An original invitation!

I love to see things like this…people adding their own personality to their weddings (just like I like to add to theirs)!

A Wedding Invite That Doubles As A Working Record Player

Commodity vs Specialized Service

I can pretty much tell how a conversation is going to start when I answer my phone. The majority of calls start off after I greet them with “I’m planing my {wedding/company party/reunion/etc}. How much do you charge?”. I understand why most people ask this question. They have NEVER hired a DJ before and don’t know what to ask.

When you go to purchase a pack of toilet paper, it is going to be the same at the discount store as it is at the department store or grocery store. Why? Because it is all made the same, by the same manufacturer, with company standards. It is fine to seek out a best price because your purchasing a commodity.

When hiring a DJ for your special event, you are hiring someone for their talent and specialized service(s). If you believe all DJs are alike, I would presume you think all actors are alike, or all athletes are alike. Who would you rather seen in an action thriller movie – Tom Cruise or Tom Green? If you were playing a game of 2-on-2 basketball for a million dollar prize, would you rather have Shaq on your team, or someone from the local Jr. High team? While each person is just an actor or just an athlete, they have different talent levels and offer different results. The same goes for a DJ…their talent makes them a specialized service.

Rather than trying to use a the price to determine the quality of your DJ, you should be asking more probing questions to determine whether or not they will deliver what YOU want for your event. At how many events like yours have they personally performed? How long have they been performing? How did they train to improve their performance? What will they do to make your event a success?

The average DJ meets most client’s minimum requirement: show up, play music, and make announcements. The sad thing is, there are so many more things a “TALENTED” DJ can offer you for your celebration. When a client told me he was going to surprise his new wife at their reception by having their favorite local artist sing their first dance song, I didn’t just introduce him to sing. Working with the groom and the artist, we came up with the following introduction following their “Love Story”. Do you think the average “show up, play music, and make announcements” DJ would have been creative and risky enough to make this moment special for this couple? Probably not!

When hiring your DJ, you should be seeking someone who is Talented, offers creative input to make your event unique to you, and most likely will not be the same commodity item, only priced a slightly bit different than the DJ at the bargain store down the street.

Daniel & Jennifer Friedline – June 11, 2010

I met Daniel earlier this year when I drove out to Townsend, TN to do a consultation with him while we had Jennifer on his phone, who was not able to attend from Florida due to her job. After they booked with me, I got to know more about them and how they met on the Appalachian Trail in 2008. After spending 6 months together on the trail with the Infamous 8, their group of fellow hikers, they returned home to their respective states and decided to wait 2 weeks before talking to one another again to see if their feelings on the trail were strong enough for a long distance relationship. Daniel didn’t have to wait that long…as soon as he returned home, he started selling anything and everything he didn’t need in order to purchase a one-way plane ticket to see Jen.

The Ceremony and Reception were held at the Lily Barn in Townsend. Thursday evening we had the rehearsal and I got to meet everyone in the wedding party, including Daniel’s 3 older brothers. Friday was a long day as I left my house around 11:30a to setup everything, and arrived back at home at 12:30a…13 hours later.

The weather was supportive, as we thought it was going to rain. The sun remained out and the only thing that was a bit bothersome was the high humidity. The ceremony, under the gazebo, was set to start at 4:00p, but we were running a bit late (as weddings sometimes do) and the wedding party started down the aisle at 4:15p. After the vows, instead of a Unity Candle or Sand Ceremony, Daniel & Jennifer tied 2 hiking sticks together, symbolizing what they learned on the Appalachian Trail…as 2 become one.

Following the ceremony, everyone proceeded to the barn for the reception. Thankfully it was a bit cooler there with the multitude of ceiling fans. Daniel & Jennifer’s wedding party had their grand entrance with some special information about their wedding party as they entered the room. When Daniel & Jennifer entered, the crowd was in an uproar. Jen’s selection of Celtic, Bluegrass, and Jazz was played as people worked their way through the buffet line.

Daniel & Jennifer had setup their tables with names of the main points they encountered on the Appalachian Trail. Each table was given the task of creating their hiking shout out. As each table was called to the buffet, by their name, they would stand up and shout out their hiking call.

After dinner, Daniel & Jennifer cut their wedding cake and Jen was presented a special message, as her 98 year old grandfather called in to say a few words during their toasts. Before their first dance, their guests were presented with their Love Story, detailing the journey of how they met, fell in love, and their proposal. Next, Jen danced with her Dad, and Daniel danced with his Mom. The rest of the evening, the dance floor was full of friends and family dancing and having fun.

Because the Lily Barn has restrictions on how late you can stay and some of the things you can use on the property, the send off at the end of the night was somewhat different and cut the party short at 10p. No birdseed was allowed, and sparklers were not permitted on the property, but Daniel & Jennifer wanted a to leave with something unique to their previous fire & rescue jobs, so guests had glow necklaces, waving in the air, to send them off for their honeymoon.

When I was cleaning up at the end of the night, I still had to go back and take down my canopy from the ceremony site, in pitch dark. I lined up my truck to point my headlights out into the gazebo field, but trees didn’t let a lot of light through. As I was gathering up my cables and cords (which, because they are black, were almost impossible to see), I discovered that Daniel & Jennifer had forgotten their walking sticks from the ceremony. I collected them and made sure they got back to them Sunday before they departed on their honeymoon.

Although it turned out to be such a long day, it was a fun wedding day for me. Daniel and Jennifer commented on how much they appreciated all the people who were their to celebrate their wedding day. Hardly anyone was from the local area, and nearly everyone traveled from out of state, including their families, and all their hiking friends from the AT. Although it was a diverse crowd, the closeness of everyone made this celebration extremely fun and memorable. I loved the comments Daniel and Jennifer shared at the end of the evening…

Open the flood gates…

I feel for my DJ friends in Nashville. I don’t know how many of the Nashville ADJA Chapter members were affected by the extreme downpour of rain May 1-3, but I did see pictures of the Opryland hotel, where I have performed for the last 18 years. I was shockingly amazed at how bad the hotel and Opry Mills mall were under water.

In regards to my own flood gates, I have every weekend booked for the next 2 months. This means I’ll be busy during the week, preparing for my clients once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. Suffice it to say, I’m sure I’ll miss being outside during the sunny days for a while.

After working in this business since 1985, I’m still amazed at the number of people who think a 4-hour event means I only work 4 hours. I truly wish it were that easy, but like any performer, I have to prepare and rehearse before I am ‘on-stage’ (so to say). In most cases, I have already spent about 3-6 hours with a couple, meeting and going over all the things they want for their wedding. A typical wedding week for me is as follows:

- Monday: Prepare my insurance forms and send to other vendors; look over paperwork to see if there are any unanswered questions; verify equipment is maintained or service any problems that were uncovered over the weekend of performances.
- Tuesday: Make sure I have the music the client has requested and if I don’t have, start searching for it.
- Wednesday: Type of my planning forms; organize my music from those forms; contact other vendors, especially the photographer or videographer, to find out if there is anything I can do to make their job easier or to comply with any special demands of them.
- Thursday: Write, edit, and rehearse “The Love Story”; write, edit, and rehearse the Grand Entrance; check, double-check, and triple-check my planning forms and notes to see if there are any special requests or any overlooked items which need to be updated on my performance forms.
- Friday: make sure all the equipment is loaded; verify I have fresh batteries for wireless mics; charge batteries for camera and camcorder; make sure my suit/tux/requested outfit is clean and ready to wear.
- Saturday: check, double-check, triple-check all items are loaded for the performance, including sound equipment, lighting, computers, cameras, planning forms, etc; Drive, setup, perform, breakdown, and return home after a minimum of 8 hours on this day alone.

I often inform my clients that I will be working on their wedding more than just the time they (and their guests) see me perform. Often, a wedding performance encompasses about 25+ hours. When people hear I’m a Mobile DJ, they will ask “What do you do during the week?”. I wish someone would spend a week with me and see how much I invest into a wedding!

A Wedding is the ONE AND ONLY TIME when this group of Family and Friends will be together for one VERY SPECIFIC purpose. I am fortunate to work with the best clients who understand and value the time I will invest into giving them a day unlike anything they have ever seen. I am honored to be invited into a couple’s day of memories and take serious what I have to do to give them unforgettable emotions on their wedding day.

Getting it done right…as a Groom!

Since I started in business in 1985, I have met 100′s if not 1000′s of people. Often my first meeting is with a bride, and lately I have been asking “Can both you and the groom be in attendance, along with anyone else who is helping to plan your wedding day?”. I’ve discovered that the more others are helping, and it is not just “the bride” planning the entire wedding, the better the wedding day will be and the less stressful things will be for the bride.

As of this posting, I will be hosting an upcoming event, which I hope to be the first of many. Grooms may only be involved in about 15%-20% of the weddings where I am hired. Most often grooms are all about the bachelor party, showing up (on-time, hopefully), and saying “I Do!”. I believe that grooms can be more involved, take stress off their fiance’, and create a much better wedding day, which leads to a fun honeymoon, and is a great way to start married life.

The “Grooms Workshop” I am hosting will give grooms tips and ideas on ways to make their wedding day better. There are things you can do as a groom to Score Points, then there are things you can do to Lose Points:
* Score Points – You, and all your Groomsmen, show up at least 30 minutes earlier than when you were asked to be there for pictures.
* Lose Points – Stay out late, the night before, for your bachelor party, and show up 30 minutes late, hung-over, missing one of your groomsmen, and not being cooperative on your wedding day. (Remember The Hangover?)

As a Groom, you can make your wedding day better. If you want to know more ways to be “The Man” on your wedding day instead just “The Groom”, attend my FREE “Grooms Workshop“.

For details (date, time, location, etc), visit http://www.knoxgrooms.com and I look forward to seeing you there.

Langlais Reception – March 20, 2010

Spring in March in Tennessee…it couldn’t have been a better day in regards to weather, because it was perfect for the Mickey and Aleyna Langlais wedding at the Bleak House in Knoxville, TN. I setup earlier, during the day, then returned around 4:00p, awaiting their guests arrival around 5:00p. As everyone arrived and circulated through the house, some of Mickey and Aleyna’s selections were played for mingling, including the Fray, Daughtry, Michael Buble’, and other Adult Contemporary selections.

Mickey and Aleyna arrived on the Trolly, along with the rest of their wedding party. Everyone lined up and made their Grand Entrance, being introduced with a few tidbits about why they were a part of the celebration. This set a fun tone for the rest of the party, and everyone was ready to have a good time.

Toasts were presented on the patio prior to moving inside for the cake cutting. Aleyna’s father, Walter Bryant, presented the first toast, followed by Mickey’s father (and Best Man), Bob Langlais. Next, Mickey’s Mother, Debbie Haizlip, and Aleyna’s sister, Meredith Bryant, had some joyful words to offer. Before Mickey welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming, a special message was played from his friend Tom who was in California, preparing to depart in his service to our country to Afghanistan.

After everyone ate their cake, Mickey and Aleyna took a seat on the dance floor while everyone listened to their Love Story. Following their Love Story, they danced their first dance to “Two is Better than One” by Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift. Mickey walked Aleyna to her father for their dance to a song he sang to her (and her sister) as children – Wouldn’t it be Good by Nik Kershaw. Mickey then brought his mother to the dance floor and they danced to a song she sang to Mickey, even as a teenager, which reflects the bittersweet nature of change – Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.

Once open dancing started, everyone was ready to move their feet. At one point, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing had everyone singing at the top of their lungs and people got down to Shout by the Isley Brothers. The dance floor remained full the rest of the night, and nobody wanted the fun to end. Around 8:30p we finally tossed the bouquet and garter, and at 9:15p Mickey and Aleyna danced their last dance, surrounded by all their friends.

Before Mickey and Aleyna took off through a shower of sparklers lighting up their walkway, everyone took a conga line from the dance floor to the front of the house to the Crazy Frog version of Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye! Even as they departed, everyone was singing the song.

All in all, this was a fantastic celebration with a fun couple with lots of friends. It was a shame the party had to end as early as it did. Since many of the guests had arrived from other states, I’m sure they would have enjoyed dancing at least another hour.

I hope I continue finding more couples with friends like Mickey and Aleyna. With the warm weather, the day turned out perfect and I didn’t even want this evening to end…it was a lot of fun! I was very fortunate to work with Barry Seaton and his crew from Seaton Shoots. If you ever need a photographer, give Barry a call (as his photographic skills far exceed mine)!

Let’s get ready….

To be busy!

As Spring is rolling in, the weather is changing. It has been cloudy and rainy, and I never know whether or not I’ll need a jacket or an umbrella each day I step out. I just know that warmer weather brings a couple of things…some sinus problems, and people getting married!

Usually there are not a lot of weddings during the first few months of the year, so I truly look forward to March and April. Despite the sometimes lingering winter, I am hired for some outdoor celebrations in March, as I am this weekend. I’ve been working with a couple who is having their wedding in Knoxville, but had to plan things from afar…Texas! I realize this can be a bit nerve-wracking. I do my best to assure those planning weddings from afar that I will deliver the best possible end result possible – A fun and memorable celebration with family and friends…but most of all – Peace of Mind!

April already appears to be full of some wonderful weddings as I will be traveling to North Carolina for a Ceremony and Reception. Due to the location, I will be taking my wife for a working weekend in the mountains. We will arrive early Friday afternoon, direct the rehearsal that evening, then perform at the ceremony and reception Saturday starting around 2:00p.

One of the things this particular client told me was that she hired me because I emphasized using her and her fiance’s names. She said she appreciated the fact that I would call them by name instead of “the bride & groom” during her reception. It is amazing how easy this is, yet many DJs won’t put in the effort (or don’t care) to learn and use their client’s names for this one day in their lives. Thanks Dale Carnegie!

The month of May still has a few open dates and June is almost completely booked solid. I know I’ll be extremely busy in June, and July is shaping up rather well. Probably one of the strangest months this year is October. I’ve had about 6-8 calls for October 10th (10-10-10) and booked it a few months ago. October 16th is also another VERY HOT DATE, because UT has an open date that weekend and everyone in Knoxville knows to never plan anything when UT is playing football!!! If you’re planning for a high demand date, make sure to book early.

If you are seeking “better entertainment”, make sure you meet with your prospective DJs, and as soon as you find the one you know will fulfill your desires for a fun party, book them immediately. There is an abundance of people who want the best party ever, but there is a minority of excellent “Entertainers” to fill those dates. If ‘good enough’ entertainment will work for you, you can find someone to play music. I am happily blessed with clients who want something more than ‘good enough’ or ‘average’ for their once-in-a-lifetime celebration with family and friends.

Wedding MC vs Wedding Entertainer

At a wedding, I consider myself to be a Master of Ceremonies who serves as a Disc Jockey, playing pre-recorded music. In the DJ world, it is sad that most consumers don’t know the extent of the types of DJs out there. What makes things worse is that most consumers look at Wedding DJs as cheesy, over-the-top, self-indulging performers who think they are the show.

When it comes to a couple’s wedding, the DJ should be acting in a similar fashion as a blockbuster movie Director. Have you ever walked out of a great movie and said “I’ve got to tell my friends to see this. It had such an awesome director.”? In my experience, when I’ve asked prospects what they said the last time they saw a great movie, it had nothing to do with the director. Their comments were about the story the actors, the outcome, or how much they enjoyed the film. It was the director who put it all together, but rarely is recognized as the creator of a great film (unless you’re James Cameron)!

In the DJ industry, there is a wide range of so-called “professional” DJs. You have the novice, hobby, or entry level DJ who may do little more than sit behind a table loading up songs on their computer. They make few announcements, or when they do announce something, they are not guiding the flow of the event. At the upper end of the spectrum you have the over-the-top DJs who often think “they hired me because of me”. These are the DJs who may bring out props, grab people out of the audience, dance with all your guests, and think they are “the show”. Most people I talk to want someone, like myself, in the middle – someone who will help them plan their wedding, not embarrass them, and make their wedding day fun.

What kind of DJ do you want to represent you on your wedding day? Choose wisely because this is the person who will make or break your party. Your guests may even ask you “Where did you get this clown?” or “Wow! Where did you find this awesome DJ?”. A friend of mine pointed me to a recent article which describes an authors entertainment experience when they attended a wedding. Unfortunately, as I looked back at this post, I found the website no longer exists. Needless to say, the author’s post discussed how someone on a microphone can either make your event a success or embarrass you in front of all your family and friends.

When it comes to your budget, consider this: Equipment rental typically runs about $500-$600. If you find a DJ less than equipment rental, it is rare that you will find a diamond in the rough. Most likely you will find someone who does not do this as a living and does this “to earn some extra income”. A full-time DJ will usually dedicated at least 10-25 hours to your event and will offer a much better entertainment experience than someone who does this as a hobby. While you think you are hiring them “for just 4 hours”, the truth is you are hiring them for everything they do to give you a spectacular 4 hours.

Be careful where you hang your wedding dress… :)

I get notices every so often whenever Snopes.com updates their latest stories which are mostly urban legends. However, the story I just received today discusses how a Bride stored her dress when she returned from her wedding.

Here is how the story goes:
The bride, anebriated, returned to her hotel room and wanted to hang up her dress. Rather than using the provided closet area and hangers, she attempted to hang the dress from the sprinkler. Needless to say, the sprinkler did as it was supposed to do. See…there is a glass stopper preventing water from escaping, but when heated (or ruptured, with a hanger) it breaks and releases water the extinguish the possible fire that is causing the heat. She flooded not only her room, but the rooms next to hers and the 3 floors below hers.

Read the rest of the article at Snopes.com – Bride Hang Up and see what other tragic things happened because of her careless act…

Snow days…

I love snow! I was born and raised in Ohio until I was 10. Myself and my 3 brothers got out and played in the snow all the time in the Ohio Winters. We would go sledding down the hill, have snowball fights, and even dig tunnels through the deeper snow (yes, it got deep).

Today is a snow day in Knoxville and school is out. I am supposed to make the venture out into the bad weather and meet a client for their July 17, 2010 reception. Funny thing is, they are up near Douglas Lake and have some roads they have to navigate, which makes it a bit more difficult to get out than me. Hopefully they will safely get out and we’ll have a great discussion about their wedding.

How do you remember your snow days? Did you get out and go sledding or play with friends? Do you remember coming in and warming up because your fingers and toes were red from the cold? I’ll bet there are times now when you just want to snuggle up in bed next your significant other, sip on some hot chocolate, and watch a good movie. Sometimes, that is the best thing to do on a cold day.

Keep warm….