Diy wedding music- yay or nay

I went to a wedding where they played the music from their ipod/phone - it worked out great at the beginning - but later on once people were drinking and up dancing - the song never played through as there would be someone that wanted something else and would go and change the song part way through.

I have been to two weddings and neither had a professional DJ. I was planning on doing the music ourselves but I figured it would much more convenient to just hire a DJ (we found one that would cover everything for 600). I think it's a great way to save money, though it will require a lot of time to create a playlist for the whole event. I think creating your own playlist will also make your wedding more personal!

UPDATE: Thank you for your replies. I read over each and every one of them. I wish there was a "like" button!!! I hope other brides will find this thread useful. We were given a reasonable quote from a DJ (Pump it Entertainment) and he also offered to emcee/MC - so we ended up booking with him. We've been to many events that he has DJ'd. I just want that day to be as stress free as possible

I've never been to a wedding with out a DJ but I've only been to two. I saw on Pinterest if you request songs on your invitations from your guest you could download all those songs and your own playlist and have it on shuffle I'm sure that would work just fine and everyone hears what they like

Im using Spotify and have multiple playlists

Pre-Ceremony Instrumental

Cocktail Hour

Dance Party

Dinner Jazz

Im using the free version, and listening with the annoying half hour interruptions for now. We'll upgrade closer to the date and hopefully it all goes to plan!

Hey, any way to save money is right up my alley! Sure, make your own playlist. That way the music will reflect your taste. We've decided to make it really simple; classical guitarist and wedding singer for the ceremony, then guitarist for cocktail hour and dinner. That's it. We're an older couple and our wedding is on a Sunday. It won't be a late night with dancing and drinking since a lot of our guests will have to work the next day.

We have professional speakers and the set up to dIY music. We are having a friend man the music and purchasing some kind of lights off of ebay or amazon to go with it. We will be sticking in some stuff to fill everyone's cup.

I have been to one wedding where they did DIY music, and it worked out ok. Something I would suggest is even though you dont like the Top 40s or typical wedding music, I would still have some of those songs throughout the playlist, so the guests who do enjoy that type of music will have something to dance to. Also, dont forget that you are going to need someone to be in charge of playing your first dance song, any parent dance songs, as well as turning down music during speeches, etc. The wedding I went to was a bit stressful for the bride and groom as the designated "DJ" was too busy talking to other guests and eating dinner to make sure the music was on track, and there were a few times when the music stopped or the wrong song came on and everyone noticed. Just make sure you have a responsible person manning the music. Also, sometimes a DJ is worth the extra cash simply due to the fact that they are professionals and can read a crowd.

I have seen a DIY music set up go really well and I have heard a few stories where it has gone awry. We are getting a DJ because I just don't want to deal with the technology if things go wrong. We are paying for our wedding ourselves but it was somewhere I wanted to allocate part of the budget because not worrying about it was important to me. I think if you are super organized before hand it will go smoothly and you will have a great memory to keep!

I have recently been to a wedding where they used a DIY playlist- it worked pretty well, but I think they picked the wrong kind of music for people to dance too. They kept trying to encourage people to come up and dance but although they picked some of their favourite songs, it felt like many people didn't know a lot of the songs, and I personally felt like I didn't know enough of the songs to really get into dancing (although I did try, it was a close family wedding and no one was on the dance floor so I felt bad!).

I do still plan on doing my own DIY music for my own wedding (we just can't afford a DJ) but my MOH suggested getting the bridal party together (or a group of friends if your bridal party is small) before the wedding to help put together a playlist. That way you can try to include some music that everyone likes as well as your own favourite songs!

Our friends got married last October and did their own music. It was great!! No problems with flow or anything like that. We are lucky enough to have been given a copy of their 9 hour playlist which we have customized to our own likes. We will have more than enough music to please everyone as we have eclectic tastes. We will also have separate playlists for the arrival of guests, processional etc. It does take a bit of time to set up but it is really fun!

We went with a playlist we made on Spotify and are using a Bose blue tooth wifi speaker for our music. It's the music you like. I asked People what they wanted to hear and added it to my playlist. My Minister is loaning me her Extra P.A system to use as well. way cheaper than hiring a DJ.

Awhhh..How sweet that you can re-live some of those moments! The gears are definitely turning. I like the idea of multiple playlists.

This is what I like to hear! Thanks for the reply! We are on the fence.

My sisters wedding was set to a playlist and it went perfectly well! A friend changed songs to some requests a few times. We are going to do the same 😊

We did our own playlist instead of hiring a DJ. We both had Google Play accounts and made the playlist and edited the order of the songs to allow a good flow.

We also separated our playlists according to the time of the day. So 1 list for the ceremony, another for during the reception and another for our first dance along with the dance music

The really nice part is that we get to re-listen to our playlists and re-live that wonderful day

I definitely think it's a know your crowd kind of decision!

My Fiances brother did his own music for their wedding and it was awesome. Best music ive ever had at a wedding. They used Rdio (same thing as spotify) and created a playlist. They picked all the songs and the order or songs ahead of time to avoid any weird transitions and to appeal to all ages throughout the night. It was a it of prep leading up to the wedding but it was totally worth it.

We may end up getting a DJ after reading the comments Just wanted to get some feedback from you ladies and the feedback speaks for itself lol. Appreciate your reply.

Thanks for the reply! You can set-up songs to sort of overlap by 5-10 seconds to avoid those awkward pauses. We may end up getting a DJ though Just wanted to get some feedback from you ladies and the feedback speaks for itself, lol. Appreciate your reply.

Thanks for the reply! We've got a couple of people in mind that we may ask to MC/Announce a few things, I feel like we can manage the playlist but we are still figuring things out. Thx for the input, appreciate it! Totally know what you mean about drunk people handling music - lol.

I've been to a wedding where they made their own playlists and it was awesome. It was a smaller wedding (private ceremony, cocktail reception as in no main meal just apps and late night poutine bar) . I think it worked because there wasn't the formality of a lot of things going on.
I thought about it for a few minutes but I like how DJs manage the flow of the dance floor they usually know how to get people dancing and keep the night moving. They also announce a lot of things that you'd have to find someone else to do. Also, when my friends get drunk they tend to fight over the iPod and I didn't want to deal with that LOL
It just depends on your crowd and what you want your night to look like.

We are doing a DIY wedding. 90% of my decoration were made by me. Food is food trays from a local store, P.A system was loaned to us and Music will be on Spotify . We saved on our Hall which is 50$ and saved on Booze as we are not having any. many ways to save when it comes to Weddings. The Dollar store is a Brides best Friend.

I went to a wedding that also had music played off of a laptop and it was a lot of repeated songs. Not a lot of people danced and the energy was a little off due to no one really there, MC wise, to entice the people at the wedding to get up and have fun. On the flip side, I think that this can still be accomplished well if you make tons of different music playlists that can be chosen from throughout the night. If you have a friend/family member that are great at talking in front of crowds you could persuade them to help out throughout the night to get people moving.

I have attended a wedding where they did their own music. They played it off of a laptop and they didn't really have anyone paying attention to it and so the flow of the night was off. Not a lot of people were dancing, the same songs played over and over again, there were awkward pauses in between. I didn't really care for it. I would definitely have someone sort of assigned to it and make sure the playlist is big enough, this way songs aren't repeating itself and the flow is better!