I'm saddened to write a bad review for Manny because my partner and I were eager to give him our…read morebusiness but he did not show up the way we'd hoped and expected.
My partner and I live in NYC but had our wedding in EP since that is where we met. We researched many DJ's because, as a gay couple, we wanted someone who was familiar with a same sex couple and could provide what we needed for a Mexican, Jewish gay wedding. A tall order, yes, but we were hopeful Manny would be the right choice for us.
I'm sorry to say that this was not the case. At first, Manny was responsive via email, although not always adding the necessary information or CCing myself and my partner. We talked with him on the phone about what we wanted, and although there was some hesitation that we would be too untraditional, he assured us he would be willing to accommodate. (to give context, we had no wedding party and no formal introductions because of the nature of our family dynamics)
I worked diligently to create a comprehensive do and do not playlist as well as a timeline. A week before the wedding I received a passive aggressive email saying that I needed to make sure I was adding all the information from past emails. From my perspective, he is the professional and should have done this himself. As a bride I had more than enough on my plate. Then, the day of, when one of our guests, a sister to be precise, asked for a song he rudely rejected her request. I had been VERY specific to play ANYTHING a guest requested. Then, I asked for him to play the Hora before the older guests left, it had gotten late, and he insisted to let the music play out. I know this is typical but there is also a way to fade music....
I was not happy, as well, with the choice of Hora he played. I should have been more specific to say "play TRADITIONAL Hora" but I did not know I needed to specify this. He played a very modern, English version which was fine but would not have been my go-to.
Manny did not command the room. I asked him to make announcements that were important and, when I noticed my guests were not paying attention, I took the microphone and announced it myself. This was fine, as I'm a performer, but I wish he would have taken the opportunity to command the room. I know he was afraid no one would dance but, when not many people were, instead of baiting our guests he seemed to give up and become rude.
I asked him for one last request, to take the microphone to make a surprise to my wife from one of our guests and he took the time to say to me "I have 8 minutes left". 8 minutes. He was unwilling to stay for even 5 minutes longer than what we paid. I find this to be rude and unprofessional, our photo booth man stayed for an hour extra and didn't charge us because he was having fun. I think it's all a matter of perspective - Manny chose not to have fun and that showed in his performance.
This did not ruin our wedding, nothing could have, but it certainly didn't add to it and that is what is so disappointing. I now understand why many people opt out of the expense of a DJ and this saddens me. I was hoping to give this man an opportunity that I think he truly missed out on.