Weddings and Ipods Don’t Mix
22 Jul 2009 6 Comments
in Advice and Tips, Business, Culture, Economy, Entertainment, Family, Money, Music, People, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Party, wedding planning, Wedding Reception, Weddings Tags: bridal, bridal party, bride, brides, bridesmaid, dj, ipod wedding, ipod weddings, Music, wedding, wedding bands, wedding dj, wedding dj's, wedding music, wedding planning, wedding professionals, Wedding Reception, wedding receptions, Weddings
Ok, I’m about over it. I’ve heard multiple suggestions on multiple budget wedding tip articles (even including ones posted here) about various ways to cut corners during the wedding ceremony. And ALL of them, not just some of them, but ALL of them put the wedding music on the list as things you should cut corners on. And ALL of them threw out the suggestion of using an Ipod instead of a band or DJ. Let me tell you how bad of an idea that is on all accounts.
While I’m sure there are some stories of success using this method, they are few and far between and their expectations were very low to start with. As a professional vocalist and also the owner of a Georgia DJ company, you probably would guess that I’m very biased and shouldn’t even be allowed to talk about it, but let’s get real. Nothing can match the personal touch of a wedding band or wedding DJ when it comes to managing the flow and feel of the wedding reception.
There’s a great video posted on Youtube that is the perfect reason as to why this is a bad idea. You can watch it here. Now granted, this wedding is primarily a disaster from the beginning because there was apparently no rehearsal or planning with a dash of total disorganization. But the use of the Ipod run by friends and family as your MC’s/sound/videographers, etc is just a bad idea. Bands and DJ’s handle most of the announcing, music, and everything is thought out in advance.
Do you really want to take the chance of your cousin starting up “Shook Me All Night Long” during the Daddy/Daughter dance? If you want memories that last a lifetime, that’s definitely the way to do it. You can find affordable DJ’s (and even bands) for under a grand without even looking hard. Now granted, you take a chance if you get too low on your pricing, but doing your homework and using directories of wedding vendors will give you multiple options. I’m sure there are dozens of horror stories from Ipod weddings and I can insure you that you do not want to be one of them.
Please share your disaster (or even success stories) here for all to see.
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Sep 10, 2009 @ 23:35:22
Good article, now you should tweet is on Twitter, Facebook etc..
and get the word out to everyone if you haven’t yet.
Link to my blog if you like.
Sep 22, 2009 @ 16:25:08
Hello,
If it is done right an iPod wedding can be the perfect choice! We have done hundreds of weddings and every one has gone perfectly. Brides love being able to choose their own song list that may include eclectic and special music they only have and enjoy a pressure free reception. Not to mention save alot of money. Check out our video on the website youdjit.com.
Sep 25, 2009 @ 16:52:58
While I certainly don’t want to dismiss your business model, there’s a huge part of this that is forgotten and that’s the part where you need someone to man the Ipod. While having a professional PA system running is an obvious caveat to an Ipod wedding and where your business comes in, you still should have someone there to actually make sure that songs are running when they’re supposed to be running, who will announce certain dances, entrances, etc.. I just don’t see how it would work as smoothly as you say. Sorry, That’s probably just me, but I’ve personally watched these crash and burn and the video on the post is actually more the norm on Ipod weddings. It’s totally up to the bride, but I’m quite shocked when people take these types of chances.
Sep 25, 2009 @ 16:55:19
Yes Jeff, and if done right disposable cameras can be the perfect choice too!
Who needs a professional photographer?
Or how about pulling flowers from your backyard, that will save money.
PLEASE!
Nice plug for your lame business!
Apr 01, 2010 @ 13:41:19
Agreed. Brides or grooms considering Ipods should also read the piece shown here.