Gypsy Wedding

[dicky]

As the title says - I took a booking today for a wedding next Weds 4pm-11pm at a venue I play fairly regularly.

This is a gypsy wedding. The venue manager says he has had them before there.... says all the men sit on one side of the room and women on the other, and some other odd things.

I confess to knowing nothing else about it, I asked for playlist suggestions and first dance song so far..... but not had any info yet, even the B&G names

So I guess this is the place to ask for advice

Rich
PS missus dicky says don't come home with 'lucky heather", whoever she is or any clothes pegs.

[Nakatomi]

As the title says - I took a booking today for a wedding next Weds 4pm-11pm at a venue I play fairly regularly.

This is a gypsy wedding. The venue manager says he has had them before there.... says all the men sit on one side of the room and women on the other, and some other odd things.

I confess to knowing nothing else about it, I asked for playlist suggestions and first dance song so far..... but not had any info yet, even the B&G names

So I guess this is the place to ask for advice

Rich
PS missus dicky says don't come home with 'lucky heather", whoever she is or any clothes pegs.
Never done one Rich, but I hear they can go one of 2 ways. Monumentally amazing, or completely not.

[Excalibur]

Never done one Rich, but I hear they can go one of 2 ways. Monumentally amazing, or completely not.

They can be " interesting ". :whistle:

Light reading. (http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?34747-Traveller-Weddings&highlight=traveller)

Not quite so light. (http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?30228-gypsy-wedding&highlight=traveller)

Post #9 in particular (http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?30177-All-good-so-far-but-apprehensive-about-tonight&highlight=traveller)

Take a roadie, towels and waterproofs ( for the gear mainly ). Be prepared to cut most songs after thirty seconds, run Karaoke, and play popular songs at least seven times in the night. :D:D

[DeckstarDeluxe]

They can be rather "odd". To be honest as the venue manager has "had them before" then it should be fine. Can be really fun and up for it crowds with no trouble (like the couple I've done).

[yourdj]

To be honest as the venue manager has "had them before" then it should be fine. .

Although if they are actually Gypsys, the guest list tends to be a free for all which is why they are so secretive, so there is no control on the guests who turn up (i.e. may be someone they did not want to invite). Basically it may be the same people organising it but the guests may differ, causing problems.

i have not done one and don't really want to because of the risk factor, but I bet that 9/10 are blinding and a good laugh, but its certainly not a market i would ever be proficient in, especially having to cut and change the music and play the same tracks multiple times and possibly dealing with abusive clients. I have been told that making friends with the matriarch/patriarch is key at these events as they have final say, so if you get a problem they will help you out, but I am probably generalising. :)

I think having an assistant and barricading yourself in is probably a good safe guard as i have heard a lot of stories of people (usually the kids) running riot around the gear. I would possibly have a booth and then also a screen to help with the distance.

[dicky]

Having read this I have decided to take my sometimes roadie sometimes fellow DJ along with me.

I do have a booth screen but my mate also has an IP65 LED Blidner that can be put on the floor right across the front of the booth and angled upwards! Maybe that would be a good idea......

Does anyone know of any odd customs at this sort of wedding or is it the usual 1st dfance, cut the cake sort of thing?

Mrs Dicky said something about the B&G urinating in a bucket, to put it politely....

[Nakatomi]

Having read this I have decided to take my sometimes roadie sometimes fellow DJ along with me.

I do have a booth screen but my mate also has an IP65 LED Blidner that can be put on the floor right across the front of the booth and angled upwards! Maybe that would be a good idea......

Does anyone know of any odd customs at this sort of wedding or is it the usual 1st dfance, cut the cake sort of thing?

Mrs Dicky said something about the B&G urinating in a bucket, to put it politely....

In contrast to when a lot of people getting wed... After paying for it all they haven't to a pot to ... in.

[Excalibur]

Does anyone know of any odd customs at this sort of wedding or is it the usual 1st dance, cut the cake sort of thing?



No. :zip: More likely to be plural, and there's a joke about this I won't repeat. :)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Although if they are actually Gypsys, the guest list tends to be a free for all which is why they are so secretive, so there is no control on the guests who turn up (i.e. may be someone they did not want to invite). Basically it may be the same people organising it but the guests may differ, causing problems.

i have not done one and don't really want to because of the risk factor, but I bet that 9/10 are blinding and a good laugh, but its certainly not a market i would ever be proficient in, especially having to cut and change the music and play the same tracks multiple times and possibly dealing with abusive clients. I have been told that making friends with the matriarch/patriarch is key at these events as they have final say, so if you get a problem they will help you out, but I am probably generalising. :)

I think having an assistant and barricading yourself in is probably a good safe guard as i have heard a lot of stories of people (usually the kids) running riot around the gear. I would possibly have a booth and then also a screen to help with the distance.

You haven't done one but seem to have it all nailed down Toby........

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

You haven't done one but seem to have it all nailed down Toby........

Similar to lots of other subjects then...:D

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Toby - All I can say is "OUCH!!!"
When I started reading your post I knew the direction you were going in and it made me cringe (sorry mate).
You said it yourself...."I am probably generalising...".... Yes, you are mate.
I would say I reckon you've made up your mind based on those Big Fat Gypsy Wedding programmes on the TV but I am guessing they're not your cup of tea?

I personally think that if you haven't done one then it isn't really worth commenting because there is nothing to add to the thread. You're just giving your opinion on what you think or imagine they are like....

Anyway, for the record....I have done two of them before.
The first one was many years ago in a Holiday Inn down the road from me (I had the contract there).
It was absolutely fine. Lots of dancing, lots of banter and I didn't have to "barricade myself in" (away from the riff raff eh! - JOKE!).
Yes, there WAS an incident involving the mothers of the Bride and Groom who apparently didn't get on but that was outside and towards the end of the night and that I know of, nobody knew what had gone on until afterwards.

The second one was around 5 years ago and I'll admit that I was very apprehensive when I realised the kind of booking I'd taken on and that's probably because like you (Toby and possibly others), I had my own impression of what it could be like and I'd also had experience of the previous one mentioned above.
You know what - It was just like any other wedding and was very good.

Sorry Toby, I don't mean to have a go if that's what it looks like but if a thread appears on the forum that I have no know how or experience of then I won't comment.
It generally saves me a lot of bother.

[Benny Smyth]

I thought it was a nice break from the misogyny, to be honest.

:p

Anyway, I think the Toby-bashing may be :offtopic: however, if there is a demand, I can start up a new thread specifically for that purpose?*





























































*Joke

[Imagine]

OK - I'll throw my hat into the ring if I may......

Firstly...ENJOY!

I'll confess now, I've never done a disco for Gypsies/Travellers. I've never been asked but under the right circumstances I wouldn't hesitate....and here's why.

I grew up with travelling folk. I grew up in a part of Cambridge known as Old Chesterton, which had (and still does have) a very large community of travelling folk "over the railway line".
I went to school with their kids (well, at least at primary level....they don't tend to go any further than that). I used to drink in the local pub with them.

Somebody earlier mentioned the ladies sitting one side and the gentlemen sitting on the other. This is absolutely true from my own personal experience (and never the two will meet).

There are a lot of stereotypes about Gypsies...some true, some not. What I'll say from personal experience is that within their own community, there is a hell of a lot of respect between themselves. The advice earlier on about befriending the Matriarch/Patriarch is completely and absolutely true. They will all obey him/her without question. There is a well defined hierarchy within their community which is absolutely respected.

They know how to party and have a good time and if treated with respect, will replicate that respect to you.

Have lots of Irish country tracks to hand, but also be prepared to treat it like any other gig. They're human beings just like you and me

[yourdj]

befriending the Matriarch/Patriarch is completely and absolutely true.

Least I got one thing right, I think this is one of the best things about tight nit communities, respect for elders is a dwindling tradition. :)

as usual i agree with all the comments above (and deserve a "Toby bashing"), but generally go into any unknown situation thinking worst case (i.e. an outside wedding - may rain, power may cut out etc.) and i personally think this is a good way to go. On the other end of the scale I have expected a lot of the well to do occasions to be a bit posh, but most I have done have been utterly lovely, so i am sure you will have a wonderful function.

Although if something did go wrong and you did not take precautions you would kick yourself I think, so only trying to help. :)



You know what - It was just like any other wedding and was very good.

I suppose also meeting the client as per any booking you will get a good idea of what it will be like. :)
Its a bit like gay weddings, I hardly ever get a wedding as per the stereotype, so you are right.
May also depend on the area in which the DJ lives or where the function is also.

[ukpartydj]

I think the issue is that with nearly every party there are those people who are really a pain in the bum but when it happens to be a gypsy wedding we associate it instantly with the whole group rather than the individual because we are not part of that group and to us "they all look, sound, act the same".

You might feel like they're more hassle because you're not used to the difference between a gypsy wedding and another possibly.

[ckpr2]

I used to live in Appleby where they have the Gypsy horse fair every June.

The Gypsies are like most groups of people, there are the good and the bad.
Most are OK.
We had troubles with some wanting to tarmac the drive or do other odd jobs around the house and they got abusive when I said no thanks.
One tried to run me over with his car when he later saw me in the town, I had to get police to sort them out.
The ex wife worked in a shop in Appleby and got into a tangle with some young lads trying to rob the place.

[scott23]

Dicky I did one back in March this year and it was totally fine. They are proper real gypsys and they were reluctant to tell me that as so much prejudice.

If I'm honest I wasn't looking forward to it after I booked it in and realised, but I managed to build a good relationship with the clients over the coming months until the big day.

They certainly put alot of effort and no expenses were spared on the day. The bride even decided to have the booth of the stage with me covering he stairs as she reckoned the kids could be wild and try to get on the stage, which they did! But you get wild kids at events wether gypsy or not.

The guests at the party were extremely well behaved, maybe pestering to.much for dance music, but apart from that they were fine.

Just take it like any other event! Try and get in contact with the bride though prior. The groom doesn't deal with anything.

[Tony Murphy]

This month I done my first Gypsy Wedding which ended in a mass brawl.

It was a late booking as they had been let down by another Dj the night before. Throughout the evening I was told on many occasions how grateful they was for me to step in at the last moment, I was also told that they would be, "sorting out the other Dj who had let them down".

At midnight they asked me to play on regardless of the fact the hall had to be vacated, and I was handed extra cash, they also persuaded the mobile bar to stay open. If I hadn't played on I don't think I would have got out alive.

Just before 1am all hell broke out with fights, I knew the Police wouldn't show up so I packed away as quickly as I could and left the hall, which by this time was covered in broken glass, I think the bar staff hid in the kitchen whilst it was all going on.

I was treated nicely throughout the evening, but if I had put a foot wrong, I think it would have been a very different story.

[Corabar Steve]

I've done a number over the years (the first of which ended up with a brawl, the result of which was us getting the contract with the hotel concerned for several years, until the new GM arrived & changed all the suppliers to ones he knew), but I have nothing to add to this thread that wasn't said in the ones Peter linked to, other than...


my mate also has an IP65 LED Blidner that can be put on the floor right across the front of the booth and angled upwards! Maybe that would be a good idea......

Not if you want it back in one piece. This is not because it will be smashed deliberately, but rather the fact that you can tell them to approach you from the side of the booth until you're blue in the face, but they will still come & lean over the front (usually with drink in hand, so it may be advisable to have anything in your play out etc that will not cope well with the ingress of liquid a bit further towards the rear of your stand) & it's likely to have been kicked or stood on a number of times before the end of the night.

[keith]

A few years back, I was booked to DJ at a "birthday party" in a sports bar.

As I was playing background music a Bride and Groom walked in and told me they forgot to say it was a wedding and "sure its cheaper now". I am based in Northern Ireland and knew it was Travellers straight away.

The Night went like this:
- Took Payment
- First Dance
- 30 mins of dancing
- 1st Karaoke song "dancing queen". Half way through dancing queen the families decide that it would be fun to fight and so a mass brawl unfolded to the backing track of dancing queen.
- Bar staff break up the fights and throw everyone out apart from 3 people
- The remaining 3 people decide that it would be fun to steal all the bottles of sprits from the bar whilst the staff deal with the fight...
- Police arrive
- I Give police a statement
- I Pack down my gear and go home

Luckily I got my payment before the gig started. And that was my experience of a Gypsy Wedding.

Keith

[Excalibur]

A few years back, I was booked to DJ at a "birthday party" in a sports bar.

As I was playing background music a Bride and Groom walked in and told me they forgot to say it was a wedding and "sure its cheaper now". I am based in Northern Ireland and knew it was Travellers straight away.

The Night went like this:
- Took Payment
- First Dance
- 30 mins of dancing
- 1st Karaoke song "dancing queen". Half way through dancing queen the families decide that it would be fun to fight and so a mass brawl unfolded to the backing track of dancing queen.
- Bar staff break up the fights and throw everyone out apart from 3 people
- The remaining 3 people decide that it would be fun to steal all the bottles of sprits from the bar whilst the staff deal with the fight...
- Police arrive
- I Give police a statement
- I Pack down my gear and go home

Luckily I got my payment before the gig started. And that was my experience of a Gypsy Wedding.

Keith

Hello Keith, nice to have your account of such a function. Not a million miles from what some of us have experienced over here.

Could I ask you please to pop across to the Newbies section and introduce yourself there, we're a nosey lot, and like to know who we're typing to. Thanks.