It’s a question we’re sure gets asked a lot during the wedding planning process: “Should we just opt for an iPod instead of hiring a wedding DJ or live music?” The answer is dependent on what type of event you want to have: a fun one or a potentially lame one.
So, should you consider using an iPod to get your wedding guests dancing at your reception? Well, do you like constantly worrying about the playlist, taking time out of your wedding, and running into potential technical errors? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you should totally fire up your iPhone at the wedding and hope your iTunes playlist shuffles the way you’d like.
We get it. It’s 2017 and easy-to-use, high-tech gadgets are everywhere, so we see the appeal in saving a few bucks on a wedding DJ in Atlanta and going with your personal device. And we’re not saying it’ll be a complete flop. You could rent the right speakers, sound check the room, make sure you can flip from music to microphone without interruption, build the most incredible playlist without having to skip songs, and keep people on the floor all night with your dope music selections. All that is possible. All that is also a pain.
Let’s break down the difference between using your own device and hiring a professional (assuming you’re not already a professional, in which case feel free to skim).
EQUIPMENT
The best wedding DJs are trained to tune the equipment (that they bring, set up, and take down) properly to best fit each individual space. That alone can be the selling factor to hire someone to provide entertainment at your wedding.
It’s not enough just to plug in your phone into a Sonos speaker (although we they’re really cool, too). For instance, a large room will need large amplification, but you don’t want to blow out the eardrums of everyone on the dance floor. There’s a fine line between “I can’t hear it,” and “I can’t hear anything.”
Pro tip: renting proper sound equipment can often be expensive. That cost is generally built into the the cost of a wedding DJ.
RUNNING a smooth SHOW
The good wedding DJs are often times good at MC’ing wedding receptions. From when the wedding party enters the room to the cutting of the cake, it’s nice to have someone experienced at the microphone. With an iPod, you could be relying on a guest to make sure the music is off and the mic is working and that’s a lot of moving parts. More moving parts can mean there’s more that can go wrong.
If you’re not into smooth wedding receptions and dig when electronics don’t work as you’d expect, then we say take the risk of plugging an auxiliary cord up.
READING THE CROWD
You iPhone is not human. It may feel like an extension of you, but we hate to break it to you that it’s inanimate. We have no doubt you can build a sweet playlist, but if you drop it on shuffle, you run the risk of playing songs in, well, and interesting order.
A good wedding DJ can read the crowd, know what the vibe is like, and play something that’s aligned with that vibe. That’s an important factor in keeping the dance floor jamming. Plus, you won’t have to worry about running to the iPod every other song.
Pro tip: your DJ should take requests. If he or she does not, then maybe you shouldn’t hire that person. So, don’t worry about not hearing the songs you want. Remember, it’s your day.
While an iPod may be a convenient way to play music at your wedding reception, think about the pros and cons before making the decision. If you’re curious to learn more about Nice Entertainment and the wedding reception DJs and live music we provide, drop us a line.
