iPod or Spotify For Wedding or Live DJ
A Wedding is a very special event but can often come with high costs. Trimming these costs is quite high on the priority list of many couples and often, the one thing that suffers the most is the entertainment. Entertainment plays a huge part in your day and if done correctly, can ensure you and your guests have a night to remember. So, iPod or Spotify For Wedding or Live DJ to get the job done?
You might think that because I’m a DJ myself I’m biased… and I am, but for a number of good reasons.
iPod or Spotify For Wedding or Live DJ
iPod or Spotify
An iPod or Spotify is basically the 21st Century version of a jukebox; however, with the former, you need to spend time picking all of the music you want to listen to whereas a Jukebox usually comes with it’s own playlist.
Chances are you won’t have a selection of songs on your iPod to easily fill the whole night, so you’ll need to spend plenty of time before the wedding purchasing songs from iTunes and then organising them into an appropriate playlist. If you’re considering Spotify, you’ll need to purchase Spotify Premium to avoid obnoxious ads playing after every couple of songs (and you’ll need to spend time creating a playlist as well).
If you decide on an iPod, I would suggest keeping it hidden away from guests. As the night goes by, guests decide what music they want to hear and continually skip songs (sometimes half way through!) until their jam comes on. It also results in songs being repeated, sometimes numerous times, because people may have missed their favourite song earlier but are now ready to dance. If you do decide to go for an iPod, you will need to hire a decent sound system to play your music which will set you back a couple of hundred dollars, especially if the venue doesn’t already have one installed.
Live DJ
One of the benefits of hiring a professional DJ is that they will turn up with all the music ready to go, plus you can suggest any particular songs you want played prior to your event so you can still listen and dance to your favourites. No need to download songs or spend hours putting together playlists! The DJ will provide background music during dinner right through to the first dance and onwards, making one less thing for you to worry about. The DJ should come with all their own sound equipment and if you want some elegant or ‘party’ lighting, then this can easily be provided too. They will have experience at gauging what music works for you and your guests on the night. Atmosphere, mood and the age group of those on the dance floor will all depend on what songs are played and when.
If your budget can’t quite stretch to hiring a DJ for the whole day, consider creating a playlist of music for the reception dinner (just don’t forget the iPod on the day), then arrange for a DJ to come in for the first dance and the partying.
A few things to remember about your wedding entertainment…
• Although it may appear that you are only paying for the “4 hours” you see of a professional wedding entertainment company at your wedding, normally they will invest between 12 and 30 hours of time to your special event.
• Shop around to get quotes but remember, the cheapest price is not always the best. Take into consideration the experience, professionalism, and equipment provided.
• During wedding planning, brides say their highest priority is their wedding dress, followed by the reception site and caterer. Often, reception entertainment is among the least of their priorities! Within one week after their reception however, a large proportion of brides say they should have made the entertainment a higher priority!
• Finally, the majority of wedding guests say one of the things they remember most about a wedding is the entertainment (Band/DJ). Good wedding entertainment = a great time. It’s worth getting right!
This was a blog topic created for and featured on AucklandWeddings.co.nz
