So it just so happens that we have two DJ posts in a row. This one is written by Harley Bonham, a local Phoenix photographer that helped save the day at one of his recent weddings.
I recently photographed a wedding for an absolutely wonderful couple. They originally mentioned having a band but decided late to have a friend be their DJ. When I heard this I was very concerned because I’ve seen the results so many times when well-intentioned clients cut corners to save money. Granted, weddings aren’t cheap and I’m absolutely grateful that photography was where they put their priorities in their budget. I don’t want to use their names because I don’t want anyone to be embarrassed and I love, love, love this couple! Yet, as a professional who makes a living as a full-time photographer, I take my career seriously and feel I have to tell this story so others can gain insight from this experience.
Here is what happened:
First, he didn’t seem to know how to operate the media player on his laptop. There was a lot of song starting/stopping AND “oops, wrong song!” The couple was on the dance floor for their first dance for more than a minute, waiting and waiting. When the song finally played and ended, it started over because he had “repeat” selected and wasn’t ready for whatever may have happened next. Ok, so I captured a few more romantic first-dance (now 2nd dance) images. Then, 15 seconds into the repeat, he abruptly stopped the song.
Throughout the evening there were repeated and long moments of silence interrupted by “BZZZZZZTTTTT” “PSSSSHHHHHHHHTTTTTT” “POP” and, my personal favorite: “FWWOOOOOOOOOOOM.” Poor guy didn’t even know how to operate his mixer to avoid feedback.
In addition, there was nobody to keep things on schedule. The cake cutting happened 90 minutes late. The whole evening had a randomness to the events. Because there was no organization, the hotel staff didn’t have champagne poured for the toasts because they happened on the spur-of-the-moment.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse his laptop froze, mid-song, with a loud “BWAAAAAHHHHHP.” About a third of the guests had already left at this point. I felt bad for the guy; he was so frustrated and told me it was harder than he expected.
Ever watch The Office? When Jim looks at the camera with that “I can’t believe this” look….that was my assistant and I all night.
At this point I had an idea: We had my Mac there because we always create a same-day slideshow for later in the reception and I had a dance mix in ITunes. (I even had speakers in the car in case we can’t plug our slideshow music into the DJs system which happens on rare occasions.) We offered to have my assistant, Michael, take care of the music while I continued photographing and we were able to get people back on the dance floor. Later we were able to finish the evening with the slideshow re-cap of the day.
Hiring their friend nearly ruined the reception…and I mean he killed it. Not thru bad attitude or carelessness or any bad intent. He simply didn’t know what to do. To the couple’s credit, they took it in stride and still managed to have a great time.
While I hated to see this happen to my clients and I’m relieved we were able to help, I couldn’t help but think “this is what people risk when they cut corners.” This lesson applies to just about every aspect of the wedding industry. I don’t know of any skill certification to become a “professional” photographer, DJ, planner or other vendor. Anyone can buy equipment and call themselves a professional, create a website and offer a cut-rate price point.
I’ve since seen this situation repeat itself twice on recent weddings where the couple hired a “professional” DJ because of their low price point; that is a story for another day. (One DJ actually bragged to me about being the cheapest in town!)
Saving money can certainly come with a high price tag!
Written by Harley Bonham
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