and lovesss dancing so I know he can keep everything rolling for us, annouce the wedding party, etc.

Nicoles333 · January 2012

I will have a Violinist during the dinner then I will use an Ipod. I will create 2-3 diferent play lists, so I am able to change the music at any time depending of the mood of the moment. Best Wishes!!

kristinmc8 · January 2012

I got married on the beach in October and had our reception in the yard of the beach house we rented for the entire wedding party to spend the weekend in. We had 80 guests and used an iPod, and everyone thought it was perfect. I used a larger stereo though, not just a regular radio. I had a specific friend in charge of making sure the father-daugther and first dance songs were played at the right time, and our officiant announced everyone.

Then I had a playlist for dinner (slower songs), and a dancing playlist. I realize my wedding was a lot more informal than most, but we received many compliments about the variety of music and no one left early. There were also plenty of people on the dancefloor and we had no issues with the iPod or radio dying. I think as long as you do it right and it fits with the setting of your wedding then it can save a lot of money!

futuremrsgates · January 2012

I think it depends on whether or not you want to do a lot of things (first dance, father daughter dance, cake-cutting, bouquet toss, etc.) and dancing, or just have background music. If it's just background music, then an iPod is fine. I'm getting a DJ because I don't want people to be able to stay OFF the dance floor!

Pookieson · January 2012

If you want to dance AT ALL, get a DJ. My fiance DJ's on the side and we've been to weddings with IPODs, crappy DJ's, you name it. Music sets the tone. If you are okay with low-key, minimal dancing, use an IPOD, if not, find a way to get a DJ...and a good one.

DancesaurusRex · January 2012

I disagree with PPs who think an iPod equals no dancing or quiet background music only. Of course you can make an iPod playlist work for a rowdy dance party - just create a playlist of rowdy dance music! Whatever music you choose will affect the mood of the party. Just make sure you get speakers and amplify it enough. I have been to several large parties and weddings where this was done with no problems. I've also been to a wedding where they paid a lot of money for a DJ who then messed up the father/daughter dance song and didn't have several of the songs I requested...

Here's what I'm doing (and I've done this several times when planning charity events/parties for my job): I'm creating a streaming playlist online at grooveshark.com. It's free and you can find just about anything on there. We are getting married outside on a farm, so I'm using FI's Droid for the internet connection, hooking it up to my laptop to stream the music, and borrowing speakers to pump it up. I am going to create the playlist ahead of time, and then let it run. The advantage of using Grooveshark is that you can always add new songs to the playlist if someone has a request. I'm just asking my brother to go check on it now and then during the reception to make sure random drunk people don't hijack the list. Cost: $0.

norweigan · January 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_ipod-instead-of-dj?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:ee34bce2-b103-4f4d-a821-5590cd9c2822Post:559e2d32-1a01-4dfa-a129-11c1b9a3c308">Re: iPod instead of a DJ????</a>:
[QUOTE]I have went to a few events that they used an Ipod instead of a DJ. To me the events were boring. Generally the receptions ended early. After seeing my friends and families weddings, entertainment and food is where I want my money. But, that is just my 2 cents.
Posted by BeverlyandMike[/QUOTE]

That has been my experience too. The two I went to like that, no one danced...

bmmorrissey · January 2012

We are using an iPod for our wedding. I was a little skeptical at first but we have found someone who will be in charge of playing the music and doing all of the announcing for the various events throughout the night. If we didn't have the person doing the announcing and pressing play for I would probably have gone with the DJ. Fingers crossed it works!

iPod instead of a DJ????

Re: iPod instead of a DJ????

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