Wedding Discos and Xmas Discos are just the same.

[Excalibur]

I stopped doing Christmas parties several years ago. For the most part people in general are more cordial and pleasant if they are a guest at a wedding. My experience of xmas parties is that it's a no holds barred free-for-all where rudeness and over-intoxicated people are is in abundance. I much prefer weddings.

I hear what you say.*

Exactly this, and it's where many DJs go wrong. They try and be too clever with the music, when in all intents and purposes, 2 hours of the biggest floor fillers (the usual suspects) provides the best party for the guests.

For many guests, it may be the only disco they've seen all year.

I like this boy. Got a grasp of the fundamental objective, to please as many folk as possible, as much of the time as possible.





* I hear what you say. Polite way of saying " while I accept your considerable knowledge in this matter, on this occasion, I believe that you and I are once more a hundred and eighty degrees out of line".

Shaun, function being a wedding doesn't guarantee politeness, courtesy, and good behaviour. We take pot luck with every function, I find.

[Nakatomi]

That's where I differ. (Usually) at a wedding the dancing starts when the B&G are introduced to the room and carries on from there, right throughout the meal.

Xmas is similar - I (usually) have people dancing into the room and make it an aim to get people on the dancefloor before the main course is served.

Lack of alcohol can make it a little more challenging, but gives me something to aim for.

I'll be dead honest here Chris. I've often seen you say something like that & thought "hmmm. If this is true then I'm deeply jealous. How does he do it?" (take that as a compliment btw!). On the one hand this is great for loads of reasons but the other - doesn't it rub the staff up the wrong way if the dancing is getting in the way of them doing their job? I'm sure it can work in the right place though.

I've absolutely bloomin LOVED this party season. I think the biggest difference has been switching from HOPING there'd be a good crowd to very actively trying to make them an amazing crowd from the minute they get in the room. That's mostly down to the advice of a very good friend of mine. Tonight saw the biggest crowd of the parties so far (it was the last one Christnas-wise.. boo hoo!) & I took great pleasure in absolutely smashing it. Yeah it was mega cheesy. Yeah it was dare I say it wasn't to my own taste how they were all swaying in their chairs, singing, holding hands before the tables had been cleared away but it felt brilliant that I'd joined the dots & made it happen. From there it just got better - hence why I'm still not asleep - I'm absolutely buzzing even now.

Bah humbug? Nah that's somebody else's problem not mine!

[Shakermaker Promotions]

This year is the first year in at least 20 years that I have not done any Christmas parties and at the moment, I am enjoying not doing (to quote another line elsewhere in this thread), the "same old, same old...".

Personally, I wouldn't agree with the "Wedding Discos and Xmas Discos are the same" theory.
A lot more work goes into a wedding, as we all know. The preparation for starters and the goal being to get it absolutely spot on because it is an important occasion.

A Christmas party? Well, I used to give them all the same dedication but at the end of the day, I think you can split the people that go to a Christmas party right down the middle. I'd say 50% of the attendees go along to them and actually look forward to the occasion and are up for a dance. This is usually the older generation in my opinion. The other 50% (again, in my opinion....and experience as it goes), are the lot that are usually aged 18 - 25 and go along with the preconception that it is going to be a 'cheesy disco' with (no offence), 'Disco Dave' behind the decks, playing a load of old rubbish and they bombard you with requests that usually don't fit the mood.

It's those people that I tried my hardest to give a good time because the others that are up for a party will usually dance to everything and anything (most of the time).

I think that with Christmas parties, once you get into the swing of them and you know what is working each night, you kind of stick to it. I don't like using the word 'routine' but, I used to get into a routine. I'd pick a first song of the night, one that I hoped would get everyone on the dance floor and 9 times out of 10, it would work well.
I'd also say that on some occasions, the DJ can give themselves a hard time and put themselves under too much pressure to try and please everybody. You can't please everybody, but you can TRY. There are some guests, for whatever reason, that will go along to the meal and then leave. It may be because they have other plans that evening or that they just don't like the Disco side of the party. It is a bit disheartening when the numbers suddenly drop once it's time for you to do your thing but luckily, that didn't happen too often to me.

The best Christmas parties for me, were when the majority of the guests were women. 99% of those parties had a full dance floor for most of the night.
When you turn up at a Christmas party and it is 99% males in attendance, your work is cut out and you really earn your money.
I didn't enjoy those nights at all but luckily, they were few and far between. If you can get through (for example) 14 Christmas party nights and have a couple of mediocre ones and the rest are all good, I think you've done well.

As for those DJ's that are apparently moaning about it all, they're obviously just doing it for the money in my opinion.
I could have been out over the past 2 weeks myself but the reason I am not is because I don't have the enthusiasm for it all at the moment. That's not fair on the customers. If I do something, I want to be dedicated to it and up for it, not dreading it the moment I've agreed to do it.
I do wish I felt differently if I am being honest because I have a lock up full of equipment (I still update my system weekly), and it is not being used. I know I could be giving people a good time...........I just don't feel like it at the moment and that goes for weddings too.

Would I rather do a wedding or a Christmas party?
Usually, I'd say a wedding but give me a Christmas party with 75% women in attendance and I'd choose that every time.

[rth_discos]

Shaun, function being a wedding doesn't guarantee politeness, courtesy, and good behaviour. We take pot luck with every function, I find.

The last 2 nights of Christmas Parties have trumped all weddings I've had this year in terms of the politeness of guests - and also their willingness to dance.

Sadly, the type of function no longer guarantees any particular type of guest.

Give me a Christmas Party over a wedding with a free bar any day...

On the one hand this is great for loads of reasons but the other - doesn't it rub the staff up the wrong way if the dancing is getting in the way of them doing their job? I'm sure it can work in the right place though.

I did think the same. There's certainly a balance to be made - and a risk we try too hard to be the centre of attention. As lovely as it feels to see people dancing throughout, it can really get in the way of food service.

Equally, it suggests the music is a bit louder - was that annoying to other guests who wanted to talk during the meal?

Although with the right crowd, often there's little you can do to STOP them from dancing throughout!!

I think the biggest difference has been switching from HOPING there'd be a good crowd to very actively trying to make them an amazing crowd from the minute they get in the room.

It's quite a mindset change, but absolutely makes a huge difference, and results in people saying 'I've never seen a DJ do that before'.

[ppentertainments]

On the one hand this is great for loads of reasons but the other - doesn't it rub the staff up the wrong way if the dancing is getting in the way of them doing their job? I'm sure it can work in the right place though.

Oh yes, it comes at a HUGE risk – something not many will admit.

As far as Xmas goes I do most of my functions in the same venue who know what I do and join in, so I can get away with it – like in this video which is the usual scenario for what happens when the staff are clearing the main course.



https://vimeo.com/247672071

Now, weddings increase the risk factor for doing this dramatically. One of the reasons I run under a few different names is because of things like this. I am resident and recommended at a lot of venues who would get rid of me tomorrow if I started getting people to dance while they are serving and clearing. Before the comment ‘it is the B&G day’ comes, yes I agree, but as a business I cannot go against venue wishes too.

As far as a wedding party goes, guests obviously play a big factor and again doing this sort of thing comes at a great risk. Only this year I received my first serious complaint because the bride had been to a wedding where I had everyone singing and dancing. Never mentioned this to me and on her wedding day you could tell the guests would not be up for it – something I still know I was 100% correct about. So I play background music through the meal and was nice and chilled out. The bride never said anything, just put a complaint into myself and the venue afterwards. Luckily the venue supported me (it really was a miserable wedding) and all turned out ok but could quite easily have gone the opposite way.

I think this is true with a lot of the ‘extra’ things we offer. For instance I have seen DJs do the ‘Mr & Mrs game’ at EVERY wedding. Personally I think it only works maybe 30% of the time, and again if you were to get a B&G up who hated it, complaints will happen.

The ‘Love Story’ is another example. I have never gone down this route as I have yet to see any evidence of the whole party enjoying it. Generally the videos I see show people yawning or the Brides Father/Best Man changing their speech as the DJ has pinched most of what they were saying.

I do enjoy getting people up dancing etc through the day/meal, however will admit a lot of the time ‘keeping it simple’ will likely be the better approach.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

That's where I differ. (Usually) at a wedding the dancing starts when the B&G are introduced to the room and carries on from there, right throughout the meal.

Xmas is similar - I (usually) have people dancing into the room and make it an aim to get people on the dancefloor before the main course is served.

Lack of alcohol can make it a little more challenging, but gives me something to aim for.

You play dancy music during the meal at a wedding? Each to their own but I can't imagine anything worse and this is coming from someone who got married earlier in the year.

As for your 2nd point, again it totally depends on the event. For a catch em all, multi group party night then getting them gee'd up during dinner isn't a hassle but a single company private affair you've got lots of issues no one (except the drunk young team) wants to be the first up when the ceo is sitting there nursing a diet coke so you need to formulate some sort of organised fun to let folk know the party has officially started, let your hair down.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I think this is true with a lot of the ‘extra’ things we offer. For instance I have seen DJs do the ‘Mr & Mrs game’ at EVERY wedding. Personally I think it only works maybe 30% of the time, and again if you were to get a B&G up who hated it, complaints will happen.

The ‘Love Story’ is another example. I have never gone down this route as I have yet to see any evidence of the whole party enjoying it. Generally the videos I see show people yawning or the Brides Father/Best Man changing their speech as the DJ has pinched most of what they were saying.

You mean the LOOK AT ME, I CAN TALK ON THE MIC AS WELL AS PLAY MUSIC game?

HATE IT and although I do ask clients if they'd like me to do it, I've had a grand total of 2 (Yanks at that, they seem to love it) take me up on it.

My brother has the same experience despite a lot of guys we know up here saying 90%+ of their clients chew their hand off to have it.

Bull, between us we do close to 200 gigs a year and get 1 or 2 people who are up for it, the rest range from "nah we don't want to be put on the spot" to "that's an absolutely pish idea"

There's a disconnect somewhere and you can say all you want that you need to know the client well enough (what, like I don't know my clients?) and pitch it the right way (again, I'm one of the dearest DJs around here, I know how to sell something to a punter) but when you've got a lot of bride and grooms who hate the idea of even having to do the first dance as all eyes are on them, how many people actually want to be put on the spot for the Mr&MRS game?


The love story is a lot of pish too, as you said - it's the job of the minister / celebrant and grooms party to tell everyone the couples journey, not ours and just smacks of trying to put the spotlight on you.

[ppentertainments]

You mean the LOOK AT ME, I CAN TALK ON THE MIC AS WELL AS PLAY MUSIC game?

HATE IT and although I do ask clients if they'd like me to do it, I've had a grand total of 2 (Yanks at that, they seem to love it) take me up on it.

My brother has the same experience despite a lot of guys we know up here saying 90%+ of their clients chew their hand off to have it.

Bull, between us we do close to 200 gigs a year and get 1 or 2 people who are up for it, the rest range from "nah we don't want to be put on the spot" to "that's an absolutely pish idea"

There's a disconnect somewhere and you can say all you want that you need to know the client well enough (what, like I don't know my clients?) and pitch it the right way (again, I'm one of the dearest DJs around here, I know how to sell something to a punter) but when you've got a lot of bride and grooms who hate the idea of even having to do the first dance as all eyes are on them, how many people actually want to be put on the spot for the Mr&MRS game?


The love story is a lot of pish too, as you said - it's the job of the minister / celebrant and grooms party to tell everyone the couples journey, not ours and just smacks of trying to put the spotlight on you.

100% agree - I have asked many who do 'the love story' for a video to convince me it is worth doing and have not seen one yet - including some American 'pioneering' DJs.

[ppentertainments]

You play dancy music during the meal at a wedding? Each to their own but I can't imagine anything worse and this is coming from someone who got married earlier in the year.

As for your 2nd point, again it totally depends on the event. For a catch em all, multi group party night then getting them gee'd up during dinner isn't a hassle but a single company private affair you've got lots of issues no one (except the drunk young team) wants to be the first up when the ceo is sitting there nursing a diet coke so you need to formulate some sort of organised fun to let folk know the party has officially started, let your hair down.

Yep, do it a lot at weddings - not to everyones taste, but has resulted in me coming close to closing next years diary already.

https://youtu.be/hG2Cn3bT7RY

And, I must be lucky as this is one corporate Party Night for a well respected company as they were waiting for their deserts

[Nakatomi]

Yep, do it a lot at weddings - not to everyones taste, but has resulted in me coming close to closing next years diary already.

It's horses for courses really. If that's what the people want let them have it all day long I say. There are DJs out there saying a wedding should be X Y or Z but really the wedding should be whatever the customer wants. Is it cheesy? Is it even tacky? Who cares? Why should it even matter if that's what they WANT ? It's not what I would've wanted at my wedding - I can't stand all that schmaltz personally. Vive la difference!