Daniel David
New Member
I stumbled across this blog article today and just wanted to get your feedback....
"Yesterday I heard that a bride who had been actively interviewing wedding planners had decided after talking to a DJ that she no longer needed a planner. The DJ assured her, that if she hired him, he would completely take charge and make sure her day went well. I have a huge problem with this line of thinking both generally and specifically.
Generally, there are a least 100 items, that as a wedding planner, I take care of between the rehearsal and the next day at the ceremony and reception. I know, because in 2003 my husband made me make a list in order to prove that I should raise my prices. My day starts at 9:00 am and I usually get home after 1:00 am. Most planners I know have the same schedules. Most DJ’s show up 2-3 hours before the reception starts to set up, leave and come back in time to start the music as per their contract. As soon as their 4-5 hours are done, they are packed up and out the door. If they are doing their job correctly, they do not leave their post to go wandering around the ballroom doing wedding planner, caterer, florist or photography tasks. If they have an effortless night, it’s because there was a planner who worked with the bride for months leading up to the wedding weekend to make it happen. If it looks like the planner is having an effortless night, then they are really good at what they do.
I understand that DJ’s have been out there doing receptions without planners for years, and I am sure at the end of the night there are happy brides and grooms. However, keep in mind that they are tired, they may have been drinking and at the end, everything about the day has a pretty glow. I actually had a bride who was furious with her DJ, who because he thought things needed to be speeded up, chopped 30 minutes out of the timeline by announcing the cake cutting. This caused the banquet staff to start to disassemble the buffet line and the wedding party hadn’t even eaten yet. I stopped it, but what was odd was at the end of the night when the DJ came up to her; he thanked her and she told him “You did a good job.” I looked at her and she said to me, “I would never recommend him and you shouldn’t either, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”
The problem is a bride doesn’t get to do the wedding twice, once with a planner and once without and then choose. You can see floral samples, taste cakes and food, try out linens and napkin folds, but they choose a planner based on interviews, photos of past work and referrals. A DJ trying to sell himself and his services at the expense of cutting out another service vendor is unconscionable.
Specifically, my problem with this DJ is that he has never, ever, done this type of wedding that includes highly specialized events. Yet he is confident he can not only do his job, but that of a wedding planner as well.
I don’t know what they’re telling DJs in Vegas at those conventions, but a DJ with a timeline is not a wedding planner. Hone your skills to become the best you can be in your segment of the industry, but stay the hell out of mine."
"Yesterday I heard that a bride who had been actively interviewing wedding planners had decided after talking to a DJ that she no longer needed a planner. The DJ assured her, that if she hired him, he would completely take charge and make sure her day went well. I have a huge problem with this line of thinking both generally and specifically.
Generally, there are a least 100 items, that as a wedding planner, I take care of between the rehearsal and the next day at the ceremony and reception. I know, because in 2003 my husband made me make a list in order to prove that I should raise my prices. My day starts at 9:00 am and I usually get home after 1:00 am. Most planners I know have the same schedules. Most DJ’s show up 2-3 hours before the reception starts to set up, leave and come back in time to start the music as per their contract. As soon as their 4-5 hours are done, they are packed up and out the door. If they are doing their job correctly, they do not leave their post to go wandering around the ballroom doing wedding planner, caterer, florist or photography tasks. If they have an effortless night, it’s because there was a planner who worked with the bride for months leading up to the wedding weekend to make it happen. If it looks like the planner is having an effortless night, then they are really good at what they do.
I understand that DJ’s have been out there doing receptions without planners for years, and I am sure at the end of the night there are happy brides and grooms. However, keep in mind that they are tired, they may have been drinking and at the end, everything about the day has a pretty glow. I actually had a bride who was furious with her DJ, who because he thought things needed to be speeded up, chopped 30 minutes out of the timeline by announcing the cake cutting. This caused the banquet staff to start to disassemble the buffet line and the wedding party hadn’t even eaten yet. I stopped it, but what was odd was at the end of the night when the DJ came up to her; he thanked her and she told him “You did a good job.” I looked at her and she said to me, “I would never recommend him and you shouldn’t either, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”
The problem is a bride doesn’t get to do the wedding twice, once with a planner and once without and then choose. You can see floral samples, taste cakes and food, try out linens and napkin folds, but they choose a planner based on interviews, photos of past work and referrals. A DJ trying to sell himself and his services at the expense of cutting out another service vendor is unconscionable.
Specifically, my problem with this DJ is that he has never, ever, done this type of wedding that includes highly specialized events. Yet he is confident he can not only do his job, but that of a wedding planner as well.
I don’t know what they’re telling DJs in Vegas at those conventions, but a DJ with a timeline is not a wedding planner. Hone your skills to become the best you can be in your segment of the industry, but stay the hell out of mine."
