Anyone ever used "The Pros" for photography/videography/DJ ?

Thanks Brian! That's what I figured. I emailed the advisor to ask some more questions. I definitely won't be booking anyone that I cannot meet in person and discuss things with before hand! I am freaking out a bit about not having a photographer, this close to the wedding. We HAD a photographer...but that didn't work out, so now we are starting all over! We're not using a videographer and the DJ is covered, photography is the main thing!

I completely agree with Brian. We met with a "representative" from the Pros who was nothing more than a pushy saleswoman who had no photography experience and couldn't answer most of my prepared list of questions. The price was right, but the situation made us weary, so we booked with an ACTUAL photographer.

I was approached by "THE PROS" to work for them. Brian hit the nail on the head about their business model. From my experience with them... they commit the DJ to meet with the bride/groom on Tuesday before the wedding, and then they perform on Saturday. While this is not a terrible view, I spend WAY more time with my brides/grooms planning things, so I declined their "not so lucrative" offer to work for $250. If I was desperate or starting out, I might have considered it at some point.

My sister just used them and we are booked to use them. They hold these little shows wher eyou can go meet the photographer. We weren't going to go with them til we met Mary and i really liked her portfolio and her personality. We also booked out DJ thru them and got in writing who we would have but more important to me, we got in writing who we would NOT get. I really disliked one of their djs. That could happen with anyone anywhere so I don't hold that against them, I just wanted to make sure he didn't show up at my wedding :-)

BTW my sisters pictures are wonderful, though I didn't like her photographer very much. Make sure you have your list of what you want your photographer to take.

Thanks everyone! I'm still really up in the air with this. The venue I booked will do the photography for $500 and she takes about 600 pics and edits them and gives us about 300-350. It seems like a great price. I love the lady who runs the place and her pics are great, even though she is not a professional. I just can't decided if we should book her AND someone else for cheap...maybe someone who is just starting out (my budget is only $1,000 so that's why I am seriously considering the pros) So many decisons and not enough time! Agh!!!!!

My DOC sent me their information and I posted a thread about them a long time ago. Brian basically hit it on the head and their reviews speak for itself. Through the website they say you can pick which person does your event but I've read reviews where the DJ/Videographer/Photog either canceled or just didn't show up because they weren't making enough money to really care. The price was more than right but we're willing to pay a little extra for the piece of mind.

Okay so I booked them for my dj and now I am alittle scared...yikes! I didn't want the dj we normally use because the last two events, he showed up super late. I wanted someone alittle more professional. As for their pictures, I have seen some beautifual ones taken. I am going with someone outside of their company though.

I used the pros! Our DJ was beyond wonderful. His name is DollarBill. I would recommend him to everyone. He got everyone dancing. And if he felt like the music was to slow he would change it. Go check him out!

Kristen ~ I'm going to just reiterate what Brian and Matt are saying. Meeting your photographer is really critical ~ it's as much about the quality of the photos as it is about making sure you can have this person around you all day long.

We met with them and they now call me constantly! Brian has it right. You won't know who any of your vendors are until AFTER everything is signed, booked, and paid for. That's the reason we decided not to book with them. The pictures are very important to me, and I really didn't like not being able to see the quality of the photographer who would be shooting my wedding's portfolio.

The Pro's are a "business", FWIW, and like all of us are in it to make money. But with their successful business model, think of it like this: You're at work and you want lunch. You hand a complete stranger a $20 bill, ask them to get you some food, and tell them to keep the change. They MAY bring you a steak dinner, but most likely they'll bring you 2 tacos for 99 cents from JITB, pocket the change, and leave you with food poisoning afterwards. With a little extra work, you may have been able to find a good lunch spot on your own for $15, and had an amazing lunch.

Continued...

Here's a fact. The Pro's go onto videographer's forums (so I assume photog and DJ forums) trolling for newbies and failed video guys to come work for them. It's not to say you won't get someone good...you could get someone who has overpriced themselves and can't get their own bookings....but does decent work. (They won't take your wedding seriously, and will bail if they get a better offer.) You could get someone who is simply terrible or inexperienced, and can't get anyone to book them on their own. You could get someone who just wants to work, and not run a business. Either way, you DO get someone who is willing to work for a FRACTION of an actual professional, to make a quick buck, since most of the money you pay the Pro's will be going to the people that own the Pro's...not the photog/videog/DJ. It's a pretty good business model, actually. I, personally, just wouldn't gamble big amounts of cash like that. I do like to buy scratchoff lottery tickets, however!

Good luck!

I suggest you meet with the actual person who will be performing the task of being the master of ceremonies before signing a contract.

Here's why.

1. You need to be able to click with his/her personality. Nothing worse than meeting your MC as he/she meets you outside the venue hall for introductions and you don't like him/her or worse yet...they're not good.

2. Today's DJ's offer way more in the service and talent with custom bios-love stories- guest participation. You need to identify if that person has the skill set needed for your affair.

3. Demand to see an unedited video of your MC performing simple tasks like introductions/guests involvement. If they don't have a video..WHY Not?

Type in wedding DJ at youtube or better yet...bad dj. Don't want to scare you...just educate you. There are some really great ones and really bad ones.

Take the time to audition several.

Planning ahead goes a long long way.

I agree with mot of the post here. I looked into the PROS for our DJ and photographer. I decided not to pursue using them as a vendor for a number of reasons 1) they did not have very good reviews 2) Mot of the reviews mentioned that they did not recieve the dj/photographer they choose and that the one the recieved was terrible 3) they mostly work online as far as contacting you and setting things up which makes me uncomfortable 4) their prices really arent that much cheaper. I advise you to keep looking.

I will tell you I have never heard anything good about the Pros. They typically work with cheaper vendors, who do lower quality work. For a photographer or DJ- you want to work with them personally, not just spin the wheel and hope someone decent shows up.

Wow!!!! After reading all these reviews it makes me nervous. My mom put a deposit on a dj thats with the Pro's..... he seemed really fun an energentic at the show. When we signed up we had to sign the dj schedule sheet so I pray that we receive him and not someone I dont want.....

I second MCDJCarlos here. I too was strongly solicited about their "Opportunity". The DJ gets paid $250 out of the $595 package and their highest position was something like $400.

If a DJ made $250 every Saturday, he'd be making $12,500 per year. If you've booked through this company, you're getting a hobby DJ. You might as well interview $250 DJs on Craigslist so at least this way you know who you're getting!

I would not suggest the pro's. My brother hired them for their wedding and they were horrible! Worst mistake ever. The pictures came out bad. the photographer we had, had no idea what he was doing. He was ready to leave after my brothers first dance with his wife. My parents had to beg him to stay longer so they could have had pictures of them cutting the cake.

I can't agree more with the consensus here. Spinning the wheel of fortune for a vendor on one of the most important days of a couples life is so silly to me. It's also true that it's not that much cheaper, if at all. I charge $400-900 for DJ and audio services and I work very closely with my clients for months, at least weeks, prior to the day of the event. This includes in-person consultations as well as detailed questionnaires so that I can understand their style. This also includes learning about the logistics of the venue so that I can plan my setup accordingly, esp for lighting. Just my 2 cents... DancinShoesDJ.com