Whats Your Thoughts On Weddings

[MintyDave 0]

For me i have to say that im becoming less of a fan of weddings parties. Yes i appreciate the business in these difficult times and always put in 100% to do my best. However recently a few weddings have been a let down, with one where i barely saw a soul all night as i was in a different room with no tables or chairs for people to sit.

 

on saturday just gone i was booked for what i saw as my most important wedding ever, marquee 150 guests everything well planned but it went downhill from the onset. I had arranged an arrival time (6.30 up and running for 8pm) to find they were just starting their main course so couldnt get in to set up for nearly 2 hours.

 

First dance was booked for 9pm as the video guy was leaving and we were moaned at for not being ready. We had a floor full as 2 specific songs were requested after the first dance then we had to stop for the buffet. A lot of people were very drunk and quite rude with one grabbing my mouse and trying to operate my laptop. By 11.30 (was booked til 1am) well over half the guests had left as they had been on site from midday for a pre ceremony get together and those that looked exhausted.

 

A few specific requests encouraged a bit of mad dancing but it was hard work lacking the real party atmosphere. At 1am the B&G were to leave under an arch of lit sparklers and had it not been for andy & I along with the bar staff it would of been a very small arch.

 

I hate walking away from a job with the attitude of 'i got paid what else matters' but parties like this dont do much for your confidence.

 

Am i unlucky or do you get this from time to time

[D.X 0]

Part of the job, you gotta learn to roll with it. You never know how the night is going to end up until it's over. Even the poshest richest guests can turn into morons when the drink starts flowing.

[TonyB 0]

Absolutely you get good and bad.

 

Very rare that a wedding runs to time. Usually starts with the photo's taking longer than planned. Then the caterers will wait until the guests are ready before dishing out the starters which they will take their time over as while the guests are eating their starters, the caterers are finishing off cooking the main course. Once the main course is finished, things speed up a bit with deserts but then you get the speeches - again often over run. 2 hour delay before starting is not unusual.

 

Then you have the first dance, get everyone up and dancing, then have to announce the cakes being cut.

 

Recover from that, get them dancing again and its buffet time :)

 

Once the buffet is out of the way, you can then attempt to get them up again which is usually a bit easier because the drink has started setting in. I usually start with music aimed more at the older guests as they are most likely the ones that will leave early and take a bit of stick from the younger ones that want something a bit more modern. Guests with young children will often leave around 9pm to 9.30pm, Grannies, Granddads and elderly relatives will drift by about 10/10.30pm and often a large proportion of the guests will be gone by 11.30pm.

 

A couple of weeks ago I done a wedding where I was booked until 12.30am but at 11.50pm there was just the Groom, Bride and two of her friends left. But the bride was having a brilliant time having a personal DJ that played whatever she asked for and let her have a sing using the mic.

 

Other "bad" weddings - relatives that haven't seen each other for ages and just want to sit and talk.

 

Hot summer days where there are seats outside and people prefer to be outside.

 

Wanna be DJ's who start heckling and saying you are rubbish because you are not playing the latest club hits all night.

 

Music "connoisseurs" who think that everyone else likes their impeccable taste in rock and heavy metal (i.e. the bride and groom)

 

Shy families who have GTS (Glued To Seat) syndrome

 

Overly drunk guests that get a bit loud and frighten off the other guests.

 

Groups of bored children that start using beer mats as Frisbees then decide to play hide and seek and think behind the star curtain or a bass bin is a good place to hide.

 

All we can do is smile and say "Yes Sir", "No Sir", "I'll see what I can do Sir" whilst muttering something under our breath Basil Faulty style while they are not looking.

Edited June 29, 2009 by TonyB

[exbutlinred82 0]

 

other "bad" weddings - relatives that haven't seen each other for ages and just want to sit and talk.

 

Hot summer days where there are seats outside and people prefer to be outside.

 

Wanna be DJ's who start heckling and saying you are rubbish because you are not playing the latest club hits all night.

 

Music "connoisseurs" who think that everyone else likes their impeccable taste in rock and heavy metal (i.e. the bride and groom)

 

Shy families who have GTS (Glued To Seat) syndrome

 

Overly drunk guests that get a bit loud and frighten off the other guests.

 

Groups of bored children that start using beer mats as Frisbees then decide to play hide and seek and think behind the star curtain or a bass bin is a good place to hide.

 

All we can do is smile and say "Yes Sir", "No Sir", "I'll see what I can do Sir" whilst muttering something under our breath Basil Faulty style while they are not looking.

 

YEP Tony....put that way we would never take on another one.

 

However in my village I can think of 8 couples who have become friends of me and my partner ....couples we may never have met if we hadn't been working for them!!!

 

 

[Dukesy 0]

I :heartlove: Weddings.

[Raymilkybarkid 0]

Wedding are the same as all parties you get good ones and bad ones.

 

I Love Weddings as there can be more of a challenge regarding the music selection to get the guests up and dancing.

 

1am finishes are more of a challenge especially if the ceremony was an early one, you may find that the guest start to flag from 1130 and by 1215 you may find that you have lost over 50% of the guests. We try to discourage 1am finishes at our planning meeting explaining the reasons why. 98% of the Bride and Grooms will follow our advice and end at midnight.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2009 by Raymilkybarkid

[exbutlinred82 0]

Wedding are the same as all parties you get good ones and bad ones.

 

I Love Weddings as there can be more of a challenge regarding the music selection to get the guests up and dancing.

 

 

 

 

There is an extra onus tho......I think we all agree.I wanted the DJ to be good EVERY time I got married!!

[cmj 0]

Being a predominantly a bar/club dj, i'm guessing I wouldnt have the first clue on dj'ing at a wedding, reading previous posts/topics, it would seem a bit nerve-racking to me, what with it being such a special occasion etc. If I did have to do one, I reckon it would only be at the request of family/friends when I knew their musical tastes, personalities etc.

[MintyDave 0]

Absolutely you get good and bad.

 

 

 

Then you have the first dance, get everyone up and dancing, then have to announce the cakes being cut.

 

Recover from that, get them dancing again and its buffet time :)

 

Wanna be DJ's who start heckling and saying you are rubbish because you are not playing the latest club hits all night.

 

Music "connoisseurs" who think that everyone else likes their impeccable taste in rock and heavy metal (i.e. the bride and groom)

 

 

Overly drunk guests that get a bit loud and frighten off the other guests.

 

Groups of bored children that start using beer mats as Frisbees then decide to play hide and seek and think behind the star curtain or a bass bin is a good place to hide.

 

All we can do is smile and say "Yes Sir", "No Sir", "I'll see what I can do Sir" whilst muttering something under our breath Basil Faulty style while they are not looking.

 

 

:funjokeandlaugh:

 

Just what i needed. I feel much happier now.

 

Thanks for all the input - am looking forward to my next wedding

[davemoody 0]

I've been a wedding dj for 20 years now and tbh they have gotten a lot easier nowadays as the bride and groom have a good idea on what they do and do not want.

 

Personally I love playing at weddings. It never fails to amaze me how certain songs just keep doing the rounds over and over again. Last weekend still got requests to play Love Shack, Amarillo, Love Really Hurts. Same tracks but its always a different crowd so you have to act like you rarely play them!

 

The main difference nowadays is they want someone to take charge of the evening. I have gotten to know most of the photographers, video, catering people over the years and have a good working relationship with them. I always let them know rough timings for cake cuttings, first dance and make sure everyone is where they should be.

 

Basically a night time toastmaster!

 

Our job at weddings is just to make sure everyone enjoys themsleves from the couple right down to the younger guests. Always plan roughly beforehand what you are going to say, liase with the hotels staff to see how the day has gone in case there maybe a few problem guests that you need to keep your eye on.

 

As David Brent might say.......failing to prepare is preparing to fail!!

[stoke53 0]

Any booking can be a disaster or a success it depends entirelly on the guests. I recentlly did an 80th birthday party which i though was going to be a really hard night. It turned out to be very successfull and just received an email saying how much they enjoyed themselves.

 

Alan

[McCardle 1]

Good and Bad. Just like any other gig

[deejaymitch 0]

McCardle, are you OK? That is your shortest post ever (by some distance)

[gadget 0]

McCardle, are you OK? That is your shortest post ever (by some distance)

 

Must be the heat getting to him!

[McCardle 1]

McCardle, are you OK? That is your shortest post ever (by some distance)

 

Your right about the heat, its so warm that I swear i'm seeing double. I thought for one minute that you'd made TWO posts today :lol2:

Edited July 1, 2009 by McCardle

[Spear 0]

Your right about the heat, its so warm that I swear i'm seeing double. I thought for one minute that you'd made TWO posts today :lol2:

:funjokeandlaugh:

[Dan allanthemsdisco 0]

YO!

To be honest a fair few of my gigs have been a bit of a nerve racking experience, partly because my agent gives me the ones he doesnt want, along with a few which crop up nevertheless..

Last sat was hard work, it was an 18th & the hall was a bit old & with tables going all round the sides and along the back of the room linking with side rows going round the sides, people were a bit spread out, so there was no focused dance floor area. The ages were mixed, with a bit of a lack of other 18 yr olds.. Tried some of the old classics & got some feel tapping & nodding but nothing really going yet.. Kept the tunes comin & then started dropping some new stuff - still no movement & its funny i kinda knew at the start that it wasnt gonna go off.. Anyway for 10 mins some ladies started having a dance - to really cheesy tunes probably girls just wanna have fun or somethng, anyway i then played mylo dr pressure and the floor cleared, i picked up my mic and asked them to come back but they didnt! The 18yr old boy spent most of the evening outside with his mates whilst the friends of the family and family loitered about inside and chatted at the tables, giving me the odd estranged / awkward look! I didnt take anything personally though, as i have had too many go well now to take it personal. After getting paid i started clearing up and the bar lady came over and said "That was a really weird 18th - what a really strange lot" At that point i thought "I was right"

dont worry about it mate, sometimes things go so badly or awkwardly but i believe the bride and groome just want a friendly and helpful dj who does what he/she can. They have too much else to deal with & by the time the disco starts within an hour people should be getting interested but if they are not within an hour it could just mean they are too tired for it but will still enjoy the music. Just for us we have to stand there feeling awkward and even intimidated but im really not too bothered by it now because its happened to me about 5-10 times since last september!!!! Not something i want to see repeated much more but as long as you can understand the situation then its all quite understandable.