Is a DJ needed?

I think you could get away with a playlist and speakers for your wedding. If you have the money, a DJ would be nice to have so you can have a bit of that entertainment factor as well as the music, but if your group isn't much for dancing, then you could get away with an ipod.

Keep in mind that there is more to a wedding DJ than just playing music. If you want someone who will keep the night organized, make announcements, dismiss people for dinner I would say yes a DJ is still needed.

Yeah for this setting a dj won't be needed. I would try and test out your system before hand though. Make sure that the speakers cam handle the volume and ease of use for the play list.

Willie, that is the main reason I am considering it, to keep the night organized.

Another reason I am considering it is like Randee mentioned, the house we rented has speakers but if we get there and they for some reason don't work or something else goes wrong that's just extra stuff to worry about.

This is why I am asking because I keep going back and fourth haha!

Well, not to go against Willie, but with 40 guests I think you could manage without. Of course double check your speaker system! But as long as it's working, you can just do a playlist and designate a BM or GM to make announcements when needed. I am a little biased, because we are having a small wedding and opting out of doing a DJ.

If you don't think your guests will spend a lot of time dancing you could look for an emcee instead of a DJ. Personally I think a DJ is good because in addition to making announcements and helping with the "flow" of the reception, a good DJ will also be prepared with many different types of music and should be able to "read" your guests and make changes to the music to keep people excited about the music and keep people dancing if that's your desire.

I don't think a dj is necessary for 40 people. I would think a playlist with a sound system would be just fine. Do you still want to do a first dance and father/daughter dance and what not? I think dancing in the sand outside is super cute! You can rope off a section of your yard with some globe lights for your sand dance floor. As far as a dj for organization, I would think with just 40 people it would flow pretty well without as long as you have a designated person announcing the different transitions for you.

We're in a similar situation and we just don't think it's worth it to have a DJ. My sister/MOH has offered to make any announcements we feel we need and we're not doing any big fancy entrance to the reception so I think it ought to work fine. Good luck!

If you decide not to have one, just make sure you have a person designated to introduce you at the beginning, and make announcements for cake cutting, etc.

Cakewalk- yes, we will still have a first dance and father/daughter etc. dance. Also we are doing the globe lights!

Thank you all for the reassurance!

Playlist & speakers should be fine! My friend had a low key wedding & it was perfect with the setting & what she was going for. Your wedding sounds similar, & it's a great idea to not have a DJ

We had about 50 people at our wedding, we just plugged in our tablet and had play list, My brother was our "DJ/MC" for when certain songs needed annoying. Everything went just fine. We defintiley did not have a big dancing crowd.

Yeah If you have someone who can remind you ( like someone in the wedding party) to do all the stuff you want then go for it. You can just write it out and give it to them before.

Normally I'm super pro DJ for all the reasons that Willie said, but for the size of your wedding and the way you're gauging your crowd I think you could maybe skip it. Just make sure you have everything written and planned out as far as announcements, since whoever you designate is not a professional.