About YOUR wedding

I had been away from the dj game for a few years... took an early retirement from djing around 2009... I had a friend with tons of PA equipment... but no real dj skills.... so i made several short 15 minute or so dance mix sets... like 20 songs in each... megamix style... i also got a bit obsessed with all the new led lighting options available...and bought a couple fixtures...which led to me buying more and more fixtures because im a nut....ended up with high dollar moving heads and everything...lol

Any way... the wedding went amazing... and i truly got the itch back... invested in PA and a dj controller of my own...and immediately began booking... so that dang wedding changed my life in too many ways to count...lol

cc

This was my wife's first wedding; my fourth. I had done a simple church affair once; a JP in Vegas once, a Judge in an American Legion Hall once, but because I had been down the road, there was no way I would stand in her way on anything she wanted.

I had already been an established and successful full-time solo op for 20+ years so for me the hardest part was selecting a DJ from the 24 guys and gals I had trained. We agreed that the one we chose was primarily based on the fact he was single and unattached. They were all magnificently talented. We invited all the others and their significant others.

He did a great job. We had about 120 people. Because my street cred was sky high at the time, all the wait staff and bartenders were begging the banquet manager to work it and the hall slashed costs dramatically. Even they (the staff) got into it (the party) because we insisted. Went two hours OT.

My side is primarily Polish so the only work I had to do in advance is to provide my man a half dozen preferred polkas and obereks. With the exception of "NO Mariah Carey or I'll kill you" demand from my bride, it was FANTASTIC! Her planning and organizational skills keep our budget below $7K all in.

That was 22 years ago. The banquet manger has since retired (as stubborn as me) from what he loves doing. The banquet hall has been torn down for a Lowe's. I did three of the staff's weddings. Several of my trainees have died, moved away, or gone on to other jobs. My wife is as loving and beautiful as ever even though 24 years my junior. No one has even been more supportive of my career and she also realizes that, unless my health or physical condition should go south in a hurry, retirement per se, is not on the table of discussion, although pickin' and a choosin' is the order of the day.

I did estimate that the dance floor of the banquet hall was roughly where the end of aisle 13 is Lowe's now. Every year since, on our anniversary date of the 31st of January, we bring a tablet with our first dance song on it to the end of aisle 13 in Lowe's, and dance our first dance again, then go out to eat.

"I Cross My Heart" lyrics have never rung so true as they do for Allison and me.

So Cal Hugh said:

Reading the post on needing a dj or not got me thinking.


What did you do at yours and why?

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To be honest, my wedding was pitiful. 32 years ago. I grew up in podunk Alabama and never attended what I'd consider a "proper wedding". Never saw one that had a DJ, nor any dancing. All the weddings I attended growing up were go to the church, getting married, go to the fellowship hall, eat some mints and drink some punch, then go outside and throw rice as the B&G leave. My own wedding wasn't much more. 60 guests, ceremony, potluck food in the fellowship hall, then rice throwing exit. No DJ and the photographer that I hired was a friend who took daycare portraits (not even a wedding photog). I think I paid him $100 bucks (he actually did a surprisingly good job). I feel like my whole DJ career has basically been revolving around trying to do penance for the wedding I didn't provide for my wife..............

Cap Capello said:

I did estimate that the dance floor of the banquet hall was roughly where the end of aisle 13 is Lowe's now. Every year since, on our anniversary date of the 31st of January, we bring a tablet with our first dance song on it to the end of aisle 13 in Lowe's, and dance our first dance again, then go out to eat. "I Cross My Heart" lyrics have never rung so true as they do for Allison and me.

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Cap, that has got to be one of the most romantic gestures I've ever heard...I bow to thee in respect...

Most importantly, we choose to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony in the same church as my in-laws, my parents and many other family members. It is a beautiful Catholic church and it was the most important and meaningful decision we made. A drawing of that church is framed and still hangs on a prominent wall in my home. It is positioned next to a drawing of the reception venue, also a famous building in my city.

Regarding the reception celebration we contracted a band. We had too many qualified and willing friends offer to DJ/MC our wedding and I DID NOT want to insult or alienate anyone by choosing one talented friend over another. I wanted them participating as guests and family.

I was already DJing fairly high end weddings when I got married, but I did not have a high end wedding budget. So we did a very modest wedding in a family member's back yard. Only about 30 guests, and we hired a really great guitar player/singer for the music. He is a truly fantastic musician, and was perfect for the vibe we were trying to create.

I had a really nice but not exactly a high-end wedding at a very popular catering venue with a pond. We only had 100 people, mainly family & friends from work. I worked at the venue a lot so knew the personnel and the maître d’. I got a really great price by letting them set the date and they threw in a ton of extras. My best man was a photographer so I gave him the choice of being in the wedding or being the photographer. So I had to hire a good photographer and that was not cheap. Videotaping at weddings was not really popular then so everyone just passed around my video camera. Between the photographer, Photos everyone sent us, and videotape we saw the whole event from numerous different angles. My company handled the music of course. A couple of other DJ friends crushed the wedding but we had a couple of no shows so that worked out great. I only had to make sure the equipment was Secured before we left to go to Hawaii. The night before the wedding we did a dance marathon so I was going on little sleep. The actual plan was to have another party when my house was completed but things got really busy so that never happen. If I had to do it again there is a disco band both my wife & I like. I’d hire them along with having my company do the music.

Albatross said:

So we did a very modest wedding in a family member's back yard. Only about 30 guests, and we hired a really great guitar player/singer for the music. He is a truly fantastic musician, and was perfect for the vibe we were trying to create.

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Whoa...so close to the pool! Any splash problems?

dunlopj said:

Whoa...so close to the pool! Any splash problems?

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Hah, no. Nobody was in the pool during the wedding.

dunlopj said:

Cap, that has got to be one of the most romantic gestures I've ever heard...I bow to thee in respect...

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I told my wife that story and she said "Shit, that's romantic!"

Cap, you suck.

So Cal Hugh said:

What did you do at yours and why?

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We had a live band. At the time I had a very productive DJ business doing around 150 weddings a year. One of my DJs did a morning wedding wearing the same tux he would wear as an usher at my wedding and came straight to the church after the gig. The plan was that he would use that system during band breaks and for any overtime we wanted.

Turns out that the band while on break would leave someone behind to play popular pre-recorded music and that made a DJ unnecessary. The band was great both live and in their pe-recorded track selections and for years after everyone commented on it being a great and fun wedding reception.

I think in general, a band or DJ has very little to do with how a reception turns out. It's the bride & groom along with the wedding party and family that set the tone for the evening. Entertainment alone is nothing without an audience ready and willing to invest themselves in the experience. If you've ever been to a surprise party where the guest of honor is significantly late to the party - you know what a drag that is. That's exactly what it's like to be at a reception where the bride and groom are content to ride in the back seat of their own party.

Cap Capello said:

Every year since, on our anniversary date of the 31st of January, we bring a tablet with our first dance song on it to the end of aisle 13 in Lowe's,

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Glad it worked out for you.
(The original blueprint was for a driving range.)

Proformance said:

I think in general, a band or DJ has very little to do with how a reception turns out.

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I have no doubt you speak from personal experience.