The Show Must Go On...
It was the week after Christmas, the hustle and bustle of the storefronts in The Villages were starting to slow down as much as they can during the beginning part of "season". I too was in the midst of planning some leisure activities while my wife and kids were visiting my in-laws. The last thing I thought I was going to get was a text from one of my DJ buddies asking me, "Are You Available?" This was odd considering it's 1pm on a Weds. As it turned out, he put me in touch with a panicked mother-of-the-bride because their DJ backed out of the event that was supposed to start at 4pm. Here's how I organized a great wedding in about 3 hours.
1. I didn't waste time by talking about cost. Sure as a business owner, you want to protect yourself as much as possible. It's risky business to tell someone that you would negotiate after the show. I think that it's better to spring into action, get packed, and changed into your wedding attire, so you have enough time to be set and ready to go.
2. KNOW YOUR BUSINESS! If there is a schedule you typically use for your weddings, then use it. I had to remember that most the guests will not know about that other DJ who canceled. They are expecting me to know my business and make the event flow. Plus, as a bonus, the M.O.T.B. was relieved when she found out I had talked to the bride about the flow of the event.
3. Anticipate the snags. Since the M.O.T.B. gave me the address when she hired me, I already knew I was going to a somewhat dead coverage area for cell service. I had to make sure that I had a way to get Wi-Fi in order to grab songs from iTunes if I needed them. I never play from places like Spotify or Apple Music, I purchase my music outright. However, you can't always rely on an aux port from your cell while you're connected to YouTube to grab a obscure song.
So, in 3 hours time I was able to create something beautiful and unique for my last newlyweds of 2017 Marshall and Maxine. Congrats!!!