Music for a small reception?

I wouldn't consider opening the reception to people not invited to the actual ceremony it's very rude!! What dj have you been around I don't know any that yell silly things at the crowd.

You can't invite people to the reception that weren't at the wedding unless the wedding was very very small and intimate. Like just immediate family.

The wedding ceremony is just immediate family, yes. Everything I've read says that's pretty normal and ok these days.

My advice: just stick to your original 20....in several years, I can almost guarantee that you won't regret not inviting coworkers and distant friends.

As a guest, I might feel like I wasn't important enough to witness the marriage, but was just okay enough to bring a gift to the reception.

As for the DJ, you don't have to hire one...but if you go this route, I would skip all the things that required announcements, because that's what a DJ does.

Thank you mmb, I appreciate your advice!

Are you having dancing at your reception? What kind of "vibe" are you going for? You could hire a small live ensemble or a soloist to enhance the atmosphere you are going for. If you go that route, your musician may be open to making any announcements. I have performed for small receptions where a well spoken family member, or even the pastor/officiant made a few announcements and the rest happened spontaneously.

We are doing the same thing ceremony will be 30 ppl including FH and myself the same for the reception. We are just doing a playlist off of our ipod to play in the background. There probably won't be much dancing apart from our first dance but it will be nice background noise to set the mood and avoid any awkward silences.