Blog Entry #4

1/13/2012

It seems these days we are receiving a lot of emails from brides who state very clearly that they prefer to communicate with us by email only. While we understand that this is an ongoing trend with communication in general, when it comes to choosing the person who will be entertaining and taking on the role of spokesperson at your wedding you may really want to reconsider your preferred method of communicating.

Consider that this is the person who will be speaking to your guests. By default this is the person you will be choosing to "represent" you on a very important day of you life. If you have no desire to communicate directly with this person and find out what their personalilty is like, you run the risk of someone showing up to speak for you that cares nothing about you or the significance of your special day. Compare this to someone using an online dating service and choosing to not research any candidate's backgrounds, personalities, etc. You could also compare this to buying a car without first test driving it, you run the risk of buying a lemon. This happens with great frequency at weddings. Many Brides tend to fall into the trap of believing they are just hiring a human jukebox that talks and that they are all the same. They do not believe they need to invest any energy into researching who this person is and what they will be bringing to their wedding. About 95% of the time these same brides suffer embarrassment on a very important day of their lives.

Below is a response to an email we recently received from a bride. She indicated she only wanted to communicate by email. I did my best to give her our sales pitch in as few words as possible and I was very surprised at how well I did! Still, consider that email communication is no substitute for in person meetings. When we meet with brides in person we have the ability to explain in detail what we do and why we do what we do. We can further put it into context by showing video examples of us in action and they can actually see the positive emotional reactions from our previous clients & their wedding guests.

Here it is:

Thank you for sharing that information. So you indicated you wanted to communicate by email only so I will do my very best to explain what we do with text, please bear with me it may be a long email... :)

 One of the most important questions I ask brides is, if you are designating the DJ to only be responsible for playing music and announcing the activities who will you have in charge of directing the event? Who will be alerting the photographer that an activity is coming up? Who will make sure the appropriate beverages are poured before the toasts are initiated? Who will make sure Dad is in the room before the father daughter dance is initiated? The reason I ask this question is because this is the most overlooked aspect of wedding planning, and I think the reason is most people do not think of their wedding as being an "event". They tend to believe that most everyone involved will just know what they are supposed to do, where to stand & what to say, etc... If you have ever been to a wedding that did not flow smoothly this is most likely why. We hear it from photographers all the time.... "Oh my gosh, the last wedding I shot I almost missed the cake cutting because no one alerted me, or, "I had to step in and start managing the reception because no one knew what was going on or what they were supposed to do".

Any scheduled gathering of people with food and drinks being served, activities, people speaking, music and dancing, etc is technically an event, and I don't care what kind of event it is, all events need someone to be in charge if there is a desire to have things flow smoothly. If you have never planned a wedding before and have no experience with timing, working with people's attention spans, etc, and you hand your agenda to the DJ the day of the wedding it will be a real crapshoot as to how smoothly your event will flow and you risk your guests feeling inclined to leave early.

Another important aspect most people do not think about is that their wedding day will be a nexus point if you will, of all of the special moments they have shared with their partners since they first met, this includes the first date, the first time they said "I love you" the proposal, etc. There is a real "story" there and not everyone who will be attending your wedding will know your story. All they may know is they have been invited to your wedding and that they are happy for you, but not much else. This is the only "context" they have to work with. What if your emcee actually took the time to get to know you and your back story? What if he or she helped you creatively color in the timeline with aspects of your story? Do you think your guests would appreciate learning fun and interesting things about you? Would this help expand and enhance the "context" for them being there? Would they appreciate that the person speaking to them and guiding them along is an effective spokesperson for you?

Here is the reality in our industry. The vast majority of DJ companies out there (about 90 -95%) are in the business of playing music, making announcements, and needing someone to hand them an agenda and be directed. They generally do not get involved in the planning process nor do they get to know their client's back stories. Since there is such an abundance of this caliber of DJ companies they naturally are very competitive and are priced very low. $300 - $800. At this range you should not expect much in the way of actual customer service, they are expecting to just show up and play music.

We have a much different and very comprehensive approach which I will outline below.

Planning: We will actually sit with you and help you plan your wedding in advance. From the moment you walk down the isle to when you leave the reception to your honeymoon, we go over details, timing, appropriate music and activities to suit your style and personality.

Directing & Emcee: Since we have sat with you & helped you plan in advance we are now prepared to seamlessly direct your event. We will coordinate with the other vendors, (alert the photographer 5 minutes before each activity etc,) stage the wedding party for the ceremony, introductions, toasts, etc (and will make sure Dad is in the room and ready for the father daughter dance!) We will pronounce the names of all of the key people correctly. (See video example here: http://truelovesound.com/directing.html )

Personalization: We will interview you and get to know your back story, how you met, perhaps some of the reasons why you are getting married etc. We will take this information and work with you to creatively & tastefully tell your story to your wedding guests. (See video testimonial here: http://truelovesound.com/personalization.html )

Music: We will play only appropriate music specific to your desires and tastes. We also have great mixing skills so the music flows seamlessly: (See video example here: http://truelovesound.com/music.html )

Now as I stated above their is a large abundance of Djs in our market who just want to play music at your event. If this is all you want then it is a bride's market. The reality is that there are only a small handful of companies that really "get it",  have taken their companies to the next level offering comprehensive and personalized service. We are rare in this market, and because we work so closely behind the scenes with our clients and put a lot of love, time and energy into every event we do we are naturally priced higher than the average DJ service. Although we are technically a "DJ" service we do not fit into the common perceptual bubbles people have of "DJs". Dj'ing is just one component of what we do.

I look forward to your reply....

Jeffrey



Don't let this happen to you! Also, take a look at what this bride paid for her dj!

Blog Entry #3

12-28-2011

2011 is fast coming to a close and I have to say it was our best year ever! I decided to put together a highlight reel of some of our favorite moments. Enjoy!

Blog 17/7/11
A guest blog by Kurt Foy Booker:

I've known Jeff "Jeffe" Weil for about 20 years now.  We have had many musical adventures between us - dj'ing, performing, producing, promoting, or simply watching and listening.  And it's been another excellent adventure watching Jeff and Layla become the best dj couple in Oregon!

I was a wedding DJ for several years in California, and I remember telling Jeff it was a great job: getting paid to play music and party while everyone is having a good time.  Free food too!

So I was glad to see Jeff start getting gigs here in Oregon.  He really applied himself to the total art and business of weddings.  Not just dj'ing, but event planning and coordination, because he knew the DJ was often in the center of all the functions and customs, guiding them along.

I must admit I became disenchanted with being a wedding dj after a few years, as I moved up through the ranks but suddenly found myself as part of expensive and elaborate events.  The demands were numerous and highly specific, when I just wanted to pop in a cd and play Baby Got Back!  One Napa Valley reception had everything timed to the minute:

5:37 - Couple make entrance
5:40 - Couple sit down
5:43 - Couple stand up again
5:46 - Couple walk around
5:59 - Serve first course
  (two pages later)
11:38 - Couple drive off
11:43 - Bridesmaid falls down
11:53 - Play last dance

And then the outdoor venue where I couldn't play music louder than the sound of birds chirping in the trees... that was the last straw!

I was happy to move to Oregon eventually, where parties are much more relaxed and enjoyable.  But by then I was moving into another career and had to pass the baton to good ole TrueLove Sound.  And I am astonished at how much farther they have taken it!  Layla is incredible as well.  Highly regarded all over as one of the best female dj's around.  And I'm not not just talking weddings. 

I love how they give 120% to put on not just a wedding reception, but a full-blown event, one to remember.  It sounds at this point like I'm gushing and selling them too much, but it comes from the heart.  I have true love for TrueLove Sound!