Weddings without a DJ

You will still need someone to be in charge of the MP3 player, so if that is your MC, I think you'd be ok. The thing that the DJ does well is reading the crowd... a DJ has SO much music that he or she can get the crowd up and dancing. It will be more difficult with no DJ but you can do it, I am sure.

If you want people dancing, then I'd recommend a DJ. We are having more of a dinner party for our reception of about 70. No DJ here, instead we are having a musician that does instrumental music. He will be there for 3hrs during dinner, and then during cocktails.

Saying that your wedding will be a dud without a DJ is very harsh and I don't think that's true at all. That being said, there is a grain of truth behind what the event manager was saying IF the entertainment you're arranging doesn't match your expectations.

If you believe it will be more fun to have groups of people doing different activities while having background music fill the space, then yes. A loudspeaker with an iPod will work great. Will people dance? It's not likely. Will your first dance and parent dances take place smoothly without any glitches or hiccups? It's a gamble.

Will people ultimately have a good time? If you've invited friends and family who love you and your fiance, who support you, no matter what kind of flowers you have or what kind of cocktails you've selected, they will find a way to have an amazing time.

If you are going to have 'events' like a first dance, toasts, etc, you need a concierge for the evening, not just an MC.

The only weddings that I've been to without a DJ are very casual affairs with no agenda, no events, and no structure: I'm not saying that's bad at all, it's just a different style.

I don't know where you'd even find an MC without a DJ. I'd go with a great DJ who can guide your evening.

That's sorta what I'm doing. I made a playlist on my ipod that should be okay guiding the night.

. . . end early.

That's how I finished that sentence (before reading your post). I think Dave S. hit the nail on the head. This could still be a lot of fun and perfect for a brunch wedding, but I'm not sure how long I'd stay and dance for an ipod "DJ".

I think a DJ (or band) is an absolute MUST for a wedding. Like, right behind the must of a photographer. Your coordinator is right that it will be a dud without one, kudos to them for being honest. The i-pod won't be loud enough- plus, what's the point of hiring an MC and renting sound equipment and not paying for a DJ?? I bet they'll charge you close to the same amount.

I think it depends on the style of the wedding. If the reception is a dinner party like McKony mentioned she's doing (I'm doing this style as well), there isn't much of a need for a DJ because it's not really a party, it's a dinner. But because you have so many events going on, I think it would be okay to not have a DJ, you just need to designate someone to handle the start of the iPod. My aunt actually had a DJ and some mishaps still happened with the music, and honestly an iPod would have been better. The main thing a DJ does is hype the crowd and possibly take music requests. And a DJ still can't make people dance, most people didn't even dance at the last wedding I attended even though the DJ was encouraging people to. It depends on your guests. If they are the type to boogie, DJ or not, when they hear good music, they will dance. But I think creating a really great playlist would be fine.

I suggest this song it's Beautiful !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=votXvevMDpY

I go to weddings to drink, dance and celebrate the newlyweds, not to stand around and play yard games honestly. i would be really disappointed if i showed up to a wedding like that. there isnt enough alcohol or xanax to make it any less boring!

I hate lawn games.

I'm not sure about the lawn games. Maybe if your wedding is a causal event with lots of kids you need to distract. I'm not having a DJ either although we have a friend who will be acting as a DJ and manning the iPod/laptop with a nice long list of songs for people to make requests from. Neither of us want a super loud "let's party" type event. Just a bit of dancing/background music and enjoying the evening with our family and friends. If that's what you're going for, I don't see the issue.

I went to one over the summer that used an ipod...it kinda sucked. They didn't use the best quality downloads, the playlist ran out, someone had to run and turn it down for speeches, change the song for the first dances, father/daughter, mother/son, cake cutting. It was a nightmare

I went to one over the summer that used an ipod...it kinda sucked. They didn't use the best quality downloads, the playlist ran out, someone had to run and turn it down for speeches, change the song for the first dances, father/daughter, mother/son, cake cutting. It was a nightmare

A DJ doesn't just play music or MC. A DJ entertains the crowd, gets people in the party mood and helps you coordinate your ceremony and reception. Of all the weddings I've shot where there was no DJ, the reception just seems disorganized and people didn't seem to know when things were happening and how they should happen.

DJ's really help pilot the event, create energy and mood, and create a better guest experience. Not just sit there and play music, there's a science a good DJ knows that is valuable, IMO worth that expenditure.

I was on the fence about this too and decided to just go with a DJ with a reasonable price. I don't want to have to worry about people making announcements or worrying about the music. I think this is a leave it to the professionals type of thing for me. I think it will help make things run smoother because they know what they are doing.

My brother's wedding didn't have a DJ and there was no dancing, but that was intentional. They had a harpist play music during dinner and after dinner, there was a little socializing and then everyone left.

If you want dancing, I would really encourage getting a DJ.

You don't need a DJ. It comes down to the kind of party you want.

We're not having a DJ, but we are spending hours on building our playlists for the wedding on the iPod so that each part of the wedding has the right kind of music. I have two types of guests at my wedding, those who will dance regardless and those who wouldn't dance even if it was the best DJ in the world. So for me it doesn't seem necessary.

We are having a Toast Master/ Master of Ceremonies who will be in control during dinner, and other than that the only thing will be our first dance (cake cutting will take place right after dinner) and to be honest I'm not that bothered if we don't have everyone watching us.

FH and all his friends are into music/have been in or are still in bands and so we're getting nice sound equipment for free.

We're not aiming for a big wild party type vibe so it suits me fine. I doubt people will leave early because they know they'll miss the fireworks and FH's family are renowned for their fireworks displays. If they do leave early it's not going to bother me anyway.

Nicola, my FH and I don't want a DJ either. We know how to build a proper playlist and will rent good equipment. Our parents are so worried about not having a DJ that they're considering hiring and paying for one themselves. I'm just wondering how the wedding turned out without the DJ so I can go back to them with some good evidence!