Why friends should never DJ your wedding celebration.
Just say no to friends who want to DJ your wedding celebration.
Author: Jay Frank, Crestline Entertainment, Inc.
If you are considering a friend as your wedding celebration DJ, take a moment to read the rest of this post. It is pause for thought. We all tend to believe what we want to believe, if we have no reason to change our opinion. However, if after reading this e-mail, you are not convinced there is anything to worry about by hiring a friend as your DJ, then at least you’ll be more knowledgeable and prepared. My intentions with this blog are totally honorable. I really do care about what could happen to you or I wouldn’t be writing this. It’s just that simple and why friends should never DJ your wedding celebration. ~ Jay (the author is a freelance DJ professional in the Chicago area.) Chicagoland DJ’s
Should bad economic conditions equal cut-backs?
Bad economic conditions seem to perpetuate the need for cost-cutting for almost anything. Entertainment is the last thing you should be cutting back on for any event, but especially weddings. There is even more reason to be careful when it’s offered for a small fee or free. Here’s why….
Business and pleasure don’t mix.
From the Bride and Groom’s point-of-view, it’s assumed a friend is well-intentioned and would never let you down. If anything, a DJ friend should go further to make you happy than anyone else, right? Not true. Often times, the friend (or family member) feels quite the opposite. They often justify the fact that because they are providing services at little or no cost it is okay if they drink, get drunk, goof up, goof off or not give it their all. After all, the Bride and Groom are my friends or relatives they will understand, it’s just me being me. Besides, I’m charging them nothing or giving them a substantial break on the price as it is, so how could they think otherwise? Another reason why friends should never DJ your wedding celebration.
Realistically, no one can party even a little hard and DJ at the same time. The Bible says it best, ‘You can’t serve two Masters and do justice to either one.’ If things should start to falter, word will spread that it’s your family or friend at the helm. How embarrassing! Receptions are fast paced and emotions run deep. While it only lasts for a night, hurt feelings can last a lifetime, so never say yes to friends who want to DJ your wedding celebration.
Think nothing can happen after you book a friend, then read this.
Recently, a DJ friend of mine and I had coffee together. No sooner than we sat down, he got a call from a family member whom he had been holding a key date for 6 months. This call was not a happy one. It was to inform him that his services would no longer be needed because a band was wanted instead. Because it was family, no formal agreement was felt necessary by either party. (Editor’s note: DJ’s can be just as fickle. Through my own customers, I’ve also heard of DJ’s who have cancelled out of their friend’s wedding, in lieu of a job that paid more. Totally unacceptable, as well!) Now, back to the story – Things became heated, because this was the DJ’s “wedding gift’ to them. Now he is forced to choose between going or not going to the wedding. Going means attending with a bad attitude, buying an expensive gift and not working on a prime date. Not going means causing a ‘rift’ in the family and ‘hard feelings’ between family members. (By the way, the family member who made the call couldn’t understand why he felt this way…Really?) As it turned out, the relationship was strained so much, that they are no longer speaking and it is doubtful he will attend. Tragic, but all this could have been avoided.
Keep all your relationships flourishing.
Friends and loved-ones are too important of relationships to risk anything happening to them. Weddings are stacked-full of details and things that need to be done in a timely fashion. Your guests are depending on the DJ to show up on time, be focused, not distracted and be sober. Think about it. Expectations are high and the DJ and is the subject of much scrutiny. Furthermore, no DJ decision is a good decision if your wedding doesn’t live up to your dreams. Business and pleasure don’t mix. Overall, it makes sense to keep all your relationships flourishing. Give your friends or loved-one the night off and a chance to enjoy themselves. Hire a trusted professional, that you won’t have to baby-sit or worry about. You have just one chance to get it right. DJ’s who care about each and every customer are in high demand for a reason. Popular wedding dates book quickly. So make time to meet and get the peace-of-mind you deserve. Why chance it?
Jay has been a freelance wedding DJ for over 2 decades with 1,000+ weddings completed in his career.
He is president (and the most popular DJ) at Crestline Entertainment, Inc of Bensenville Illinois. Chicagoland DJ’s
