Executing The Day-Of Plan: A Master Has Arrived
2 of 3 must-read DJ Mark blogs
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Author: DJ Mark
Originally published: March 19, 2026
Ladies and gentlemen, it's one thing to have a master plan for your day-of wedding bliss, who doesn’t? One of my claims to fame is indeed my DJ Planners (blog 1 of 3), the perfect preparation tools for successful events. But this remains an intangible product, although I do format and print out paper sheets of my finalized wedding details. A theoretical victory gets you nowhere without considering the impending personal connections about to be made. Let’s talk about the DJ’s personal in-person
confidence, excitement, happiness, friendliness, kindness, attention to detail, effort, cleanliness, attire, eye contact, execution, fitness, reaction to a problem, and ability to bend. All handled with class.
These traits are must-have day-of staples, paramount to your final result. You may have begun this journey thinking, ‘all I want to do is party,’ but hang on, this role necessitates so much more. Succinctly put, you’re in search of a Wedding Master. Before I move to computer, sound and emcee dominance (blog 3 of 3), let's chat about the details.
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The In-person Nuance
It’s absolutely amazing to see the tangible difference between someone’s sculpted persona via social media, websites, phone calls, emails and texts — all digital attributes, versus the in-person reality. The nuance may be palpable. But rather than speak on the pitfalls you might encounter with other Chattanooga Wedding DJs I’d like to focus on my hallmarks and maturation.
Fair use still from Kung Fu Hustle (2004), directed by Stephen Chow, courtesy of Star Overseas/Columbia Pictures
Help! Is There A Wedding Master In The House?!
My favorite movie of all time is Kung Fu Hustle. My favorite scene in the movie depicts two bad-guy assassin-harpists realizing they’re somehow instantly in the presence of Kung Fu Masters, ‘The Landlord’ and his wife, ‘The Landlady.’ The Landlord, dressed in silk pajamas, silently lands between the two of them with his arms around their necks, like a friendly gesture. The assassin-harpists (I love typing that) begin attempting to punch him. But their punches hilariously bounce off The Landlord's body and into each other, eventually breaking off an assassin's tooth, all occurring in slow motion of course. I see myself as The Landlord because yes, I find myself continually defending the bride and groom from pitfalls, bad decisions, bad advice, and Wedding Assassins. I do this defending both pre-event and in person on the day-of. And it's not because I'm looking for trouble to squash. Like our Landlord, it's strangely stalking me, forcing my hand in defending the newlyweds. Make no mistake, a DJ who has no clue in understanding and/or utilizing this defense is not a Master Wedding DJ (completely defined in these 3 blogs).
Photo by DJ Mark, With Class Weddings' Instagram Reels
A Wedding Master, The Basics
I’ll firstly paint an obvious backdrop of in-person standards, assuming the pre-event planning (blog 1 of 3) was spectacular. At minimum,
Masters
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Show up on time (allowing for extra time equals no rush and perceived frustration),
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Are clean and shaven, wearing clean work and performance apparel,
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Aren’t tired, sleepy and groggy from the night before,
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Don’t forget items or equipment (it’s not an accident, it’s lack of preparation),
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Don’t skimp on necessary equipment after seeing a small guest list (this is just robbery),
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Immediately greet their greeters with eye-to-eye happiness and excitement,
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Spend extra time introducing themselves and connecting with passersby (most likely the fathers and mothers),
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Remember names, even if it takes time to write them all down,
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Set up neatly, as touted,
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Don’t brag about the high number of events they’ve booked this weekend and month (it’s not a brag, it’s a reason for someone to notice you’ve arrived unprepared, you seem tired, you're missing cues, and actually, greatly deserve a poor Google Review),
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Enthusiastically execute the plan to perfection, as promised,
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Don’t endlessly play on their cell phone (regardless of your excuse that you’re viewing the timeline, it’s a massive party foul),
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Are present and in the moment with the other attendees (no daydreaming or constantly chatting with a fellow team-member),
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Don’t sit in a chair behind the DJ Booth for long periods (besides eating),
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Are not overweight and unhealthy looking (I'm a 26-year personal fitness trainer and gym owner (Body Fit Concepts (physical location on Lookout Mountain from 1999-2020)),
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Don’t actively attempt to end the party early because not enough people are dancing (this is truly reprehensible but it’s happening weekly)(this is sometimes planned in cahoots with the coordinator),
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Don’t begin tearing down equipment until after the Last Dance (when dancers see the DJ is breaking down and packing up during the party they lose interest and the party loses momentum; this is disgraceful),
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Give 100% effort, thankfulness and joy till the very end (even through breakdown),
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Convey total love and gratitude to all who will listen, to the very end,
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Leave the venue as you arrived, having completely cleaned up after yourself,
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Do post-event follow up with the couple, usually the next day (I personally send my Dropbox full of the content I captured).
Speaking to all Wedding Master wannabes: What happens when out of nowhere someone suddenly and unexpectedly throws a left hook, a certifiable Wedding Felony? Only a Wedding Master could effectively handle a Wedding Assassin. If you can’t do it with grace, ease and know-how you have no right to call yourself Master. I'll now dig in to several hot-and-bothered day-of crimes that if handled correctly truly separate the good from the great, the great from the Master. But first, let’s discuss the antagonist.
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Dinner Is Served! An Onion And A Peach
I’m truly baffled by how many times I’ve attempted to stop a Wedding felony, as a discombobulated mad woman gets nervous and attempts to knife the DJ, trash the big day, and leave no prisoners, all while smiling and singing, ‘All That Matters Is They Got Married.’ It’s the theme song of the uncertified, unskilled fake-it-till-I-make-it wedding coordinator. (In this blog I’ll also refer to her as the organizer, planner and administrator.) As if she was the officiant and any snafu entanglements are insignificant because at the end of the day two people got married. Yes, these are the exact types of people running Tennessee and Georgia weddings. Why would a diligent client hire a person with almost no catalog of success, and then turn to hire the top-ranked DJ with more digital online content / talent-proof of any local wedding vendor? Maybe because only one Chattanooga Wedding Coordinator made my Top 5 List? I feel for the in-search-of clients. Via the coordination / planning field the client is basically vetting a field of excited ladies who've jump into this space after a friend’s big day where they got a chance to witness and study the behind-the-scenes mechanics and workings. A week later they’ve created a business name, set up a Facebook page, and posted a prices-and-offerings meme. This, matching another business’s coordination-post, viewed and saved earlier in the week. It’s complete with cursive, italics and a cute bouquet sticker. And the client falls for it. Now is a good time to remind you about how valuable Google Reviews are, I wrote a separate blog on the subject. In short, lots of Google Reviews essentially validate a vendor’s Mastery.
Fair use still from Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), directed by Quentin Tarantino, courtesy of Miramax Films/A Band Apart
Assassin-Coordinators
And yes, about those Wedding Assassins I mentioned earlier... You guessed it, they’re mainly “coordinators” holding your Wedding Pros hostage, sticking a knife in our back and whispering, “smile, don’t appear frazzled.” Those that don’t play ball (Hi, I’m DJ Mark) get expelled from their clique and boasted preferred vendor lists. Try to keep in mind, you yourself are putting these saboteurs in charge of the entire event, which includes the Masters, giving them full authority to potentially scrub months-long diligently-considered thought-out plans. Let’s walk through a few felonies, one by one.
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Six Wedding Felonies, The Set Up
To be sure, upon arrival everything about the big day is perfect so far. If I had seen a potential hiccup or misstep from the couple’s DJ Planner submission or the manager’s supplied timeline and notes I would have already handled the confusion, well prior. As it is I’ve already fastidiously checked and double checked all segments of the information and completed my patented ‘Finalization,’ directly with the couple. Here are some confounding day-of felonies.
Photo by DJ Mark, February 2026
#1, Ridiculous, Untenable DJ Booth Placement
Although I can lobby the bride to give me a great DJ Booth placement I am at the mercy of the venue’s set up crew. This set up can easily be changed by the organizer if she has an understanding of the importance of my role. To not understand that importance is like asking my kitty cat to fix me a bowl of cereal; why would I use that impossible metaphor, it makes no sense? But time and time again your Master of Ceremonies is placed in the back of the room behind all the tables and chairs, just beside the mop bucket. Picture perfect placement, right? The last thing I want to do is have a bad start to the day; this is beyond a bad start. Indulge me for a sentence or two. The top two things you and your guests will remember in 20, 30 or 50 years are 1) the photos/video and 2) the joyful dance party (assuming you're looking to hire a best-of DJ). With consideration to the reception's real estate I am the main attraction. Is it fair to assume your hired coordinator would minimally research your hired vendor list in the months leading up to the wedding, to then digest and comprehend that things are about to get off-the-charts lit, as usual? As such it’s party-foul-criminal to imagine, even for a micro-second, that the placement of extra-large event letters takes precedence to mine. And then to sulk about my objection for the rest of the day, it’s petty and ignorant.
Objection, I declare! The need to have a sit-down instructional conversation to explain the vital importance of my central role as I'm about to unload my gear upon arrival is outrageous. BTW, back-corner brainlessness happens All. The. Time!
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#2, Hurried Grand Entrance
It’s time for the Reception’s Grand Entrance and for whatever reason, and nothing to do with me, everything is running late. Okay, fine, I’ll tell you why we’re running late. Yes, it’s the “coordinator” again. This time it’s one of two things.
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She can’t seem to muster the authority to march down to the post-ceremony 1.5 hour photo shoot and demand it end.
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We’re not actually late, we’re perfectly on time. But the administrator isn’t personally interested in a flashy Grand Entrance (as if it’s hers to perform and manage) only that her timeline says dinner starts in 5.
But sure enough, although she couldn’t seem to find the voice to ask the photographers to close it down and stick with the timeline, she all of the sudden has lots of energy in finding her authority to hurry the DJ. The problem? The Grand Entrance is my bread and butter. It’s the mechanism that puts the crowd in the palm of my hand for the rest of the night. The same fulcrum that will inevitably make the planner look like a raging heroine. All she needs to do is have an inkling of understanding; you know, some type of past experience that gives her the right to call herself a professional wedding coordinator. This wisdom would tell her the Grand Entrance is one of the most important moments of the day, it absolutely cannot be rushed. No matter the hungry mother or pacing caterer, this is the glue that connects the entire event. And besides, I’m literally hired to make this moment spectacular. Moreover, who do you suppose has been gonging on about how the times listed on the timeline are generalized and flexible? Funny how that works, huh?
Let me do my thing! Pushy-Sheriff-Karen happens All. The. Time!
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#3, DJ Announcement Interruptions
Take a moment to understand how much down time I have as I’m casually setting up and enjoying my day. The planner is also relaxingly moving through the space, asking me if I need anything. Everything is peaceful. If she has something that needs to be discussed, covered or resolved we literally have hours to do so. But hold up, excuse me while I
rip my shirt off, grab a baseball bat and destroy an old rotten stump in my backyard. Allow me to pontificate. What in the name of Dolly Parton are you (the ‘coordinator’) doing interrupting me during any of the three short moments of the night I’m addressing the crowd? Really? Right in the middle? I throw my hands up and wonder, were you born in a single-wide or double-wide trailer?
It happens so often that I’ve grown used to how to handle it... As I’m speaking my memorized shtick and she’s attempting a tippy-toed, flailing-arms, it's-an-emergency interruption, I physically turn away from her impunity and finish my planned statements to the crowd. Then, because everyone is watching and seeing it all play out, I gently ask, "Is everything okay?" I want to ask, “Seriously, were you dropped on your head when you were a baby?” She usually responds with something like, "tell everyone to bring their plates" or "make sure they know we have a vegan option." These are notes that absolutely should have been shared beforehand on the timeline, or during the hours of day-of down time.
I genuinely ask, with this type of classless understanding, how is this person allowed to be in this room much less be in charge of the goings on in here? Why experience or training hasn’t already been imparted is exasperating. And oh yeah, it happens All. The. Time!
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#4, Hurried Grand Exit
No, it’s not time for the Grand Exit, we have another 45 minutes of dancing on the schedule. But the bride has asked her organizer to notify me she and hubby are ready to leave. I have zero problem with this, except that the coordinator has commanded that the current song being played is to be the last song before the Grand Exit. I then ask the universe, "what horrible crime have I committed to be forced to suffer such a low wedding-IQ overlord?!" My goodness, having to say these things out loud to the purported wedding professional charged with managing me is truly like using my baby voice as I charm a cooing newborn. The elementary understanding of what she thinks I’m doing behind this booth is now in full bloom for all to see. To be clear, I’m not lobbying against an early Exit, only that it’s being hurried by a harebrained madwoman.
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#4A, Oops, Now I Know What You Really Think Of Me
Clearly this person thinks I’m playing a game of checkers, thoughtlessly moving from one popular song to the next without a solid plan of action. Like I’ve not just demonstrated a Wedding DJ Masterclass, taking the audience on the most satisfying journey involving pre-dancing sound, music and emcee, or a dancefloor musical roller coaster ride of a lifetime. Apparently, the accidental and unplanned incident entailed
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no thorough pre-event planning
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no day-of mindful crowd-reading and meditation thereof
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no hills that were masterfully climbed with anticipation and exhilaration,
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no downward tumbles that felt skillfully euphoric and somehow landed softly,
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no hilarious turns or upside down thrills that were jockeyed with precision and balance, all with respect to the temperature of the room’s attendees. What?
In her mind I had no master plan to take the dancers to a musical nirvana and thus create a joy that won’t be surpassed in lifetimes. “Madam, the game is called 3D Chess and it would behoove you to take a few notes from past events every now and then..." This of course is stated with the assumption that at least some of her past events involved DJs who are also creating lifetime classy masterpieces and works-of-art in the form of music and dance. Simply put, I can cut 35 to 40 of those minutes, although I was saving some of the best songs for the ending (onus on the newlyweds here). But any DJ that dares calling him/herself a “Professional” has a planned crescendo. Why don’t administrators know this?! Am I to assume my DJ counterparts don't perform majestic event-ending timpani rolls? That would be like walking out of a movie 10 minutes before the ending (but this one is about the greatest day of your life so far). This is the real-life personification of, "you don't know what you're missing because you don't know what you're missing." Okay fine, that's my version of the idiom.
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#4B, I Wore A Vest, Expecting To Be Knifed
So then, the manager rushing over in the middle of my set to order (not ask) that the current song be the last song of the night is literal impossible, I can’t adhere. Let's unpeel this onion... 1) The Bride simply informed the planner she's ready to leave. 2) The coordinator decided to create insupportable edicts, again, not considering for a micro-second I might have a master plan in my specialty. News Flash, gangster: the couple already knows and validated what I expect of them via my DJ Planner, their chance to protest was already given. The couple is informed: "We’re doing four things tonight, without exception... 1) Get married, 2) First Dance, 3) Eat, 4) Last Dance." Not doing my patented crescendo would crack the entire event for me, just like not having a Grand Entrance or First Dance. This is how I know for a fact that the orders being levied are being manipulated to suit a bewildered organizer. But now it's legitimately fair to ask, "does this person have the best interests of the newlyweds in mind? Is her purpose to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?" I’d like to remind the reader: I don’t have a singular offering or plan that wasn’t built for the sole purpose of uplifting the bride and groom.
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#4C, We’re Going Out Smiling From Ear To Ear: Sorry, Not Sorry
We then do the Last Dance; fast or slow I get everyone to surround the newlyweds. Next I call for a group hug with the couple in the middle, another patented move. These crescendos are all documented on video via my immense Dropbox and YouTube collection. I top that with my event credits, as prescribed by the couple beforehand, and have guests lose their voices and minds as I do shout-outs of the family members and amazing vendors. I then share details about where the couple are going on their honeymoon, and ask the crowd, “Do you like bubbles?!,” or sparklers, or glow sticks, whichever is up for the night. I then I ask everyone to line up for the Grand Exit. Many times the couple has a planned private ‘Last Last Dance,’ yes I’ve coined that one too, my creation. They have their Last Last Dance as I leave the room with the music on auto-play to position myself to video the outside Grand Exit.
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#4D, Anger That It Went So Well? Unbelievable
The next auto-played song is the pre-chosen Grand Exit song as I begin to collect unsolicited accolades from the crowd. “You are without a doubt the best DJ I have ever seen” pretty much sums up their sentiment. Understand, I just finished the fight of my life, absorbing and/or deflecting blow after blow from a disrupter, the hired wedding planner, saving the day from a person hell bent on putting a stop to my expertise and what I was hired to do. She was seemingly dead set on making the night miserable, class be damned, while lacking a basic understanding of etiquette and wedding protocol. In totality she provided zero willingness to bend, not even slightly. Is she happy about the epic result? Her face says it all, like I cold-heartedly ripped candy from a starving baby, herself being the baby. As if my extra 5-8 minute crescendo was the most excruciating segment in documented history. Make no mistake, this is all happening while everyone is applauding me.
Can DJ Dangerfield get a smidgeon of intellectual respect around here? Do you think I’m kidding? It happens All. The. Time!
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#5, The Bride Is Always Right Foolishness
We, the hired vendors, are the purported ‘professionals.’ Allow me to set a scene: Think of the thing that you are a pro at. Would you let someone who knows nothing about your profession waltz in to your work environment and dictate the rules? It’s preposterous. You would wince your eyes and call for security. But hark, is that the infamous 'Wild West Wedding Industry' calling to save the day? Why, yes, yes it is.
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#5A, The Bride Yearns For A Knowledgeable Leader, A Master
The bride is not always right. She is routinely wrong and should be told so, not by a mean-spirited directive but rather a professional voice of reason. What we basically have here is an industry bereft of Coordination Masters, exemplified by the one singular Chattanooga Wedding Coordination company that made my Top 5 List this year. But when you’re not exactly sure of what you’re doing and feel a little awkward giving a strong opinion for such an important event in a person’s life it’s easy to understand the fear. Let’s walk through the maturation of a wedding organizer.
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#5B, An Expression Becomes The Rule?!
I think the first time I heard “whatever the bride wants the bride gets” was at a local Chattanooga bridal show; maybe they got it from TLC's Say Yes To The Dress. All's I know is we've been marching lockstep to this anthem for at least 15 years. It wasn’t until my wife, Cheron, got her Wedding Planning Certification from ABC, the Association of Bridal Consultants, that I began to question it. Cheron would say, "no, that’s not right. There are certain things that the bride will want and demand that don’t work in practice, and in fact do great harm to the main goals.” Which of course is self-destructive to her overall goals and vision.
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#5C, Unregulated And Uncertified, A Recipe For Disaster
Let’s begin with the fact that most listed wedding coordinators / planners are not certified, don't have a business license and are not professionally insured. Add that no regulation, oversight or mandates exist. For various reasons clients themselves don’t demand it; maybe the venue's package included a day-of "coordinator," or the caterer had a super-cheap organizer add-on. Years pass as the circle of unprofessionalism proliferates; now this stench has become the norm. If you're now asking, "what exactly is the barrier to entry?," you have arrived.
It’s understandable that a green (beginner) manager would be fearful of a bride’s demands, both for themselves and for the vendors. And when the planner doesn't understand the orders might derail the timeline or a fellow vendor’s flow the choice is easy.
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She instinctively kowtows to the bride’s every whim and desire.
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She enters preservation mode, firstly protecting her own business by obeying the order with immediacy, like a Corporal getting orders from the General.
It personifies her total ignorance for the unintended consequences.
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But she remembers the mantra, The Bride Is Always Right!
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She bellows, I’m just following the bride’s wishes!
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She's now at a sinister realization; it's the most amazing obfuscating windfall, where no matter what goes wrong she can simply blame it on the bride, feign ignorance and get a pass.
This nonsense creates a perfect lane for ducking responsibility. To skillfully and gently push back while quickly explaining potential pitfalls is for the birds. Her mindset is delusional, viewing professional pushback as an attempt to win an argument with the bride rather than an attempt to prevent a train wreck. Did your planner just become the bull in your china shop? And within these fight-or-flight moments she projects no discernible clue, concept or appreciation regarding the impeccable art being levied and live-created by the Master DJ or fellow vendors.
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#5D, Unskilled, Unprepared, Afraid... Yet Emboldened?
This fear can easily become embedded; it's the planner's now-normal weekly reaction to nonsensical musings by the bride. After all, any unhappiness may result in the threat of a bad review (assuming coordinator even has a public business to rate). The organizer will now, by default, shamelessly attempt to appease the bride's wishes, no matter how absurd or outlandish. You’re beginning to see how the administrator’s cluelessness dominos, 1) beginning with the bride’s orders, 2) which is validated by a fearful and sheepish planner, 3) that then greatly affects the Master DJ’s planned outcome. But don’t lose heart, the felon will unapologetically stomp over to the DJ Booth and bark out the bride’s demands that should be implemented immediately. Strange how that works, huh? But what if?
What if, like me, she attempted to tackle these day-of surprises with a pre-event tool, like my DJ Planner? She would take each day-of punch as they come, but going forward take time to communicate the potential problems with warnings and solutions, all in writing beforehand. In effect she'd be teaching the bride, assuaging her fear, and minimizing day-of snafus. What if she could essentially defeat all possibility that her bride-client would hit her with an untenable day-of demand, having mapped out almost all possible scenarios? Or maybe the "coordinator" plans to email a stock Wedding Wire blog link that's more fluff and commercials than real answers? What’s stopping a planner from creating the exact same pre-event anti-drama mapping, intricate as it may be? IDK, you tell me.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Yep, it happens All. The. Time!
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#6, Breaking The Wedding Day Golden Rule
The golden rule of wedding day is that the bride cannot be allowed to hear about or experience negative happenings unless it's absolutely critical. The master's goal is to provide a service that discreetly identifies and mitigates these chances, handled with intense defensive vigilance. If any part of your reaction to insignificant vendor-drama involves tattletaleing to the bride you don't belong anywhere near this industry. I submit the bride shouldn't ever learn of the negativity (like, never ever), even through a third person. The master understands this negativity-tea, shared at any point on or after the event, permanently stains the memory of the wedding, the true essence of our bride's treasure. Enter, the dyed-in-the-wool gossip-vendor Wedding Assassin. There's a 70% chance this person is the wedding planner but it's many times the photographer or caterer. If you have your own personal anecdotes please share this article with your stats. Keep in mind, this tripe is reliably manufactured from the same person incessantly and ironically crowing, "this day is all about the bride!"
Fair use still from Kung Fu Hustle (2004), directed by Stephen Chow, courtesy of Star Overseas/Columbia Pictures
It’s True, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Returning to our Kung Fu Master, let’s compare The Landlord with the Master DJ. Is it humanly possible that the guy is so amazing he can deflect any and all punches, and still escape unscathed? Well almost, as my business has proven. While the clients rush to Google Reviews to punch 5-stars and shout my name there is one punch the wedding-assassin lands: Apparently, being able to handle her attacks with ease was one bridge too far, she now has sour grapes for the next decades of performing weddings. Although I literally made her look and feel like a Wedding Hero, complete with all the social-dopamine any vendor could ask for. Despite having received post-event client reviews that wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in fire if not for the mastery I imparted. Yes, through it all, she remains bitter. I’m now secretly banned from her preferred vendor list; I never get inquiries from her. If clients ask for vendor advice my name is never mentioned; my client would mention the referral. She’ll work with me again but only because she couldn’t stop the clients from hiring me beforehand; remember, there's a high probability her referrals give financial kickbacks. From my point of view it's dumbfounding to imagine she actually yearns to work with someone unwilling to check her, which would improve her product. I’m praying this blog will help clients begin to ask the right questions and do more research in, helping purge my blessed Wedding Industry of this riff-raff and their foolishness.
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Rules For Thee And Not For Me
I top this ice cream sundae with a little cumin to keep things savory. After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat I’m reminded of the planner’s continuing verbal, texted and emailed theme: “We all may have to make adjustments. Let’s work together. I’m here to make things go as smoothly as possible.” I’ll translate… In practice this actually means
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I and other vendors will be called upon to make those adjustments, her role is to bark commands.
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Working together means I need to work on following the orders coming out of her mouth. And,
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things going smoothly solely depends on my adherence to the chain of command.
She wears a t-shirt that reads, “TEAMWORK is a lot of people doing what I say.”
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True Crime: An Unreported Wedding Felony
I reluctantly boast the most proficient skill in the Master’s arsenal: not a single person at the event had any idea what was taking place behind the scenes. Maintaining the appearance of joy, harmony and flow were more important than everyone knowing about the felony, or who the moron was committing it, or that I blocked the punch, absorbed the blow and hid the bleeding. And because of this Mastery you’ll not see negative reviews levied on the Wedding Assassin. It’s a crazy result, both unfair to the DJ Master for not getting the credit in saving the day, and for the organizer who will undoubtedly, without fair warning, pull the same shenanigans at the next event. But I did it, I accomplished my number one goal, as usual: The newlyweds, family and guests had the night of their lives, with memories secured and protected.
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Increase Your Wedding IQ Or Be A Hater, You Shouldn’t Do Both
Now that I’ve written this blog I myself can see more clearly the strange yoke of being this good. The skill hides my fellow vendors' failings which only fosters more foolishness, guaranteed to be heaved on the next weddings.
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I've tried having post-event, what-went-right-wrong conversations; the planner doesn't want a re-hash of her failings.
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I've tried having pre-event understanding; the organizer assumes that in my info-sharing I'm talking down to her, trying to teach her something, as if I don't view her as an equal.
There is no helping someone unwilling to listen and learn. No doubt, the high-brow, smarty-pants assassin-coordinator reading this will flippantly reject the items I’ve laid out here; as if the DJ could teach her anything about class or cracking under pressure.
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About the DJ Booth placement and hurried Grand Entrance / Exit the planner will argue, 'give me a break.' Again, they view me as a simpleton playing a pedantic game of checkers.
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Of 'the bride is not always right’ they'll move the goalpost while invoking additional silly proverbs like, ‘happy wife, happy life,’ a harkening call to keep women on the offense. It's a reminder that defensive posturing means personal rights are being unfairly challenged if not taken away.
It’s all so predictable and apropos in not examining the specifics of my arguments. Is it too soon to reiterate only one singular Wedding Coordinator made my Best-of Chattanooga Google list?
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Summary
You are now much more prepared to notice when a Master has arrived. And although, yes, the assassin-coordinator cultivates Chattanooga Wedding DJs to new heights of perfection, it's an exhausting distraction. I've become a Master DJ due to my pre-planning DJ Planners (blog 1 of 3), my day-of know-how and execution of the plans (this blog), and my Digital Space, Live Sound and Emcee dominance (blog 3 of 3). I write none of this to say the coordinator's job should be omitted, far from it. The vital role includes 101 important tasks unrelated to these points. I tip my cap to the honest, hardworking ladies in this wedding planning field. But I also strongly urge you to get with the program, learn from this blog and work to add your name and business to my Best-of Chattanooga Coordination Blog. FYI, my expertise creates immersive guest experiences at sustainable venues, check out my Best-Of Venues Blog.
Call To Action: Ready for a Master DJ who effortlessly handles unforeseeable pitfalls and tragedy? Book now and let's craft your flawless day-of plan.
About the author
DJ Mark is the owner of With Class Weddings, serving Chattanooga, TN. Starting in 2010 with wife, Cheron, WC added Cheron's Wedding Coordination and Cheron's Bridal, Hixson, TN and Aiken, SC (both recently sold). Mark and Cheron have four daughters and four grand children. Most evenings you'll find Mark enjoying his wife, local children and grandchildren, strumming away on his guitar, and working in the yard.