No DJ?

I've been to a wedding w/ an ipod plugged in. It was fine! I'm sure they had a wedding play list or something. They had someone running the ipod, so maybe designate a willing volunteer to steer the ipod!

We are doing ipod reception. Cant afford a dj. Using my mp3, stereo (is really good with base, so I can make it sound really loud) and making playlists for everything.

Here are some good websites that I have bookmarked for reference:

http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/wedding-music.html

http://www.inexpensivewedding.us/diy-wedding-music

Masquerade Bride: Are you having someone announce you when you come into the reception (etc), doing stuff hte DJ normally does (besides playing music)?

I've shot several weddings where there was only an iPod with speakers and no DJ. Even though in each case someone had been appointed to "emcee" and make the announcements, this didn't work. In each case, the appointed person was too busy having fun (and/or drinking) to be bothered with announcing the wedding party, the toasts, the special dances, the bouquet, garter, and cake. Also, no one had provided a mic, so the guests couldn't hear the toasts. And last, there was general confusion on the part of the guests because there was no one directing them as to what was happening at different points in the evening. This happened in every single case there wasn't a DJ. There might be the one wedding where it works great, but it is not the norm....I've yet to experience it. If you're okay with this, then you'll be happy with the iPod method. If you want your guests to understand and participate in the evening, it might be something to consider.

Stephanie Hickerty: How big were these weddings?

My daughter had the ipod set up with the wireless microphone and speakers that she rented for $150. she made up the playlist and had someone in charge of making sure that all the anouncements got made. It worked very well for her and their tight budget. It just depends on how well you can rely on the person taking care of it during the reception

Kristin: yeah I'm having either my younger sis or one of my brothers do it, no microphones tho. I'll be making a script for them, including lists of songs so they dont screw it up lol. I'm sure there's gonna be something that goes wrong but it's the best we got.

Stephanie: I think it can work well if you have a small wedding, with someone who has incentive to MC correctly. Personally, if my younger sis does it, she's 16 & my parents have pretty much said she'll do it cuz they said so lol. Or one of my brothers, I have in mind to pay $100, cheaper than a DJ. We're having 40-50 guests, So I dont think speaking loud wont work, it should

Our guest list is 40-50 too. If we can't borrow a mic from someone, I think the person who MCs will just speak loudly. 40-50 is smaller than some of the college classes I have been in, and we could hear the prof.

Two of the weddings only had about 30-40 people...the others had 60-100. Even at the small weddings the guests were confused.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm sure it can work. I've just not seen it work, yet. Since I'm at weddings most weekends of the year, I have more opportunities to see it not work. Public speaking/announcing definitely takes skills.

Even for a small group, a mic will be important. People don't always listen, and you truly don't want your announcer to have to yell to get people to quiet down. It's surprising how loud a small group of people can actually get.

I'm just trying to offer some insight to what can happen...not create an argument saying it won't work.

I'm doing an ipod at my wedding, but we do have quite the speaker and microphone set-up inside, so I think it'll work ok. Our emcee is also my FH's BM, and he's a middle school teacher who really doesn't even need a microphone to be heard and take care of crowd control, but we'll have the mic anyway.

I do think I'll have back-up cds, and a timeline list of when things should happen to give to the BM and my FMIL who's acting as our coordinator. Fingers crossed that it works out!

A DJ/MC was our highest priority. I cut fat out of our budget by hiring a local restaurant to do takeout bins at $5/pp and we are doing cupcakes by the moms instead of cake. Also, no photobooth. I think people won't miss a wedding cake and 5 star meal if they had the times of their lives. Just my opinion...

A DJ does more than play music: they move things along, set the tone, keep people dancing, announce things, help you with the music selection, have equipment and backups (what will you do if the equipment fails?).

A few brides here have done it, but only one has come back to say it was great. It's a gamble.

Also, now that it seems you will stay with us, could you please change your avatar? Anything other than salt and pepper shaker will do.

Tracy A: What did you do for food? $5 per person is great!

Can anyone define a wedding reception?

The dj definitely keeps the wedding going smoothly. Our djs were great! Our dance floor was packed till the end of the last song. I think the dj is one of the most important vendors if you want a fun wedding.

How much do DJs usually cost? We are on a budget and I think I would rather have no DJ vs a bad one.

First I'll say, if a DJ isn't in the budget, it isn't in the budget, and you do what you can.

That being said, one of the things at the top of our list is a GOOD DJ. I've been to weddings where the DJ is mad or mediocre at best. In cases like that, not many are on the dance floor and the party ends sooner than you want.

DJs do so much more than play music. Many of them do an itinerary of your night with the things that you want to include...they kind of act as a wedding coordinator for your reception. They make sure that things go smoothly, they are the MC for the reception, etc.

A good DJ is something that is important for a fun party time. It's something that, if you can budget it, and maybe cut back in some places, it's worth it. That being said, though, some people don't care about dancing and music, etc, and that's fine. Ultimately, it's about what YOU BOTH want...not what everyone else things you should do.

And, you are right, it's better to not have one than to spend $$$ on a bad one (in my opinion)

I think having no DJ can work if you don't care about dancing, and are just wanting an iPod (or computer/CD/etc.) for background music. Even then, you either need an MC, or you need an informal enough reception so you can make your own announcements or prod someone to make them at the appropriate times.

If dancing is important to you, you need a DJ. Getting people out dancing means being able to read the crowd, keep a constant stream of patter going, change the music to something they will dance to, etc. A really experienced amateur might be able to handle it; someone's brother who is also trying to enjoy the wedding will not.