Has anyone been to a reception without a DJ that went well? Do you have any tips?

@Sarah, I don't think it come with the tech to manage, but just the equipment to hook into.

I've seen it go well and I've seen it go terribly. I am doing a Spotify premium playlist because I have a visceral loathing of DJ's. It's probably not worth asking about, as I can't explain it. I just hate them like some people hate clowns.

The key is (IMHO), per anything with a wedding, catering to the guests. The reason why the one wedding went well and the other went badly is purely based on song selection. The bride and groom at the bad one gave up on creating a good playlist because they don't like most popular music and opted to play songs that represented who they were. Sounds cute, but their music of choice was mostly whine-metal circa 2003 and songs that are great, but completely undanceable. They also didn't have enough songs. So sure, Aunty Shitfaced finally got on the dance floor to bop around to Heart's "Barracuda" the second time it was played, but no one else wanted to move. Also, they left NO ONE in charge of the music. No announcements. For the special dances, which there were too many, people were just dragged on to the floor or told to get out there because this was the song picked for them.

Don't do any of that, and I think you'll be good. The other wedding did none of that.

@FutureMrsJay, at the good wedding how were the announcements made and who wsas in charge of the music. Or for you, what are you planning for your own reception?

Are you planning to have announcements, speeches, etc? Since you're having your reception outside, it could very well be difficult to hear anyone speaking without amplification. I would invest in at least one quality speaker for that reason only, if you don't want to spend the money on using the venue sound system. This one is portable, but you should buy a case for it to protect it on a plane:

https://www.amazon.com/ION-Audio-Tailgater-Portable-Bluetooth/dp/B00SNBCBGE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475681841&sr=8-2&keywords=portable+microphone+and+speaker

@Sarah, I have actually looked at the speaker before and thought about getting it.

The good wedding had a family friend of the Bride's handle the announcement and the equipment. He was a DJ at a local radio station. He was also ~90 years old and did try to play some hip music...from my middle school years. I think that's why they opted for whatever they used (not sure if spotify or ipod).

For mine, my FBIL is the lead singer in a heavy metal band, so he knows his sound equipment and handled the music at a cousins' wedding. He's going to do the same for us. The venue has a really good AV system and speakers that you can hook up a number of devices into. I bought a refurb laptop for $80 (wanted one anyway, not quite a wedding expense) and have Spotify premium so that way nothing really interferes.

I'm still curating the playlist, though. I think it's been an ongoing project since we were engaged. If I hear a song I want, I immediately put it on the list. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they have ridiculously explicit lyrics and I bid them a fond farewell. I think we've got it down. And, the nice thing about Spotify is that if, for some reason, it really really sucks...we can find an alternative pretty easily with their playlists.

Thank you all for your input. I asked the resort when I have to book if I go the DJ route. I only have to tell them 2 months in advance so I have a few months to make that decision. My budget has been taking a hit lately with "life" stuff and I am starting to slightly panic about everything, but I know I can get it to work out.

I went to a small reception in a restaurant's private room. They did not have announcements or dancing (not even a first dance). So, having some type of boombox or whatever worked for them.

I went to 2 Spotify weddings--both were great. One was geared for dancing, and people danced. The other was just geared for mingling. Both were small weddings, under 60 people.

I went to a DJ wedding of 200 guests and the (expensive) DJ was horrible and basically just the wedding party danced and no one else.

If you know your crowd and prepare for it, asking for song requests beforehand is great, there is nothing wrong with a spotify wedding.

We did not have any first dances- toasts or announcements.

So in that regard- it worked out extremely well.

Um, Brooke E? You said "If I don't want something I am not going to have it just for the sake of the guests." I'm not saying whether or not you should have a DJ, particularly if you won't have dancing, BUT that is a bad attitude for your wedding in general. If you're having guests you must properly host them. The reception IS for their sake. If you don't want to be concerned about them, don't have a huge wedding; go to the courthouse. But as soon as you invite other people, the day isn't just about you.

You might be able to find a place that rents a speaker and microphone set for an affordable price. We found one and are using that for our ceremony and announcements. Our flow is a bit different than some and our wedding is small. It has a connection to connect our wedding iPod (which is a fancy name for an old iPod we cleared out and are putting our wedding music on) We aren't planning on much if any dancing though. Might be an option if you can find one! Good luck!

Nope. The one I went to without a DJ people started taking over the music and playing whatever they wanted. Very little direction as well. Don't know if they cut the cake or did a bouquet toss because no one announced it or brought attention to it.

I've found djs real cheap like $300

You really do not have to have a DJ. I have always thought it is much more classy without one and that he give it a bit if a disco feel

I'm going to have a wedding in February 2020 and am in the same situation. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a DJ but I would like some music but am concerned with announcements and such. What did you end up doing and how did it turn out?

I'm going to be having a very small wedding reception on February 29th 2020, probably less than 25 people. I love to dance several of the people coming to the reception might dance and most will not. I will probably use Spotify premium but I do want announcements made such as cake cutting, the shoe game, first dance, etc etc. Any tips on anything you might have for me. Would be greatly appreciated.

View Quoted Comment How many guests did you have?

View Quoted Comment Hi , may I ask how many guests did you have?