When seeking a DJ for my wedding at the Arcade in Cleveland, I was worried 1) about sound quality in such an open space 2) a DJ who would play the kind of music that many guests would enjoy and dance to, but also not play music that I did not want to hear on my big day. Billy J's extremely detailed wedding itinerary & background as an acoustic engineer really appealed to me & seemed like the natural choice. We started planning our wedding and ceremony nearly a year in advance. At each meeting, Billy had the contract on the table, and took notes. As a former wedding professional (violinist/musician) myself, I was extremely detailed in what I wanted & expected, and he assured me they could deliver. We covered ceremony music, cocktail hour music, dinner music, and dancing music, as well as setup in the hour prior to the ceremony/reception. I thought this was all covered.
The day before the wedding, I got a call from Billy J. He was claiming that my setup at the Hyatt was all wrong (he also argued with the wedding coordinator at the Hyatt). He also said that "now looking back at this contract, the additional cost for setup, speakers, and the ceremony is $300, but for you I will do it for $150". I explained to him that it was disconcerting and seemed unprofessional that the day before my wedding he was calling me with the wrong venue setup and asking for more money (he had multiple meetings before to bring it up if that were the case). Billy J then became very defensive, and started making personal attacks and even said, " I am the person running your wedding, you better not make me upset." I explained to him the reasons that I chose his services & that I was sure he'd do a great job. He then claimed "The wrong setup, it is my fault, well, actually it is the new girls in the office's fault because she put it in your folder on accident, because we have been doing so many weddings at the Hyatt." He was so rude and condescending to me, that I really wanted to fire him. Unfortunately, it was the day before the wedding (I think that was on purpose), and it would have been impossible to find a new DJ in less than 24 hours. I should have tried.
At my wedding, he played the wrong music at the cocktail hour. I had to go ask him to change it. He played the wrong first dance song TWICE. Then, he did not play any songs on our "must play list", and began playing songs on the "do not play" list.
The next day, a wedding guest asked me, "Was your DJ on a mission to be a d***?". I got other negative remarks about the DJ as well. It was embarrassing. Billy J did an adequate job with the music, but he certainly did not deliver on what was promised. The sound quality was good in the Arcade, but that was about it. There were many people at my wedding who are planning their own weddings, and thanks to his shameless self promotion at my reception, they will certainly not hire Billy J. read more