Should you hire a wedding DJ or just create a playlist and use an iPod?
There are really only three options when selecting the music for your Los Angeles wedding: self-DJ (or as it’s popularly known “iPod DJ”), hire a professional Los Angeles wedding DJ, or hire a band. We are not going to get much into bands today because they can actually be incorporated with either a DJ or iPod so you don’t necessarily have to eliminate them from the equation when making your wedding music decisions, but that is a different conversation that I will save for another day. For now, we are going to stick with simply talking about using an iPod for your wedding music vs. hiring a professional Los Angeles wedding DJ to curate it for you.
LOS ANGELES WEDDING DJ OR IPOD?
My associate Los Angeles wedding DJs and I have seen our fair share of both DIY and professionally DJed weddings throughout our careers. The outcome can make or break your entire wedding so we understand how important this decision is.
Here are few scenarios that you can use as examples to see if a wedding DJ or iPod is better for your wedding day:
- Raging Party
If one of the top priorities for your wedding is a “raging dance party” then you will want to hire a professional Los Angeles wedding DJ.
- Great Party
If you want great music, but don’t care to put the time or energy into it, then you will want to hire a professional Los Angeles wedding DJ.
- Drink and Mingle
If dancing is not one of your top priorities and you’d rather just drink and mingle, then you’ll want to charge your iPod and start building your playlist.
- Sitting in Silence
If you have strong opinions about music, hate everything on the radio and honestly would rather sit in silence instead of being forced to listen to stuff that you hate, then you’ll want to charge your iPod and start building your playlist.
One big factor to consider is that Los Angeles wedding DJs have a giant advantage over iPods; they have a huge selection of music at their fingertips at all times and can adjust to the mood of the crowd almost immediately. An experienced Los Angeles Wedding DJ’s most important job is to read the crowd and keep them dancing. They should be able to switch gears seamlessly when it turns out your crowd is more Lady Gaga than Queen (or vice versa). They should also be able to troubleshoot technical issues seamlessly and adjust volume levels between speakers, music, and microphones (for ceremony, toasts, etc.) easily. Additionally, they should give you ideas for the dance floor set up and ensure the music flows appropriately all night long. Your Los Angeles wedding DJ is there to make the party happen, and the best ones are very good at it.
THE DECISION IS ULTIMATELY YOURS
No matter what you choose to do, it’s important to keep in mind the number one rule of weddings: it always depends on your guests. If your guests are a group of people who love to dance, they are going to dance even if you weren’t planning on it. If you have a group on your hands who hates to dance, well then even the best Los Angeles wedding DJ or playlist in the world won’t change that and that’s ok. The most important thing is that you marry the person you love in front of the people you love.
BONUS TIP
My number one tip about getting people to dance at your Los Angeles wedding is to get out there yourselves! The best dance parties I’ve seen at Los Angeles weddings are the ones where the couple never left the floor, so be sure to create your timeline accordingly. You want to make sure you have enough time to get all the photos and formalities done before the dancing starts so once the floor opens, you have nothing to do except shake your groove thing.
