I NEED ADVICE & experiences with DJing your own wedding, Ipod style... well, laptop style actually. Please!

Martha Stewart said "Entertainiment is 75% the success or failure of the reception"

Comment removed. as A-1 entertainment was nice enough to edit theirs :-)

There is nothing wrong with being the DJ at your own wedding or party.

Anyone can DJ, but ask yourself can you read the crowd?

What about interaction?

What about lights?

I have rented sound systems for I-pod wedding and I've seen good ones as well as bad ones..

Pro DJ's with over 10 years charge from $600 and up and of course your have the lights, and all the gear we have to carry.

So when looking for a DIY use Caution, and make sure you have fun most of all.

Secret most people don't know: Most DJ's are idiots.

I'm not going to give you fluff on why any vendor is important. The question is, why is someone making a recommendation? What's in it for them. Most vendors will recommend that you hire their vendor type because you 'really need it'.

I've always recommended to make a list of what's important to you when you start your wedding planning and then rank them in order. Put your money into what's important to you - cut it from what's not - and you'll have the reception you want.

For example, we had a bride that thought entertainment was CRITICAL to her reception and she called us from the venue to make sure we were available before she signed the contract with the venue or she was going elsewhere. She was considering getting a planner but they asked about decor and she said, "Just through some seashells and sand on the center of the table and we'll be happy" - you see decor wasn't important to her. But when she said that, (cont)

The wedding planner got up and left. You see, this planner makes a lot of her money in renting and setting up decor for brides - more like a wedding designer. But the bride only wanted someone to help 'run' her wedding and help to book the vendors since it was a destination wedding. The bride instead opted to have us take over some of the details regarding the flow of her wedding day and they had a BLAST. We still talk with them on occasion...

But I talked with another bride that was having her reception at a cooking school because she was a bit of a 'foodie'. She could care less about entertainment and told me as much. I told her our rates and she laughed and said she wasn't ABOUT to pay that. It's ok. What I do isn't important to her and I understand that.

As far as the iPod wedding thing - if you don't NEED a DJ then don't hire one. If you're considering one, ask them tough questions to determine their ability to deliver what you want. (cont)

And if you do an iPod wedding understand it takes planning to do it well.

I, and a few other DJ's understand that you've seen a lot of REALLY BAD DJ's. We have too. I understand you're wary and rightfully so. That's why it's so VERY important to screen your vendors carefully, talk to references, and to really ask the tough questions. What have they done for other brides? What can they do for you? Make them prove it. When they use terms like 'customized' or 'personalized' what do they mean? Does it mean what you think it means? In more than one case I've seen - no, it didn't.

If you want what someone else had, ask them about their vendors. We LOVE referrals and it gives them a chance to talk about their wedding all over again. They love the chance to do that to.

And don't be afraid to ask questions.

Plan carefully, review it twice, then thrice, and your wedding will be great. With or without any vendors at all.

Diversity is what makes the world go around. If you prefer laid back/chill atmosphere don't need an MC then Ipod etc is the way.

If you want a ROCKIN' Party and tons of energy, you'll hire a DJ and MC

If you want a middle of the road reception, there are DJ's who also act as an MC who fit the bill.

If you want more personalized entertainment like scripted intros, custom first dance songs edited with your own voice...then you'll see him/her out.

At the end of the day, the ipod is a good solution for the first choice.

Just make sure you know what you want. Otherwise your reception will be limited.

And just in case anyone's curious....

When Sue and I planned our wedding we hired a $6000+ DJ and a $3500+ photographer. My mother got ill, went in the hospital, and we had to cancel the wedding. We didn't have insurance and ended up paying vendors for an event we didn't have.

When we finally did the wedding again we did it completely different. Most of our friends were DJ's so we did it at a DJ convention. No one knew it was happening except our family. At the meet and greet that night the event coordinator came up and made an announcement. I came out to music, then Sue - and everyone thought it was some 'routine'. We get to the front and suddenly every phone in the place starts texting,'Ed and Sue are getting married RIGHT NOW!!!' We had been engaged for 10 years 2 months and 6 days. We had our first dance, a band comprised of DJ's, cake, and a relaxed event with our family and friends.

Either wedding would have been perfect because I'd be married to Sue at the end.

Did your event happen on the roof top The General Morgan Inn in Greeneville, TN?

If so, I was there.

Chuck

Ive been a DJ since 1985. I have seen good and bad weddings being both as DJ and a guest. I understand some of the reasons posted in this thread about wanting to do an IPOD or LAPTOP Wedding. I see a lot of comments about "we saw a bad DJ", or "I don't want a DJ playing the music THEY want"... That is well and good.. BUT have you considered these points:

1. You have a set play list. What if the playlist doesn't work? Will whoever is running the system be able to READ THE CROWD and select new music to get people back dancing and not leaving or sitting?

2. What about a sound system? will you have the PROPER sound system for the event? Wireless Microphone?

3. announcements. Just because you have a friend or family member who is good speaking in front of people, doesnt mean they know the format of the event. Also, what happens when things change at the event.

Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXj4P3iz2yg

I wouldn't advise an IPOD wedding if you want a fantastic party, you can have a wedding with music, anyone can be a "DJ"...but to entertain it takes a unique style, energy and years of doing this. If your having a cake an punch reception at a church, no dancing, sure go with an IPOD..will your wedding guests talk about how much fun they had, no but that wasn't your goal...each wedding is unique, talk with your hired or vendors in your city, consider what they tell you and make the choice for you. There will always be clients/brides and friends that will do what they want, this isn't a new fad, people have been making mixtapes since ..well ALONG time...is this different, yes but not really. Make your wedding what you want it to be, make it the perfect reflection on you and how much you appreciate your guests investment in everything they have done to get to your wedding.

Following this thread! So many great tips! We are having a DIY IPod/IPad wedding reception as well. We’re having a destination wedding and a smaller guest list. 40 tops! We wanted a more intimate laid back affair. If people want to dance they can if not we can just enjoy everyone’s company. People get so hung up on those stupid garter tosses and cake cutting songs. Personally, I think all of that is so cheesy and corny!

Not me but a wedding I attended: The bride and groom created an itunes playlist and instead of requests, guests could walk up to the table and add a song to the queue. Would recommend this if you trust your guests not to play "Gangnam Style" 5 or 6 times in one night (the song came out that year so was still pretty novel at the time). I believe they had a DOC who rounded up the MOH and BM for speeches before dancing and they kicked off the dancing portion with their first dances. I think someone just pushed play and their songs for the mother-son, father-daughter and first dance we're queued up. If you're going to go that route, make sure your playlist isn't set to "shuffle" or you may end up with the wrong songs! If you have a tech savvy bridesmaid or groomsmen you might ask one of them to play the first dance songs juuuuuuuust to be safe Good luck!