Playlist Instead of Dj?!

Hey there,

My fiancé and I are likely (visiting & booking are in the works) getting married outside on a beautiful property next summer. We want to have the reception at the same location, either outside or under a rented tent. It will be a small ceremony (35-50ish people) and a bigger reception (50-130 maximum).

We are relatively nontraditional and want to do things in a way that is us - not everyone else. We want the reception to be fun and engaging for our guests, so we plan to have music, games, and even s'mores and a bonfire later at night! We want to do a first dance and have music playing, but we want it to be on our own terms (lots of rock 'n roll and our favorite love songs; not typical country reception songs and line dances). Also, we aren't big dancers and neither are our guests!

Basically, we don't want a DJ. It would not be conducive to what we want and it is not worth the money, especially for our reception type. However, we do recognize that there are drawbacks. 1. No emcee. 2. Possible equipment search required. 3. More work to put together a playlist.

Has anyone done this before? How did you get someone to emcee/direct important events (dinner, dessert, first dance, etc.)?
What was your process like? We know it will be tough, but we want to be successful with this.