What 'upcharge' would you put on this request?

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I dont use a controller for ceremony... only a tablet....what i would have done in the moment is a quick restart of the music... but that wouldnt have been the best solution overall....so i doubled the last verse in software and it worked great.

I can completely understand why some of you would not want involved in a rehearsal situation because you will most likely be booked both friday and saturday with events...

We have the luxury of devoting our entire weekend to a specific event because i do not pursue booking multiple events on the same weekend....i did that all through my younger days and hated it.

I will say this... i didnt realize how much being at that rehearsal would diminish any anxiety about the ceremony... it was just an added boost of confidence on my end. So if someone ever wants to pay you to be there for it...its a win win

cc
It’s not that I wouldn’t wanna be a part of it... it’s just more of how things are here. The venues here do the rehearsals about 2hrs before the ceremony actually starts
 
I attended one rehearsal for a fee....and was honestly glad i did... the grandfather of the bride had had a stroke recently...but was determined to walk in the procession... but we quickly figured out that the song chosen for that section ended about 30 seconds too early because of his slowed pace (leaving him humiliated and adding to the spectacle of his slow walking)... so i was able to modify it to last longer that night and have it ready for the procession on Saturday... this solved a really embarrassing situation for him (seemed like a very proud man) and kept me from having the embarrassment of shrugging my shoulders to the whole situation on the day of.

It was also a very beautiful moment that im glad i had no part in ruining

cc

I had a similar situation one time during the processional a kid in the wedding party bolted and ran towards the nearby woods. The planner eventually retrieved him but the whole thing wound up being an extra 2 and a half minutes more than planned. The bride wanted to have the song end as she got there so I matched it up visually in the software and made it flow like it was meant to be like that and it ended right on the mark
 
As for the double wedding I've done 3 or 4 of them over the years there's really not much to them that you wouldn't normally do. If you feel it's the same as the single wedding planning it's really not worth any more
 
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This thread is very interesting. The thing is if anyone of us agreed to do this wedding what would we charge. What may work for one DJ may not be enough for another DJ to do the wedding. We all have different situations and different business models. For example Taso mentioned $1,000 as a price quote. One DJ maybe fine with that and another would laugh at doing that wedding for that price. There are those DJs who's starting price is much more than that and not need that brides business. Some would look at that price as being too low and another would go crazy to win the job.

Now I say for that price I would insist they pay for a hotel room for at least one night. Then there's the cost of coming and going to do the wedding. How many times would you need to fill up. What about the cost for the tolls and what about stopping to get something to eat? That's a long drive one way. Don't also forget about traffic as well. You never know if you will run into an accident along the way making the drive longer.

One big question for me is will they provide me with a meal? I feel I should at least get that besides the pay.

Let's also look at it this way. Some of us may have one bill that's more than $1,000. For example a mortgage costing more than that. Also besides the time to get there to do the wedding, what about your setup time and actually doing the wedding? That needs to be figured into the price. Also I would check with the venue as to what is the earliest I can come in to prepare to do the wedding. You want to make sure you're setup way before the wedding is to start. You don't want to have to scramble quickly to get setup to do the wedding.

Speaking of filling up in different states and different areas the price for gas will be different. I see it here. In one area the price for gas maybe much higher than in another. Some places it's 30 to 40 cents more a gallon. Just food for thought.
 
This thread is very interesting. The thing is if anyone of us agreed to do this wedding what would we charge. What may work for one DJ may not be enough for another DJ to do the wedding. We all have different situations and different business models. For example Taso mentioned $1,000 as a price quote. One DJ maybe fine with that and another would laugh at doing that wedding for that price. There are those DJs who's starting price is much more than that and not need that brides business. Some would look at that price as being too low and another would go crazy to win the job.

Now I say for that price I would insist they pay for a hotel room for at least one night. Then there's the cost of coming and going to do the wedding. How many times would you need to fill up. What about the cost for the tolls and what about stopping to get something to eat? That's a long drive one way. Don't also forget about traffic as well. You never know if you will run into an accident along the way making the drive longer.

One big question for me is will they provide me with a meal? I feel I should at least get that besides the pay.

Let's also look at it this way. Some of us may have one bill that's more than $1,000. For example a mortgage costing more than that. Also besides the time to get there to do the wedding, what about your setup time and actually doing the wedding? That needs to be figured into the price. Also I would check with the venue as to what is the earliest I can come in to prepare to do the wedding. You want to make sure you're setup way before the wedding is to start. You don't want to have to scramble quickly to get setup to do the wedding.

Speaking of filling up in different states and different areas the price for gas will be different. I see it here. In one area the price for gas maybe much higher than in another. Some places it's 30 to 40 cents more a gallon. Just food for thought.
Mix... a difference of 30 to 40cents a gallon isn't whats gonna factor into my calculation for someones final price... I'd rather charge a flat $1000 than $972.44 or $1022.30. Also, the other items you mentioned are irrelevant to the quote... if they let me in 3hrs or 5hrs in advance won't matter... I'm still going to leave early enough to arrive. My mortgage also doesn't matter to the client... that's why I have set prices for my events... not a pricing structure that is based on how far behind I am on my bills. Traffic also doesn't affect a quote... these are logistical items, that we're responsible for coordinating... not the client.

But most importantly... please be aware that I said $1000 on TOP of my package fee... which if booking a certain time period will be at least $2950 since that's my minimum... plus $1000... $3950 is what we're looking at at a MINIMUM for a Friday or Saturday during peak season or over a year out. But for this SPECIFIC package... $2150 for DJ service, $800 for uplighting... $300 for 2hrs overtime ($150/hr if booked in advance... $250/hr if booked on day of event)... $200 for ceremony after package discount... $$500-$1000 for travel depending on if I can book an event the next day or not... so $3950-$4450 is my price... plus hotel requirements for the night of the event. FYI I book these a few times a year. This June alone I have one in Delaware (the southern tip 3hrs away) and one in Virginia (Falls Church) where the couples are paying a $500 travel fee and booking a hotel for me. The one in Deleware is 3hrs away where getting to an event in my home base the next day wont be an issue and the one in Virginia I'm not booking an event the next day as I'll try to meet up with my sister who lives in DC.
 
...So it's in West Virginia? They can find a $400 to $795 DJ that will do a 6 hour wedding that lives within a 90 minute drive of there no problem. Why are they getting quotes from you as a DJ 4 hours away? Was this from a lead service, website inquiry, or a referral to you?

If it's a lead service, might as well forget about it. If it's a direct website inquiry, they are probably doing a lot of contacting of various DJ companies they come across, and you will be eliminated from consideration once they realize you are too far away, and they get more attractive offers from more local/closer DJs.

The only true probable way you book this client is if you were referred to them by a person of influence in their circle, or they have seen you in action/attended one of your events before, and they really liked you. That would give you the edge, and be able to charge for travel to do their event. ...Even then, they need to be able to afford it and/or willing to budget for it. Which means they need to be throwing at least a mid level wedding in terms of money.
 
It’s not that I wouldn’t wanna be a part of it... it’s just more of how things are here. The venues here do the rehearsals about 2hrs before the ceremony actually starts

Here's the rub...no venue in the areas that I serviced in Maine and North Carolina ever provided the service you indicated. It was the client's responsibility to reserve an hour for rehearsal the day prior to the wedding. My Ceremony fee automatically include up to 1 hour of my time, equipment, and travel for rehearsal. Ceremony and Reception fee's are separate contracts. If both were being held at the same physical location a single contract is used.
 
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I've never been part of any rehearsal... not quite sure what our role there would be? As long as I know what songs I need to play when, what more are you doing at the rehearsal?

Being a single operator with no staff, it falls on me to make sure all facets of the ceremony are worked out in advance. Most of my clients don't hire a Coordinator; hence, I assist in that regard. So, you've never worked a Rehearsal? Most of mine have been outdoors and at a separate location or distance from the reception location. If the Bride does have a Wedding coordinator, most of my work is as you say: show up, play the music for seating of guests, processionals, and make sure the Minister's mic is working. I forgot to mention. If the Ceremony calls for a soloist to sing the bride's processional, it helps to have a practice session the day of prior to start or at the Rehearsal, day before. I don't like surprises that can be prevented in advance.
 
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I've NEVER done a rehearsal. Was asked a lot, early on, but then I discovered the secret....................."Yes ma'am I'll be happy to attend your rehearsal, but it's an extra day's pay involved."..............................

Absolutely, extra day's pay (one hour's worth and travel expenses).
 
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Mix... a difference of 30 to 40cents a gallon isn't whats gonna factor into my calculation for someones final price... I'd rather charge a flat $1000 than $972.44 or $1022.30. Also, the other items you mentioned are irrelevant to the quote... if they let me in 3hrs or 5hrs in advance won't matter... I'm still going to leave early enough to arrive. My mortgage also doesn't matter to the client... that's why I have set prices for my events... not a pricing structure that is based on how far behind I am on my bills. Traffic also doesn't affect a quote... these are logistical items, that we're responsible for coordinating... not the client.

But most importantly... please be aware that I said $1000 on TOP of my package fee... which if booking a certain time period will be at least $2950 since that's my minimum... plus $1000... $3950 is what we're looking at at a MINIMUM for a Friday or Saturday during peak season or over a year out. But for this SPECIFIC package... $2150 for DJ service, $800 for uplighting... $300 for 2hrs overtime ($150/hr if booked in advance... $250/hr if booked on day of event)... $200 for ceremony after package discount... $$500-$1000 for travel depending on if I can book an event the next day or not... so $3950-$4450 is my price... plus hotel requirements for the night of the event. FYI I book these a few times a year. This June alone I have one in Delaware (the southern tip 3hrs away) and one in Virginia (Falls Church) where the couples are paying a $500 travel fee and booking a hotel for me. The one in Deleware is 3hrs away where getting to an event in my home base the next day wont be an issue and the one in Virginia I'm not booking an event the next day as I'll try to meet up with my sister who lives in DC.
The thing is sir there are those who do this full time. They don't have another source of income. This is it. So they have a minimum price they must charge to get their bills paid. I never said anything about being behind on a mortgage payment and I understand the client doesn't care about that. That's what the DJ should be concerned about and that is getting paid enough money to pay their bills. It wasn't necessary for you to tell us about the upcoming events you're doing for those prices. I get that you're not the DJ who do an event for $1,000. You've built your business to a point where you are continually getting work paying you much more than that. Your starting price is what many would love to get paid at least once in their career.

The thing is that he said when he gave the price quote there was a pause. Like the bride wasn't expecting him to quote that much. The big question is why did this bride contact him about doing her wedding? Especially when I'm sure she could find someone a lot closer to where she's having this wedding to do it and probably do it for a much cheaper price. That's a great compliment having this bride contacting him about doing her wedding. Somehow she must have seen something from him and really liked what she saw.

When I mentioned the thing about the cost of gas it was just an observation about figuring that into the equation when quoting the price. Of course if someone agrees to pay you over 4k to do an event for them, obviously you're not concerned about what it will cost you for gas.
 
The thing is that he said when he gave the price quote there was a pause. Like the bride wasn't expecting him to quote that much. The big question is why did this bride contact him about doing her wedding? Especially when I'm sure she could find someone a lot closer to where she's having this wedding to do it and probably do it for a much cheaper price. That's a great compliment having this bride contacting him about doing her wedding. Somehow she must have seen something from him and really liked what she saw.

Usually the clients who hire me usually hire entertainment from out of town so they already know it’s going to cost more than someone local. My philosophy is I seek out clients in a certain price range I can reach. I said before if she wasn’t referred or seen his services before she likely had no idea the costs involved. It’s really not a compliment when people call when people call that don’t have the budget, it’s a time waster. You want your referrals, advertising and social media to be funneling people that are in your price range.

When pricing for traveling I don’t set my rates on by what others rates are in the area or what fuel cost are. Rates are basically the same for same type of event. Only when I approach the extreme limits of how far I travel do things change mainly because it could effect what happens the next day. I do admit when I was on the road when gas went over $4 to fill up the was around $125 and you are getting gas just about everyday it’s a kick in the gut. Manageable, we let the client feed us & went from sit down meals to fast food. I am just so glad I Decided to go with a regular van as opposed to a diesel truck or box truck.
the gut. And with regular plates as opposed to commercial plates. Although when I had two vans I had one with commercial plates for when I was doing events in NYC Where having commercial plates is a must to use loading zones.
 
$300 for 2hrs overtime ($150/hr if booked in advance... $250/hr if booked on day of event)...

I'm kind of surprised by that...Knowing your starting rate I would have thought your OT would be much higher

When I mentioned the thing about the cost of gas it was just an observation about figuring that into the equation when quoting the price. Of course if someone agrees to pay you over 4k to do an event for them, obviously you're not concerned about what it will cost you for gas.

Full or part time the same basic considerations should be taken on any job. Your costs are built in to your base if the cost of gas is a problem you are charging FAR too little
 
Being a single operator with no staff, it falls on me to make sure all facets of the ceremony are worked out in advance. Most of my clients don't hire a Coordinator; hence, I assist in that regard. So, you've never worked a Rehearsal? Most of mine have been outdoors and at a separate location or distance from the reception location. If the Bride does have a Wedding coordinator, most of my work is as you say: show up, play the music for seating of guests, processionals, and make sure the Minister's mic is working. I forgot to mention. If the Ceremony calls for a soloist to sing the bride's processional, it helps to have a practice session the day of prior to start or at the Rehearsal, day before. I don't like surprises that can be prevented in advance.

No, I have never personally worked a rehearsal. Out of 12 years in b'ness, I've had 1 bride who insisted on having a DJ (one of my other guys) and she paid the full, regular rate (not just an hour of time) for the evening. As I see it, the client is tying me up for the entire evening so she's going to need to buy the entire night (even if we're only there for an hour). I do give the client the option of hiring me, if she wishes, but it's going to cost her. I tell them to work out their own timing, but don't try to fit it to the music. It's much easier for me to fit the music to their entrance on the fly than it is for them to try and hit entrance cues. My opinion, that's magnitudes more likely to have errors than if I just fit the music to them. Ever since I started this policy the objections have stopped and when I explain about fitting the music to them it always puts the bride's mind at ease, making it a non-issue.
 
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Being a single operator with no staff, it falls on me to make sure all facets of the ceremony are worked out in advance. Most of my clients don't hire a Coordinator; hence, I assist in that regard. So, you've never worked a Rehearsal? Most of mine have been outdoors and at a separate location or distance from the reception location. If the Bride does have a Wedding coordinator, most of my work is as you say: show up, play the music for seating of guests, processionals, and make sure the Minister's mic is working. I forgot to mention. If the Ceremony calls for a soloist to sing the bride's processional, it helps to have a practice session the day of prior to start or at the Rehearsal, day before. I don't like surprises that can be prevented in advance.
Actually... no one hires a coordinator here either. I think the key difference here is that venues here do ceremonies on site... venues also provide a mater d to run all your day of coordination and timelines, etc. I don't do ceremonies off site from the reception... nor have I ever been asked to, primarily because if it is offsite it is at a chruch or something of the sort. Even the venues I've been to out of state that you just rent the hall and you're on your own... the officiant came 2hrs early and did a run through with the bridal party. I don't know of any place that would allow the couple to come on a separate day, especially when theres a chance of an event taking place.
 
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