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.
Well said- I could not agree more!!!
Well, I disagree somehow unless the DJ was a certified wedding planner too.
Hilarious…..go get ‘em girl!
As a professional DJ, I make it very clear that I provide “planning assistance” and “coordination help.” I don’t call myself a wedding planner or coordinator. I give a detailed description of my scope of work and I tout the virtues of hiring a coordinator to do everything else.
I am also a Professional Disc Jockey entertainer who has performed at over 2,000 receptions and I too am only interested in the ceremony/reception portions of the wedding and the events that directly involve me.
With all due respect to you and your peers, I have yet to meet a “Planner” who completely understood reception entertainment and how to build a timeline around the entertainment to enhance the flow of the evening.
Most planners create a timeline and at the reception are dead set on sticking to it. Most will not assess mood of the room or the flow of the event. These are also the same planners who place the DJ off in a corner and not front and center where they need to be to efficiently run the reception. Yes, DJs run the reception, not the planner.
What they teach us in Vegas is how to create an atmoshphere at the reception making the best use of the time we have. Many of us do and that’s why most wedding guests say that what they remembered the most about a wedding was the entertainment.
Michelle,
I’m sorry you had a bad experience with this DJ. A great wedding planner and a great DJ equals a great reception. For brides who choose to leave many of the decisions regarding the menu, color scheme, flowers, cake, etc. to a skilled wedding planner, many of us professional DJs welcome it and do not see it as competing but complementing the event.
Now if a poor DJ is chosen because the bride or the wedding planner didn’t do their homework or were trying to save the bride money then that’s equally as bad a decision. Once that event starts it’s the DJ who will make or break the reception assuming the event planner did all that was requested of her.
While there are many DJs who just show up and play, there are equally as many who prepare well in advance, laying out sets of music to play during the evening, going through the extensive catalogue to keep possible song choices fresh in the head, laying out a timeline to help things run smoothly so as not to miss any special requests the bride may have wanted, instructing toasters on where to stand and how to hold the microphone, carrying out the many traditions at a wedding reception and much more, but that gives you an idea.
I’ve been on both sides, starting out like the show up and play DJ until I began attending the Mobile Beat DJ COnvention in Las Vegas where I learned from mentors and peers how to do deliver a much better performance. Without their guidance I’d still be the old show up and play DJ and my events would reflect it. It’s way more likely that the ones who don’t go to grow their skills that you’ll find being unethical and unskilled.
Just as with a wedding planner, you typically get what you pay for. Any career is a constant learning process. Those who choose not to further their education and assume they know everything already, make those of us who do pursue further training look bad in the eyes in the eyes of a bride or wedding planner who doesn’t know what to look for. This is the same whether it’s photographers, videographers, banquet coordinators, wedding planners, or DJs.
I strongly encourage you to attend to find out more what DJs who take their trade seriously do to learn. We spend hard earned money to improve our ability to deliver a better performance. If you are interested, you can follow a thread on the following post to hear what other professional DJs are saying about your thought provoking post. I think you’d be surprised… http://start.mobilebeat.com/showthread.php?t=51711. If you are interested in attending, I could inquire about getting you a free pass, though I can’t make any promises. In the meantime I propose a toast as I raise my glass of iced tea to a healthy discussion on the issues of the day!
I am really happy with the response. Had no idea the blog would be so widely read, none of my other posts have received any real attention. And I totally agree with those of you who have run into bad planners. For every good one there are 2 that should have their business cards taken away. I have been a planner for 12 years, attended hundreds of hours of seminars, conferences, and have attained the level of Accredited Bridal Consultant through the ABC. I love my DJ’s,like working with them more than bands any day. I have heard Peter Merry speak and like him as well, bought his book. I have been friends with the DJ I blogged about for 10 years. We have chatted about his pitch in the past and finally I could stand it no more and decided to go public with my beef. Just so you know, I would never recommend an iPod (duh)and have the philosophy that “it takes a village” to pull off a great event. One of my best friends is a DJ and he gave his mark of approval before I posted. If you see a planner who could benefit from education, then tell her about the ABC, tell her you learn a lot from your conferences and she could come away with good ideas from attending conferences as well. My favorite is Wedding MBA next year its in Vegas and I’ve already bought my tickets. I hope you all have a wonderful wedding season and lots of happy brides.
Michele,
I feel your pain and have a confession to share. I used to tell my clients that I could “coordinate” their weddings.
Then one of my clients told The Ritz that I was their “coordinator”…and then the staff required me to accompany their gifts back to their suite and sign that they had been secured during the meal. When I returned, my music had run out and the room was silent except for the guests conversing. That was about 8 years ago.
Ever since then, I made it a point to clarify what a coordinator will provide as seperate and apart from the services I provide as a DJ, Master of Ceremonies, and Wedding Entertainment Director™.
I disagree that my performance booth is “my station”…the entire room is my my station and often times I have even found it necessary to go outside on the patio and tell the guests that the cake cutting is about to begin. I walk the room to check my volume levels, to look for my VIPs (i.e. FoB) before introducing moments like the Father/Daughter Dance, and to let the coordinator, caterer, photographer, and videographer know that an event is about to be announced. If the DJ you cited had done the same…the buffet line confusion would have been avoided. He clearly was not a team player.
Finally, the comment your bride made to the DJ in question only enforces the points we have been making about our industry at the show in Vegas. Most DJs think they are great because they only hear “You Rock!” from their clients and the guests…because people are generally too polite to say “You Suck!”
I love recommending my brides to the list of stellar planners I have worked with over the years (I’ve seen my share of planners who were hacks as well) because I know together, we will have a great time creating a great celebration for the bride and groom.
I will look forward to seeing you this September at the Wedding MBA again. I’ll be speaking twice this year and it has become my favorite wedding industry conference by far.
I fully agree with author opinion.
I think your blog is good. I found it on Google. I will definately be back.