IPOD vs. DJ

You have a good point Jon. I agree with everything you said, but looking at it from a DJ perspective, I'd have to say that it's like saying that since you have a big kitchen at the venue, you should prepare all of the food yourself. Since you have a nice car, you should drive yourself to the front door of the reception. Since you have a point and shoot camera, you should take all of your pictures.

The point I'm trying to make is that each bride has different expectations of what she wants in her wedding. Music can make a big difference, and the way it's presented will be noticed by everyone who attends. Have you heard the comments from guests about the iPod music? Trust me, they talk about it later.

Your budget dictates what your going to use for music and I understand where you're coming from. You can either hire "Billy Bob's Country Band" or the "Black Eyed Peas". Each has it's pros and cons... how much you can spend is the determining factor. Good luck!

Larry

I'm with you MEG. We rented the Quebbie from our local rental center here in Pittsburgh. It had every song we needed and even Polka's for my grandparents. It does not replace a quality DJ/MC for a big event. Ours was 128 guests and it was perfect. IPods are ok, but with the Quebbie thing or a DJ, you know the songs will be there for almost any need.

Hire a Professional DJ with quality professional equipment. A good DJ will do the following:

MC the event

Make sure the event moves along in a timely fashion

Guarantee all of your pre-requested music

Know how to guage a dance floor and provide a good music selection to make sure your guests have a great time

Provide a cordless microphone for when toasts and speeches are to be done

When guests see an actual human being as the entertainment, and someone who know's what they are doing is in charge of the music then your guests will have a great time.

Also, your caterer and photographer's jobs will be made easier when working with a professional DJ. Your photographer will appreciate a DJ being there because they can get WAY better shots of your and your guests having a great time.

A IPOD set up is acceptable for a birthday party. A wedding is suppose to be the most rememberable day of your life and an ELEGANT affair. You don't want the hassle of not having a DJ!

I don't think that an ipod at a wedding makes it any less of an "elegant" affair. For me its not about the music, the food, the decorations or even the venue, its about sharing with your family and friends the joy of being married and being together for the rest of your lives, just my opinion anyways...

It's fine if you are having a wedding like November Bride said, with no announcements or events and the music is just background noise really. I don't think guests notice where the music is coming from so that would make sense to save money. But the DJ is not about just playing music, they guide your entire event, they are MC (Master of Ceremonies)...that's HUGE! Its not about more money spent or quality of decor etc, it's really creates the atmosphere of it being an event with changing announcements and not just a party. I've seen weddings ruined by a lame DJ, or low budget ones made GREAT by a good DJ. Did you watch that youtube video about it? OMG it was so painful to watch!! So I'm just saying it's fine to skip the DJ but then don't expect the same type of event with announcements, cake cutting, parent dances, etc that you would have had with an MC...if you skip the DJ plan on having a small, non-formal reception/party like PPs have mentioned and it'll be fine

I totally agree that there are pros and cons to a ipod reception. As there are pros and cons to a DJ. It's all about how you decide to spend what money you have, and adapting to the decisions you make. Decide what is important to you and your FI and put the money into that.

If you fo a laptop/ipod reception, plan ahead. Assign a friend or family member that you TRUST to oversee the equipment. Assign a friend or family member that you TRUST to MC. In regards to getting people on to the dance floor, I think most guests would follow the cue of the bride and groom. If they are out there, cutting up a rug, then they will join you. If you are more reserved and concerned about people getting out there, maybe a DJ is right for you. It all depends on the needs and resources that are unique to each circumstance.

Most of all, relax and enjoy the day. Murphy's law says that SOMETHING will go wrong. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Our wedding is with 50-60 people. It is our second wedding and we arent doing the dances with the parents only our first dance and the cake cutting. The guy who knows about the sound system will be there to troubleshoot if need be, but wont be an MC. After hearing from everyone....I think we will be fine if we find someone we trust to MC and run the IPOD. Thanks everyone!

Shannon, I think you'll be fine. It really is about the type of event you want and your expectations. It sounds like you mainly just need background music and are comfortable knowing there may be some awkward pauses and that somethings might not go as perfectly as planned. I've attended smaller, low-key weddings similar to what it sounds like you are planning, and I think the ipod is fine for that.

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My concern for ipod weddings are when the expectations are to have an event that flows flawlessly, to have a high-energy, lots of dancing, lots of fun, kind of like going to a great club, type of experience. An ipod is not going to give you that. If the music/entertainment aspect is a high priority for you and if you would be upset that nobody was dancing at your wedding then you really do need to get a good DJ.

So many good points here. First and formost is you budget. I base all of my comments on the "normal American average wedding", which has a budget of $25,000. If you're having a $5000 wedding (as I suspect many are leaning toward) then, don't hire a DJ.

Your total budget dictates how much you'll be spending on all of your vendors, and a DJ is near the bottom. Typically, you should spend 9% of your budget on the entertainment, and for a $5000 wedding, thats about $600. That's very low for a great DJ.

Here's some things to consider:

Venue and food is 45%, dress and tux is 12%, Photographer is 14%, cake is 10%,

Hair and makeup is 5%, Entertainment is 9%, Rings are 4%, Honeymoon is 11%, Flowers are 10%, Ceremony and officiant is 3%, Stationary is 3%, Transportation & gifts/extras are 10%. If you have to cut somewhere, the DJ is typically first to be cut...but I ask you this question: Why is every wedding venue on the planet built around a dance floor? Think about that. It's a memory you want to have for the rest of your life... choose your priorities carefully.

A wedding is your statement to the world that you are together forever, and the celebration is the expression of that statement. Where do you want to "cheap out"? If you have to cut somewhere, what is important to you... and only you can decide that. Good luck!

Larry

Shannon,

There's an assumption here that an IPOD will be much cheaper than a DJ. If you need to rent equipment, purchase music, hire an MC or sound tech, spend your personal time preparing, setting everything up, and breaking it down, I'm not sure you'll save very much. Check around with some local DJs, explain your budget situation, and ask for some quotes. You may have a problem finding someone on New Year's Eve, but you might find someone who lives near your venue, has a kind heart, and could MC your wedding and run the venue's sound system within your budget constraints.

Dan

We did the laptop for our wedding, but it was a backyard wedding with 75 people, no announcements, no cake cutting announcement, everyone just gathered round, etc. So I think it partially depends on the affair that you're having. As others said, what you have on your iTunes may not be copacetic with great grandma, so you're still going to have some money to spend on applicable music.

As others have said though, a DJ not only plays music in a conventional wedding. Typically we work with the DJ, who will be running the evening after you arrive at the venue. We somewhat dictate the schedule up till that time.

I've shot events with bad DJ's and the downside is that people tend to get absolutely smashed because the night is dragging, which then turns into a liability for you since you were the one providing them alcohol.

We're using either an iPod or our laptop and will have a copy of the songs on CD. Our venue has a built in sound system, so it's no biggie. Our venue has done this a ton for weddings which makes me less nervous. And, since our reception is non-traditional and we have most of the music we want already, it works for us. I say go for it if your venue has a sound system and either the caterer or the venue coordinator is willing to monitor the music. Or, assign someone to help with it.

I posted a discussion about this earlier:

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/be-your-own-dj/b00070b9ddc8bd74.html

Hopefully this helps

For some people that would work very well, just keep in mind that you would want someone to man the player so that it can be stopped and started when needed, for toasts, announcements, etc. Also, is that person okay with manning the equipment and missing out on some of the fun. I had one bride who done this and her guests took it upon theirselves to keep changing the music on their own, so keep this in mind as well.

I've noticed an interesting theme with these discussions. Many state that they are going the iPod route to save some money. That's great and I understand... but... aren't you really rolling the dice?

Out of all the posts and threads, I'm still waiting for the post where a bride states that she did an iPod wedding and it was a roaring success, and the dance floor was full all night long (how many of those really happen?).

Of course, I'm speaking from a DJ perspective, but I strive to give the customer every nickle of worth from my performance. I believe the energy of the night falls into the DJ's hands. A great DJ will rock the house and make you night one to remember... a bad one won't.

Why do you think every wedding venue on the planet is build around a dance floor? The determining factor is how do you want your event to be remembered by your guests? If it's not that important, then you have your answer.

Couple other points. If you really want people to dance, and don't like an empty floor, then an iPod is not for you. Ipods work great for either dinner or cocktail hour music, but for dancing are limited.

For a start, they play the songs in the order you designate, but don't fade from track A to track B. So, that 20 seconds at the end of a song will play until it fades away to nothing, then the next song comes in. You might have a good half minute of near silence, which gives people an excuse to leave the floor. Plus, an iPod doesn't know who's on the floor - you've maybe programmed 3 country songs in a row, because good flow is important. However, if nobody dances to the first track, a DJ wouldn't play the other 2 similar tracks, whereas the iPod just plays what's next.

Music volumes change from track to track too - which a DJ would monitor and adjust, but an iPod doesn't.

Some people will say they've had success, but MUCH more often than not they don't work like you hoped...

I have to agree with ScottishDJ. From the weddings I've seen very few times in which an iPod or a Computer worked well instead of a DJ. Typically, it does work well for the dinner, but if you want to get the party atmosphere, the dancing going, and to have a smooth reception I would highly recommend a DJ

I've been on both sides of the table on this one. At our wedding, we did have a good friend run the sound off his iPod. We spend our budget on other things. It worked okay for us. However, after the fact, I realized it would have been nice to have a DJ - even just for the Emcee duties. It was a little disorganized and confusing for us going from one event to another. Also, DJs keep the dance floor movin' at the weddings we've worked and kinda wish we had more of that. If you go with the iPod, at least think about having someone set up as the Emcee.

My friend did it and it was awesome. Everyone had a great time, and she loved that she could dance to all of the music that she and her husband liked and didn't have someone choose it for them at any point. We are going to do the same thing, as we are on a very strict budget as well.