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Tips for your wedding: I have been DJing weddings for over 15 years and have DJ'd hundreds over the years. Here are some tips for you or your wedding you or your planner concerning your wedding. 1.) Have the elders and children seated far away from the DJ during the dinner. The elderly often complain that the music is too loud if they are right next to the speakers and the DJ needs to turn down the music so low that the people farther away can't hear the music. Kids are fascinated with DJs and want to run through our booth or take our equipment which is why I suggest the kids to be farther away. 2.) The DJ should be set up close to the dance floor especially if it's an outdoor wedding. Sound dissipates over distance (lessens) and people need to feel the music in order to want to dance. If the DJ is set up too far away, you will most likely get feedback from the speakers as the sound will have to be turned up so loud it will screech when the mic is turned on. 3.) 2 factors help people dance besides the DJ - 1. Liquid courage... yep, alcohol. 2. Darkness... people don't really want to be seen for the most part. 4.) Keep the timeline fairly simple and don't try to mix things up too much. Example: I DJ'd a wedding where the planner had me stop the DJing after 15 min. To have the guests go out to the parking lot for an ice cream truck. This is a huge mistake! When you get the people on the dance floor, keep them there!!! The DJ works their buns off to fill the floor, don't ruin it by showing people their cars and subconsciously telling them that it's time to go home by showing them their car. 5.) Make sure the DJ is always under some cover. 1. No DJ will play in the rain as it will ruin their equipment. 2. DJing in the direct sun can overheat laptops, melt microphone transmitters, and overheat speakers... it's also harder for the DJ to see their computer and the trackpad doesn't work well when the DJ's Hans are super sweaty. 6.) Requests throw a DJ off and often throw a wrench in the dance floor. I suggest choosing a great DJ that does not need day of requests in order to fill the dance floor. Requests are often not dance floor fillers, they are dance floor killers and people will only give a few passes to a DJ at a wedding before they will think the DJ sucks and leave the wedding. 7. ) Feeding the DJ helps keep their blood levels up and they will have more energy for your wedding in the late hours. 8.) If you see your guests bugging the DJ too much, please help. DJs try to politely tell folks they are working but sometimes we get swarmed and it's hard to do a great job when you have 3 minutes to read the floor and find the perfect next song when you are down to 30 seconds. Ask the guests to treat the DJ with respect. 9.) Book the DJ for 30 minutes of pre-ceremony music if you hire the DJ for the ceremony as well because it helps create a nice chill vibe and when here announcements like cars that need to be moved or when it's time for people to find their seats, the DJ can make those announcements instead of a mother-in-law running around yelling. 10.) Hand held mics are great for the ceremony too. People are hung up on lapel mics but lapel mics create a lot more background noise since they pick up sound from all directions and when you have 3 of them it gets noisy especially in windy conditions. 11.) Place the DJ off to the side of the ceremony instead of in the back. Microphone transmitters are now on the same frequency as cell phones and when people get text messages or calls (even on silent) it will interfere with the signal of the mic and people will think the DJs equipment if faulty. The DJ can't stop the wedding to tell people that they need to shut their phones all the way off and people often blame the DJ.

360 booth and cold spark machines - why don't I offer them? I have DJ'd hundreds of weddings and seen fads come and go and I always wait before joining in on any new fad. My main focus has been and always will be to be an amazing DJ for your wedding and make sure that everything goes smoothly so you can enjoy yourselves. In truth, I think the 360 video booth produces cool videos and that the cold spark machines are super cool looking.... So, why won't I offer them? 360 booth --- I believe that your wedding guests should all have an amazing experience and be safe at all times. I have seen videos of older folks and kids being clocked and knocked down by the swinging arm of the 360 booth and I can't justify taking that risk with your family and friends just for a cool video. People drink, it gets dark, and emotions are running high at weddings and people may get hurt with these units. In my opinion, a traditional photo booth is a better option for that reason. Cold sparks machines --- Once again, I take the safety of your guests very seriously and the ingredients in the powder used in these cold sparks machines is toxic and cause damage to your lungs and brain! Google, "is titanium dust dangerous" and you'll get your answer. The powder can also be flammable if it's near candles.... Almost every wedding uses candles. One more thing... there was a lawsuit for several thousand dollars after the powder from a cold sparks machine damaged a wooden dance floor when it was used before dancing and the people dancing caused the fine sand paper like particles to damage the floor. Be safe and see you soon! ~Stephen

How to choose the best DJ for your wedding! There are more factors to choosing a great DJ for your wedding than you think. I'll list some important information for you to consider when choosing a DJ for your wedding. 1.) Read reviews - Any good DJ that has been around for a while will have 5 star reviews and this will give you some insight into their ability to do a good job but you should inquire about wether it's a singular DJ (owner) or a company with many DJ's making up that number as it matters. 2.) I believe it's best to choose a DJ that is the owner for a few reasons: 1. The owner of a company will always care more about the quality of the work they provide since they are the owner. 2. Most companies that have employed Djs will hire college kids who are looking for extra cash and you can even see ads on craigslist that read "looking for DJ to join out team, no experience needed" -- * that is a red flag because that DJ is not a seasoned DJ and those companies typically pay in one way or another for reviews for these college kids. 3.) Definitely hire a DJ who has experience with weddings... bonus if the DJ also has experience with clubs, corporate events, and festivals as it shows that have an ability to get booked based upon their beat matching, blending, and ability to read the dance floor and play appropriate music to keep the party going. Experience in weddings is invaluable as there are so many challenges that weddings present that are not present in any other situation such as multiple sound set ups, multiple applications for mics, MC work, lighting, working with time-lines, working with other vendors, travel with set up and tear down, trouble shooting, back ups and more.... 4.) **Only book a DJ with a back up computer or iPad with all the playlists and music on it in case a device fails. You want the DJ to have a back up of cables, and their DJ controller as well since that's what will be the medium for sound between the computer and the speakers. 5.) **Only book a DJ that owns their own music and is not relying on streaming for your wedding! This is super important especially in remote locations as most remote locations such as barns do not have internet and cell reception can be spotty if it works at all. Streamed music is also a lower quality audio coming through the sound and it makes a difference. One more thing is commercials! I was auditioning a DJ to hire and he played music from a streaming service and commercials came through!!! I asked him if he uses that same streaming service for weddings and he said "yes". 6.) Do not hire the cheapest DJ you can find. You get what you pay for. Cheap DJs typically have lower quality gear, do not have back up equipment, and are just starting out or have some other reason they are so cheap. There are levels to DJs and this is your BIG DAY. What I recommend is to sell some things you are not using or work a few extra weekends to make extra cash to pay for a higher quality DJ. 7.) Do talk on the phone with your DJ as there are a LOT of factors in how a DJ might quote you. It's important that the DJ understands everything you need since every wedding is different. I had a wedding where they thought I would provide a keyboard, mixer, and sound for a band that was playing the ceremony even though that was never talked about. 8.) I personally wouldn't want to book a DJ that wants to be a big hype man and steal the show from the couple so that's something to keep in mind. ** Our DJ is a great DJ who embodies all the above mentioned positive qualities that are needed for a wedding to be amazing!