Often in the DJ community there are many arguments about what makes a DJ. Many old-school turntablists say you still need to use turntables or some form of controller… not just pressing buttons on a laptop. However, I’ve seen many DJs who keep a floor packed without beatmixing and with just one button on a computer.

I personally use a computer with a controller, and I can tell you I can outmix anything I could do with CDs or Turntables.

With this thought in mind, take the following at note. I went skating today, which means I busted out my raggedy, dying, need-to-replace skates– they still work… and they probably do better than 80% of the skates out there. Quality never dies, lol. The DJ there uses Microsoft Windows Media Player. 

We always make fun of him, but not because of his choice of DJ software, after all he also uses high-end Denon CD Turntables and always manages to trainwreck his mixes. Even then, that’s not why we pick on him.

The crowd is 99% preteens to teens. I think I’m the only person there that’s old enough to drink, hahaha. Adult night’s are always on days when I’m working so I’m stuck skating on teen night. Many of the patrons are jam skaters (people who skate to the beat of the music and have set routines).

The DJ doesn’t read the crowd very well: he played rock songs NOBODY recognized (not even I), rap music with profanity, and obscure music that made everyone shrug their shoulders. Of course, when it came time to make announcements everyone ignored him as there was little respect for him. His attitude could’ve been a bit better– unless you were a single girl, you were not going to get any kind manners from him.

Since he would rather stay outside or talk to girls, he ignored the 10 second gap between each song. We watched in amazement as people kept leaving the floor.

Here’s why we laugh: he calls himself a DJ.

With the description I have given you, would you call him a DJ?

No?

So why believe anyone who says they’re a professional DJ?

Where’s the proof?

Don’t ask a DJ what he uses to mix with– that’s irrelevant, what’s important is his style.

• Does he read crowds?
• Does he take requests?
• Can he mix the music with a smooth transition that will keep the appropriate level of energy on the floor.
• Can he earn respect on the microphone?
• Will he be too busy flirting with girls to do his job?
• Is he courteous to everyone, including those who are less than pleasurable to talk with? (I’ve had my fair share of those)

I’ve also had the delight of talking to an amazing bride who’s doing very thorough research. As a matter of fact, she may be reading this right now. We’ve communicated several times, and even though she likes our company, she’s still researching before she makes the decision! Right on! If she chooses us, I know that she’ll be 100% confident and appreciative of what we will offer for her wedding day.

She has also gone as far as asking for proof of the DJs availability. Whether it’s YouTube, a DVD, or any form of video. Peter Merry’s Book The Best Wedding Reception… Ever!, talks about how every DJ should have a highlight reel (or numerous ones) as well as UNCUT footage. I can take the worst wedding DJ and make them look phenomenal on tape– it’s all about editing skills– so ask for raw footage.

As the aforementioned bride has done, ask for proof of MCing style. While the wedding you see may not be your wedding, a good MC should be able to shape your style into the event.

Is this a shameless plug for our company’s YouTube page? Well– yes… but many DJs in the area have videos, too. Remember, ask for real event footage, not testimonials (really, who will post a BAD testimonial), not demo reels (people dancing with music layed over), and not a generic reel. Ask to see their MCing, mixing, and interaction with the crowd.

Don’t ask to see them at an event… if they say no, it’s because they don’t want to invite people to someone’s special day, not because they’re hiding something.

One last thing– EVERY DJ can provide proof of their work. Even if they don’t have someone to film every event, they’ve worked with a videographer at some point. That videographer can provide a sample video. There’s just no excuse.

After all, you wouldn’t buy a cake just because it looks pretty on a photo without ever tasting it.

Christopher contacted me with a simple request: He needed a DJ in Orlando who can cater to the craziness that is a destination wedding. They are hard to plan, as often the bride and groom are not in the States until the week of the wedding. What made A Premier Entertainment – My Dream Reception the perfect choice was the combination of DJs/MCs/even coordination along with a great expertise in Reggae music.

Chris was a really unique client– he’s a DJ as well. As a matter of fact, many of his guests are– NO PRESSURE THERE! He’s worked with such great artists such as Tony Mattehorn and Buju Banton.

The wedding was at the Radisson Celebration in Kissimmee, in the same banquet room as the Greg & Melinda Barned’s wedding.

Photos were taken by Jenny from KC Enterprises (except the very last one)… I know I’m biased saying this, but I love working with KC Enterprises!!

Check out some great photos and videos below!!!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

James & Alisha created the perfect wedding today! They chose Lake Buena Vista Watersports’s Paradise Cove, which in itself is a beautiful venue…. but we got the opportunity to transform it. Using the in-house swags, we used lights carefully aimed at various sections to color the entire reception area with an Aqua blue (one of their wedding colors) while the swag behind the head table was lit up in their secondary color (pastel pink).

Floating above their heads on the swag was a custom made monogram. This one was very unique as Alisha designed it herself. You really have to see the photos and videos to appreciate how it all turned out. We also had the chance to uplight the beautiful wedding cake made by Custom Cakes by Linda (407.673.0082)… the plexiglass base shone bright!

Next was the décor… it was STUNNING! Alisha’s mom, Suzanne, owns Suzanne Nichols Design Group (www.SuzanneNichols.com) and they did a beautiful job. I was blown away by the creative ideas!

Now, my dear brides & grooms.. Alisha  & James had some GREAT ideas that turn into AMAZING wedding tips. Let’s discuss, shall we?

• Use your surroundings! For the ceremony, the groomsmen arrived on a boat. It was awesome!
• GO ALL OUT! Mr. and Mrs. Borelli added a unique touch by including a white dove release. Some may say “it’s played out” but in all my years of being an MC, this is the second time I’ve seen it done. NICE!
• Design your own monogram! We’ll help you (some DJs won’t… but that’s them, haha)
• Guys– do something romantic and funny! James and his crew sang “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” a la “Top Gun” style!

Oh yes, I have to tell you about the food! Charles Putney, Event Designer of Arthur’s Catering, did an amazing job with the food. He and his staff were amazing to work with and created some AMAZING dishes. My favorite was the Coconut Shrimp! Theirs was the best I’ve had! I’ve work with so many wonderful couples who allow me the honor of partaking in the celebration by sharing dinner with the guests… so I’ve learned a thing or two about good eating… and the shrimp was phenomenal!!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Uplighting, Swag Lighting, Pinspot Lighting
• Ceremony System
• Monogram

Look at the photos in the link below and check out a cool YouTube video!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Brides & Grooms: What have you done to make your wedding unique? Watch Rock the Reception and you’ll see what I am talking about. Now, not everyone can do something as fancy as that… but you get the idea.

This really isn’t a tip as much as a segue to the coolest toast I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure where this video came from, because I’d love to meet the people who put this together!

It’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life… so why do you feel so stressed? There is no such thing as being born a Bride/Groomzilla…. it’s just what happens when you don’t take the stress out. So what can you do?

1) CHILL OUT!

Whenever you begin to feel stressed out, take a breather. Go enjoy a movie, a walk in the park, or visit a spa! Stressing out is not going to fix anything nor will it put you and your fiance in a good mood for the wedding. You should never have to associate feelings of stress and dispair with weddings! Whatever you do to relax, just make sure it has NOTHING to do with your wedding. So CHILL!

2) Being emo can be nerve-wracking!

One minute you’re super-excited about your wedding cake. The next minute you’re upset because you can’t find sashes in your wedding colors! Then you’re excited because you found beautiful photography, but suddenly you realize you’re behind in your planning. ARGH! How is it that you haven’t pulled all your hair out yet? This emotional roller-coaster can set you off in a frenzy!

It’s going to happen and it’s perfectly natural! Find someone to vent to… someone who ISN’T your fiance. Find someone who isn’t stressed out about the wedding and ask them to help you think with a clear head!

3) Trust God.

Enough said there. The best way to deal with the stress is to just pray… but beyond that, talk to your pastor. You and your fiance will learn A LOT about each other in the next few wedding planning stages… be sure to attend a marriage class.. not to mention the state of Florida will give you a discount on your license if you do! SWEET!

4) This is why you hired….

…a professional. Don’t stress about the day-of wedding timeline. Talk to your entertainer/coordinator about your concerns on creating the perfect day and let he/she handle the rest. If you can’t trust them to do this… find a new one. If they’ve done this plenty of times, they’ll have a plethora of ideas to help you!

The same applies for photos, cake, food, etc. You hired a pro— let them help you! Give them the vision of what you want and let them handle that stressing out stuff.

5) A wedding planner doesn’t plan YOU.

Wedding planners and coordinators are great people to have on your team.  Again, trust them to handle the stress and take their advice the best way you can… they do this several times a year and you’re only getting married once! However, they can’t control what you do…. so prioritize! If they’re helping you step-by-step with wedding plans then there’s no worries, but if you only have day-of coordination (or none at all) then you need to sit down and come up with a schedule of what’s the most important things to you, then make sure those are checked off FIRST.

6) The day before the wedding should not be the day before the wedding.

DO NOT, I repeat: DO NOT use the day before the wedding to finalize all details. Work as hard as you can to have everything done at least 3 days before the wedding. Why? Because you can enjoy these three days to lose ANY stress/jitters you may have. Spend time with your friends… go to a movie, beach, SOMETHING FUN! You should be looking forward to your wedding… not wishing you had one more day to finish planning!

7) CHECK!

If possible, pay all your vendors two-three days before the wedding! If you’re anything like me, signing paychecks will induce stress. If you plan on tipping (and you should, lol) make sure to do it in cash. Have everything separated in envelopes for easier management.
CHECK! LIST!

I’ll make this one short: DJs have checklists. Caterers have checklists. Planners have checklists. Do you? No? MAKE ONE!

9) Internet and friends are dangerous!

Have a question about your wedding? While asking your friends is important, their suggestions may reflect their style and not yours. As for the internet, stay away unless it’s coming from the keyboard of an established vendor! The best wedding tips come from the professionals you’ve hired and learned to trust. They will work hard to build rapport with and get to know you. They will apply this information to any info/tips they give you!

10) Weddings are NOT a barometer of happiness.

Can something go wrong at the wedding? Maybe. Possibly. So? Roll with it! Marriages aren’t perfect, but they will be held strong if you have faith! Weddings are living, breathing creatures and just because something went wrong doesn’t mean your marriage will go bad. Did you show up? Did he show up? Did you say “I do?” Did he say “I do?” Then you’re good to go— you’ve accomplished the mission: the rest is just icing on the cake.

Brides and grooms: don’t stress! As vendors, we’ll do everything we can to take that stress of you… but ultimately it’s up to you to make sure you don’t stress out. Don’t confuse stress for anxiety… you will be very anxious for the day you’ll be standing on the altar.. and who can blame you? Just remember to ENJOY your planning… as you’ll only do this once in your lifetime, too!

Did I forget a tip? Leave me a comment!!

I absolutely love Lake Ashton… the food and service are stellar. It’s even better when you have AMAZING weather and the bride and groom are the best people to work with. Yup… this wedding went VERY well.

Christine and Blake wanted to have a good time… whether people danced or not wasn’t their main concern as much as it was making sure that everyone left with a smile on their face.

My wife and I enjoyed setting up, there was a member of Lake Ashton practicing for the talent show… he blessed us with his talents on the piano playing songs from Van Halen’s “Jump” to Queen to Disney… for the first time ever, I asked for a request!

The emotion flowed through Lake Ashton during the ceremony, Christine and her father, Davis, were so excited that they shared tears of joy before David escorted his little girl down the aisle.

The reception was  a blast! The photographer, Sofia (http://www.PhotographyBySofia.com), was a lot of fun to work with and I hope to be sharing some of her photos here soon! Christine and Blake worked really hard to plan their special day to make sure their guests felt special, too… and I think they achieved that goal!

The uplighting was awesome… we designed it to change colors throughout the evening…. during dinner, they alternated between their wedding colors.
Check out some great iPhone photos as well as a cool YouTube video. The lighting setup was elegant (no trussing, no ugly tripods, but it flooded the room with color… even the uplighting changed color according to mood!)…. YouTube doesn’t do a great job of keeping the video as bright as it was originally, so click the HQ to see a better quality video.

Package chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator

Colorchanging Uplighting

Light Columns

Dance Under the Stars

D’Elegance Lighting

Ceremony System/Coordination

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Be ready to be amazed brides, schools, and everyone else who’s reading.

Imagine your first dance beginning as the lights dim… a field of stars span across the entire ceiling… as you and your husband share your first dance you feel the cool whisk of clouds stream across your feet.

Pretty, huh?

Not just for weddings… how about your prom?

I’ll post more in this soon, meanwhile… why not check out the official test of our “Cloud Machine.”

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

What can I say about this wedding? I was BORN to do these… Stephen is from Puerto Rico and Monique is from Jamaica.

How many guests? 250+!

The wedding started amazingly, with guests dancing during the intro! Everythin was perfect– we went overtime, of course. I got to play some amazing reggae, soca, and calypso hits that I haven’t played in a while, as well as classic goodies and the best merengue and salsa you can imagine!

Some great hits of the night:

Tiney Winey, Dollar Wine, Follow Da Leader, Signal Di Plane, Baile del Beeper, Mississippi Slide, Double Dutch Bus, Fresh (Kool and the Gang), Parliament’s Flashlight.

Some cool things they had: Rum Cake, a Coffee “bar”, and Marble Slab ice cream “buffet”

Unfortunately their cake never showed up, however Publix Supermarket created a beautiful cake last minute!

This was at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. I bought a basic lighting backage, uplights, and monogram. The pictures and video do no justice on how big (and bright) the monogram was.

Click the break below to see photos and video!!!

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I did a bubble party.. and it was my first video log, but there were too many kids and I didn’t want to post pics or video up.

I also did a corporate event Friday, but I need to remove photos with the kids.. again, safety reasons.

Friday was a fun wedding. It was a destination wedding. Wei, the groom, is Chinese and Eileen, the bride, is from the Philippines.

This was the first wedding where I did very little coordination, everything was handled through a coordinator who handled everything (and did a great job at it).

Lots of changes were made during the wedding itself, but it went along great! The floor stayed packed the entire time– I love weddings like these!

Click the break below to see photos and video!!!

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This was a fun wedding… Started at 4:00 and went full speed until 8:00. She was Italian and he was American, so we had some fun mixing different cultures. This was another wedding where everyone had the focus on the bride & groom.

Justin and Maria are wonderful people and their energy is infectious. There’s about 30 pics here, so it might taken a minute to load.

The wedding was at the Crowne Hotel in Tampa, Florida. The staff was great to work with and the hotel itself is gorgeous.

This gig report will be somewhat unique because I am including some odd behind the scenes shots.

Keep in mind, all photos are taken with my trusty iPhone. So yeah.

Click the break below to see photos!!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event