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Wedding Ceremony & Reception Music Discussions
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DIY Wedding DJ... Good option?

janabella84janabella84 member
First Comment
in Wedding Ceremony & Reception Music Discussions
My fiancé and I are having difficulties agreeing on our music option.

He would like to hire a DJ and just get it over with. I, on the other hand, have heard from several people that the new trend is to rent audio equipment and make your own wedding playlists for the evening either on a computer or ipad. I know this sounds overly ambitious, but it would cost less money and we wouldn't have to pay for food and drinks for the hired DJ. Also, we would be more in control of the music.

However, my fiancé thinks that having a DJ would ensure that the flow of the evening would constantly be monitored. For example, a DJ would be able to tell whether or not it would be time to switch gears and go with different songs. He also thinks that having music from an ipad or a computer may diminish the quality, as some of the downloaded songs may not be of best sound.

Has anyone done this or is planning on doing this?
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Re: DIY Wedding DJ... Good option?

  • janabella84janabella84 member
    First Comment
    PS - If anyone has some tips, that would also be greatly appreciated!
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  • hyperion0616hyperion0616
    First Comment
    Maybe have a friend do it?? 
    If you're in Massachusetts, I have a really good friend who's very talented. 
    I could send you to him???
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  • hyperion0616hyperion0616
    First Comment
    Also, your husband does have a point about the song quality. If you could, try to buy all the songs off of iTunes, Beatport, or something of that sort. The ipad/computer idea is nice, very cost efficient. There are ways to crossfade songs together so that they flow a little bit, but it won't be the same as an actual DJ working it.

    The thing about DJs is that...well, to be honest, a good chunk of them are overly ambitious noobs. So you'd really have to weed out the bunch that you end up choosing from, if you decide to go down the hiring route. Be sure to listen to samples of their work, and pay attention to how they go about blending songs together. Keep an eye out for choppiness, because people will notice it, drunk or not. 
    I once got into a squabble with an "aspiring DJ" who was an old classmate of mine. His sample set was extremely choppy, and the song choice and order had no flow to it. When I pointed that out politely, trying to give constructive criticism, he got extremely defensive and said that "transitions won't matter, everyone will be drunk anyways. And who cares about song order? As long as people like the songs, everything will be okay."
    Needless to say, I kind of went off on him and tried my best to break him out of that mentality.

    Point is, avoid "DJs" who have that kind of mentality. It won't bode well, lol. 

    IMHO, I think the crossfade on a computer should be enough for something like a wedding. It's not a club setting, where people are there solely for the music. People will be busy chatting and such at a wedding, so the music isn't the hugest ordeal. If you do end up crossfading though, do try to make a playlist and put the songs in an order where it'll kind of flow together. (Ex. Don't put a romantic acoustic song, followed by a song of a completely different genre.)  I dunno, play it by ear. lol

    As far as my friend goes, I'm pretty sure he doesn't charge up the butt, so that's not a problem. He loves what he does, so that helps as well. He'd be sure to really put a lot of effort into making your night musically perfect. c:

    But if you're not in Massachusetts...that won't work. lol

    Anyways, sorry for the long ranty post. Good luck with deciding!
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  • kritinamaddoxkritinamaddox
    First Comment
    Your fiance has some good points to what he is saying and also a professional dj is not just going to be in charge of playing music and sound quality, but also serves as an mc for the night. An Mc  makes all the announcement so everyone knows whats going on and make sure things run smoothly.
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  • stefanielynn25stefanielynn25 member
    Third Anniversary 10 Comments Name Dropper
    I've been to an iPod wedding before and it wasn't very fun. Granted, they didn't have proper speakers and it was difficult to even hear the music, but it ended up being awkward...no one really knew what to do. We barely noticed the bride and groom enter the reception, and the first dance song was barely audible. There was no dinner music, which is fine since we were talking amongst ourselves at the table, but after dinner there was a huge lull in the celebration. 

    Personally, I'd go with the DJ so that it's out of your hands and you're basically garenteed a good, fun night. I wouldn't want to burden someone in mywedding party or another guest to keep an eye on the playlist all night long, because I want them partying on the dance floor with me! If it's in your budget, go for the DJ. But, if you simply can't afford it there are ways for iPod weddings for work. Check out offbeatbride.com - they have lots of great ideas in this department. 

    Hope this helps! Smile
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  • Aide02Aide02
    First Comment
    mine wedding is in Oct and me and my fiance got a Dj already he is Awsome he is going to help us choose songs for the grand entrance my bridemaids if you want i could give you his # you should try to talk to other Djs.
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  • aebutleraebutler
    Second Anniversary First Comment
    I have also been to an Ipod/PC wedding and it was not great. The more people drank, the more the computer got messed with. Songs were changed in the middle and several songs were played multiple times throughout the evening. I would definitely go with a DJ. If you are in the Indy area, check out Sound Advice DJ's. The guy that owns it is Mike Campbell. He is awesome and decently priced. A DJ will help with the timeline and flow of the evening. They will also make sure the the correct songs are played at the correct times. They are able to read the crowd to make sure that the party keeps going!
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