iPod versus Wedding DJ Controversy

March 18, 2009 By Susan Southerland 23 Comments

Hello all. Once again I have been MIA for a few days. It is definitely wedding-planning season and I am grateful to say that many brides have been calling for assistance in planning their special days.

I received an early-morning Facebook posting yesterday that made me stop in my tracks. A national wedding show was advising couples that a good way to save money on their wedding day is to use an iPod rather than hiring a DJ.

Well, I cannot argue that an iPod is a wonderful piece of technology and it can certainly play any music you may want to hear, but before you scrap the professional, let me share with you a few thoughts on why my preference still lies with hiring a pro.

  1. While the iPod itself may cost less than a professional wedding DJ, the equipment you need to amplify the music in the room may cost as much, if not more, to rent than the DJ’s fee.
  2. If you want to have a blessing and/or toasts, you will also need to rent a microphone. That will add yet another cost.
  3. A professional wedding DJ is more than someone who just plays music, he is an emcee, he reads the crowd and adjusts music to get or keep people dancing and he coordinates with other vendors to make sure the events of the evening, like the first dance, cake cutting and bouquet toss get photographed and recorded.
  4. The professional wedding DJ will help you organize your reception so you know when is the best time to dance, toast, eat, cut the cake, etc. He will also help you plan introductions and special announcements.
  5. An iPod offers no interaction. If you don’t have a crowd that will jump up and dance on their own, you may have a boring reception.
  6. Finally, who wants to be responsible for setting up equipment and making sure it runs smoothly throughout the evening? More importantly, what happens if the equipment fails. Do you want to have a backup system on hand?

If you are having a very small group and a laid back reception with only dining and socializing, you may be able to get away with an iPod for background music, but if you are planning a fun party with lots of dancing and excitement, no technological wonder can replace the talent and skill of a professional wedding DJ.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic. It is definitely a hot subject! Please post for me here, or send me an email at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan Southerland

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  • http://www.justmarry.com Karen Gingerich

    Your points are spot-on, Susan! I actually attended a wedding where the bride attempted to go the iPod route (with a friend attending to the music), and before the dancing even started, the iPod’s broadcasting equipment stopped working.

    The end result was someone backing their truck up to the front doors of the venue and blasting the truck’s stereo so the wedding would have some music. The bride was less than thrilled, to say the least! She would definitely have been better off going with a professional.

  • http://www.djmarcburgess.com Marc Burgess

    Susan,
    Thank you for seeing the value in a PROFESSIONAL DJ.Granted there are a lot of people out there who simply buy equipment, illegally download music and call themselves Disc Jockeys, but just having the tools does not make one a DJ. The same could be said for photogrpahers and videographers. The gear means nothing without the talent behind it.

    I will agree that there are some weddings where an I-Pod might be a viable alternative. The important thing to remember is that there are no “do-overs” in a wedding so the bride needs to consider the cost savings versus the risk of not having the wedding of her dreams and being stressed out the whole day.

  • http://www.ariellehazephotography.com Arielle Haze

    I completely agree! Hiring a talented professional with back up equipment and the ability to work with people is extremely valuable!

    As a wedding photographer, I encounter the same issue from time to time. Some brides want to save money by just having their guests take lots of photos with digital cameras. I guess each couple has their priority; but, I agree, there is no substitute for a talented, human professional! :)

  • http://www.joiedevieevents.com Kerline Docteur

    Susan:
    I meant to come over to the blog to see your posting. You were absolutely dead on in your points. Marc also made an excellent point, there are no ‘do-overs’ on wedding day. It is one shot and you want that shot to hit the bulls-eye. I had a wedding in 2007 where I was a DOC and imagine the horror when her worksheets said they were using a karaoke machine with an ipod as their sound system. Needless to say it was a near disaster:
    1. Dad was supposed to cue the music, he cued the wrong track,
    2. The musical selections did not move the crowd to the dance floor,
    3. The reception pretty much ended once cake was cut.

    To all the brides out there, whether its a $1 or $100,000 spent on your wedding, it is your hard earned money being invested into one day…do not DIY your music!

  • http://www.weightlessdog.com/shell.nsf The Turtle

    Wait, you forgot an enormous ADVANTAGE to going the iPod route: the pod is never going to consciously play some truly awful crap that the bride and groom hatehatehate. I’ve done weddings, and it never fails that there’s some third party who comes over and requests something awful that the bride and groom specifically barred from their lives, usually some uncle or friend-of-the-groom. I stand firm; some DJs do not. The iPod will always stand firm against “Strokin’” or “New York, New York.”

  • Amanda

    Hey, I am getting married Nov. 22 and I have chosen to use an IPOD. My venue already has the sound system that goes throughout the whole mansion and that includes a microphone. I think if you truly know what you are doing than it will turn out good. I am recording someone to be the emcee so that we can tell everyone who is dancing or when we are cutting the cake.

  • http://www.weddingsbywoodbury.com Jon

    You forgot one very important thing. How IMPORTANT is the music and dancing to the couple? If they really don’t care about the music but just need something in the background, why not spend the money elsewhere? If it is important that there is a party with people dancing, you really can’t beat a good dj.

  • http://www.ProfessionalMobileEnt.com Mark Sanchez

    Thank you for the article, and for putting the word
    professional in front of DJ. Some people are finally
    getting it. The key word in the article here is professional. There is no way an Ipod will never
    replace what a good professional DJ can do for you.
    All the points in the article are perfect.

    Note to Turtle: Not all DJ’s are professional. A professional DJ will know the right music to play, and not embarrass anyone by playing inappropreate music.

  • Chris T

    No matter how many times I’m presented with this topic I am still SHOCKED to see how many people who are spending tens of thousands of dollars on a “once in a lifetime” event such as a wedding that are willing to ruin it by skimping on the entertainment. Lets face it, no matter how beautiful the facility is, no matter how delicious the food is, etc. etc. if the entertainment is awful then the party is going to be awful. My question then is which of the following is more likely to create and “awful” party: Uncle Fred operating an i-pod or a professional entertainer with years & years of experience? Why risk it?? A good entertainer will most likely cost you perhaps 5% of your total event budget.
    At the end of the day do you REALLY want to look back and say “wow, we really should’ve spent that extra couple hundred dollars”! As has been said in previous postings….there are no do-overs!!

  • http://CelebrateIntimateWeddings.com Larry James

    I had a couple who – against my pleadings – put all their music on an iPod and failed to have a back-up plan or to check to see if the hotel’s audio system was compatible. It wasn’t and they had no music at their reception.

  • http://www.PerfectWeddings.us Cher

    About the Turtle Comment – easily fixed! Make a request list for your DJ and a DO NOT Play List – Or you can just tell the DJ to not accept guests requests – any of these methods fix the problem mentioned above!

    Cher
    http://www.PerfectWeddings.us

  • http://www.mauius.com/ Maui Weddings

    That is awesome! If I had DQ close by on my wedding day, we would have done the same thing…

    Great story, thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.bluemond.co.za/ Diamonds @ Bluemond

    I think that one should rather have a DJ, otherwise you still have to get someone to do all the changing of songs and requests and so forth and all the added expense as you so put in the above post, very interesting I have to say I have yet to be asked but getting some useful tips here thats for sure.

  • Susan Southerland

    Thank you for your input. I do agree that in the end, if the couple wants a traditional wedding reception, they may find that they save very little money by not hiring a professional.

  • http://www.discjockey.org/ipod-wedding-guide/ Jay Congdon

    Yes, there are cases in which an iPod is a perfectly viable alternative to a DJ for wedding entertainment. I just wish some couples would tone down their rhetoric.

    I can understand a couple not having enough money for professional entertainment. But it hurts when a couple tries to justify using a cheaper alternative by smearing all wedding DJs as cheesy and obnoxious. Our web site posts dozens of recent references, with phone numbers; and anyone is welcome to ask our clients whether our performance was cheesy. Other professional DJ firms will also be happy to put prospects in touch with real clients.

    If a DJ is within your budget, stick with DJ companies that have earned the Better Business Bureau’s perfect A+ customer satisfaction rating. Just visit bbb.org to find them.

  • Susan Southerland

    Hi Jay,

    Thank you for your comment. For small groups, those who don't want a lot of dancing, or in the case of very tight budgets, I agree that an iPod might be a viable option. I also agree that most professional DJs are wonderful, not cheesy. That is a terrible characterization. As will all professions, some people are better than others. Solid research is the only way to find the perfect DJ, or any wedding vendor for that matter.

  • http://www.djseller.com/ dj equipment

    A good DJ will present you to your guests, make introductions, and help organise the evening. If you have an ipod event, basically you are going to have to have one of your guests do that job all evening.

  • Susan Southerland

    That is a very good point. It is best for the bride and groom to be able to relax and enjoy their guests, not to have to organize the wedding reception.

  • http://www.djseller.com/ dj equipment

    A good DJ will present you to your guests, make introductions, and help organise the evening. If you have an ipod event, basically you are going to have to have one of your guests do that job all evening.

  • Susan Southerland

    That is a very good point. It is best for the bride and groom to be able to relax and enjoy their guests, not to have to organize the wedding reception.

  • http://www.dj-wholesale.com/ DJ Equipment

    Yes,That is a very good point..
    A good dj gaer

  • http://implanningawedding.org Planning A Wedding

    If you can afford it, get a DJ. I was at a wedding where something went wrong with the iPod and they couldn't get it to work. Luckily, it wasn't a wedding were they planned to do any dancing. Plus there was a piano in the venue, and one of the bridesmaids just played background music.

  • Susan Southerland

    If you want a great dance party, I think that the iPod is no substitute for a professional DJ.