This is a hall problem and one many face, it is called available space. It is also a problem brides face it is called a budget! If all brides could afford the grand ballroom at the Hilton, bar placement would not be a problem. But that is not the case and it is a problem that many people put their heads together and try to come up with a decent solution.
It is amazing that a DJ can answer this so easily for every venue and every bride.
There are many bridal "checklist items" in this above quote. And, as a DJ that is so commonly placed in a reactionary stance of: "here are all the pieces to my 'reception puzzle,' you put it together." Even with tight budget constraints, and an advanced knowledge of what resources a bride can get with limited monies available, she can do better than without the advanced advice.
Yes it is incredibly easy for us to 'always have an answer.' We are involved in 20-, 40-, 80-, 500 more weddings per year than a bride is in her lifetime. Vice versa, the halls see an exponential number more DJs in a year than a bride ever will in her lifetime. But is is our right as individual hosts, and business owners to act how we see fit to express (or not express) what we see in the trenches.
The Book is not written for the bride nor the hall, all it really is capable of doing is causing tension between the venues and the brides.
Not really. If the bride is well-informed before she starts selecting the various contractors involved for that evening, she's not even going to have deeper considerations. Since we're on the topic of the hall, if she knows two rooms (or unrealistic layouts) can pose hurdles for accomplishing a goal of "Best," - she's just going to say "No thank you" and move on to continue shopping. Now, if she's got the two-room, unrealistic layout hall secured, and
then reads the book, yes there's potential for tensions. And I totally agree.
Wouldn't it be nice if we all had the insight that a good wedding potographer had. I know it would certainly increase my income level. Yes this could be something a Potog might not like, seeing as how it is advice coming from a DJ who should be doing his job and allowing the potog to do his. I know how I reacted the two times I had a Potog try to tell me how to do my job.
Your right here(. I)t is not written for DJ's because a good DJ is going to concentrate on his own job and not that of everyone else.
Inherently, this is correct. The entertainment has a job. It's spelled out contractually, or detailed out on the dance planner. We can do 'just the job' and feel we've fulfilled the contract terms and dance needs. But when the person with the mic makes the polite effort behind the scenes to put together fluidness by communicating with every faction involved in the execution of the night, things go better.
I don't tell any photog what to do. I do, however, say "this is how I am considering doing whatever and when." If the shooter thinks something else will make his product better without damaging (I didn't say changing) my product, I'll seriously consider an adjustment. I can bend too, to assure fluidity.
Last evening for example, one of my dance planning committee members sought my mic to make the opening remarks, that led to the dinner blessing, which led to the opening of the buffet. One experienced glance told me that all the empty warmers meant the buffet wasn't out. I didn't go hound the caterers, I asked how long those three spoken parts were anticipated to take. It seemed the buffet wasn't going to be 'out' in less time than the anticipated announcments. All I needed to do was make a noticable glance at the line of guests at the bar to suggest we hold off. The committee member took that cue and nobody was interfered with. I just influenced natural flow over meddling. Only I was 'in the know' of the possible uncomforts that were potentially dodged.
But back to the topic, as it relates to Steve's quote. If a bride is thinking "whats the overall 'color' of the venue, and I dress my girls in 'this color' what will my pictures turn out like?"
Advice like that hurts no one. But it is advice we see every once in a while and have the potential to share.
A bride that can afford 4 foot vases for center pieces is also going to be able to afford a wedding consultant who's job it is to take care of these things and once again we have a DJ with his hand where it doesn't belong.
I am in an area that doesn't have a big consultant population. I don't really run across many contracted consultants. But there is once city that I often travel to that has 4-foot vases made available on a very regular basis.
It's not about what bride can afford which ammenity, it's about who sold the bride what the best. The vases are an upsell. The vases are pretty. The vases provide an inital "OOooh!" that they are supposed to. No one sells the rental of 4-foot vases to a bride so the guests won't be able see the headtable during the toasts. When a guest is not involved, they are not participating. If they are not participating, they are yapping with someone at their table, if they are yapping at thier own table, not only are they not getting caught up in the moment of what's being said at the head table, they are disturbing those that are trying. In my humble opinion, simple 4-foot vases have a negitive impact with making the best reception ever.
The information isn't being laid out so the DJ can come back to a chat board and say 'That was the best reception, ever!' It's spelled-out so someone in the bride's invitation list can come up to her and say "That was the best reception, ever."
There is a pattern here and if we follow it as it continues, it ends up in the Honeymoon Suite explaining to the bride how to get the most out of her wedding night sex. The DJ doesn't belong there either.
Two words: Tonya Harding
