Well, we're leaning to yay, but what are your experiences? What programs do we use to mix the songs? Do you set up a playlist and just press go....how do you keep up with the mood of the dancers?
Well, we're doing an ipod wedding for our reception, and while I've never been to a wedding where they used an ipod, i've certainly been to a number of weddings where the DJ was just awful.
I've created a series of playlists that include big band music for cocktail hour, some more upbeat but still "easy listening" music for dinner, and then dance music for afterwards. I've heard that it's good to designate a person to watch over it and do the announcing of the cake, first dance, etc. etc.
I say go for it, especially if you have a specific set of songs you want to play.
I'm going that route, too, but my recommendation is that you use a computer with iTunes on it, NOT an iPod, as iPods are prone to freezing and acting up. iTunes is generally well-behaved, you can easily add songs to a playlist (in the event that your guests aren't really into the playlist you've created!), and it is also just easier and quicker to switch between playlists on iTunes.
You should definitely have someone have someone watch over the playlists, and I recommend that you split up the duty among a few of your friends so that you don't have one person stuck as your DJ all night.
I would see if you can try it out at your reception site beforehand and make sure the speakers/sound system/whatever you are going to use will work with your ipod and that someone besides you knows how to do it. I was at an ipod reception last summer and whoever the bride had put in charge of running it couldn't figure it out and the bride had to go and fix it after they had already announced the first dance so that they could have music for the first dance. It was a little awkward and she was very flustered.
Haven't been to a wedding with an ipod but that is what we are using.
Our friends are not much into dancing but we LOVE LOVE LOVE good food and wine. Nixed my DJ budget and added the $$ to the food and alcohol line item!! My good friend and one of the BMs is a total master of the ipod and has a crazy collection of music. She always has the best mixes for her backyard shindigs and pool parties. I went through her catalog and chose a bunch of songs I had to have. And what I want that she doesn't have she will add to her collection for me. (I plan to give her an itunes card this weekend to help fund that part.) We sat down with the caterer and mapped out the timeline for the big day. She is going to set up multiple playlists for different times of the evening. Starting with light jazz and big band for cocktails, more adult contemporary through dinner, and my favorite 80's hair bands for after dinner. My grandma's will be gone by the time we open the 4th case of wine and Metallica hits the speakers! :) The multiple playlists mean that if we run over time a little bit between cocktails and dinner, we won't end up with Nickelback smack dab in the middle of dinner. The playlists will automatically start over and she can control the movement into the next playlist. The entire event is in my parent's backyard so she is coming over the week before for a technical meeting of the minds with my dad and sound check.
The DJ's in this area just aren't that good and rarely play the list you request and all of the stuff on your do not play list. My FI sister told her DJ more times than she can remember to stop playing rap (she HATES rap) and turn it down. I'm only going the ipod route because my girl totally rocks it and I trust her and I'll get to see the ENTIRE play list before the big day arrives. If you're going to do it, make sure you or someone you trust knows their stuff. And definitely do a site pre-sound check as mentioned above. Don't want anything to ruin the flow of your day.
Agree with others to use a laptop and iTunes, not an iPod. I went to a wedding where they used an iPod docked into a boombox-type speaker system, and it didn't work well. The bride and her father ended up fiddling with it for about 30 minutes... :(
I'm thinking about going the DIY route, and from my research it sounds like you should rent a mixing board and professional speakers to make it sound as good as possible. ITunes should be enough to set up your playlists, and a friend (who's not going to get too drunk) can be the designated laptop master in case of any emergencies (I wouldn't ask a friend to be full-time DJ, because then he/she wouldn't get to enjoy the party). Be sure to get a microphone as well so you can still do toasts, etc.
Girl I've been thinking about doing the same thing. I babysit for a lead singer for a local popular band and was going to have him MC in exchange for babysitting hours but I am having SERIOUS second thoughts. I'm not sure if our guests will be dancers and want someone to be able to read the crowd and adjust. but if you are looking in to I-Pod...
check out this wiki post for tips
http://wiki.weddingbee.com/Ipod_wedding
I really think it depends on 1. your type of wedding (cocktail hour or full on dinner reception with dancing) and 2. your budget
We are doing the iPOD thing. We actually might use a laptop as many people suggested, but with 2 iPODs fully loaded with the play lists as back ups. We are renting a sound system for $200 that, according to the company, is perfect for this use. I got advice from my MOH, who did this at her wedding, and we are having a dinner music playlist, a dancing playlist, and also having special songs (like first dance, last song, etc) in another playlist so they can be quickly called up. If you plan on having a lot of special dances, like father-daughter-mother-son, or money dances, or other things like the bouquet toss, garter toss, you will need someone to MC things. (We are only doing first dance, skipping all the other stuff DJs normally do). We will have two people be designated music-minders should anything happen, but otherwise we will just let it play.
I have seen the DIY music thing go wrong at a friend's wedding. What they did wrong: My friend had all her playlists that she spent so much time putting together on a Napster account. What she didn't realize was that by using Napster, she didn't actually have the songs on her computer, but rather they were only available to her online. (the funny thing about this is my friend is usually so web and computer savy, she is a professional web-designer so she knew better but somehow screwed up!) Her venue didn't have internet access and was way out in the mountains, so she spent all day scrambling together new playlists based on the CDs people had with them or other peoples iPODs. At the wedding, you would not have known anything had gone wrong, but they didn't get to use all the songs they wanted. And some of the songs used didn't fit quite right.
Another mistake from this wedding, they asked a friend to MC and be DJ, which he was glad to do, but I could tell he and his girlfriend didn't have as much fun because of it. Also, with the sound system they were using they had a microphone, but you could only have either the mic plugged in, or have the music plugged in, not both. So every time the DJ-friend made an announcement, he had to stop the music, so it wasn't as smooth as it could have been.
I was at an Ipod wedding, and it was fine. The only thing was that every song would cut off early with a horrible cracking sound and then a long pause before it went to the next song. I'm told there's a setting on your Ipod so you can avoid that happening (anyone know what it is?).
We used an Itunes for our cocktail hour and reception and hired a DJ to use his mixing board and speakers to go with it. The Itunes thing was nice because my husband is a music nut and this gave him something he was fully in charge of for the wedding. We also liked having control over what songs did or didn't make an appearance at our reception. All in all it was a musically error-free event and we were extremely happy with the outcome.
We're going the iTunes route with back-up iPod and CDs. There is a program available called MP3 trimmer that can help cut out the blank spaces at the end of songs. This may be a feature on iTunes as well, but make sure you have at least a beat between songs - some flow one into the other very well, but others are a bit jarring. Also keep an ear out for varying volume levels (loud or quiet songs).
We will likely have our ceremony musician (a friend) and our usher (another friend) share iTunes babysitting duties during the reception.
One thing we're really finding helpful is to put together the playlists early and listen to them repeatedly. This helps identify awkward pauses or odd transitions.
I love the suggestion of separate playlists - brilliant!
Thanks for al the feedback. I definitely have been reading along. This is definitely getting more popular! Everybody bringing up good points...Items needed: laptop, iTunes, program to mix or transition in between songs, sound system (speakers, mixer), testing the day before, and a sober buddy that would babysit....that last one is the problem! I'll have to brainstorm and maybe even have friends audition....tee hee.
I'm all about the Ipod wedding ... I've seen some truly awful DJs -- the worst being the one who kicked off my best friend's parents 30th anniversary party with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." Really??
There are some great suggestions on this thread, and another good one that I didn't see mentioned is, if you're using more than one area of the same property (your cocktail hour is out on the terrace while the reception is indoors, etc.), it's a great idea to have two Ipods available so that the music is already playing inside when the guests get to the reception area.
We're doing it iTunes style... I am setting up separate playlists for each portion of the event - pre-ceremony, ceremony, cocktails, dinner, dancing, etc. Make sure you regulate the volume of each song to avoid one being really loud and one being soft. You can do this in your iTunes settings. You can also adjust the flow of the songs into each other - there can be a pause or there can be a fade in/fade out, or a slight overlap.
I was just at an IPOD wedding this past summer. I have to admit, I thought it was a great idea, such a money saver, and a great way to have exactly what you want played, when you want it.
But-after actually seeing it in action-I must say it was truly one of the most awful weddng dances I have ever been to. The bridal party kept having to run back and check on the IPOD, and the songs were cut off early, or only played for 20 seconds, then someone would decide that they wanted another song on the playlist and just skip over it.
I think it can be done, if you set strict rules, and only have ONE person in charge of it. I really think a DJ is the way to go-I personally love to dance, to anything and everything, and the IPOD wedding totally ruined my booty shaking! :)
i say nay. Although cheap, you run the risk of people not dancing. Good DJs and bands read the crowd and play the music the crowd wants to hear. You can't do that with ipods.
We did an laptop iTunes wedding and we had no problem with it. We made sure that we download the songs from the original CD or from iTunes, not from places like BearShare or LimeWire so that we don't run into songs with bad quality.
Also, make sure that you listen to your playlist to make sure there is no long pause in between songs.
I went to an iPod wedding last year and it mostly worked well... but you definitely need to designate someone (or a few people taking turns) to be in charge of it. At this wedding I guess they left the iPod unattended and there were a few points where some of the guests took it over and kept switching the songs in the middle and screwing up the playlist. Other than that, though, they had a good selection of music and it was a lot of fun!
Well, we're leaning to yay, but what are your experiences? What programs do we use to mix the songs? Do you set up a playlist and just press go....how do you keep up with the mood of the dancers?
posted by pixielee25 19 posts 6 months agoWell, we're doing an ipod wedding for our reception, and while I've never been to a wedding where they used an ipod, i've certainly been to a number of weddings where the DJ was just awful.
I've created a series of playlists that include big band music for cocktail hour, some more upbeat but still "easy listening" music for dinner, and then dance music for afterwards. I've heard that it's good to designate a person to watch over it and do the announcing of the cake, first dance, etc. etc.
I say go for it, especially if you have a specific set of songs you want to play.
posted by pattyb 55 posts 6 months agoI'm going that route, too, but my recommendation is that you use a computer with iTunes on it, NOT an iPod, as iPods are prone to freezing and acting up. iTunes is generally well-behaved, you can easily add songs to a playlist (in the event that your guests aren't really into the playlist you've created!), and it is also just easier and quicker to switch between playlists on iTunes.
You should definitely have someone have someone watch over the playlists, and I recommend that you split up the duty among a few of your friends so that you don't have one person stuck as your DJ all night.
posted by brooklynbaby 12 posts 6 months agoI would see if you can try it out at your reception site beforehand and make sure the speakers/sound system/whatever you are going to use will work with your ipod and that someone besides you knows how to do it. I was at an ipod reception last summer and whoever the bride had put in charge of running it couldn't figure it out and the bride had to go and fix it after they had already announced the first dance so that they could have music for the first dance. It was a little awkward and she was very flustered.
posted by prettykatie 158 posts 6 months agoHaven't been to a wedding with an ipod but that is what we are using.
Our friends are not much into dancing but we LOVE LOVE LOVE good food and wine. Nixed my DJ budget and added the $$ to the food and alcohol line item!! My good friend and one of the BMs is a total master of the ipod and has a crazy collection of music. She always has the best mixes for her backyard shindigs and pool parties. I went through her catalog and chose a bunch of songs I had to have. And what I want that she doesn't have she will add to her collection for me. (I plan to give her an itunes card this weekend to help fund that part.) We sat down with the caterer and mapped out the timeline for the big day. She is going to set up multiple playlists for different times of the evening. Starting with light jazz and big band for cocktails, more adult contemporary through dinner, and my favorite 80's hair bands for after dinner. My grandma's will be gone by the time we open the 4th case of wine and Metallica hits the speakers! :) The multiple playlists mean that if we run over time a little bit between cocktails and dinner, we won't end up with Nickelback smack dab in the middle of dinner. The playlists will automatically start over and she can control the movement into the next playlist. The entire event is in my parent's backyard so she is coming over the week before for a technical meeting of the minds with my dad and sound check.
The DJ's in this area just aren't that good and rarely play the list you request and all of the stuff on your do not play list. My FI sister told her DJ more times than she can remember to stop playing rap (she HATES rap) and turn it down. I'm only going the ipod route because my girl totally rocks it and I trust her and I'll get to see the ENTIRE play list before the big day arrives. If you're going to do it, make sure you or someone you trust knows their stuff. And definitely do a site pre-sound check as mentioned above. Don't want anything to ruin the flow of your day.
posted by nickyt 42 posts 6 months agoAgree with others to use a laptop and iTunes, not an iPod. I went to a wedding where they used an iPod docked into a boombox-type speaker system, and it didn't work well. The bride and her father ended up fiddling with it for about 30 minutes... :(
I'm thinking about going the DIY route, and from my research it sounds like you should rent a mixing board and professional speakers to make it sound as good as possible. ITunes should be enough to set up your playlists, and a friend (who's not going to get too drunk) can be the designated laptop master in case of any emergencies (I wouldn't ask a friend to be full-time DJ, because then he/she wouldn't get to enjoy the party). Be sure to get a microphone as well so you can still do toasts, etc.
posted by hwong14 87 posts 6 months agoGirl I've been thinking about doing the same thing. I babysit for a lead singer for a local popular band and was going to have him MC in exchange for babysitting hours but I am having SERIOUS second thoughts. I'm not sure if our guests will be dancers and want someone to be able to read the crowd and adjust. but if you are looking in to I-Pod...
check out this wiki post for tips
http://wiki.weddingbee.com/Ipod_wedding
I really think it depends on 1. your type of wedding (cocktail hour or full on dinner reception with dancing) and 2. your budget
good luck
posted by TallBride 582 posts 6 months agoWe were going to do the ipod thing but we'd still need someone to manage it, esp. during the different things that will occur during the reception.
posted by futuremrsbrown 30 posts 6 months agoWe are doing the iPOD thing. We actually might use a laptop as many people suggested, but with 2 iPODs fully loaded with the play lists as back ups. We are renting a sound system for $200 that, according to the company, is perfect for this use. I got advice from my MOH, who did this at her wedding, and we are having a dinner music playlist, a dancing playlist, and also having special songs (like first dance, last song, etc) in another playlist so they can be quickly called up. If you plan on having a lot of special dances, like father-daughter-mother-son, or money dances, or other things like the bouquet toss, garter toss, you will need someone to MC things. (We are only doing first dance, skipping all the other stuff DJs normally do). We will have two people be designated music-minders should anything happen, but otherwise we will just let it play.
I have seen the DIY music thing go wrong at a friend's wedding. What they did wrong: My friend had all her playlists that she spent so much time putting together on a Napster account. What she didn't realize was that by using Napster, she didn't actually have the songs on her computer, but rather they were only available to her online. (the funny thing about this is my friend is usually so web and computer savy, she is a professional web-designer so she knew better but somehow screwed up!) Her venue didn't have internet access and was way out in the mountains, so she spent all day scrambling together new playlists based on the CDs people had with them or other peoples iPODs. At the wedding, you would not have known anything had gone wrong, but they didn't get to use all the songs they wanted. And some of the songs used didn't fit quite right.
Another mistake from this wedding, they asked a friend to MC and be DJ, which he was glad to do, but I could tell he and his girlfriend didn't have as much fun because of it. Also, with the sound system they were using they had a microphone, but you could only have either the mic plugged in, or have the music plugged in, not both. So every time the DJ-friend made an announcement, he had to stop the music, so it wasn't as smooth as it could have been.
posted by DrB 107 posts 6 months agoI was at an Ipod wedding, and it was fine. The only thing was that every song would cut off early with a horrible cracking sound and then a long pause before it went to the next song. I'm told there's a setting on your Ipod so you can avoid that happening (anyone know what it is?).
posted by rzblna 113 posts 6 months agoWe used an Itunes for our cocktail hour and reception and hired a DJ to use his mixing board and speakers to go with it. The Itunes thing was nice because my husband is a music nut and this gave him something he was fully in charge of for the wedding. We also liked having control over what songs did or didn't make an appearance at our reception. All in all it was a musically error-free event and we were extremely happy with the outcome.
posted by thenewmrsw 22 posts 6 months agoWe're going the iTunes route with back-up iPod and CDs. There is a program available called MP3 trimmer that can help cut out the blank spaces at the end of songs. This may be a feature on iTunes as well, but make sure you have at least a beat between songs - some flow one into the other very well, but others are a bit jarring. Also keep an ear out for varying volume levels (loud or quiet songs).
We will likely have our ceremony musician (a friend) and our usher (another friend) share iTunes babysitting duties during the reception.
One thing we're really finding helpful is to put together the playlists early and listen to them repeatedly. This helps identify awkward pauses or odd transitions.
I love the suggestion of separate playlists - brilliant!
posted by missm 485 posts 6 months agoThanks for al the feedback. I definitely have been reading along. This is definitely getting more popular! Everybody bringing up good points...Items needed: laptop, iTunes, program to mix or transition in between songs, sound system (speakers, mixer), testing the day before, and a sober buddy that would babysit....that last one is the problem! I'll have to brainstorm and maybe even have friends audition....tee hee.
NEXT - what are your playlists??
posted by pixielee25 19 posts 6 months agoThere is nothing wrong with an ipod wedding, actually mine was a laptop wedding, but it's the same thing.
If you need some suggestions on wedding music, feel free to ask! I used to be a korean dj for 6 years and done quite a few weddings.
posted by mykoreanweddingcom 9 posts 2 months agoI'm all about the Ipod wedding ... I've seen some truly awful DJs -- the worst being the one who kicked off my best friend's parents 30th anniversary party with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." Really??
There are some great suggestions on this thread, and another good one that I didn't see mentioned is, if you're using more than one area of the same property (your cocktail hour is out on the terrace while the reception is indoors, etc.), it's a great idea to have two Ipods available so that the music is already playing inside when the guests get to the reception area.
posted by DCbrideinATL 77 posts 2 months agoWe're doing it iTunes style... I am setting up separate playlists for each portion of the event - pre-ceremony, ceremony, cocktails, dinner, dancing, etc. Make sure you regulate the volume of each song to avoid one being really loud and one being soft. You can do this in your iTunes settings. You can also adjust the flow of the songs into each other - there can be a pause or there can be a fade in/fade out, or a slight overlap.
posted by CarolineG 284 posts 2 months agoHello there,
I was just at an IPOD wedding this past summer. I have to admit, I thought it was a great idea, such a money saver, and a great way to have exactly what you want played, when you want it.
But-after actually seeing it in action-I must say it was truly one of the most awful weddng dances I have ever been to. The bridal party kept having to run back and check on the IPOD, and the songs were cut off early, or only played for 20 seconds, then someone would decide that they wanted another song on the playlist and just skip over it.
I think it can be done, if you set strict rules, and only have ONE person in charge of it. I really think a DJ is the way to go-I personally love to dance, to anything and everything, and the IPOD wedding totally ruined my booty shaking! :)
Hope this helps!
posted by nette 25 posts 2 months agoi say nay. Although cheap, you run the risk of people not dancing. Good DJs and bands read the crowd and play the music the crowd wants to hear. You can't do that with ipods.
posted by AHotPinkPetticoat 33 posts 2 months agoWe did an laptop iTunes wedding and we had no problem with it. We made sure that we download the songs from the original CD or from iTunes, not from places like BearShare or LimeWire so that we don't run into songs with bad quality.
Also, make sure that you listen to your playlist to make sure there is no long pause in between songs.
Oh, and we rented speakers for like $200.
posted by indy 89 posts 2 months agoI went to an iPod wedding last year and it mostly worked well... but you definitely need to designate someone (or a few people taking turns) to be in charge of it. At this wedding I guess they left the iPod unattended and there were a few points where some of the guests took it over and kept switching the songs in the middle and screwing up the playlist. Other than that, though, they had a good selection of music and it was a lot of fun!
posted by ChrissyM 34 posts 2 months ago