Well on saturday just gone i djed a wedding where the previous week i met the B&G to be to discuss how i would approach the night and payment details etc etc. The bride to be was a lovely youngish woman who was so sweat and the Groom to be was a nice bloke although seemed a bit off/odd.

So i was informed by management on the day of the gig that they have catered for 80 although the number of guests stated where around the 100-150 mark.

So the night comences at 6.30pm with just the B&G, and 5 other people. So the clock approachs 7. Still no other guests by this time the bride was stating to figit and ask the others what time (if they knew) other where coming. So the clock approaches 8pm and now guests are just starting to arrive. Phew.

Although the buffet was at 9 and only about 40 people were present. Where the room was booked for around the 100-150 mark. After the buffet about 9.45ish i get the B&G up for there dance and while there eyes where closed and holding each other guests at the door where nervously looking to see where the B&G where then they back dooring it

Once the dance had finished they got up for a speech and thanked the guests that did turn up and made a comment on how and why the majority of t6he guests hadent arrived. Therefore by this time around 10.15pm the rest of the guests where leaving making the grand total of (yes i actually counted) 17 people left where i was booked in to do till 11.45pm.

What a heart renching let down to celebrate there wedding although with the guests who where left i had them all up on the floor for the duration of the night.
Over to you guys what would you have done as the only thing i think i could do was get the remaining guests up and enjoy themselves. The guests let the B&gs day down i wasent gona contribute to the poor night.

It sounds like you did it perfectly, with all this happening, to finish the evening with a dance floor sounds like a great feet of DJing.

DJing a wedding our first concern must be the Happiness of the Bride and Groom!

although i had the remaining guests up i still feel that i could/should of done more for the B&G due to this major let down

Hi Sparko

Sound like you did them proud, and in doing so will have given them something positive to look back on.

Agree with your feelings of wishing there was more that you could've done, but as John has said there is only so much you can do, the fact that you wish you could've done more speaks well of your determination to give your clients 100% and more.

Don't beat yourself up over it, sometimes people still surprize us (and not for the best of reasons) when they are so unkind, that said, maybe we don't know the whole story and family get togethers can sometimes bring out the worst in people.

I will never forget the wedding I did when the bride and groom took the floor for their first dance and after about ten seconds I had to turn the volume up as people started conversations and returned to the bar completely ignoring the bride and groom - bad manners or what?

Sounds to me like you did all you could over the circumstances.

Vinnie

What more could you have done? Called 80 of your friends to come along?

I think, given this unexpected turn out, you were right to keep the energy going for the rest of the evening and the dance floor full. Well done!

the floor was far from full just had the remaining guests hudled in one corner of the room dancing but i carried on with party music and a few classic 7os disco that they responded well to

sounds like you did a great job< you should be proud of yourself>

In this situation, the guests and yourself would feel terribly embarassed for the poor couple. The couple themselves would feel really let down. The best thing you can do is to give them the best night of their life - if anything, working even harder than normal to keep everyone from sitting down to linger.

Small audiences give you the opportunity to play favourite songs/genre's, learn a few names to have a laugh with or even join in the fun. Have any of you ever dance with Grandma at a party? I know I did - to Wham...Jesus, I was careful not to tread on her!!

Sounds like you did all the above and more. They will remember the night for the good reasons now.

The two parties I have done that come to mind are a wedding in the middle of the fuel crisis a few years ago, the bride and groom came from London, but no guests could afford the petrol down so 8 people in total, the other was an 18th birthday with NO guests whatsoever, 5 people in total (birthday girl/mum/dad/brother/grandma)

At least I was allowed food that night

ive seen this type of thing before and all that you can do is carry on as if things are normal....

The show must go on as they say....


well done for not giving up....

Well i was contemplating turning the night into a training session playing songs i dont normally a see the reaction i got for future reference but didnt as i had to keep things going

Well handled, feel sorry for B&G their friends must be a bunch of********

You did the right thing!

I think it is the way things are at the moment. You are advised 100 people have been invited but less than 50% turn up, it seems to be the norm.

I've played to just 4 people towards the end! You have chance to bring out tunes that normally don't get played!

You are paid to provide a service over a set time, and thats what I do unless the client wants to change it.

Towards the end of a 60th birthday when all the 18 year olds had gone to a nightclub, I did a TV theme quiz, follwed by a Rat Pack Set.This went down a storm

Cheezy
Nightsounds