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Might be doing an ipod wedding.

So, I've been researching djs and they are so expensive.  One just sent me a quote for $1350.  All I need is some music for 4 hours.  I don't want a light show or require anything too crazy.  My venue has a system to play ipods.  I was thinking of buying a wireless microphone for the speeches (which will only be a few) and calling it a day.  

We're only having about 50 guests.  I can't justify spending that much money for 4 hours.  I've already been on my local board to see if anyone knows of an inexpensive dj with no luck.  

Has anyone ever been to a wedding that used an ipod?  Or is anyone else doing it?  

Re: Might be doing an ipod wedding.

  • katanne9katanne9 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    FI and I seriously looked into it. If we were having a smaller wedding like yours we'd probably definitely be doing it (we changed out minds bc of the logistics of our venue... long story).

    If you are willing to put the time into it I think you'll be fine. I would def. find someone who wouldn't mind keeping tabs on the music all night (ie. switching the song if it doesn't fit the mood.) Also, I'd put it all on a computer playlight and play it off that, not an ipod, but that's just me.

    My friend who IS doing it got all her rental equipment for $200.
  • edited December 2011
    One of my coworkers did that for her wedding and said it went really well. I know in college at our sorority formals we used someone's computer and the banquet hall's sound system. I've also heard you can rent whatever equipment you need. I'm in the same boat as you. The cheapest DJ I've found so far was $850... and all I'm looking for is someone to press "play" and introduce us, not entertainment for the night! =)
  • loopy82loopy82 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Wow, you guys should seriously come to MN. You can easily get a professional DJ for around $600. We're using a band so its all a wash anyway.
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  • edited December 2011
    My cousin did that at her wedding, and it went wroooooong.

    No one could figure out how to turn it off (be sure you know what you're doing) and the songs looped over and over during her ceremony. Her dad was rushing to get things set up and the timing was really awkward and weird. He couldn't tell which songs were meant to play at which times.

    They didn't have enough music to cover the entire reception, so things repeated.... and they didn't have someone who could adjust the volume, so things were way too loud for dinner and not loud enough for dancing. It was just awkward and bad.

    Not saying you shouldn't do it... but having someone who is in charge of it (who is NOT part of the wedding party) and familiar with the technology is a must.

    Also, keep in mind it can take a TON of time to download everything, put it in order, and get it ready to go.

    You have a long time before your wedding, so maybe you have that time. I just know I wouldn't have the time, so for me a DJ would be worth it and kinda necessary even if it wasn't included with our venue.

    Just think about it a while. In my opinion, an intimate, casual wedding is best for an iPod reception. It might work well as long as you put the necessary thought into it.
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  • dees14dees14 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My friends used an iPod for their wediding last fall, and asked one of our other friends to be the "DJ" and keep an eye on it all night. It would have went well except they used their own speakers and it was not loud enough. Just make sure you test it out first to make sure the volume is good. Also, their playlist wasn't long enough, but none of the guests noticed, because the "DJ" just added more songs on. I think it went really well, or would have if the volume was louder!
  • CaitlinH86CaitlinH86 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I went to a wedding a few weeks ago with an ipod dj set up and it went bad. There wasn't a problem with the volume but no one was dancing because the music didn't match the mood. I think with a DJ they are able to judge the vibe and change music accordingly. IMHO
  • cdipaolocdipaolo member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am seriously consider this too, because we may be having a smaller wedding and to save some money. Go for it and Good Luck! Also, can you let us know how it works out and give advice for people like me planning to do it later. Thanks!
  • edited December 2011
    I've never been to an ipod wedding but as long as there is someone who knows how to operate the system, sound, etc it should be just fine. We had a DJ at our wedding but we also got married in a town where everything was really cheap so he only cost us $450.
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  • edited December 2011
    We're using my ipod for our wedding too...
    You should get iVolume.. it makes sure that every song is the same volume so you won't have to adjust it all the time.
    Assign one of your friends to control the music on the ipod so you don't have to worry about it.
    Make sure that there are different kinds of music on your ipod's playlist (remember music for the old people too).
  • RoseBud3891RoseBud3891 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I used to be a DJ specifically for weddings (so you can just about imagine how picky I'll be about the music at my own wedding)... What someone said earlier about a DJ judging the mood of the crowd is 100% what you need to take into consideration. Be considerate of your crowd, and have a few backup songs just in case the crowd dies down (YMCA, Electric Slide, ChaCha Slide, etc. are really great to get people on the dance floor). There are DJ programs that you can download and use a free trial of the full program but some of them don't sync with iTunes files, it can get messy. If you're really considering it, think about using a downloadable program and plugging the sound system into your computer instead. You can set up a song list and it can go into autopilot and create transitions between songs so the music is constant. The song list can be adjusted at any time and would be fairly easy for a designated friend to manage the day of. The program we used could be plugged into a projector and have its own little "light show" on a screen.

    Hope some of that advice helped a little bit! Best of luck to you if you are going at it yourself! Laughing
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