Let me just start off by saying that I know the WW community is a big fan of professional DJs -- and I count myself as part of that group. I thoroughly researched and booked our DJ two years out from our wedding date, and was very much looking forward to him running the show.
However, due to the current situation and restrictions from our venue, dancing or entertainment of any kind is no longer feasible. (They've gone from no dances at all to allowing masked, socially distant dancing, but that's not really what we had in mind - especially since we've now downsized to 30-40 people.)
Instead of a traditional reception, we are having a formal dinner. Because of that, we canceled with our DJ; we could not justify spending $1400 without the party atmosphere, and ending the night pretty early. We do hope to have a celebration in 2022, and I fully plan on hiring our DJ for that gathering. For the record, I did ask him if he had other packages that made more sense for our situation, and he said his business model is basically all or nothing. I respect his answer and didn't push further.
So! If you have been in a similar situation or had to forgo a DJ for whatever reason, how did you run things? I plan on making playlists for each part of the day (pre-ceremony, ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner). The venue has wifi, and I can get a few bluetooth speakers.
We're not expecting anyone to really do announcements or anything, or for things to flow perfectly - just looking for background music that's easy to control.
I really don't want to mess with microphones, but I keep going back and forth on whether or not they're necessary.
I'm also struggling with assigning a point person for music. While I have a wedding coordinator, I don't think running music would be something she normally does. I am also not one to put responsibilities on friends/family -- the most I've asked for in this planning process is a few opinions. Honestly, I wouldn't mind running the music myself, but I know that's just not realistic.
If you could share your plans/tips/experiences with me, it would be greatly appreciated!
