The Wedding Guild

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Folks, I just looked at the membership application for this organization. It is attached for your reading pleasure.

Now, let's take a closer look:

Documentation that Verifies Minimum 5 Years of Wedding Entertainment Experience and/or
200 Wedding Receptions Performed
Documentation may include but is not limited to:
Dated contracts and/or dated feedback surveys from past events with the applicant's name listed
Dated trade association membership certificate with the applicant's name listed
Dated DBA or Business License with the applicant's name listed
Click to expand...

All good till "Dated DBA or Business License with the applicant's name listed". Many states do not require DJs to have a DBA or business license. Maryland is one of them and I do not.

3 Professional Reference Letters from other Wedding Professionals
These Reference Letters need to verify your professional level of service and performance
They should also verify your advance communication with the other Reception Team Members
They should also verify your advance knowledge of each location's layout
Each letter needs to be accompanied by contact information for each Wedding Professional
Click to expand...

OK, my brother-in-law, best friend, and my drinking buddy can make these up for me. No problem.

5 Client Reference Letters from past Wedding Clients
These Reference Letters need to verify your professional level of service and performance
They should also verify that you are delivering the 7 services outlined in this application
Each letter needs to be accompanied by contact information for each Wedding Client
Click to expand...

Hey Carolyn, you think you can help me with one of these? I'll get some of the wife's friends to do the other four.

1 Sponsor Reference Letter from a current member of the W.E.D. Guild™
This Reference Letter needs to endorse your eligibility to become a member of the W.E.D. Guild™
Click to expand...

Duh, new organization. No members except Peter. Get it? If you aren't one of his buddies then you are on the out till you can find a stooge on the inside.

Copy of Your Contract used to Guarantee that You will be Personally Performing
Your particular Guarantee of Personally Performing may be uniquely worded and structured
Click to expand...

My contract guarantees that Good Knight Entertainment will be performing. If the contract specifies me and I'm in the hospital or dead and a replacement is sent in, the contract is breached. Unless you're a single op, never guarantee yourself.

Proof of Liability Insurance
Dated Proof of Liability Insurance with the applicant's name listed
Click to expand...

That we all should be able to do.

1: Comprehensive Personalization
5 Sample Agendas from recent Wedding Receptions Performed, including at least 1 Ceremony Agenda
These Sample Agendas should include a scripted timeline that features all special songs and announcements
Music Lists for 3 Categories of Music Selections (Background, Special Moments, Dancing Requests)
Your Background Music List should offer a wide variety of background music options
Your Special Moments Music Lists should offer music suggestions for the ceremony and the reception events
Your Dancing Requests Music List should offer a variety of dancing music genres
Click to expand...

OK, we also all should be able to do this. If not, we can make it up. How will they know?

2: Creative Involvement
5 Unique Guest Participation Ideas
These Unique Guest Participation Ideas may include but are not limited to:
centerpiece give-away activities, sing-along activities, buffet release activities, kissing activities, etc.
5 Recent Interactive Ideas created for unique situations
These Interactive Ideas should include a written explanation of the unique situations that led to their creation
Click to expand...

Wow, five recent interactive ideas... And suppose you're a "No Cheese" DJ like Matt? OK, again, this can be made up stuff.

3: Event Direction
Documentation that Verifies Advance Communication with other Reception Team Members
Your Professional Reference Letters provided above will verify your Advance Team Communication
Include a sample of your Advance Communication Letter sent to the other Reception Team Members
Preventative Ceremony and/or Reception Direction Checklists
Your Preventative Direction Checklists should list the details you manage behind the scenes
Documentation that Verifies Advance Knowledge of Ceremony and/or Reception Location's Layout
Your Professional Reference Letters provided above will verify your Advance Layout Knowledge
Include a write-up of a recent situation where your Advance Layout Knowledge made you more prepared
Click to expand...

Advance communications letters can be easily made up. I can generate a whole bunch of letters back and forth to myself and have some friends sign them.

Again, how would they find out if this is made up. They say that there would be these extensive background checks. They would then need the resourses of the Defense Investigative Service and how much of a backlog do you think that overworked agency has?

4: Talented Spokesperson
Video of Public Speaking Skills
Video footage of the applicant may include but is not limited to:
presentation given at a networking group, trade show, local association meeting, toastmaster's meeting, etc.
Documentation that Verifies your Varied types of Entertainment Training and/or Experience
Documentation may include but is not limited to:
Dated Certificate from Entertainment Workshop and /or Class with applicant's name listed,
Video footage of the applicant working in radio, or performing as an actor, singer/musician, comedian, dancer, etc.
Wedding Reception Performance Demo Video
Video footage of the applicant must include but is not limited to:
At least 1 Grand Entrance and at least 1 Personalized Introduction (i.e. Toasts, First Dance, Love Story, etc.)
Click to expand...

Hmmm, not that difficult to stage. Look at the videos done by Randy Barlet and Scott Faver; how much of that is really done in a studio?

5: Music Programming
Video of Music Mixing Skills for Dancing
Video footage of the applicant must include but is not limited to:
At least 10 minutes of uncut footage featuring dancing at a reception with the applicant mixing the music
Click to expand...

And how would they be able to tell if it wasn't staged?

3 Samples of Audio Music and/or Voice Recording Editing Skills
Audio Samples provided by the applicant may include but are not limited to:
A song that was edited to make it shorter, a song that was turned into a "clean edit", a custom mix of songs,
excerpts from the ceremony vows or the formal toasts, a song featuring the previous vocal excerpts mixed in, etc.
Click to expand...

Can we say "ILLEGAL"?

500 Word Essay on your Dance Theory for creating dancing among Varied Tastes and Age Groups
Your Essay may include but is not limited to:
Your thoughts on kicking off the dancing, your ideas for recovering from a dance floor that just cleared
your methods for reading the crowd, your philosophy on building sets based on genres or building energy, etc.
Click to expand...

I don't need 500 words to say that I do what my client wants me to do.

6: Appropriate Presentation
1 Photo of Applicant and/or Staff in Formal Attire
Photo can be from an actual reception or they may be studio shots
1 Photo of Control Booth and/or Lighting setup
Photo can be from an actual reception or they may be studio shots
Click to expand...

Wow, something reasonable...

7: Quality Amplification
List of all Professional Grade PA Equipment currently being utilized by the applicant
Documentation must include but is not limited to:
Make and Model numbers for each piece of PA Equipment used for the applicant's Receptions and/or Ceremonies
Click to expand...

And whose definition of "professional grade" are we using? Honestly, Geminii may be considered low-end but it still puts out some good sound and looks good. GliSound, Naady, and PylePro can be in the same category. What about Bose?

Bonus Essay Questions
Without naming names, describe a reception venue where you will never perform again and why?
(200 words or less)
Without naming names, describe a difficult situation you encountered during a reception,
and share how you resolved and/or handled it. (400 words or less)
Please explain in your own words why you should be accepted as a member
of the Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild? (200 words or less)
Click to expand...

Wow, we get extra credit. Isn't that just grand?

Are we entertainers or writers?

If I seem sarcastic about this whole thing it is only because I am. Sarcasim is the search for the other person's hidden agenda.

I'm sorry if this bashes Peter or the Wedding Guild but I think these are things that need to be brought up on boards like this to get some honest opinions. It is a controversial situation and I think it heralds bad news for us if certain people buy into it.

I hope I'm not the lone voice crying out in the desert.
 

Attachments

  • WEDGapplication.pdf
    313.4 KB · Views: 6
I don't pay any attention to groups like this.

If you ask me, the guy is just looking for a free education.

"Please send me all your proprietary stuff and your best contacts!"

If I already have these professional and client references what do I need the WED guild for? It seems to me that anyone who can meet those requirements already has far more clout of their own than any "guild" will provide.
 
BTW, I agree with Dan McKay's blog on this certification thing this organization wants to pursue.

"He said he was certified and had a the proof from the Wedding Guild but he still ruined my wedding...".

Paper can be made up folks. Real experience can't.
 
I'll go even further with that idea.

If the DJ does suck - so what?

Isn't it the responsibility of the person screening the DJs to make the right hiring decision?

I don't buy this S#!+ about bad DJs and "the industry". Idiots hire idiots and we all know it. That's why there's America's Funniest Videos.
 
Proformance:

Sorry, I have forgotten your name.

I agree. BTW, I know you didn't mean it to be funny but your last comment got a laugh out of me and I almost spewed coffee on the keyboard.

Now, attached please find a certificate for all to use...

If you want tjis to really look official, send $5.00 to my personal PayPal account at [email protected] and I'll sign as president and have my wife sign as secretary. The $5.00 will cover postage and handling.
 

Attachments

  • Wedding DJs of America.doc
    26.5 KB · Views: 16
Hmmm. This thread looks familiar...
 
I'm in.

Can I get mine to say Certified "Professional" Wedding DJ ?

Is there an expriation date or renewal fee?

If I start a new profession and drop back to part time will I have to resign?
 
On another board I was told:

Peter created the Guild, but he put toegether board with, I think, 14 members. As a group they came up with the qualifications. You need a recommendation from ANY of the board. And they are fairly well spread out. I know there's one in Virginia.
ww.mobilebeatradio.com/shows_yourbusiness.asp#archive
Click to expand...

OK, I sit corrected. But, as Charlton Heston said in True Lies:

Spencer Trilby: So far, this is not blowing my skirt up, gentlemen.
Click to expand...
(and ladies)

Fourteen of Peter Merry's friends still spells clique to me.

Clique: a small, exclusive group of people; coterie; set.
Click to expand...

Exclusive equates to snobbery.

snobbery

noun
the trait of condescending to those of lower social status
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:sqrolleyes:
 
Guess Im out :sqbiggrin: :sqwink:
 
Tom....is that you in the animated .gif in your siggy???

I agree that the "standards" being set forth by Peter & his cronies are somewhat ridiculous........BUT the real bar to entry is the $900 membership fee.

(For me---that is one whole event, just to pay the dues! I'm very cost conscious and couldn't pay that kind of coin just to belong to some exclusive organization)
 
Rather than hundreds coming up with billions of reasons or excuses why such an organization is distasteful, why doesn't "I don't care to apply nor become a member." suffice?

The only ones agreeing with everything being said have already made up their minds against it, while the ones who do not entirely disagree or are riding the fence, don't dare post.
 
Cap Capello said:
Rather than hundreds coming up with billions of reasons or excuses why such an organization is distasteful, why doesn't "I don't care to apply nor become a member." suffice?
Click to expand...

Well said!!!
 
Cap Capello said:
Rather than hundreds coming up with billions of reasons or excuses why such an organization is distasteful, why doesn't "I don't care to apply nor become a member." suffice?

The only ones agreeing with everything being said have already made up their minds against it, while the ones who do not entirely disagree or are riding the fence, don't dare post.
Click to expand...

With that said, I'll be the first to say this: I don't care to be a member of this particular organization because I disagree with the principals of the organization.
 
Rather than hundreds coming up with billions of reasons or excuses why such an organization is distasteful, why doesn't "I don't care to apply nor become a member." suffice?
Click to expand...

Because in public relations you fight fire with fire.

Efforts that seek to undermine or counter your credibility should be met with an equally forceful counter campaign.

If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.

:sqcool:
 
If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. I love cliches. That one was very good.

I have one for you: "It is better to be thought a fool then to continually open your mouth and prove it."

This is fun.

Wait. Wait. I got another one..." Mares eat oats and does eat oats..." oops that's a song lyric. :sqconfused:

Umm. Umm. Aw, heck. You win. I give. :sqwink:
 
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