DJs vs Ipod vs Band
Beware of IPOD Weddings!
Some people these days are leaning towards Ipods, Ipads, or many other “DIY” formats at their wedding instead of having a professional DJ. I know many reading this might think I’m giving a biased opinion since I make a living being a wedding DJ. I’m not at all. In fact our business is growing successfully right now so there isn’t a reason for me to post this information just so we can “get more business”. I just want every bride planning their wedding to carefully consider having an Ipod. Most receptions that put trust in a friend with an Ipod turn into a disaster of stress. In fact 8 out of 10 brides say instead of saving money on the music and DJ part of their wedding they would have spent more to assure a great night.
Consider the problems with Ipods:
1. Pay for weak misleading programs that help you understand the flow to a great wedding reception…then take the time to read it all and try to understand it in 1-2 months when there’s a ton of other wedding planning going on when most DJs have needed 3 years experience or more to learn what to do correctly.
2. Try to find someone comfortable and confident on the microphone who can make all announcements, and get the party going with all the right things to say. DJs are trained on these things in seminars throughout the winter.
3. Try to find someone steady all night to take a request at a certain time and be able to read the crowd for the right type of song to play depending on the age group on the dance floor. An Ipod playlist can’t do that.
4. Oh yeah…somebody wants to hear a song right now…wait, let me take a break in the action and search through my Ipod for a couple minutes with absolutely no music playing to try and find a song I might not have on there. A set playlist CAN NOT READ THE CROWD AT ANY GIVEN TIME!
5. You still have to rent sound equipment and speaker cables. Last time I checked you’re still spending $200 to do this.
6. Oh and somebody has to be around for the set up and take down of all that equipment. I’m sure a family member trying to have a good time at the wedding would be more then willing after a night of drinking.
7. You blow a speaker, a cable goes out, the microphone stops working. Now What?
8. What do you do when there’s guests that want to hear an oldies song and then go from that to the YMCA. I’m sure the playlist on the Ipod will have it set up exactly how everyone wants it…but I doubt it!
9. And last but not least there are a million stresses and things to do while you are planning a wedding. Let professionals with experience handle the stress of the music. We have thousands of song titles and know HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE INVOLVED ON THE DANCE FLOOR THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT SO YOUR GUESTS DON’T GET BORED AND LEAVE. I would be willing to assume that most people have never had experience keeping people involved in a party.
10. And if all this hasn’t convinced you by now. Please watch this wedding at this link: Ipod Wedding
….and Bands.
I’m not going to sit here and slander bands. I’ve been to weddings where they’ve been amazing, but more often then not they end up disappointing the party to some extent. Why? There are two main reasons:
1. Most, and I would say 98% of all bands can only play ONE style of music. There isn’t any variety with their sets, and after 2 hours they sound the same. They can’t take requests, and most bands will only play up to 20 songs before needing a break. DJ’s never take breaks and they can MC the entire night. Most bands will not act as your MCs.
2. People like songs they are familiar with and bands just can’t play familiar songs. This is similar to the first problem but remember you will be paying twice as much (around $2500 or more) as you would for a DJ and DJs can play ANYTHING you want.
…also remember this: Bands cancel more often then any other vendor due to the fact they have four or more members most of the time. We were a part of a wedding in April of 2009 where the Bride and Groom hired us for the reception and a band for the cocktail hour. The band didn’t show up because the drummer was sick. Having to rely on that many people can be a gamble.
Testimonials
RMF Entertainment-Thank you for your help in planning and pulling off our wedding day. You were a pleasure to work with and we sincerely appreciate your professionalism during out event! The music was great and timed perfectly. Thanks for keeping the floor of the evening going. You did a great job and we are grateful that you helped us have such an amazing wedding! It was a dream come true for both of us. Thanks again.Toby and Lacy McCracken
More Testimonials
Ryan, I wish I would have wrote sooner, but just have been slammed with busy work. I just wanted to compliment Blake on a job VERY WELL DONE with our Prom in Conrad. He was early to set up and had everything working perfect by the time students started arriving. Blake was very professional looking and acting throughout the entire night. Many students commented on it being the Best Prom they have ever attended. Many of these students were seniors who had attended not only all four years of prom at Conrad but proms in neighboring towns as well. Our administration was so happy with the number of students dancing, all night, that he informed Blake that he would feel comfortable calling for future dances. Blake was very interactive, easy to work with, and grabbed the attention of all dance goers (despite being under the weather). You have a great employee who is very hard working and thoroughly enjoys his job every minute. Thanks again for a great Prom!