We receive a number of inquiries each year from engaged couples who have chosen to have their wedding on a Sunday. And, of course, some of those inquiries turn into booked events in which we are privileged to participate as DJ entertainers.
Sunday weddings may provide couples with options they ordinarily wouldn't have. Many wedding vendors; venues, caterers, photographers, etc. offer discounts for events that happen on Sundays as there are fewer of them happening. Saturday evenings are typically in high demand and experienced professionals don't have trouble booking them well in advance. So, for financial reasons alone, a Sunday might be a good idea.
Sunday weddings seem to be ideal for DIY couples who plan to implement at least some of the event themselves or with the help of family members and friends. They may provide food for their reception or do their own decorating and it seems (although I could be wrong) that venues, caterers and other professionals tend to be more understanding of couples who want more direct involvement on a Sunday. I guess, what I'm saying is that many Sunday weddings tend to be less formal than most Saturday evening weddings and for those people who are more comfortable planning a casual celebration, Sundays are perfect for them.
A brief word of caution - many popular sporting events happen on Sunday. This blog article is being written just hours before the Super Bowl. So unless you want your wedding to compete against the attention of a major sporting event, check a calendar to be sure your wedding is happening on a day free of such potential conflict.
My main suggestion to couples planning a Sunday wedding is to get the timing right. By this I mean, start early and end early. I say this because many inquiries we receive initially ask for DJ entertainment during a typical Saturday evening timeline, say 6PM to midnight. I can share with you as an observer of many Sunday events, most people will not stay till midnight on a Sunday.
We have been programmed since childhood to use Sundays as a day to prepare for the coming week, right? We do laundry, complete homework, run errands, etc. just so we can be ready for the coming week and most of all, Sundays are for getting to bed early. The following day is after all a work day for adults or a school day for the kids. Asking people to disregard their psychological and physical programming is a tall order. I have observed the tendency of guests to want to leave early even if the celebration is full of energy and moving full steam ahead. There seems to be an internal clock inside some people that says, ok time to go home, even if that means leaving at 9PM.
Some people plan their Sunday wedding on a three day holiday weekend such as Labor Day weekend, thinking that their guests have the next day off, so they'll be able to stay later. There is some degree of truth to this and you might be able to go to 11PM on a holiday Sunday. Still, many people listen to their internal clock and leave early even though they could stay longer.
My recommendation is to use your Sunday wedding as a 4 or 5 hour afternoon celebration:
2PM to 7PM or 3PM to 8PM
Or, if you desire an evening celebration:
4PM to 9PM or 5PM to 10PM
I have DJ'd wedding receptions on Sundays that successfully went late (meaning almost everyone stayed to the end) but they are rare. I believe you and your guests will be better served if you plan your Sunday wedding with the appreciation of how we are programmed. More people will stay the entire time to celebrate with you if you simply plan to start a little earlier and end a little earlier than a typical Saturday night reception.
I look forward to your thoughts and input on this topic. As always best wishes on your special day!
Showing posts with label Event Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Event Planning. Show all posts
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Event Pros, What To Accomplish During The Off Season
We are sometimes asked, what do event professionals do during the off season? The answer is that we continue to stay busy but in different ways.
This post is really meant for our colleagues in the event and wedding industries but it may also be of interest to the broader population including brides and grooms, event planners and others in the field, so here we go!..
In northeast Ohio, where we operate, the busy season for us starts in late April and continues strong right to the end of the year. Our slower season is January, February and March, although we still typically have a number of events to fulfill.
First let's acknowledge that for serious event pros, our busy season takes a lot out of us. We're constantly on the go, traveling from one event to the other, conducting planning meetings with clients, setting up, performing and taking down equipment, etc. It's a long busy marathon that doesn't seem to end but when it does, we're truly exhausted. And I can say this because I've been in the industry for over 25 years now, the older one gets the more it seems to take its toll.
A funny thing happens, however, when we finally do enter our slow time of the year. After a couple of weeks of recovery in the way of sleep, rest, and maybe a short vacation, we begin to get antsy for the business again, don't we? We begin to get excited about the coming year and we try to prepare in the best way possible.
Here are some important tasks for event professionals to accomplish during the off season:
Respond to inquiries and book events - Many bookings for the year happen during the down time, so we're actually really quite busy responding to inquiries, answering questions, meeting with prospective clients and generating contracts. The goal here, of course, is to fill up our calendar for the upcoming year!
Review your pricing strategy - If you are going to change your prices, now is the time to do it. Are you adding new packages and prices? How will this affect your marketing strategy?
Review your marketing strategy - If you are going to change your marketing strategy, make these changes while you can before things get busy again. Does your website need an update? Are you going to do more or less paid online marketing? What kind of traditional marketing will you do, if any? Review your print material, are these documents still accurate?
Prepare for the upcoming tax season - Consult your tax preparer, issue tax related documents to employees and contracted workers. Gather and organize receipts, copies of contracts, etc. Make changes in your book keeping routines if you need to in order to have a smoother year ahead.
Repair or upgrade equipment - The field is tough on equipment. During the year you have probably noticed a need to repair or purchase new equipment. Perhaps you finished the last few weeks by using your back-up stuff because something was dropped or broken but you really don't want to start the new season with back-up equipment. Be sure everything works perfectly going out of the gate!
Communicate with your insurance broker - Annually, make or update a written list of equipment inventory (as detailed as possible) and send it off to your insurance broker. Savvy event pros will also include photos for good measure. You want to be sure they know what kind of stuff you own and how much it all costs.
Communicate with your lawyer - Send your lawyer a brief email describing any new services or assets that you've added recently or intend to add to your business. For example make sure he or she knows how many people you employ, describe your services, especially anything new you are adding. It would also be a good idea to have your lawyer do a review of the language in your contract.
Communicate with staff members - It's important to communicate with employees and others who help you operate your business in order to share with them your strategy for the upcoming year. What will be expected of them? How will their respective roles change? Are you adding products or services? Will training be necessary to learn about new equipment, software, etc. Be sure everyone is on the same page about what you want the business to accomplish when things speed up again.
Back up files - You should be doing frequent, periodic back-ups of electronic files during the year but at least annually, be sure to have a back-up system in place.
Prepare for bridal fairs - If you participate in bridal fairs and other such gatherings you know how much work is involved in setting up a booth or table, preparing marketing materials, etc. Be ready with these items so that you can concentrate on being with guests and prospective clients and not running around at the last minute!
Get serious about your health - Many people begin their new year's resolutions during the off season and this is a good time to get serious about your health. As an entrepreneur, your health is an asset of the business. When asked about their biggest fears, self employed people will often say staying healthy is always a big concern. They know that if they should get sick or injured, their business could suffer affecting their ability to make a living. So now is a good time to establish diet, exercise and sleep habits to promote better health for the whole year 'round.
Well, I hope these suggestions are helpful. Please let me know of other tasks to accomplish during the slow season that I may have forgotten to list. I will add them in future updates to the article. Best wishes for a successful year!
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
This post is really meant for our colleagues in the event and wedding industries but it may also be of interest to the broader population including brides and grooms, event planners and others in the field, so here we go!..
In northeast Ohio, where we operate, the busy season for us starts in late April and continues strong right to the end of the year. Our slower season is January, February and March, although we still typically have a number of events to fulfill.
First let's acknowledge that for serious event pros, our busy season takes a lot out of us. We're constantly on the go, traveling from one event to the other, conducting planning meetings with clients, setting up, performing and taking down equipment, etc. It's a long busy marathon that doesn't seem to end but when it does, we're truly exhausted. And I can say this because I've been in the industry for over 25 years now, the older one gets the more it seems to take its toll.
A funny thing happens, however, when we finally do enter our slow time of the year. After a couple of weeks of recovery in the way of sleep, rest, and maybe a short vacation, we begin to get antsy for the business again, don't we? We begin to get excited about the coming year and we try to prepare in the best way possible.
Here are some important tasks for event professionals to accomplish during the off season:
Respond to inquiries and book events - Many bookings for the year happen during the down time, so we're actually really quite busy responding to inquiries, answering questions, meeting with prospective clients and generating contracts. The goal here, of course, is to fill up our calendar for the upcoming year!
Review your pricing strategy - If you are going to change your prices, now is the time to do it. Are you adding new packages and prices? How will this affect your marketing strategy?
Review your marketing strategy - If you are going to change your marketing strategy, make these changes while you can before things get busy again. Does your website need an update? Are you going to do more or less paid online marketing? What kind of traditional marketing will you do, if any? Review your print material, are these documents still accurate?
Prepare for the upcoming tax season - Consult your tax preparer, issue tax related documents to employees and contracted workers. Gather and organize receipts, copies of contracts, etc. Make changes in your book keeping routines if you need to in order to have a smoother year ahead.
Repair or upgrade equipment - The field is tough on equipment. During the year you have probably noticed a need to repair or purchase new equipment. Perhaps you finished the last few weeks by using your back-up stuff because something was dropped or broken but you really don't want to start the new season with back-up equipment. Be sure everything works perfectly going out of the gate!
Communicate with your insurance broker - Annually, make or update a written list of equipment inventory (as detailed as possible) and send it off to your insurance broker. Savvy event pros will also include photos for good measure. You want to be sure they know what kind of stuff you own and how much it all costs.
Communicate with your lawyer - Send your lawyer a brief email describing any new services or assets that you've added recently or intend to add to your business. For example make sure he or she knows how many people you employ, describe your services, especially anything new you are adding. It would also be a good idea to have your lawyer do a review of the language in your contract.
Communicate with staff members - It's important to communicate with employees and others who help you operate your business in order to share with them your strategy for the upcoming year. What will be expected of them? How will their respective roles change? Are you adding products or services? Will training be necessary to learn about new equipment, software, etc. Be sure everyone is on the same page about what you want the business to accomplish when things speed up again.
Back up files - You should be doing frequent, periodic back-ups of electronic files during the year but at least annually, be sure to have a back-up system in place.
Prepare for bridal fairs - If you participate in bridal fairs and other such gatherings you know how much work is involved in setting up a booth or table, preparing marketing materials, etc. Be ready with these items so that you can concentrate on being with guests and prospective clients and not running around at the last minute!
Get serious about your health - Many people begin their new year's resolutions during the off season and this is a good time to get serious about your health. As an entrepreneur, your health is an asset of the business. When asked about their biggest fears, self employed people will often say staying healthy is always a big concern. They know that if they should get sick or injured, their business could suffer affecting their ability to make a living. So now is a good time to establish diet, exercise and sleep habits to promote better health for the whole year 'round.
Well, I hope these suggestions are helpful. Please let me know of other tasks to accomplish during the slow season that I may have forgotten to list. I will add them in future updates to the article. Best wishes for a successful year!
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Tips for Visiting Guests at Your Reception
Almost all of our clients, brides and grooms, share with us early in the planning process that one of their concerns is a slow moving reception. They tell us they've been guests at other wedding receptions and they've experienced confusion about what's happening next, boredom, and a general - when will this party start - anxiety. They don't want a slow moving, disjointed flow, or lack of flow, to their own reception.
One thing that often slows down the flow of the reception is when the bride and groom attempts to visit each table of guests, typically during dinner or toward the end of dinner. Ironically, they are sometimes the reason for the very slowdown that they didn't want to happen in the first place. This is because most people do not know how to "butterfly" around a room. If you've ever noticed a butterfly in a garden, you'll see that it quickly bounces from one flower to the next, not staying in any one place for very long. For us humans, this is a learned skill that only priests and politicians have mastered. It's precisely because their main goal when floating through a room is to say hello, be noticed, welcome guests and then move on. It's not to engage in any type of drawn out reminiscing or storytelling. It's not that they don't enjoy reminiscing or storytelling, it's just that they know this isn't the right time for it, if they want to honor and acknowledge all guests.
Brides and grooms, let's do a little math. If you have 200 guests in a room and they are sitting at 25 tables of eight guests per table - how long will it take you to visit all tables if you spend just 3 minutes at each table? The answer, a whopping one hour and 15 minutes! What's happening during this time? The DJ or band can't get the dancefloor going because traditionally, the first dance belongs to the bride and the groom. I can tell you that this is one of the most frustrating points in the evening for DJs. We often feel stuck because we know guests are getting antsy for the dancing to begin, yet we need
to wait for the bride and groom to finish their butterflying.
This blog article is not meant to talk you out of butterflying, although there are other options that we can cover in another post. The purpose of this article is to give you a few easy tips to be an awesome butterfly!
1) Understand your goal is to thank and welcome guests, not to engage in storytelling. Storytelling takes time and you can't control the duration of the story if you're not the one telling the story. Many of your guests know that you're on a schedule but some have no idea about your reception timeline and will immediately begin to share a story about their recent vacation to Alaska.
2) Keep moving. It's difficult to pin you down if you're physically moving. Do the slow walk but don't stop for very long. If you do stop, make it for just a few seconds to give someone a hug or shake hands. Move on.
3) Stay together. Have you ever heard the saying, divide and conquer? This is true with couples who butterfly a room. If you get separated, you'll never be able to visit all tables as a couple and you'll literally lose each other at your own reception. Hold hands while you visit each table.
4) Blame the DJ. I give my clients permission to use me as an excuse for moving on to the next table. If you feel caught in the grips of a storyteller, simply say John, I want to hear more but our DJ has us on a tight schedule. Or, Jenny let's get together to talk more, our DJ needs us soon to cut our cake, have our first dance, or whatever is next. They'll understand and you won't seem rude about leaving on your own accord.
5) Two minutes or less. Trust me, you will lose all sense of time on your wedding day. So, try to keep under 90 seconds to two minutes or less at each table. That will keep you to about 45 minutes, which is manageable and won't kill the flow of your reception.
Some clients suggest that they will eat their dinner quickly, knowing they'll be first served. That will give them time to visit guests while guests are eating and thus not impede the timing of the reception. This can certainly work as a time strategy but if you stop to think about it, do you really want to rush your dinner on your wedding day? After a long day, you'll be hungry and need a brief rest. Think about your dinner as half-time for your wedding day. I think it's better to relax for a bit, enjoy your dinner and be an effective butterfly later.
I hope these butterfly tips help you to keep a fun exciting flow to your wedding reception. If you have other strategies, please share them with us and our readers in the comment section. Best wishes!
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
One thing that often slows down the flow of the reception is when the bride and groom attempts to visit each table of guests, typically during dinner or toward the end of dinner. Ironically, they are sometimes the reason for the very slowdown that they didn't want to happen in the first place. This is because most people do not know how to "butterfly" around a room. If you've ever noticed a butterfly in a garden, you'll see that it quickly bounces from one flower to the next, not staying in any one place for very long. For us humans, this is a learned skill that only priests and politicians have mastered. It's precisely because their main goal when floating through a room is to say hello, be noticed, welcome guests and then move on. It's not to engage in any type of drawn out reminiscing or storytelling. It's not that they don't enjoy reminiscing or storytelling, it's just that they know this isn't the right time for it, if they want to honor and acknowledge all guests.
Brides and grooms, let's do a little math. If you have 200 guests in a room and they are sitting at 25 tables of eight guests per table - how long will it take you to visit all tables if you spend just 3 minutes at each table? The answer, a whopping one hour and 15 minutes! What's happening during this time? The DJ or band can't get the dancefloor going because traditionally, the first dance belongs to the bride and the groom. I can tell you that this is one of the most frustrating points in the evening for DJs. We often feel stuck because we know guests are getting antsy for the dancing to begin, yet we need
 |
| Two minutes at each table! |
This blog article is not meant to talk you out of butterflying, although there are other options that we can cover in another post. The purpose of this article is to give you a few easy tips to be an awesome butterfly!
1) Understand your goal is to thank and welcome guests, not to engage in storytelling. Storytelling takes time and you can't control the duration of the story if you're not the one telling the story. Many of your guests know that you're on a schedule but some have no idea about your reception timeline and will immediately begin to share a story about their recent vacation to Alaska.
2) Keep moving. It's difficult to pin you down if you're physically moving. Do the slow walk but don't stop for very long. If you do stop, make it for just a few seconds to give someone a hug or shake hands. Move on.
3) Stay together. Have you ever heard the saying, divide and conquer? This is true with couples who butterfly a room. If you get separated, you'll never be able to visit all tables as a couple and you'll literally lose each other at your own reception. Hold hands while you visit each table.
4) Blame the DJ. I give my clients permission to use me as an excuse for moving on to the next table. If you feel caught in the grips of a storyteller, simply say John, I want to hear more but our DJ has us on a tight schedule. Or, Jenny let's get together to talk more, our DJ needs us soon to cut our cake, have our first dance, or whatever is next. They'll understand and you won't seem rude about leaving on your own accord.
5) Two minutes or less. Trust me, you will lose all sense of time on your wedding day. So, try to keep under 90 seconds to two minutes or less at each table. That will keep you to about 45 minutes, which is manageable and won't kill the flow of your reception.
Some clients suggest that they will eat their dinner quickly, knowing they'll be first served. That will give them time to visit guests while guests are eating and thus not impede the timing of the reception. This can certainly work as a time strategy but if you stop to think about it, do you really want to rush your dinner on your wedding day? After a long day, you'll be hungry and need a brief rest. Think about your dinner as half-time for your wedding day. I think it's better to relax for a bit, enjoy your dinner and be an effective butterfly later.
I hope these butterfly tips help you to keep a fun exciting flow to your wedding reception. If you have other strategies, please share them with us and our readers in the comment section. Best wishes!
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Introducing Our "Cool Bird" Appreciation Program!
Hey friends!
We are thankful and grateful for your ongoing business and support. Our little DJ service has gradually grown in events booked, gross revenue and profit with each passing year even throughout this recent economic recession. We continue to be a 5 star rated DJ service by such leading online booking services as Gigmasters.com, Weddingwire.com, Thumbtack.com and others!
We are developing a loyalty and reward program for people who have helped in our success. We are calling it our "Cool Bird" Appreciation Program. A cool bird is anyone who has helped in our success such as clients (current and former), industry colleagues, friends and others who send us referrals, help us promote our business or otherwise act as cheerleaders.
We are designing our Cool Bird Appreciation Program as we go and with input from our cool birds, of course!.. We are already periodically sending charitable contributions as directed by cool birds who are randomly drawn. If you have not already done so, please share with us the name of your favorite charity. We may pull your name and send your favorite charity a small financial contribution of between $25 to $100.
More cool stuff will be added to our appreciation program such as prizes and goodies in the near future.
If you are not following us on Facebook or Twitter, please do so. We do a lot of communication with our cool birds via social media. Also, share with friends so that they too might participate.
We believe in the motto and life philosophy "givers gain" as promoted by Business Networking International (BNI). The more successful we are in growing our business, the more we'll be happy to give back!
As always, thanks for your continued support, promotion and referrals. Stay tuned for more info about our Cool Bird Appreciation Program as we "grow" into the future.
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
We are thankful and grateful for your ongoing business and support. Our little DJ service has gradually grown in events booked, gross revenue and profit with each passing year even throughout this recent economic recession. We continue to be a 5 star rated DJ service by such leading online booking services as Gigmasters.com, Weddingwire.com, Thumbtack.com and others!
We are developing a loyalty and reward program for people who have helped in our success. We are calling it our "Cool Bird" Appreciation Program. A cool bird is anyone who has helped in our success such as clients (current and former), industry colleagues, friends and others who send us referrals, help us promote our business or otherwise act as cheerleaders.
We are designing our Cool Bird Appreciation Program as we go and with input from our cool birds, of course!.. We are already periodically sending charitable contributions as directed by cool birds who are randomly drawn. If you have not already done so, please share with us the name of your favorite charity. We may pull your name and send your favorite charity a small financial contribution of between $25 to $100.
More cool stuff will be added to our appreciation program such as prizes and goodies in the near future.
If you are not following us on Facebook or Twitter, please do so. We do a lot of communication with our cool birds via social media. Also, share with friends so that they too might participate.
We believe in the motto and life philosophy "givers gain" as promoted by Business Networking International (BNI). The more successful we are in growing our business, the more we'll be happy to give back!
As always, thanks for your continued support, promotion and referrals. Stay tuned for more info about our Cool Bird Appreciation Program as we "grow" into the future.
Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!
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