dj or no Dj?

This is me! I'm creating a playlist and just hooking it up using an aux cord. So much cheaper!

We're renting the equipment for a DJ that's a friend of my sister's. We're sending him our playlist and he'll make a folder with the files in them so all we need to do is press a button and shuffle the different lists. We have separate lists for our ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing afterwards.

A DJ is a must in my opinion. There are other things I’d rather give up. The DJ gets the party started and also keeps the flow of the reception going. And in the grand scheme of things, they really aren’t that expensive compared to other items. I’d forego favors or programs or some other useless items instead of a DJ.

Absolutely get a DJ, they run the whole night!

My FSIL is not having a DJ and instead having her brother make a playlist. I'm not sure what the plan for speaker set up etc will be since the wedding hasn't happened yet

We are doing a DW and not paying extra for a DJ. We are gonna rent a sound system and create playlists do we have background dinner music. If we dance we do and if not then we’ll head to the club at the resort later.

I didn't want one initially to save money but my venue didn't come with a pa system and so renting one would have cost me almost as much as this dj I ended up hiring. Which was great because he acted as an mc too

We’re not doing a DJ. There’s no electricity at our beach pavilion reception site, so no sound system at all. We do have a small Bluetooth speaker we’re going to use, either with a playlist or an I heart radio channel. Haven’t decided yet. It’ll just be background music, we don’t have a dance floor.

No DJ for us either. I think this is a know your crowd type of thing. Do you think they'll need the high energy dance party to have fun? Then definitely book one. We are more of the drinking. chatting, singing around the campfire type people. So we aren't going that route.

No DJ here either. We've made Spotify playlists and our venue has speakers.

Are you sure you want to opt out of getting a DJ? You don't have to hire an over the top package or the best of the best. You can get the simplest package they offer and they run the night. A DJ is so much more than a person who plays music. They keep the flow of the evening, read the room, and most basic packages offer a one man DJ/MC which means they will make any and all announcements. You are going to have enough to worry about on that day, making sure everyone is enjoying themselves (as well as you are of course) is a bigger task than planning the most budget friendly wedding itself. However, if you're up for the challenge then more power to you! In my honest opinion I think it's in your best interest to hire a DJ and just enjoy your wedding with the love of your life.

The package we chose with our venue comes with a DJ so I have no idea how much it would have cost through them as a separate add on. I do understand they can cost quite a bit. It also depends on what services you need from them. If you're still on the fence, you can always check thumbtack or bark and see what DJs are charging on there.

If you don’t care about dancing, a playlist is fine. If you want dancing, a professional DJ is a must in my opinion. They can make or break an event.

I know my crowd and although the DJ is a tad bit pricey in the Caribbean its essential to have one for us. We are all dancers, drinkers and night owls.

We are currently planning our wedding and I felt like I had a handle on most things but no idea how to search for a DJ. A friend who was married a couple years ago said he just bought a bunch of professional sound equipment for his wedding, made a playlist, and had a friend emcee for less than the cost of a DJ. He recommended we don't spend money on a DJ and just borrow his equipment and do the same, and also offered to DJ/MC for us too. While I think good music is important at a wedding, I also feel like this is an area where you can replace a professional vendor with a DIY option more readily, especially if you have access to a good sound system.

If you want dancing at your wedding, I think you definitely need someone "in charge" of music even if it's not a professional, hired DJ. Quality sound equipment is a must and you need someone who knows the schedule, can make announcements, keep people on task, and who can read the crowd and know your music selection and organize songs accordingly. If your wedding is pretty informal, you can easily just put a friend in charge of this and buy/rent a good speaker and microphone. I have been to a couple weddings without a DJ where the couple just used a playlist and while there were obviously a couple times where a track was changed abruptly, those hiccups were quickly forgotten. In my opinion, I think skipping a DJ/band and doing DIY music is better than hiring a bad DJ/band, because you and your guests will remember if your DJ or band was awful. I have been to plenty of events where the DJ was just really bad and it kind of ruined them. Plus if you can do your own music at little/no cost you'll feel a lot better about it than if you spend money on someone who is awful.