Guest Requests on RSVP Cards … Yes or No?
Guest Requests … There is a growing trend to include a place on your wedding invitation to allow your guests to include a song request along with their acceptance of the invite. This is a nice idea in theory but in reality fails miserably. We have even seen this idea posted by wedding planners, wedding magazines and various other “experts” who never actually bother to see if this idea truly works with the one person that would know … the DJ!
Here is are simple reasons why this idea simply doesn’t work –
First, you will often find that most guests will request songs that are upbeat and suitable for dancing. That is fine, but consider that a DJ can only realistically play about 15 songs per hour. The typical wedding (if everything runs to schedule) will have about 2 hours of dance time, which represents approximately 30 songs.
If your wedding has about 80 or so people, this means that 50 of those people will be disappointed the DJ didn’t play their song. We have had this happen to us with guests complain to us that we didn’t play their song, they seldom realise that we simply can not possibly play them all.
The second problem is, that giving a DJ a list of songs limits (or completely eliminates) his or her creative ability. Most couples hire a DJ because they trust their judgement and experience to create an atmosphere to get everyone on the dance floor and having a great time. Giving a DJ a list of songs to play is actually an insult to them as professionals.
It would be akin to hiring a professional comedian and then giving them a joke book with the jokes you want to be told marked for him. You just wouldn’t do it. A good comedian knows how to get people laughing, a good DJ knows how to get people dancing. Just let us do our job.
We understand completely the lovely gesture towards your guests is in asking them to choose a song, but the cold fact is that it just doesn’t work. When it comes to guest requests, we have found that if they really want to hear a song, they will certainly come up and ask the DJ themselves.
Warmest wishes,
Nik Reeds
Winner of ABIA Wedding DJ of the Year Award
