Interesting results

[DJ Paulie]

A wedding forum here has just done a survey and found the following results. Now don't forget theis is IRELAND so don't start saying that's cheap, or expensive !

For newlyweds in 2010 and 2011, the average cost of their wedding, including honeymoon, was just under €29,000.

A detailed breakdown of what brides are spending:

Ceremony Venue (including donations) €461
Reception Venue €9,751
Reception Band €1,762
Reception DJ €384 :eek:
Photographer €1,632
Videographer €1,071
Wedding Planner / Coordinator €1,150
Wedding Dress €1,329
Bridal Party Attire €970
Wedding Jewellery €618
Beauty / Hair and Makeup €428
Florist / Décor €613
Invitations / Other Stationery €351
Wedding Cake €329
Ceremony Musicians / Singers €419
Wedding Day Transportation €427
Wedding Favours €210
Wedding Accessories / Candles €204
Miscellaneous Costs €1,320
The Honeymoon €5,506

[STEVE HANLEY]

[ Now don't forget theis is IRELAND so don't start saying that's cheap, or expensive !]

Fair enough

[Reception DJ €384 :eek:]

But what does that equate to in Her Majestys currency £/Sterling?;)

[Mark Wild]

£334, why the shocked smiley Paulie?

[katman]

But what does that equate to in Her Majestys currency £/Sterling?;)

£335.26 at the current rate.
€1 = 87p

[Jiggles]

Monopoly money ain't accepted round er. =P and may confuse some members. :sj:

[DJ Paulie]

£334, why the shocked smiley Paulie?

Just surprised that's what the average is !

[sweetie]

remember that's for an after band gig of between 1.5 and 2 hrs

[chrisj]

But the dj got more than the cake cost....now that is unusual for many of my weddings.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Reception DJ €384 :eek:
Am I the only one who's completely lost as to what the point is that Paulie is trying to make here?

I honestly do not know whether you are shocked that it is so high, or shocked that it's so low..... because it seems neither to me. :confused: :confused: :confused:

[ppentertainments]

I don't understand what your point is here Paulie :confused:

[Corabar Entertainment]

Am I the only one who's completely lost as to what the point is that Paulie is trying to make here?

I honestly do not know whether you are shocked that it is so high, or shocked that it's so low..... because it seems neither to me. :confused: :confused: :confused:


I don't understand what your point is here Paulie :confused:

:lol:

Clearly I'm not the only one :D

[ppentertainments]

:lol:

Clearly I'm not the only one :D
both confused at the same time too :D

[DJ Paulie]

The point I'm making is that when we talk on here about prices for a wedding, people are surprised when the Irish DJ's give what they get. Now I know it's different in the UK, as we tend to have a DJ after a band ans so as Sweetie said, it's usually about 1.5 to 2hrs.

I highlighted the cost so you could see it in relation to the other costs.

[Corabar Entertainment]

...and I'm still none-the-wiser!
I honestly do not know whether you are shocked that it is so high, or shocked that it's so low..... because it seems neither to me. :confused: :confused: :confused:

:lol:

[Booche]

Still lost :eek:

Also are you saying that ALL Irish Dj's play after bands and they dont do a full night them selves or am i missing a point here ?

1.5-2hrs and £334 ? is that expencive in your eyes or cheap ?

Im lost lol

[yourdj]

I am a bit concerned that the invitations cost almost as much as the DJ.

I would have printed them cheaper than that??

[katman]

Maybe the point he is making is that the DJ is only 1.3% of the total cost of the wedding.

[DJ Paulie]

Katman that's what I was trying to say but I'm rubbish with figures ! Booche not all Irish DJ's play after a band, but as most bands do an inclusive price for them and a 'DJ' (usually a band memeber who uses a laptop or CD player) people tend to go with that.

As we have seen in other surveys both here and in the UK, people spend less on the thing people tend to remember at a wedding. Not many will remember a rubbish dress, but everyone remembers a bad disco.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Whilst I do agree that the entertainment ought to be higher up the list of priorities for many B&Gs, this statement..
Not many will remember a rubbish dress, but everyone remembers a bad disco.... is utter tosh!

For many people, the brides dress is THE most important / memorable thing about the whole day, and for the B&G (and after all, it's their day), how the bride looks is paramount.

I don't think you could have picked a worse item to compare against there, Paulie.

[funkymook]

Whilst I do agree that the entertainment ought to be higher up the list of priorities for many B&Gs, this statement..... is utter tosh!

For many people, the brides dress is THE most important / memorable thing about the whole day, and for the B&G (and after all, it's their day), how the bride looks is paramount.

I don't think you could have picked a worse item to compare against there, Paulie.

Paulie - you need to watch 'Don't Tell The Bride'. The bride seeing the dress for the first time is one of the most emotionally charged parts of the show.

[DJ Paulie]

I meant the guests by the time I come on they've had a skinfull and want to party !

[discomobiledj]

Paulie - you need to watch 'Don't Tell The Bride'. The bride seeing the dress for the first time is one of the most emotionally charged parts of the show.

It the look of "Oh My God........." then the "I don't like that one" that cracks me up.

[MikeW]

I am a bit concerned that the invitations cost almost as much as the DJ.

I would have printed them cheaper than that??

Well done Toby, you should never miss a chance :D

[djtrev]

£325 for a couple of hours dj'ing.Yes,I would have some of that.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

£325 for a couple of hours dj'ing.Yes,I would have some of that.

Have you learnt nothing Trev?

Do you do no prep or have no expenses?

Does it not take time to travel to a gig and set up?

...sigh.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Have you learnt nothing Trev?

Do you do no prep or have no expenses?

Does it not take time to travel to a gig and set up?

...sigh.:agree:

The differences between the overheads / time spent, etc between a 2 hour gig and a 4 hour gig is minimal.

[Mark Wild]

£325 for a couple of hours dj'ing.Yes,I would have some of that.

Lovely bit of trolling there Trev ;)

[DJ Paulie]

Time is relative apparently !

[djtrev]

Would you care to tell me what 'trolling' is.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Would you care to tell me what 'trolling' is.http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23428&highlight=trolling

[djtrev]

Have you learnt nothing Trev?

Do you do no prep or have no expenses?

Does it not take time to travel to a gig and set up?

...sigh.

No need to sigh Darren(?).
The statement was made purely in relation to the thread and mention of playing time.The clue is in the wording.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

No need to sigh Darren(?).
The statement was made purely in relation to the thread and mention of playing time.The clue is in the wording.

Perhaps I am the clueless one then.

You aren't earning that amount of money for just the playing time are you?

I sighed because we go over the same things time and time again and it has been pointed out to you before I'm sure.

[djtrev]

Thank you Angela.
Section deleted by admin. Please read the forum rules re swearing
I speak my mind,if its allowed and I wont get banned and I like to think I am fairly honest.
I work the way that suits me and I know it wouldn't suit a lot of members on here or other forums.
At the risk of being accused of 'trolling' again,if it makes any difference to you,the fee of £325 would have been accepted had it been for the whole night never mind 2 hours.

[Mark Wild]

Thank you Angela.
Section deleted by admin. Please read the forum rules re swearing
I speak my mind,if its allowed and I wont get banned and I like to think I am fairly honest.
I work the way that suits me and I know it wouldn't suit a lot of members on here or other forums.
At the risk of being accused of 'trolling' again,if it makes any difference to you,the fee of £325 would have been accepted had it been for the whole night never mind 2 hours.

My apologies Trev if that wasn't intentional trolling, it just seemed that way from where I was sat, sorry.

[Excalibur]

,the fee of £325 would have been accepted had it been for the whole night never mind 2 hours.

£325? Blimey, I'd play for a week for that much. :D :D

[djtrev]

My apologies Trev if that wasn't intentional trolling, it just seemed that way from where I was sat, sorry.

No problem Mark.

[katman]

That was half my income for 1978 !!!

[djtrev]

Actually the more I think of it the more I dont quite understand where some of you are coming from.
Lets assume the agreed fee is £325 for 2 hours playing time from 11pm to 1am.
You have met the b&g and decided on the type of music;there is no first dance because I assume that the band will play that.
Set up will be at the beginning of the night so you are there from perhaps 6pm onwards.I would even do an early set up if it was required.For the sake of argument lets say the venue is within 10 miles of your home and its easy entry.
So,contracts sent and returned,all info received just preparation to see to.
Tell me Darren (this is genuine and nothing to do with trolling)do you not consider that to be an acceptable fee.

[Excalibur]

Trev, I have seen folk post time spent on a booking on here, where it was equal to the time spent on the gig. So much is dependent on what you put in as a matter of course, and what the customer requires.

I recently did a gig where the pre gig correspondence with the customer involved an awful lot of my time, so it can and does have to be taken into account.

[djtrev]

Trev, I have seen folk post time spent on a booking on here, where it was equal to the time spent on the gig. So much is dependent on what you put in as a matter of course, and what the customer requires.

I recently did a gig where the pre gig correspondence with the customer involved an awful lot of my time, so it can and does have to be taken into account.

Yes I accept what you are saying but the point I am trying to put here is that in this instance regardles of the time I spent on meetings,correspondence,prep etc I would have accepted the fee.
From Darren tone I assumed that he wouldn't.I was merely asking him to confirm that.
That is not to say that I think he is wrong if he did turn it down.It just emphasises my opinion that we should not get so hung up on how others go about their 'business'.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Tell me Darren (this is genuine and nothing to do with trolling)do you not consider that to be an acceptable fee.

I would never tell anyone what they need or should be earning, or whether a fee is acceptable Trev.

It is dependant entirely on yourself, what you are happy with and if you wish to make a profit and how much.

What I was commenting on is the fact that you appear to think that the £325 was just for 2 hours work and nothing else.

If I charge £500 for a booking, there is a lot more to it than just turning up and DJing and that was my point.

[Excalibur]

I would have accepted the fee.
From Darren tone I assumed that he wouldn't.I was merely asking him to confirm that.
That is not to say that I think he is wrong if he did turn it down.It just emphasises my opinion that we should not get so hung up on how others go about their 'business'.

Trev, without putting words into the lad's mouth, I reckon his grouch was not with the size of the fee, but the mathematics used to decide its suitability.

This forum has spent a lot of time trying to educate the punters away from the legendary phrase: " HOW MUCH? Just to turn up and press play for a few hours :eek: ".

Edit: Must type faster.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Trev, without puttingwords into the lad's mouth, I reckon his grouch was not with the size of the fee, but the mathematics used to decide its suitability.



Correctamundo.

(See my last post)

[Excalibur]

Correctamundo.

(See my last post)

I did. See my Edit. ;) :D

[djtrev]

Then in that case you have both missed the point of my post.
I refer you to my post of 12:14.

I repeat-to get a booking and all that entails and then find I am only doing 2hours of actual playing time,I would consider that to be a good contract.

[DazzyD]

:agree:

The differences between the overheads / time spent, etc between a 2 hour gig and a 4 hour gig is minimal.

What? :eek: There's a difference in overheads for the two scenarios?

I must've missed that one as I always work my expenses out per show and not per hour of performance. I'm pretty sure the results would be the same regardless of how long I play for.

As for the figures in the OP, if the average wedding costs 29,000 euros (my keyboard doesn't have the euro figure??) and I know lots of people get married for a heck of a lot less than that, that must mean there are people out there who pay many more tens of thousands than this average on their weddings and still book a DJ!! Mmmm. Need to track these clients down and maybe retire in ten years!!

Well, I can dream, can't I? ;)

[djtrev]

I would never tell anyone what they need or should be earning, or whether a fee is acceptable Trev.

.

Surely in this instance it just requires a yes or no answer.In my case a definate yes.

[DJ Paulie]

OT: dazzy try altgr + 4 !

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I think I'm going to give up on this thread....

[djtrev]

I think I'm going to give up on this thread....

Thats a shame because as long as it didnt degenerate into personal insults I would be quite happy to dicuss the subject but hey ho never mind

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Thats a shame because as long as it didnt degenerate into personal insults I would be quite happy to dicuss the subject but hey ho never mind

It wouldn't get into personal insults. This isn't that kind of forum.

I just feel that I have tried my best on this and other threads to start people thinking before they post things like "£325 is good money for 2 hours work"

You have posted similar before as have others, so I feel I am wasting my time somewhat.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

It wouldn't get into personal insults. This isn't that kind of forum.

I just feel that I have tried my best on this and other threads to start people thinking before they post things like "£325 is good money for 2 hours work"

You have posted similar before as have others, so I feel I am wasting my time somewhat.

Your not Darren :)

Some people just "get it" others don't. Fact of life.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Your not Darren :)

Some people just "get it" others don't. Fact of life.

I know you do, 'cos you went on about it for about an hour in Reflex...:boxer2:

:D :beer1:

[Mark Wild]

Some people just "get it" others don't. Fact of life.

Get what? :daft:

[djtrev]

It wouldn't get into personal insults. This isn't that kind of forum.

I just feel that I have tried my best on this and other threads to start people thinking before they post things like "£325 is good money for 2 hours work"

You have posted similar before as have others, so I feel I am wasting my time somewhat.

So what you seem to be inferring is that because you think your way is the way to go and if there are others who think otherwise you cant be bothered to discus the subject.You surely must accept that we all have different criteria when we are quoting for a job.I am not in it as a business,I am a hobbyist so my criteria would be totally different from yours.But it doesnt necessarily mean that I would put any less effort into the job and it doesn't mean that you or anyone else can pidgeonhole me as a £60 quid sid
As far as the OP in this case is concerned,ignore the 2 hour playing time for the moment,I would happily accept this booking for £325.
You appear to be saying that you wouldn't.
The fact that they then tell me I am only playing for 2hours I would consider a bonus.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

So what you seem to be inferring is that because you think your way is the way to go and if there are others who think otherwise you cant be bothered to discus the subject.You surely must accept that we all have different criteria when we are quoting for a job.I am not in it as a business,I am a hobbyist so my criteria would be totally different from yours.But it doesnt necessarily mean that I would put any less effort into the job and it doesn't mean that you or anyone else can pidgeonhole me as a £60 quid sid
As far as the OP in this case is concerned,ignore the 2 hour playing time for the moment,I would happily accept this booking for £325.
You appear to be saying that you wouldn't.
The fact that they then tell me I am only playing for 2hours I would consider a bonus.

I am not pigeon holing anyone.

Whether you are a business or hobbyist, you still need to produce a set of accounts for tax purposes and it is those accounts that will perhaps tell you how much time and effort you have put in to make x amount of profit.

You don't see that.

All you see is "I am a hobbyist, so therefore it must be unimportant and a bit of a laugh" If this is true and the fact that you still go on about being a hobbyist, then why do you charge at all? It obviously doesn't bother you how much profit you make or don't make as you don't work it out according to your other posts.

Once again, I have never told people how much they should be charging or accepting for a gig. Will you please get that into your head, otherwise I might have to use insulting words and phrases. :D

Lastly, no I don't think mine is the only way to go. Will you please get that into your head too.

All these points are the very reason why I said I was going to leave it, as I have already mentioned them once, told you my opinion and yet you are still coming back and saying the same thing...

[Excalibur]

Then in that case you have both missed the point of my post.
I refer you to my post of 12:14.
.
Oh no Trev, Darren and I are fully aware of your argument, but sadly you are missing ours. The amount of time spent playing is immaterial in the scheme of things. Your expenses are the same, your fees are very similar, but the amount of time and effort expended on the gig will vary by very little.

Yes Trev, the amount of playing time is less, but the amount of time on site is likely to be identical. And if I'm on site, I'd rather be playing music than twiddling my thumbs.

Please note that neither Darren, nor I have expressed any view that the fee was too low, too high, or just right, all we are saying is that expressing the view that because you only play for a limited amount of time, the gig is somehow easier, or more attractive. Setup and derig are identical, the same gear is used, the transport is the same, and the finish time is the same. What difference does two hours less pressing play make? :confused: :confused:

[djtrev]

I do find it a bit difficult to discuss and put my point over on forums and it would be much easier face to face or even skype to skype.
The fact that I keep going on about being a hobbyist is very important because it means I have a completely different mind set to you.
As far as accounts go I would be very surprised if I made a profit over the year I certainly didnt last year but because we are not talking large amounts I dont let it bother me.
It is only in the last year that I have taken a NRD but if I was cancelled at any time,even on the day,I would just look at it as a night off with a few quid inmy pocket but I certainly wouldn't pursue the full payment.
These are just two reasons why I keep on about being a hobbyist because it really does make a massive difference to the way I view things.
To answer Excalibur,it doesnt matter to me whether its 2/4/8 hours at a venue.Unless it is an impossible situation I devote the whole day to my client for the price I charge;so for the £325 I would be prepared to be there the whole day if necessary.

[Excalibur]

To answer Excalibur,it doesnt matter to me whether its 2/4/8 hours at a venue.Unless it is an impossible situation I devote the whole day to my client for the price I charge;so for the £325 I would be prepared to be there the whole day if necessary.

As would I Trev, no problem, no argument. But that's still not the point.

[djtrev]

Perhaps its time for me vacate the discussion because it would seem that I am having my weeks worth of senior moments.I have obviously missed your points,arguments,call it what you will.
So correct me if I am wrong.(Careful Trev)You have no problem with the fee just my hobbyists(sorry Darren)way of looking at things.

[Corabar Entertainment]

What? :eek: There's a difference in overheads for the two scenarios? Well, ours is, for sure - but then again, we've got a very different business model than the rest of you.