Pet Peeves in Weddings

Steven Davis · February 1st, 2007, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Steeves

Ok I thought this was going to be easy to video weddings... It's not. It's hard...

Welcome to my world.

Jonathan Nelson · February 1st, 2007, 01:31 PM

I think my greatest pet peeve is when the bride & groom just chill out and expect magic to happen in the video.

They will sit there the whole night, talking to their friends like it was a normal party, drinking alcohol, and getting wasted.

I have seen so many great wedding videos. I believe that half the reason these videos were so great is that the bride & groom were such awesome talent. It's like they were actors.

I have only had a handful of wedding gigs where the bride & groom had a colorful attitude and actually cared about their video. These are the weddings I use for demos.

Nothing wrong with chilling out at your wedding as long as you don't mind a boring video.
-----
My other main pet peeve is the dj's at the reception. Dj's can be some of the cheesiest people alive and play the worst music for the occasion. Usually, I can tell if they are the cheesy type if they have some kind of dj nickname e.g. "dj crackers".

The additional annoyance that dj's somtimes do is put several hours between events such as the cake cutting, garter toss, etc. Nothing like wasting a whole night waiting for stuff to happen.

Peter Jefferson · February 2nd, 2007, 03:27 AM

hers one of my biggeset peves..
chargin a client 2500... ok fair enough.. but then they have the audacity to try to bring the price down or get afew extras thrown in..
nwo thats annoying on its own accord..
But to add salt to the wound, whats worse than dealing with this is... is the same clients paying 7grand for a photographer whos only there for 8 hrs...
No question about heir price and no haggling required...

typical scenario...

Photography...
"7grand thanks"
"no worries, here you go"
See u at the wedding..

video
$2500 thanks
what?
It comes to $2500...
can i have a discount..
No

Mark Holland · February 2nd, 2007, 01:13 PM

Wow, as I sit here and read through all these responses, I remember at least one time that every one of these things has happened to me. I guess if you're in this business long enough, it'll happen!

The thing that consistantly bothers me the most is the photographer who has NO consideration for me as a fellow professional. In fact, last week, the photog looked at me, saw the shot I was after, and stood right in front of my camera! Past experiences served me well, and I picked up the camera, tripod and all, and moved over. Now, I'm waiting for the bride to question that little jaunt. When she does, I'll point out what her photographer did. Video is strong evidence!

BTW, I got the shot!

Mark

Peter Jefferson · February 3rd, 2007, 10:11 PM

never had a photog do that to me, and they know not to..
they usually only ever make the mistake once..

im a nice guy, and i will make a photogs job a joy, but if they wana be prats, they'll know about it..

Michael W. Niece · February 5th, 2007, 11:39 AM

I wouldn't say this is a peeve of mine (probably more so the B&G):

DJs who pretty much force the B&G to do things they don't want to at critical points, like the groom retrieving the garter belt. One DJ here refused to continue with anything until the groom used his teeth to pull the belt off her leg! I've seen it done a lot before, but this groom CLEARLY did not want to do that so he just yanked it down with his hand. The DJ then stopped the background music and told him to put it back on and "try again." The groom's face, caught on tape, of course, was not happy at all. And if that wasn't enough, imagine the poor guy who caught the belt and had to put it on the leg of the woman who caught the bouquet. I don't know about you guys, but I personally wouldn't want to use my teeth to put the garter belt on the leg of a complete stranger (unless she had premiered in a modelling magazine!)

Trying to get the B&G to do something is one thing, but one attempt should be plenty. Maybe the DJ needed new glasses or something.

-Michael

Vito DeFilippo · February 5th, 2007, 09:51 PM

Tell me about it. Several times here in Montreal, I have seen an alternate to the usual garter toss (after the groom has removed it from the bride's leg).

The DJ gets the single guys to kneel in a circle, and pass around the garter using only their mouth until the music stops, announcing the "winner." Often, it drops to the floor at some point, and they pick it up in their mouth again.

I shudder when I imagine the sodden mess they finally end up with...

Peter Jefferson · February 5th, 2007, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael W. Niece

I wouldn't say this is a peeve of mine (probably more so the B&G):

DJs who pretty much force the B&G to do things they don't want to at critical points, like the groom retrieving the garter belt. One DJ here refused to continue with anything until the groom used his teeth to pull the belt off her leg! I've seen it done a lot before, but this groom CLEARLY did not want to do that so he just yanked it down with his hand. The DJ then stopped the background music and told him to put it back on and "try again." The groom's face, caught on tape, of course, was not happy at all. And if that wasn't enough, imagine the poor guy who caught the belt and had to put it on the leg of the woman who caught the bouquet. I don't know about you guys, but I personally wouldn't want to use my teeth to put the garter belt on the leg of a complete stranger (unless she had premiered in a modelling magazine!)

Trying to get the B&G to do something is one thing, but one attempt should be plenty. Maybe the DJ needed new glasses or something.

-Michael

I had that happen at a phillipino wedding once.. the bride and groom were fine abotu it, but the ones who caught each respective element turned out to be ex's so it wasnt a good response when the girl was told to sit and stick her leg out while the garter was put on her leg by her ex boyfriend..

Richard Zlamany · February 7th, 2007, 11:07 PM

My newest problem is wedding recessions that are stopped every few seconds because the photographer is stopping the recession to snap pictures of the bridal party.

I like the flow of the recessional and by stopping it for pictures, this flow is ruined. My workaround is to get different shots with different angles and different frames and to cut to the balcony cam, but this certainly makes for a lot more work. It also throws off the arc of the ceremony.

Martin Mayer · February 8th, 2007, 09:16 AM

Flower arrangers who not only:

(a) turn up at the church in the last thirty minutes before the service to decorate it (us having taken our establishing/title shots already, or course)

but also

(b) put a HUGE floor-standing flower arrangement (or two) either side of the couple's position in the church, thus obscuring the pre-arranged front camera position.

Peter Jefferson · February 8th, 2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mayer

(b) put a HUGE floor-standing flower arrangement (or two) either side of the couple's position in the church, thus obscuring the pre-arranged front camera position.

If in doubt, shoot from the aisle bro... in fact, its prolly the safest spot to be once daddy gives away his lil princess

Victor Kellar · February 8th, 2007, 10:30 PM

Just a few quick peeves off the top of my head:

Kids who allowed to run rampant on the dance floor during the first dance or the parents dances; screaming and cavorting and destroying the emotion

People who walk right in front of the doors into the hall the second they are being opened to allow the B&G to enter

Parents who insist on thrusting their kids up on to the stage not just to sing one off key song, but several. One child had an entrie book of arrangements and was bascially cussing out the band for not keeping up with him. Maybe this kid was 10

A tipsy guest who all day and night bugs you to let him on camera to tell some incredibly funny story and, once you give in just to shut him up, he just stands there with the mic and yells "Hiya!"

And as for inappropriate remarks: Edited a wedding for another studio and was doing table speeches. One entire table consisted of all the groom's ex-girlfriends. They decided what they had liked about the groom .. physically .. in detail. I phone the studio and ask How much of this can I leave in? The response: Put it all in, the bride knows and doesn't care. Wow .. is that guy going to pay for the rest of his life

Peter Jefferson · February 8th, 2007, 11:09 PM

"I phone the studio and ask How much of this can I leave in? The response: Put it all in, the bride knows and doesn't care. Wow .. is that guy going to pay for the rest of his life"

lucky boy.. at least he got to live a little before getting the big ol ball and chain.. lol why anyone would invite their ex GF's lord only knows.. lol

Bill Busby · February 14th, 2007, 10:33 AM

I have quite a few, but here's a couple:

DJ's or band members who temporarily rotate a monitor I have mic'd, for a toast or whatever reason they seem fit... who can clearly see that a wireless handheld mic, on a stand, is pointed towards the monitor a few feet from it, & full well know it's MINE & what the purpose for it is. It doesn't matter if you mention to them from the getgo to please take a few seconds & either let me know beforehand OR simply reposition the stand so it's at least aimed toward the monitor. Oh... also... has anyone had this happen several times & you then decide... with a smile & think to yourself... "OK, enough of these mental midgets, I'm moving this to the opposite monitor"... then later, they decide it's imperative they move THAT one?

My other one... you're working a gig & you have doorways you have to pass through, yet there's people standing IN the doorway chattin' up a storm like there's no tomorrow. OK, that bugs me whether I'm working a gig or not ;)

MOOOOOOOVE IT! ahemmm

Bill

Mark Holland · February 15th, 2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Busby

... My other one... you're working a gig & you have doorways you have to pass through, yet there's people standing IN the doorway chattin' up a storm like there's no tomorrow. OK, that bugs me whether I'm working a gig or not ;)

MOOOOOOOVE IT! ahemmm

Bill

Yep, happens to me sometimes. Then they see this 235 pound guy with a videocamera coming their way and he's not stopping. Well, it's like the parting of the Red Sea...or they get run over! (politely) :-)

February 5th, 2007, 11:39 AM	#21
Michael W. Niece Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 65	I wouldn't say this is a peeve of mine (probably more so the B&G): DJs who pretty much force the B&G to do things they don't want to at critical points, like the groom retrieving the garter belt. One DJ here refused to continue with anything until the groom used his teeth to pull the belt off her leg! I've seen it done a lot before, but this groom CLEARLY did not want to do that so he just yanked it down with his hand. The DJ then stopped the background music and told him to put it back on and "try again." The groom's face, caught on tape, of course, was not happy at all. And if that wasn't enough, imagine the poor guy who caught the belt and had to put it on the leg of the woman who caught the bouquet. I don't know about you guys, but I personally wouldn't want to use my teeth to put the garter belt on the leg of a complete stranger (unless she had premiered in a modelling magazine!) Trying to get the B&G to do something is one thing, but one attempt should be plenty. Maybe the DJ needed new glasses or something. -Michael __________________ May the best days of your past be the worst day of your future.

February 5th, 2007, 09:51 PM	#22
Vito DeFilippo Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 1,585	Tell me about it. Several times here in Montreal, I have seen an alternate to the usual garter toss (after the groom has removed it from the bride's leg). The DJ gets the single guys to kneel in a circle, and pass around the garter using only their mouth until the music stops, announcing the "winner." Often, it drops to the floor at some point, and they pick it up in their mouth again. I shudder when I imagine the sodden mess they finally end up with... __________________ . http://www.nosmallroles.com

February 8th, 2007, 09:16 AM	#25
Martin Mayer Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 416	Flower arrangers who not only: (a) turn up at the church in the last thirty minutes before the service to decorate it (us having taken our establishing/title shots already, or course) but also (b) put a HUGE floor-standing flower arrangement (or two) either side of the couple's position in the church, thus obscuring the pre-arranged front camera position. __________________ Martin at HeadSpin HD on Blu-ray

February 1st, 2007, 01:31 PM	#17
Jonathan Nelson Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kingman Arizona Posts: 298	I think my greatest pet peeve is when the bride & groom just chill out and expect magic to happen in the video. They will sit there the whole night, talking to their friends like it was a normal party, drinking alcohol, and getting wasted. I have seen so many great wedding videos. I believe that half the reason these videos were so great is that the bride & groom were such awesome talent. It's like they were actors. I have only had a handful of wedding gigs where the bride & groom had a colorful attitude and actually cared about their video. These are the weddings I use for demos. Nothing wrong with chilling out at your wedding as long as you don't mind a boring video. ----- My other main pet peeve is the dj's at the reception. Dj's can be some of the cheesiest people alive and play the worst music for the occasion. Usually, I can tell if they are the cheesy type if they have some kind of dj nickname e.g. "dj crackers". The additional annoyance that dj's somtimes do is put several hours between events such as the cake cutting, garter toss, etc. Nothing like wasting a whole night waiting for stuff to happen.

February 2nd, 2007, 03:27 AM	#18
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	hers one of my biggeset peves.. chargin a client 2500... ok fair enough.. but then they have the audacity to try to bring the price down or get afew extras thrown in.. nwo thats annoying on its own accord.. But to add salt to the wound, whats worse than dealing with this is... is the same clients paying 7grand for a photographer whos only there for 8 hrs... No question about heir price and no haggling required... typical scenario... Photography... "7grand thanks" "no worries, here you go" See u at the wedding.. video $2500 thanks what? It comes to $2500... can i have a discount.. No

February 2nd, 2007, 01:13 PM	#19
Mark Holland Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, & surrounding areas) Posts: 301	Wow, as I sit here and read through all these responses, I remember at least one time that every one of these things has happened to me. I guess if you're in this business long enough, it'll happen! The thing that consistantly bothers me the most is the photographer who has NO consideration for me as a fellow professional. In fact, last week, the photog looked at me, saw the shot I was after, and stood right in front of my camera! Past experiences served me well, and I picked up the camera, tripod and all, and moved over. Now, I'm waiting for the bride to question that little jaunt. When she does, I'll point out what her photographer did. Video is strong evidence! BTW, I got the shot! Mark

February 3rd, 2007, 10:11 PM	#20
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	never had a photog do that to me, and they know not to.. they usually only ever make the mistake once.. im a nice guy, and i will make a photogs job a joy, but if they wana be prats, they'll know about it..

February 7th, 2007, 11:07 PM	#24
Richard Zlamany Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hamden CT Posts: 470	My newest problem is wedding recessions that are stopped every few seconds because the photographer is stopping the recession to snap pictures of the bridal party. I like the flow of the recessional and by stopping it for pictures, this flow is ruined. My workaround is to get different shots with different angles and different frames and to cut to the balcony cam, but this certainly makes for a lot more work. It also throws off the arc of the ceremony.

February 8th, 2007, 10:30 PM	#27
Victor Kellar Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 239	Just a few quick peeves off the top of my head: Kids who allowed to run rampant on the dance floor during the first dance or the parents dances; screaming and cavorting and destroying the emotion People who walk right in front of the doors into the hall the second they are being opened to allow the B&G to enter Parents who insist on thrusting their kids up on to the stage not just to sing one off key song, but several. One child had an entrie book of arrangements and was bascially cussing out the band for not keeping up with him. Maybe this kid was 10 A tipsy guest who all day and night bugs you to let him on camera to tell some incredibly funny story and, once you give in just to shut him up, he just stands there with the mic and yells "Hiya!" And as for inappropriate remarks: Edited a wedding for another studio and was doing table speeches. One entire table consisted of all the groom's ex-girlfriends. They decided what they had liked about the groom .. physically .. in detail. I phone the studio and ask How much of this can I leave in? The response: Put it all in, the bride knows and doesn't care. Wow .. is that guy going to pay for the rest of his life

February 8th, 2007, 11:09 PM	#28
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	"I phone the studio and ask How much of this can I leave in? The response: Put it all in, the bride knows and doesn't care. Wow .. is that guy going to pay for the rest of his life" lucky boy.. at least he got to live a little before getting the big ol ball and chain.. lol why anyone would invite their ex GF's lord only knows.. lol

February 14th, 2007, 10:33 AM	#29
Bill Busby Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 959	I have quite a few, but here's a couple: DJ's or band members who temporarily rotate a monitor I have mic'd, for a toast or whatever reason they seem fit... who can clearly see that a wireless handheld mic, on a stand, is pointed towards the monitor a few feet from it, & full well know it's MINE & what the purpose for it is. It doesn't matter if you mention to them from the getgo to please take a few seconds & either let me know beforehand OR simply reposition the stand so it's at least aimed toward the monitor. Oh... also... has anyone had this happen several times & you then decide... with a smile & think to yourself... "OK, enough of these mental midgets, I'm moving this to the opposite monitor"... then later, they decide it's imperative they move THAT one? My other one... you're working a gig & you have doorways you have to pass through, yet there's people standing IN the doorway chattin' up a storm like there's no tomorrow. OK, that bugs me whether I'm working a gig or not ;) MOOOOOOOVE IT! ahemmm Bill