Needing to reserve a wedding service by putting down a deposit isn't always a reason to believe you're getting a quality service. It also doesn't mean that you're putting a guarantee upon the success of that service either.
What a deposit does do, is support a contract or agreement, and give either party more in the way of legal grounds, to stand on, should the other party back out of the event or activity.
Story: The only part of "The Plaid Wedding" that we didn't pre-pay or give a deposit toward was our Disc Jockey. I had a friend in the business, a competitor, but still a friend offer to provide his services as a wedding gift, and therefore at no charge. The down side is that there were no expectations for quality of service or results. Basically, I knew what we were getting based on seeing him work before, and working with him in the past. And I was ok with that. But, there was also no contract. Not knowing, or remembering what date we told him our reception was, he not only booked himself on another event, but he double booked! He thought I could take the other job. Not being able to work, he hired the other good wedding DJ that we both knew. This was announced to us about a week and a half before our event.
Lessons learned: Don't hire friends on a handshake. Give them something, and it'll obligate them. Also, be clear on your expectations. By paying them, they know you're serious about what you want out of your event or what you want them to do. It's great to have someone save you money, on purpose, by not having a "pro" do the job, but remember that you get what you pay for, and you don't get what you don't pay for.
The final lesson learned, is that if My friend ever backs out of something that my wife is expecting....he may still be MY friend, but she'll always have "that thing" in the back of her mind. Screwing up your "once in a lifetime" event like a wedding reception isn't something that she'll just get over.
Be Strong, and Pay it Forward.
Mr. Plaid
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Real, Fake, and what matters to a Groom
It's that time guys. Time for a moment of truth with your girlfriend, wife to be, or significant other....the time honored question "Real or Fake?" then "Can you Tell?"
One of my favorite topics really. Mrs. Plaid said fake, and I was really fine with that. As long as it felt right, tasted good, and came in the color she selected. Should I give more details? Or mention that I'm talking about our wedding cake?
We saved a mess of money by going with a fake cake for our event. Sheet cakes were served with matching icing accents, and no one knew the difference...EXCEPT MY WALLET! Our cake cost under $200. If it were real, it would have been about $700. I'm talking multi-tier, custom color matched icing, real/edible top tier, and basically iced styrofoam the rest of the way down. We had more than enough sheet cake for everyone.
Part 2 of this tip:
DON'T SAVE YOUR WEDDING CAKE TO EAT ON YOUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Cake was not meant to last that long, and it's a miracle that more people don't get sick from it. My suggestion: Eat a slice on your monthly anniversary. For the price you paid for your whole fake cake ensemble, get another topper made for your 1 yr anniversary. Trust me on this one, you don't want to eat much of anything that's been around in the freezer for 1 year.
My take, is to "Go Fake."
Regards,
Mr. Plaid
One of my favorite topics really. Mrs. Plaid said fake, and I was really fine with that. As long as it felt right, tasted good, and came in the color she selected. Should I give more details? Or mention that I'm talking about our wedding cake?
We saved a mess of money by going with a fake cake for our event. Sheet cakes were served with matching icing accents, and no one knew the difference...EXCEPT MY WALLET! Our cake cost under $200. If it were real, it would have been about $700. I'm talking multi-tier, custom color matched icing, real/edible top tier, and basically iced styrofoam the rest of the way down. We had more than enough sheet cake for everyone.
Part 2 of this tip:
DON'T SAVE YOUR WEDDING CAKE TO EAT ON YOUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Cake was not meant to last that long, and it's a miracle that more people don't get sick from it. My suggestion: Eat a slice on your monthly anniversary. For the price you paid for your whole fake cake ensemble, get another topper made for your 1 yr anniversary. Trust me on this one, you don't want to eat much of anything that's been around in the freezer for 1 year.
My take, is to "Go Fake."
Regards,
Mr. Plaid
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Trading the Mic for the Clip Board
This is one of those unusual entries for me. In my other life, I manage a team for a manufacturing company of about 27 individuals. One of them today, hearing that I had recently gotten married, asked me for help in planning his wedding.
Knowing that, as his manager, I shouldn't DJ his wedding reception, I can at least open up my 18 years of experience for him, and offer my resources to him. I'm sending him an email this evening with the steps that follow: 1. buy ring 2. ask 3. set date
I know that I've got way too much experience around these events, so it's time to stop hoarding and share. My tips will be as follows:
1. Even though the date is set, be ready to compromise to get the venue you want.
2. Be prepared to budget for the purchase of every wedding magazine up until 3 months before your event.
3. Even though you think you know your wedding colors, go to a paint store, and get swatches from their wall of colors....at least then you can hand your color over, and not try to describe it.
4. Designate a room of your house as the "planning and storage room" because your bride to be will start collecting decorations, favors, pictures and ideas (if she hasn't already.)
5. Don't fight about the details, there will be enough to argue about when it comes time to pay for everything.
Until later, stay strong brothers (and future married couples)
Mr. Plaid.
Knowing that, as his manager, I shouldn't DJ his wedding reception, I can at least open up my 18 years of experience for him, and offer my resources to him. I'm sending him an email this evening with the steps that follow: 1. buy ring 2. ask 3. set date
I know that I've got way too much experience around these events, so it's time to stop hoarding and share. My tips will be as follows:
1. Even though the date is set, be ready to compromise to get the venue you want.
2. Be prepared to budget for the purchase of every wedding magazine up until 3 months before your event.
3. Even though you think you know your wedding colors, go to a paint store, and get swatches from their wall of colors....at least then you can hand your color over, and not try to describe it.
4. Designate a room of your house as the "planning and storage room" because your bride to be will start collecting decorations, favors, pictures and ideas (if she hasn't already.)
5. Don't fight about the details, there will be enough to argue about when it comes time to pay for everything.
Until later, stay strong brothers (and future married couples)
Mr. Plaid.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Kids, Cake, and Candles
While being a wedding DJ, the stories grow quickly. This is one about an outdoor wedding with some under-fed over zealous children.
On a sunny Saturday, late afternoon, I was set up as guests arrived. I was working with a familiar crew at Affordable Katering from Orange, CA. (A classy and professional outfit.) The crowd was arriving, bringing with them a slightly above average number of children in the 2-7 year old range. The flowers were in bloom, and this house converted into an outdoor wedding garden type facility was decorated to the hilt, but still tastefully.
The children, recognizing the tuxedo I was wearing and the similar attire of the Katering team kept approaching us asking when we were going to eat. The kids were led by the same 6 year old boy each time, travelling in their "pack." He kept asking, "When are we gonna eat?" The answer from the Katerer was "Soon." Ten minutes later he'd ask again, "When are we gonna eat?" The reply was again, "Soon." After the third asking, the Katerer's frustration was showing with her reply, "We may not eat if you keep asking." At this response, the child's reaction turned from concern for his own survival to a look of opportunity.
Within 5 minutes we spotted him over at the cake table. He was standing in front of the table with his hands fumbling around his pockets and then around each other. As fast as a 6 year old could move, he spun around, planted his hands on the cake table, and pushed himself up off the ground applying his whole weight onto his hands. This propelled him off the ground and in the direction of the cake topper. He opened his jaws, and in a second motion took a bite out of the second tier of the cake, landed, and was off running away to digest his mouth load of sugary delight.
Now, the Katerer and I were the only two people in tune to the actions prior to this, and the act itself. We casually slipped over to the cake table, and rotated the entire cake so none of the guests would see the carnage left behind by the cake demon of 6 years. The rest of the food service went unscathed by this child or any, but the decorations weren't so lucky.
In this outdoor garden, consisting of a gazebo and two picnic like shelters, there were numerous elevated gardens surrounded by benches made of decorative stone. The Katerers were in charge of lighting the votive candles that led from the different structures to the reception area and over to the dance floor. As the one tuxedo clad, ignitor bearing staffer moved along lighting the votives, there was a small child about 4 steps behind, practicing for their next birthday. Because, that's what you do on your birthday, is blow out candles.
Regards,
Mr. Plaid.
On a sunny Saturday, late afternoon, I was set up as guests arrived. I was working with a familiar crew at Affordable Katering from Orange, CA. (A classy and professional outfit.) The crowd was arriving, bringing with them a slightly above average number of children in the 2-7 year old range. The flowers were in bloom, and this house converted into an outdoor wedding garden type facility was decorated to the hilt, but still tastefully.
The children, recognizing the tuxedo I was wearing and the similar attire of the Katering team kept approaching us asking when we were going to eat. The kids were led by the same 6 year old boy each time, travelling in their "pack." He kept asking, "When are we gonna eat?" The answer from the Katerer was "Soon." Ten minutes later he'd ask again, "When are we gonna eat?" The reply was again, "Soon." After the third asking, the Katerer's frustration was showing with her reply, "We may not eat if you keep asking." At this response, the child's reaction turned from concern for his own survival to a look of opportunity.
Within 5 minutes we spotted him over at the cake table. He was standing in front of the table with his hands fumbling around his pockets and then around each other. As fast as a 6 year old could move, he spun around, planted his hands on the cake table, and pushed himself up off the ground applying his whole weight onto his hands. This propelled him off the ground and in the direction of the cake topper. He opened his jaws, and in a second motion took a bite out of the second tier of the cake, landed, and was off running away to digest his mouth load of sugary delight.
Now, the Katerer and I were the only two people in tune to the actions prior to this, and the act itself. We casually slipped over to the cake table, and rotated the entire cake so none of the guests would see the carnage left behind by the cake demon of 6 years. The rest of the food service went unscathed by this child or any, but the decorations weren't so lucky.
In this outdoor garden, consisting of a gazebo and two picnic like shelters, there were numerous elevated gardens surrounded by benches made of decorative stone. The Katerers were in charge of lighting the votive candles that led from the different structures to the reception area and over to the dance floor. As the one tuxedo clad, ignitor bearing staffer moved along lighting the votives, there was a small child about 4 steps behind, practicing for their next birthday. Because, that's what you do on your birthday, is blow out candles.
Regards,
Mr. Plaid.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Introduction
Leaving a mark on the world we live in can be important to most people. I figured I've left enough around the world so far, that this time, I'll make it an e-mark, that way I can edit later.
In looking for a purpose to blog, I've considered many: expression, information to the masses, self-therapy, outreach, and again, self-therapy. The reason for or something I believe, is that there are some instances and happenings in life that people, have a limited survival rate for. I have an acquaintance that believes that we are all limited in the number of times we can board an airplane, and more importantly disembark. One is exempt from this "law of the unnatural" only if they've once been a paratrooper or military person that has jumped out of aircraft for a living. I have another friend who believes that his soulmate is not currently his spouse, but an endless revolving circuit of people in bars and night clubs. This is proven by his rate of divorce. There's a third person which believes it takes a special person to do certain types of jobs. These jobs aren't always the jobs that are done by Joe, on Dirty Jobs (that TV show), but jobs that would normally make someone freakout after doing this job a large number of times over about a decade and a half. I believe two of the three of these people really exist, and I belong to the third group mentioned.
Have you heard the Hokey Pokey or the Chicken Dance recently? How about repetitively? How about three out of five weekends, for the past 17 years? Now do you see what I mean that it takes a special type of person to do a job like this?
I've not heard the song that much recently, as I've diversified my work in the past 4 years, but there was a stretch of work just before that, that was very close to that frequency. I've been a DJ for17 going on 18 years, as of 2008.
I look forward to sharing my wedding and event stories here on my blog. I'll share the good, funny, tragic and then some. They'll include firearms at the ceremony, cakes being prematurely attacked, and Nanna being the first casualty of the keg. I do have a list of celebrity events that I CAN share, including some bodyguarding stories (another career that overlapped the DJ business.) I'll also share some wedding tips and observations that will be specific yet universal for brides, grooms, and the rest of the wedding party.
Until the next installment, be well, and try listening to an old CD or album that you haven't listened to in a while. I'm planning on it, and I'll revisit those as well, or at least on occasion. We'll see what they bring back to us.....
Regards,
Mr. Plaid
P.S. Check out my other favorite blogs like : Plaid is Rad
In looking for a purpose to blog, I've considered many: expression, information to the masses, self-therapy, outreach, and again, self-therapy. The reason for or something I believe, is that there are some instances and happenings in life that people, have a limited survival rate for. I have an acquaintance that believes that we are all limited in the number of times we can board an airplane, and more importantly disembark. One is exempt from this "law of the unnatural" only if they've once been a paratrooper or military person that has jumped out of aircraft for a living. I have another friend who believes that his soulmate is not currently his spouse, but an endless revolving circuit of people in bars and night clubs. This is proven by his rate of divorce. There's a third person which believes it takes a special person to do certain types of jobs. These jobs aren't always the jobs that are done by Joe, on Dirty Jobs (that TV show), but jobs that would normally make someone freakout after doing this job a large number of times over about a decade and a half. I believe two of the three of these people really exist, and I belong to the third group mentioned.
Have you heard the Hokey Pokey or the Chicken Dance recently? How about repetitively? How about three out of five weekends, for the past 17 years? Now do you see what I mean that it takes a special type of person to do a job like this?
I've not heard the song that much recently, as I've diversified my work in the past 4 years, but there was a stretch of work just before that, that was very close to that frequency. I've been a DJ for17 going on 18 years, as of 2008.
I look forward to sharing my wedding and event stories here on my blog. I'll share the good, funny, tragic and then some. They'll include firearms at the ceremony, cakes being prematurely attacked, and Nanna being the first casualty of the keg. I do have a list of celebrity events that I CAN share, including some bodyguarding stories (another career that overlapped the DJ business.) I'll also share some wedding tips and observations that will be specific yet universal for brides, grooms, and the rest of the wedding party.
Until the next installment, be well, and try listening to an old CD or album that you haven't listened to in a while. I'm planning on it, and I'll revisit those as well, or at least on occasion. We'll see what they bring back to us.....
Regards,
Mr. Plaid
P.S. Check out my other favorite blogs like : Plaid is Rad
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