No DJ?

I personally see nothing wrong with it as long as you organize the songs correctly and know what is going next. Maybe have a cute board with the playlist on it so you aren't guessing the entire night.

Last year when we got married, we forgot the stereo we were going to plug our mp3 in to!!! we ended up just having our music play form our laptop. no one seemed to mind or notice.

We are using a ipod.my stepdad will just make sure it keeps playing and everything goes smoothy with it.

We are going to create a play list and not have a D J...it really does save some money.

An iPod saves money. But an iPod does NOT:

- MC the reception.

- Solve technical problems if something happens.

- Read the crowd and adjust music as necessary to keep people dancing.

- Prevent your cousin Vinny from playing something that will make your grandma faint.

A DJ makes or breaks the party. If you're OK with having background music and if having a party is not very important, then not having a DJ is a good money saving option. But if having a party matters to you, look into hiring a DJ.

We are just using an ipod. It's cheap and easy. We are just going to make different playlists. I'm excited because then we can just pick out the songs we want instead of having to make sure the DJ doesn't play songs we don't want the too!

I have been to plenty of weddings that just used and Ipod and they all went very smooth. So I'm not worried about not having someone play all our music.

We are just using an ipod. It's cheap and easy. We are just going to make different playlists. I'm excited because then we can just pick out the songs we want instead of having to make sure the DJ doesn't play songs we don't want the too!

I have been to plenty of weddings that just used and Ipod and they all went very smooth. So I'm not worried about not having someone play all our music.

We are doing mp3. My venue has it's own stereo & amp system, it's actually a newer version of my personal stereo, so I know all the controls & whatnot. We've tested out both, works like a charm. Both stereo's bases make the bldg sound like a club, w/o distorting the sound with the sound so high. I may bring my stereo as backup, but having their stereo already set up is easy. We are having a cd backup as well, but on mp3 I will have specific playlists, w/a pre made list of times/lists to play. I also have a wonderful BM who's an aspiring actress, so she has no problem being MC & I trust she will make it fun.

Moral of story: Whatever sound system (stereo, laptop) you use, make sure it works like a dream. Check & double check the sound at high levels, you dont want your music sounding distorted. Have back ups to your music. For an MC, make sure it's someone you trust that will follow your plan, wont play around/skip songs, & someone who's comfortable in front of crowds.

We are using Wedding DJ app on my IPOD to save money. I have been testing with different playlists and it's worked for me. I'm happy I found it...saving us alot of $$$$

I agree, especially w/ such a small wedding party a DJ is absolutely not necessary. Use an iPod and put a friend/family member on playlist duty just in case there's a specific song request.

As far as having an MC, for a party of 50 getting on a mic connected to 3 sub-woofers sounds like over-kill. It's a reception, not a rage, lol. Or maybe it is. Recruit your loudest friend/family member to introduce you and to make any other pertinent announcements throughout the night. You'll have a great time.

Do that, as long as you test it first. I was at a wedding and they told the bride and groom they could hook up their ipod. But then the venue couldn't figure out how to hook the ipod to the main speakers in teh dancing room. Bad news, they hooked in the radio & we got to listen to lots of commercials between songs

My friend didn’t have a DJ for her wedding; they just did the IPOD thing. It turned out great, and they saved a good chunk of money. I know our DJ is going to cost us just under 2k, so it’s a lot of money saved!

Thanx for all the advice! FH is extremely excited to make his own playlist and be able to change things himself without paying for it. Our crowd is a little older so it shouldn't be a problem as we suspect most people to lounge and party rather than dance and party.

That's what I'm using an iPod. We're having only 30 ppl & trying to keep it quaint.

I think the iPod route is fine as long as you have a designated family member to keep the reception running smoothly. I've been to "non-DJ'd" wedding where we sat around sort of wondering what was going on. There wasn't anyone dismissing tables, telling us what was going on, introducing the wedding party, parents, doing toasts, etc. You need someone to keep everything flowing so everyone doesn't get bored.

A majority of the people attending my wedding will be the older relatives of my fiancé, so we are just having background music and no dancing. We will instead have more time to socialize with his family instead of ignoring our guests to dance all night.

Will you have someone to run it for ceremony music and specific songs you want throughout the night - i.e. cake cutting, first dance, bouquet toss? I would just consider all of those things as well and make a plan and a back-up plan. The playing 2 hours of a playlist is fairly simple - although I think the pauses between songs can be a mood killer (though a party atmosphere was very important to us) - but the special songs can be trickier.

Like Melissa mentioned I would find an MC for the evening.

Find out if the venue would even allow that. In our venue contract, ipod dj is not allowed. Find out first!!!!

I am a DJ and would like to know where you all live. I only charge around $400 for a 5 hour wedding reception.

I don't see anything wrong with using an iPod for your reception music. But you'll possibly want an "attendant" to make sure the music goes smoothly or use an app. Maybe practice a bit with it a few weeks before or once you guys get your playlist together. If your guests are not big dancers and just want to relax, it would be just fine!