Ipod instead of a dj

@MCDJCarlos: You raise alot of good points. For brides doing a more traditional event, those are certainly concerns to address. We are not among those. So let me answer your questions in my particular case.

@Meghan: Let's say you set up your iPhones. How will you get the sound to the PA? We are actually using a small sound system to plug the iPod directly into. We may use laptops, which I can plug directly into my personal sound system. The room is small enough, it's not an issue.

Who is going to be liable if something is not taped down properly and one of your guests trips on a cable? There will be no cables laying on the ground.

Who's going to "man" the iPod and resolve conflicts? My BIL, who (as well as myself) does MCing for events.

and if your dinner runs long/short, what happens to your playlist? I'm making a 3 hour playlist for a 1-1 1/2 hour luncheon.

Most playlists... Complete silence will make your wedding guests uncomfortable and will probably result in them leaving early. -All our guests are immediate family, or people who are even closer. Our event itself will only be about 3 hours long. No one will leave early, and a major snafu would only give us something to laugh at later. Nothing will be programmed on the fly- it will be very well planned out.

Before you decide on an iPod wedding... you can understand that a Wedding DJ does more than "just play music. -I certainly understand that a DJ does ALOT more than just play music. For most events- they need a DJ. Announcements, flow from events and preparing guests for the traditional items- first dances, garter toss, etc. We are not doing any of those things. All we really want is some background music playing.

I would never recommend the iPod route to someone who isn't doing the type of event we are or have the experience and equipment that I do.

My iPod will be DJing my wedding, for the following reasons:

1. I do DJ for dance events, I know what music I want.

2. I have lovely speakers that will fill the smaller space that I have just fine.

3. Every professional DJ at a wedding I've wanted to strangle. I *HATE* them, and their music selections are crap and they never get off the mic. The only weddings that have had music I enjoyed and actually had people dancing did not include any professional DJs or MCs.

4. On the topic of needed announcements: my father is a professional speaker, he (unlike every MC I've ever met) knows how to shut up.

5. Guests will be informed about the pain of death if they touch the iPod (friend will be manning it).

I used an ipod and it worked out great. We had a family friend who ran the music, transitioned into the bouquet and garter stuff etc. I think that is where it makes the difference. We also had only like 50 people and the room we were in was great for carrying the sound. You also should have a good Ipod player. We did dancing and all that jazz too and I actually got a ton of compliments on the music we had...I had actually not expected many people to dance at our wedding, but everyone was up and dancing and enjoying themselves. I picked songs that complimented eachother and paid attention to the order of songs so they made sense (like not having slow songs bunched to close together etc.)

Oh, and I had playlists created so the person running the music could easily go to whatever event was next. I had a dinner playlist, a playlist for each event (bouquet, garter etc.) and a playlist for dancing. I had a small wedding so I knew what music to play that would be appropriate and fun for everyone. This also prevents lag time between choosing a song or having someone choose a song you wouldn't want playing.

I think the DJ is what makes the reception fun and people really enjoy themselves..I went to a wedding a few months ago were they only used an ipod it was boring!!! You could tell that people were bored and ready to leave. If you shop around you may find a DJ at a reasonable price. My DJ is charging $450.00 I gave him a $90 deposit and we have a contract. I checked other DJ's out they wanted $750-$1000 so I think we are getting a pretty good deal! Good luck to you!

I think it's a terrible idea, but if you must, don't use an iPod, use a laptop.