SPOTIFY - for a wedding??

I'll be using it for during the meal and ceremony, but not during the evening reception because I think a DJ is able to gauge the mood of the party more and will change the music to suit it

Were using an ipod through the venue's PA during the meal and until the first band arrives. But then we'll have the band, with the ipod again between sets, and between bands.

I went to a wedding where a laptop was used for the music all night, with some DIY lighting and to be honest it was dire!! No atmosphere, hardly anyone danced it was a bit rubbish - just being honest!!

Yeah I agree that ipod/spotify evening receptions rarely have a good atmosphere. They're perfect for during the meal etc but I think you need a professional in the evening to get everyone dancing.

I think a DJ or a band provide much more than just music as they can change the music to suit the generation of people who are up dancing. I haven't been to a wedding where just an ipod has been used by my fear would be a lack of atmosphere. I'd also be worried that something broke or went wrong and would find it quite stressful.

I went to a friends wedding where the dj failed to turn up and even worse didnt even tell the bride & groom he wasnt coming. so they ended up with an ipod and speakers. i can honestly say that the only time anyone left the dance floor was to go for a fag/pee or drink other than that the whole dance floor was rocking

I am using spotify.. the premium version. My step dad is going to be the announcer. He is very good at getting people focused in. he has a great sense of humor. We are hooking up speakers to my laptop.

I strongly advise getting a DJ or a live band for your wedding entertainment as music is one of the most memorable aspects. Professional DJ's and musicians can adapt their setlist to suit the mood of the event quickly and easily.

We're having a spotify wedding. We'll use it for before I arrive at the ceremony, during the meal and in the evening. H2B was a pro DJ and we have the full rig, but he does't want to e stood there DJing our wedding. We don't trust anyone else with what is probably the most important thing to us - the music. We have enough confidence in our tastes and ability to gauge mood to know what will and won't work on the dancefloor. We've also got an acoustic duo for the drinks reception and a band for between the meal and evening 'do' so I don't think we'll have any problems getting people dancing.

I've got a spotify premium account, I hadn't thought of using it for our wedding breakfast music. Am I right in thinking I can just make a playlist and set the laptop or ipod off to play? Does it matter if there's no internet connection?

It depends what you want for your evening reception. If you want everyone up and dancing the whole time then spotify/ipod might not work. We used it for the later part of our evening reception in the bar though, once the jazz band had finished in the main hall. But the atmosphere we were going for was a bit more chilled out, loads of seating space and music at the right volume so people could talk if they liked and dance if they wanted. My playlist was incredibly cheesy, but it worked for us - enough people dancing that the floor looked busy, but plenty of opportunity to go and sit down and chat for a bit too.

Pink Han-bag - yes, if you have a premium account you can play your playlist even if there's no internet connection. You must make sure that you set the playlist to "make available offline" before you leave your internet connection behind though!

Helenia, thank you

DJing, is actually harder than most people think. When I worked in Nightclubs - people paid to enjoy themselves, the club is dark, and of course the tunes were all good. No one was going to ask me for an obscure Pink Floyd track..

Weddings are far harder, trying to please everyone is a difficult task. Juggling some kind of set with the needs of elderly aunts who want Abba (and a bride that has banned all Abba), and then the 16yr old lad who wants dubstep played "now" when there is a floor full of people rocking out...

Opting for Spotify (I use this personally at home), iPod or any other pre-created playlist is normally a big gamble.

It is great for background music and discovering new or even old tracks. Its a great service.

A DJ normally has some kind of authority over the night, so making announcements, introducing the 1st and 2nd dance, encouraging dancers (if required). We don't need to make unfunny jokes or talk over the tracks, but we are someone who will govern requests (so adhering to that Abba ban!) and try to keep the party going.

The DJ will also be the sober person, focussing on providing a great night. I didn't want to DJ my own wedding - we paid a pro to do it for us.

I could have saved a lot of money but at the end of the day, I knew what a DJ would bring to the night, other than play music.

The other issue is running the entire entertainment from the Internet. Hotel speeds vary a lot, I have purchased the occasional track during an event, but don't rely on it.

If the venues Internet is slow or simply fails, there needs to be a back-up. If you're using a 3G dongle plugged into the Laptop, the signal may be very low (some venues I work in have zero signal inside the function room).

Good post. If you are using a reputable DJ or live musicians, you can have piece of mind that you have hired professional people who will make your event that extra bit special.

You have to research the act you choose carefully, by reading testimonials, seeing them live before hand, watch videos of them etc, but it will be worth it!

I have only been to one wedding when the groom had his friend do the music on his laptop, and it did not go down to well. There were constant interruptions between songs.

You do not need an internet connection for Spotify premium. You sync your playlist when you are online and then it is accessible offline direct from your device.

I don't think Spotify or iPods will replace the wedding DJ, but for many many couples, it's a very simple, effective way to get the exact music played that they want.

We're not doing it to cut costs, we're spending around 1.2K on professional musicians. We're doing it because music is one of (if not the) most important thing we're bringing to the day and I couldn't leave it in the hands of anyone else. Whether H2B will be able to resist getting on his 1210s later on remains to be seen.

We are going to have to use an Ipod for our evening reception,it's linked up to a screen and light system. OH is quite confident with sorting out a playlist,but I'm worried that if the playlist isn't right,nobody will end up dancing. I know what I like,but it doesnt mean to say everyone else will like it !

A spotify wedding playlist is a cool idea! I have one and I would like it to become more popular. Tell me how it can be done?