Weddings Need opinions please

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blacktiedjs said:
Really? We require our DJs to make sure everyone who is involved with any particular event (cake cutting, father/daughter, etc) is in the room and ready to go BEFORE making any announcement(s).
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It's a nice thought but not always practical. I had one last summer at a Country Club. Before bouquet, I went to the planner, photog and videographer to make sure they were all ready (2 minute warning). Each nodded their head and thanked me. Just after the bride throws her bouquet, up walks the videographer to my booth (from the side). He looks over, sees what just happened, then says "Was that the bouquet? Oh man, I was in the bathroom!" I looked him square in the eye and told him "I gave you notice. You said you were ready, not more than 5 minutes ago."
 
rickryan.com said:
It's a nice thought but not always practical. I had one last summer at a Country Club. Before bouquet, I went to the planner, photog and videographer to make sure they were all ready (2 minute warning). Each nodded their head and thanked me. Just after the bride throws her bouquet, up walks the videographer to my booth (from the side). He looks over, sees what just happened, then says "Was that the bouquet? Oh man, I was in the bathroom!" I looked him square in the eye and told him "I gave you notice. You said you were ready, not more than 5 minutes ago."
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There is ALWAYS an idiot around huh Rick? LOL Probably the "friend of the friend" vendor. Obviously not a true pro!
 
trafficgoo said:
Hey everybody...haven't been on in awhile because of my schedule but I need some opinions.

My wife and I did a wedding reception last night at a venue that we've never done before. It was a simple 5:30p - 10p event, so we thought, but turned out to be insane. The venue ended up being an ala cart type place...you rent the room and bring in everything else...all your own vendors.

At the time of booking with the bride and groom, nothing was said of this. In other words, it would've been complete and utter chaos if my wife wouldn't have stepped in as event planner last night and ran everything including the cutting of the cake, assisting in dinner service etc....basically doing everything on the otherside of us DJing the event. On top of that, we started an extra half hour early since guests arrived earlier then expected.

Our services include basic wedding coordinating from my wife from the time that we're scheduled to play. What she did last night was being a full blown wedding planner to make the sure the b&g's night went well. For this we would charge an extra fee...they basically ran her into the ground last night and it seemed like they knew exactly what they were doing, as if they planned it this way.

The reasons why I'm thinking this? The groom, earlier in the night mentioned how the venue was trying to nickel and dime them for every little thing and he mentioned that he was glad that we were there. And I tried to say goodnight to the groom twice, standing right next to him as he was talking to guests. He kept making eye contact with me in a nervous fashion knowing I was there, then basically walked away from me in a hurry to go speak with other people. Then he and the bride made the fastest exit ever without even thanking us. We found out that they even stiffed the bartender for some monies due.

So here's my question. Is there a way to legally bill them for the extra work? My wife went way beyond what we charged for. She stepped in so their day would be a good one, which it was. We just feel slighted for what happened...even though we don't expect tips, someone should have given one last night for services rendered above and beyond the contract fees.

Your thoughts?
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In a nutshell, No. You advertised or sold your services to include "basic wedding coordination" and that's exactly what you ended up doing. If this did not include the ceremony - then, in reality you only provided on-site reception coordination - not a wedding coordinator. It is not unusual anyway for a DJ to take the lead role in certain types of events. For example, if there is no beverage service at the tables - then it would fall to the guy announcing a toast to see that each table takes a moment to open the bottle and pour the champagne or wine.

When you step into a job you need to investigate and be prepared too accept the responsibilities that come with it. You can't assume that every wedding will come with a concierge. room captain, wine porter and extensive waitstaff. Ask the pertinent questions and Know what you're getting into before you book.
 
blacktiedjs said:
I am confused. Why did you say "However I am not hired to go around coordinating other stuff with other vendors. That is a job for the coordinator or Event Planner."
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Exactly what I said. I don't see the Photographer or Florist running over to me asking for permission to do THEIR thing. When I do an event I have an agreement with my client as to what my duties are. Would I help out on something else? Sure I will! Would I volunteer help if it does not detract from my duties? Sure I will. Again, if everyone does what they are required to do then everything should go smoothly.

It is the Client's responsibility to have a coordinator to ensure that everything goes well. Their lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for me. Be careful what you print in your contracts, you may find yourself serving drinks just to help out!
 
I agree you shouldn't worry about the florist - that doesn't pertain to your service. However ANY announcement YOU make pertains to you. I completely agree with Proformance about the drinks. If you are the one making the announcement for the a toast, it makes perfect sense that you should only make that announcement when everyone and everything is in place. Do you have to coordinate that? No, but you have two choices - wait around until somebody does that for you (which may be never) or approach the caterer and tell them to move their ass so that you can do your job. Nothing gets done until the DJ makes the announcement.

Our contract gives the client a choice as to whether the "DJ or somebody else will act as a coordinator to make sure everything runs on time". One of my DJs made a good point that he doesn't want to be held responsible if the food comes out late. We changed the wording so that it now asks if the "DJ or somebody else will ensure all persons are in place prior to making announcements". Almost always they want the DJ to do it because most clients in our area do not have a wedding planner.
 
DJ Contracts

blacktiedjs said:
Our contract gives the client a choice as to whether the "DJ or somebody else will act as a coordinator to make sure everything runs on time". One of my DJs made a good point that he doesn't want to be held responsible if the food comes out late. We changed the wording so that it now asks if the "DJ or somebody else will ensure all persons are in place prior to making announcements". Almost always they want the DJ to do it because most clients in our area do not have a wedding planner.
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I have seen some DJ contracts that made me think someone was doing a Closing at a Real Estate transaction, pages and pages! I see some including what they are going to wear etc. Mine is one page, stretched out in large font to fit the page. Sheesh! I am there to provide a DJ Music Performance plain and simple. A good portion of my business does not even include a contract.
 
rickryan.com said:
I wouldn't if I were you. These are not honorable people. I give you 50/50 odds that, even with all the freebie extra you did for them, they'll ding you on a review. Were I you, I would not put my biz reputation on the line with that lack of character (on their part).

Good luck with it.
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I haven't heard a peep from these two anyway so I doubt a review...good or bad. On a positive note, the photographer that we worked with that night gave us an endorsement on Wedding Wire and is going to add us to his website.
 
Proformance said:
In a nutshell, No. You advertised or sold your services to include "basic wedding coordination" and that's exactly what you ended up doing. If this did not include the ceremony - then, in reality you only provided on-site reception coordination - not a wedding coordinator. It is not unusual anyway for a DJ to take the lead role in certain types of events. For example, if there is no beverage service at the tables - then it would fall to the guy announcing a toast to see that each table takes a moment to open the bottle and pour the champagne or wine.

When you step into a job you need to investigate and be prepared too accept the responsibilities that come with it. You can't assume that every wedding will come with a concierge. room captain, wine porter and extensive waitstaff. Ask the pertinent questions and Know what you're getting into before you book.
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I did ask questions as I usually do. This was one of those rare blindside moments....my wife didn't even see it coming and she is a former corporate event planner.
 
ahoustondj said:
I have seen some DJ contracts that made me think someone was doing a Closing at a Real Estate transaction, pages and pages! I see some including what they are going to wear etc. Mine is one page, stretched out in large font to fit the page. Sheesh! I am there to provide a DJ Music Performance plain and simple. A good portion of my business does not even include a contract.
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My contract is also one page. However our planning form is also part of it. I am sure you use some type of planning form right?
 
blacktiedjs said:
My contract is also one page. However our planning form is also part of it. I am sure you use some type of planning form right?
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Yep! It is called a Cheque or I will take cash with two pieces of ID!:triwink:
 
One page contract as well, add-ons can be referred to in subsequent pages. A "planning form" is imo a complete waste of time, all of the wedding notes are created by me, via 1) phone consultation & 2) in person meeting with the notes from the phone consultation in hand. I've found the customers leave too much out and I end up having 15 questions anyway so I opt to do it all myself. Especially the wedding party announcements form, big letters, different colors for each couple and spelled phoenitcally, I know of no other way to do it and have the best results.

I do have an online type of guide, not so much of a form, but a web page explaining most of the details that will be covered in the planning stages.
 
Partydjz said:
One page contract as well, add-ons can be referred to in subsequent pages. A "planning form" is imo a complete waste of time, all of the wedding notes are created by me, via 1) phone consultation & 2) in person meeting with the notes from the phone consultation in hand. I've found the customers leave too much out and I end up having 15 questions anyway so I opt to do it all myself. Especially the wedding party announcements form, big letters, different colors for each couple and spelled phoenitcally, I know of no other way to do it and have the best results.

I do have an online type of guide, not so much of a form, but a web page explaining most of the details that will be covered in the planning stages.
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May be true in your situation, but with 15 DJs it is a completely different story. That said, there are some things that are good to have in writing on the planning form that has helped us MANY times in the past from a potential argument. I just point to the planning form and say "that is not what you put here..." :) Also, there is no way the clients leave anything out because our forms are online and have required fields and drop down lists. They really can't leave anything out or stray too far from the questions.
 
With all due respect, I been running multiple operators for 28 years, not 15 but at one point 6. I made a point of going over all the details personally with each of the clients, we run up to 6 weddings per weekend. I don't consider it to be that much of a "different story". I wasn't specifically speaking of leaving a blank, simply things such as phoenetic spellings of the wedding party, artists for certain songs, etc. right down to which table the priest will be seated at, every wedding is different so in my experience no one single form can cover everything, it leaves too much room for error, again, just my opinion.
 
I agree every wedding will be different - including what the client says. Our system allows the DJs to take notes electronically so that if there if the client wants another DJ from the company or if there is an emergency the backup DJ sees the notes and not have to worry about getting those things from the original DJ. What I am talking about is level of interaction, level of coordination, percentages of each genre (30% 80's, 0% country, 40% current hits, etc), attire among other things are on our planning form. They have drop down lists so everything is defined and not subjective. We allow the client to choose those things and then assign the DJ to fine tune and verify.

I once did it as you did (I went over the details, then passed it on to the DJ). EVERYBODY still says "I don't want a cheesy DJ who is over the top and I want them to play good music". No kidding...really? Too many times there was "that is not what I meant" and interpretations of how much "alot of current hits", "I don't want the DJ in my face", "the DJ kept coming up to tell us we were running behind". Our planning form now is specific enough to cover our bases so we do not get into the he said/she said debate and gives the client something in writing of what we will/will not do. Definitely not a "complete waste of time" as you stated AND covers us to clarify those ridiculous subjective statements from the client.
 
1 week prior to the event, I ALWAYS email itineraries to the other vendors, I ask them if they have any questions/concerns to let me know ASAP.

At the event, I ALWAYS give them a heads up of when we are going to do something. As a professional, they need to be on the ball, that's why they are hired.

I once dealt with a photographer that was a chain smoker & was always outside. It got tiring constantly having to go look for him.
 
Bill Kexel said:
1 week prior to the event, I ALWAYS email itineraries to the other vendors, I ask them if they have any questions/concerns to let me know ASAP. What if one of the Vendors wanted to change something that was not permitted by your client? "Who told you to do that?"

At the event, I ALWAYS give them a heads up of when we are going to do something. As a professional, they need to be on the ball, that's why they are hired. If they are professionals, why the need to babysit them?

I once dealt with a photographer that was a chain smoker & was always outside. It got tiring constantly having to go look for him. So you were absent from your post at those times! What if the client wanted you to make a quick announcement and you were outside fetching the Photographer?
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Comments above in RED
 
Your job is to do what you're contracted for and make sure you do a good job. When you do that then that's what counts. After that if things don't go so well then so be it. As long as it doesn't make you look bad then it's on them and the other vendors as to how things turn out.

I know you like being the good guy just like i do but sometimes you got to know when to step back and when to help out. I know it's tough sometimes when you're there at an event because you just hate when everything doesn't go right. I find it tough for me a lot of times to say no but in the long run i'm the one that gets hurt when id don't say no when i should and i'm the one that feels bad in the end. They don't feel a thing. They go off smiling and i'm there left feeling messed up.

As most have said just let it go and move on. Trust me God has a special blessing for you for doing this and those who always try to get over never have good luck. One thing i did notice. You said this venue was a place where you had to have your own vendors for everything. Is that something you're not use to or don't like? Usually when it's like that the couple are looking at how they can cut cost on things.

Well look at one bright thing. You probably will never see them again and good ridins to them.
 
What if one of the Vendors wanted to change something that was not permitted by your client? "Who told you to do that?"
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Refer them back to the client! Obviously there is a conflict with the instructions you have.

If they are professionals, why the need to babysit them?
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I don't look at it as babysitting - it is common courtesy and only takes 30 seconds AND makes you look good. We have 10-15 photographers that refer us BECAUSE we do those things. In fact, they thank us and tell us we are one of the few professional DJs they work with that give them the heads up. The 30 seconds it takes, earns us referrals many times.

I once dealt with a photographer that was a chain smoker & was always outside. It got tiring constantly having to go look for him. So you were absent from your post at those times! What if the client wanted you to make a quick announcement and you were outside fetching the Photographer?
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Is this a serious question? So you can't take a piss or get a drink either? Come on! Besides, if our planning form says that we are to coordinate with other vendors, they know that we will be running around doing this throughout the reception. Another reason our planning form covers us.
 
blacktiedjs said:
Refer them back to the client! Obviously there is a conflict with the instructions you have.


I don't look at it as babysitting - it is common courtesy and only takes 30 seconds AND makes you look good. We have 10-15 photographers that refer us BECAUSE we do those things. In fact, they thank us and tell us we are one of the few professional DJs they work with that give them the heads up. The 30 seconds it takes, earns us referrals many times.


Is this a serious question? So you can't take a piss or get a drink either? Come on! Besides, if our planning form says that we are to coordinate with other vendors, they know that we will be running around doing this throughout the reception. Another reason our planning form covers us.
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From what I read on here, why is it that the DJ is the one "running around" giving others "heads up"? How come it is not the other vendors running over to the DJ giving him the heads up? A simple "Let me know when you are ready!" should suffice in many cases. More than likely the DJ can be found at their booth since the music is continuous, whereas if the DJ chooses to track down the Photographer, lord knows where he may be. However, to each their own. I can still be liked, respected and be given referrals without doing some of the things that y'all do.
 
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