A few weeks back, my ex-wife (who happens to be an amazing wedding planner!) and her husband were at her brother-in-law’s wedding, a few hours from home. With a ceremony starting at 4:30pm, I received a frantic phone call at 1:45pm – “The DJ hasn’t arrived and isn’t answering phone calls; have any ideas?”
Luckily, the DJ in question ended up showing and all was well; but there’s a chance you may run into this problem, and here is what you can do in a pinch!
*This is to be used in an emergency – trust me, you DO NOT want to use this method in place of an actual DJ; this is a last resort!
- Go to the nearest music store (think Guitar Center) or ask around at the venue – does anyone have a powered PA system? Generally you can pick up a decent powered PA (2, 12″ or 15″ powered speakers) for less than $500. Or go to your nearest Guitar Center and rent one for the day.
- Download the DJay app on your smart phone or tablet.
- Sign up for a subscription to Spotify for $9.99 a month. There is a free trial period and you can always cancel (although you’ll be addicted to Spotify once you try it!) after the festivities.
- Search for a wedding playlist on Spotify – there are thousands. Find one with a few hours of music and go with it. You’re not looking for perfection here, you’re looking to DJ your reception in a pinch.
- Read the directions, plug it all in, press play.
- Drink. A lot.
- Have fun.
- Tell the story down the road and then tell your friends that are getting married to call SkinnyBoy Media and hire them as their DJ.
In all seriousness, hopefully you’ll never have this problem; but if you do, this is a quick fix that will at least keep your guests entertained while doing most of the work for you. You won’t have the MC/Entertainment side of things, but it sure beats dead silence!