Wedding Wednesday – Music
Why didn't anyone remind me that it was Wedding Wednesday yesterday?! It totally slipped my mind as I was rambling on about training plans... 
Anyway, I'm here now to talk about wedding stuff. On the agenda: Music.
Or as Kate put it, "The Dancing Dilemma: Cheesy DJ vs Demure Live Band"
This one is really difficult for me. In general, I am NOT a fan of DJs. I don't like people shouting into microphones, playing crappy music, or, worse yet, singing along to crappy music (trust me, it happens.) Or, god forbid, this:
Lots of people have suggested having an "iPod Wedding", which would be good because:
- It's inexpensive.
- We can pick exactly what we want played...no chance that "The Chicken Dance" will accidentally make the list.
- We can easily mix it up / skip songs if we'd rather hear something else.
However, there are some things that would make it challenging:
- What about sound equipment? Will paying to rent it cost as much as a DJ?
- Who will be in charge of the iPod? I certainly don't want to have to worry about it.
- How will announcements be made? Usually a DJ will announce things like the first dance and cake cutting, etc. Will we have to ask a friend to MC our reception?
- What if the music we pick doesn't get people out on the dance floor? I hate to admit it, but most DJs probably have skills and experience that are better than mine in that regard.
Another idea is hiring a band. But, again, that comes with a list of uncertainties.
- What songs will they know? Will we be stuck with a bunch of oldies? Will they be singing weird renditions of Beyonce's "Single Ladies"?
- Will the band leader act as an announcer/MC?
- Will there be downtime when we can play an iPod? Will they have the equipment for that?
- How do they compare in price to a DJ?
That's a lot to think about!
What did you use? Did it work out well? If you're from the Omaha area, do you have any recommendations for us...or anyone you think we should avoid?
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Hi! My name is Lizz and I am from Omaha, Nebraska. I love cooking, running, traveling, and learning new things. I have an amazing fiance, 2 adorable dogs, and an incredibly close-knit family. I am striving to make conscious choices in my life that reflect who I am and help me live life to the fullest.
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March 24th, 2011 - 21:28
and by singing along to crappy music, are you refering to rollie’s reception where I very lovingly serenaded your fiance to ‘living on a prayer’?
March 25th, 2011 - 17:49
of course that is NOT what i was referring to! you’re singing was beautiful!
March 24th, 2011 - 22:19
i think nowadays what DJs just bring a computer and play music from that anyway. so i don’t see the point in paying some weird dude to do that (no offense to any wedding DJs out there). at colin’s sister’s wedding the guy had a computer that looked like it was running on safe mode and was playing music from winamp! winamp! who uses that anymore? anyway, i’m being vein, but seriously…
if you don’t want to ask a friend (or a sibling, you got plenty of those between katie and yourself) to DJ the event you should still give your music to the DJ. then you can avoid any unwanted chicken dance songs.
wedding bands – i don’t know. i find the idea weird. unless you know the band.
as for getting people on the dance floor, i think the key is to start strong. so after the slow dance session you gotta put on a song that’ll get everyone up. wait for the summer to be over before you decide on that song though, you know some hot sizzling summer remix will make it to the top of the charts again this year and everyone will love to hate it or hate to love it…
also, what’s your beef with beyonce? can you not handle it?
March 25th, 2011 - 17:48
hahahahaha….i totally forgot about the beyonce thing!!
you know, making a list of music (or an ipod full of music) and handing it to a dj is not a bad idea. i mean, it seems a little silly to pay for that, but at least i would know what would get played but wouldn’t have to worry about playing it myself.
March 25th, 2011 - 06:07
The most recent wedding I went to, Dvonch’s, had a great band/MC set up. He got one our friends, who was already a wedding guest, this dude with a great, outgoing, hilarious personality, to act as the MC. He made basic announcements, introduced the wedding party, the family, when dinner was served, etc. He didn’t do as much “speaking” as the MC as I thought he was going to do, which was actually a god thing. It was casual and worked out really well.
Then for the music, they had a live ’80′s cover band, led by one of Dvonch’s wife’s law school classmates (so I’m pretty sure the band was cheap and/or cut them a deal). They were GREAT and played awesome ’80′s dance music (the couple’s first dance was to an up-tempo David Byrne song and they played some B-52 songs)—it was great. Maybe there’s a friend of a friend who knows someone who has a band…?
An iPod situation totally could work. Just assign a friend or family member to attend to it. If you create a playlist long enough, it should be pretty hands-off and easy to manage. You should also think about the flow of the wedding and if you want to have music at other times—during the ceremony, during the transition to the ceremony/cocktail hour if you’re planning on doing one, etc. It would be easy to have a competent individual manage the music during that time too.
March 25th, 2011 - 17:46
I think an 80s cover band would be hilarious! But maybe not for the whole night…
March 25th, 2011 - 08:33
This is a tough one! I personally don’t like wedding bands – only because usually they have one type or style of music that they’re good/better at & if the guests don’t like it, there’s not much you can do to change it up and get them moving! BUT, if you could find the right band that is super versatile you’d be all set!
We used a DJ at our wedding & had a great time. He asked us for a list of “must play” songs & a list of “no way in hell” songs & everything worked out wonderfully. Once he found the “groove” of what kept people dancing, he stuck with it and would occasionally throw in something a little different to see how it went over. Worked out perfectly!
I think for anything, referrals are the key – whether it’s a band or a DJ. Definitely don’t want to go into this one blindly!
(We had an anniversary party/reception in FL for the people that couldn’t attend our PA wedding & used an iPod for it…and honestly, it was a total pain in the ass. We were both worried the whole time that our music selection wasn’t “right” or that it was too loud/quiet/whatever…I definitely wouldn’t want to worry about that on my wedding day!)
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March 25th, 2011 - 17:45
Oh, I’m glad you said that about the iPod thing! I had a feeling it would be annoying, but didn’t know if it was just because I worry so much.
March 25th, 2011 - 15:51
Okay, I’ve had too much Scotch (hey! I’m in Scotland!) but I totally think you should have Scottish music! Check out my blog (Day 7). AND I totally think Katie should seriously think about wearing a Kilt! She’d look great in one. I’ll even buy it for her if she finds one she likes. It would have to be Irish of course, not Scottish.
March 25th, 2011 - 17:44
OMG Mom, you are hilarious!! I’m glad you’re having so much fun!
March 26th, 2011 - 18:48
We did an iPod wedding, but my brother-in-law is a DJ for a radio station and had all the equipment, so he brought it and acted as the DJ during the dancing part. He stuck almost exclusively to the playlist we had prepared though because we had come up with a song list we loved (and it ended up being great — DJs don’t have magical knowledge that you can’t attain yourself!) If you have a friend or family member who would have fun acting as DJ, renting equipment and going that route could work. Just be sure that the person knows when to announce cake cutting, dollar dance (if you do that), etc.
April 1st, 2011 - 06:53
Like at our wedding when the DJ’s wouldn’t shut up and sang with every stinkin’ song? I still can’t listen to that Michael Franti song….they ruined it for me!!
April 1st, 2011 - 12:08
Exactly! Did he think it was Karaoke night?!