Stop Asking For Requests On RSVPs!
Bear with me on this. I know that the title of this Blog is a controversial one, as you have no doubt read lots of articles online telling you that getting your guests to request a song on their RSVPs is a great way to get your nearest and dearest involved.
Now, before I go on, I promise that this is not me being ‘DJ Diva’, fainting in horror because I have interpreted that somebody has the audacity to tell me how do my job. Believe it or not, the concept behind this trend actually helps give me more information. The more info I can get, the better I can tailor your wedding party to you and your guests.
Did I just contradict myself? Not quite. The intention of this trend is absolutely sincere and I truly understand the thought process behind it. What I can’t get behind is the methodology, because there is a much better way of finding out what you and your guests love to dance to without you having to do so much extra work.
That’s right, I said “extra work”. This is the bit that those other articles always seem to leave out. After repeatedly chasing those RSVPs and trying to store them all in one place so you can easily retrieve them later (which never works, by the way, as RSVPs tend to end up in random places throughout the house seemingly all by themselves!), you’re going to need to compile a list of all those song requests. This list usually takes the form of a spreadsheet.
With that list compiled, what comes next is the filtering process. A lot of older guests tend to suggest ballads because they’re thinking about the more sentimental aspects of your big day, and not the rocking party that you’re imagining. There’ll also be songs that you hate with a passion, and you really don’t want to have played at your wedding party. Most of these songs would have been requested innocently enough, but I can guarantee you that your best mate or sibling has requested a song that you hate on purpose simply because you hate it. Let’s face it, we all love to playfully antagonise those that we love the most.
The bigger your guestlist, the more time you are going to spend on admin, which will distract you from the more important and fun aspects of your wedding planning.
We also have to consider the fact that you are asking your guests “What song would you like to dance to in six/nine/twelve months’ time?” To add some perspective, we here at Chez Smyth still haven’t decided what we are going to have for dinner tonight. Plus, any bangers that are released between the return of that RSVP and your wedding day is now out of consideration.
So, what’s the alternative?
Do you know what your guests will do on your wedding day when they think to themselves “I really want to dance to [insert song of choice]”? They are going to go up to the DJ and ask them to play it. That interaction will happen regardless of whether or not you compile your guests’ requests in the months leading up to your big day.
A few weeks before your wedding, I’ll be meeting up with you both to get a general idea of what it is that you and your guests love to dance to. As a given, your wedding party will have that variety of genres and decades to ensure that everybody will get to hear something that they can enjoy, so you really don’t have to put that much time and effort compiling requests for me. What I want to learn most from these chats is how I can make it your party, and not just a generic mobile disco.
Then, on the night itself, I’ll be watching to see what you guys are reacting to, and how well you’re reacting to it. That in combination with the real time feedback of what those in attendance want to hear in that moment helps me take the party to wherever you all want me to take it. Part of the reason you book me is so I can do all this work for you, leaving you with more time to do something else.
With all it’s good intentions, what you and your guests want on the night will always trump the prep work. I turn up to your wedding armed with what I have learned about you all, but also prepared to go in a completely different direction if that’s what you all want. I know that it sounds simple but, honestly, it really can be that easy for you.
If you want the planning of your wedding party to be easy, and just leave you with the responsibility of shaking what your momma gave ya on the night, then click the button below to find out what I can do to help make that happen!
Photo credit: Benny Smyth Photography
Posted in: Advice | Wedding Disco | DJ
