I Want to Meet The Bride

When I am providing my services as the concierge at a beautiful country hotel, I often greet brides who are having a meeting with the wedding planners at the hotel, or having a walk round with the photographer to discuss the best photo locations (tip – always ask the concierge!) or, recently, a chat with their florist about table centrepieces, decorations etc.

As you progress through your wedding planning you will visit the dress shop for several fittings, perhaps have a menu tasting, a hair and make-up trial, a rehearsal of the wedding ceremony.

But at what point did you meet with and get to know your evening entertainer?

Yes, “get to know”.  Do they have an understanding of you, your wedding day, how you want it to go? Do you know about them, their style?  Have you discussed your expectations of the day, of the entertainment?  How will they start the evening, end the evening?  Have they understood your expectations, and have they explained to you how they can be met?

I read Facebook pages and trade magazines aimed at DJs, and a frequent topic that comes up is what the DJs describe as demanding brides.  Long music request lists, unrealistic timescales, plans that simply won’t work.  You will have heard the expression “Bridezilla”!

I can genuinely say that in the years since I became a professional wedding DJ rather than just a hobbyist (some 25 years ago!) I have never had a Bridezilla. Not one.  Am I just being nice?  No, I’m being honest.

By meeting with every single bride and groom – in person by preference or by telephone/zoom call if needs must – I make sure that I understand what the vision of the wedding day is.  My meetings will last an hour plus, because I will go through every element of the day – note it, make suggestions if appropriate and ensure I “get it”.  By ensuring that I know the timings of the day I can plan my arrival, set up, even when I get changed. I can tailor my service to your special day, dovetailing with and complementing all the plans and details.

• Too many song requests?  Let’s have a chat about how I can ensure as much of your music as possible gets played (whilst still having freedom to react to your guests).
• Very short turnaround time? We can discuss ways to mitigate that.
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I could suggest that too many people attach too little importance to planning the evening entertainment (and indeed, and extras during the day), but sadly that seems to include DJs too.  Even after 32 years, I know that I could not just rock up and DJ your wedding.  Every wedding is different, every wedding is unique.

 

That’s why I always want to Meet The Bride

(with apologies to Elton John!)

Mack The Knife

I’m often asked why I carry a cake knife in my Just In Case – I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t, but it appears that I am the only DJ to do so!

Like everything else in the case, it is there just in case it is needed – I’ve had events where the caterers didn’t bring one, where the hotel’s one hadn’t been put out (for safety reasons) and once where the venue’s knife actually snapped!

There is an actual story of why I bought the knife…

A few years ago, I was DJing a wedding at a golf club in West London.  When it came time to cut the cake, the venue manager brought out a chef’s knife from the kitchen, with a white plastic handle.  Chef’s knives are not designed to look pretty, and certainly have no place in a cake cutting photograph!  I quickly took a white linen napkin and tied it around the handle to disguise the knife – and I decided at that moment that I would never allow one of “my” couples to face that situation again!

Reconstruction photo!

The next day (a Sunday) I went to John Lewis in Kingston and bought a gorgeous and quite contemporary styled cake knife. That knife has now cut many wedding cakes and birthday cakes – to the point that even photographers knew that I would always have it with me!

That’s not the end of the story!  In 2016 I was DJing a wedding at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, along with Event Manager Meli.  One of the groomsmen was a Royal Navy Submariner and the bride and groom used his sword to cut the cake – no need for my knife that day!  We both got sword envy that day (it’s a real thing!) so I decided to add a sword to the collection.  

If you would like something different at your wedding, then the sword is available for you!  It makes great photographs, especially while we are setting up the cake cutting - some brides knight their husband, some threaten a beheading, but rest assured, it isn’t sharp!

The sword has been used at many weddings, the first was a Lord of the Rings themed day so it was the perfect addition, one couple even went all Game Of Thrones on their cake, stabbing it from above!

To me, the cake knife is an obvious thing to carry – my job is to help make every wedding, every event perfect and stress free, so my “Justin Case”, including the knife, is a part of that.  The sword?  Well, that’s just a bit extra!

Ask your potential DJ what extra steps they take…

Let Me Entertain You

What is a DJ? What does a DJ do? What do you think of when you think of a DJ? Is it just a guy (usually) who plays records? Almost a glorified jukebox?  How do you view the “superstar” DJs?

What do DJs think they are?

To me, I’m an entertainer, a performer – whether playing music or acting as a compere.  For me the job goes way beyond playing music, beyond the flashing lights or clever gimmicks.  For me it is about putting on a performance, being part of an event that is then the best that it can be – a memory for all who were there.  Even though I am in a corner, behind the decks that is not where I should stay.  My personality projects out, whether in the choice of programming of music, interaction with the crowd, dancing and showing that I’m having a good time too.

Under our Silverball Country brand we (Francesca and I) work at festivals, managing the second stage – but just like DJing it is more than just naming the act about to walk on stage – we are there to build up the crowd, get the atmosphere bubbling ready for when the band or singer walk on and start to play.  The audience should be ready for that first chord, that first note.  We will play with the crowd, tease them, tell them about the act, not just their name!  It is all about putting on a show and being part of the show.

More than that we will have greeted the artistes, help them load in, set up, sound check, arrange their merchandise, get to know them – and on certain occasions park their van, take them to the toilet and set up the microphone to the right height based on Francesca being as tall as the lead singer!

This holds true for DJing and hosting a wedding or party – liaising with the venue staff, the caterers, the photographer, ensuring the cake is ready, facing the right way – a million and one things that you may never see us do.

I don’t turn up, set up, play and go home.  I want to be sure that I have given my all to your event. I may not be physically making music, but I am making memories, helping you to have a great time, hitting the right tracks at the right time, looking for that moment when someone will shriek with delight at a much loved tune, a song that takes them back.

What am I? 

A performer, an entertainer, a professional

Sweet Talkin' Guy

I received a lovely compliment after a party recently – lovely but slightly confusing for me.  The party was a surprise 70^th, and I did my usual show with introductions, making an event out of the birthday cake, generally trying to entertain the guests.  At the end of the party the couple who booked me came across and said, with the usual thank yous

It was so nice to have a DJ that interacts

Now there was the confusing part. I kind of assumed that all DJs “interact” - I mean, to me that is an essential part of DJing. Without interaction you might as well just put on a playlist.  So obviously this got me curious – so I asked them why that stood out for them.  It turns out that they got married last year and “the DJ for the wedding may as well have been mute”

One of the difficulties of DJing is that you can’t always benchmark your service against others, because I tend to be working rather than attending parties.  More recently I have been working on the other side of events, as a catering manager or butler (all of my work is in events and hospitality, this is not a part-time job for me!) and so I have been taking the opportunity to observe the entertainment.

What I have seen has shocked me, and disappointed me.

DJing is, and should be, both interactive and reactive, especially for a wedding.  Whilst your wedding day (or any party) is in itself a major event, every element of it should also be an event in its own right – and for that you need interaction.

Now, I’m not saying that I become a cheesy Tony Blackburn tribute act, but I talk, and I do more than simply “announce”.  I was at a wedding this weekend, where the DJ made no announcement at all about the cake cutting or even the first dance.

I will organise the cake cutting – gather your guests into position, get everything ready to hand over to the photographer to get that magical photo, and then turn to the crowd, get them involved with a countdown to you actually cutting the cake – imagine the difference with the shouted numbers, the cheering, the excitement as opposed to essentially silence and nobody being sure when you have physically cut the cake! (its very helpful to the venue staff as well so that they can quickly come and remove the cake!)

The first dance is the last formal part of a wedding – and again needs to be properly introduced, with a build-up, once more ensuring that all of your family and friends feel they are part of it.  Once you are dancing, if you are feeling shy and want people to join you there is nothing worse (in my eyes) than seeing a bride and groom frantically waving to people to join them on the dance floor – that’s my job!  After receiving the prearranged signal (normally just a panicked look!) I will re-announce you as husband and wife, and then invite people to join you - usually the wedding party, followed by family, married couples, couples and then all the single people “grab a partner”.  Done in stages (although fairly quickly) you will easily have a full dance floor.

Throughout the party the DJ should be reacting to what people like, what music works, requests and your playlists. If a DJ isn’t doing this, then perhaps they shouldn’t be a wedding DJ – or a party DJ at all!

Perhaps this sounds a little critical, but the DJ is there to bring the party and ensure that everything not only runs smoothly but is presented in the best way possible - even announcing the buffet can be done with humour and professionalism.

Look for videos on my website and facebook for examples – and let’s have a fun, smooth and interactive celebration!

Wait until you see how I end a wedding….

Stop Right Now....Thank you very much!

STOP HIRING CHEAP DJs

There, I said it.  I went there.  The price issue.  Yes, I’ve touched on this before, but it is always a relevant point.

I was in attendance at a wedding event this weekend at a luxury venue where weddings cost upwards of £25,000. A wonderful cake maker was exhibiting, and one of her cakes was on display at £500. Now, I’m not criticising the cake, and I’m sure it is worth the money, but consider the difference between a wedding cake and a wedding DJ.

A good wedding cake will look good, be a centrepiece and taste good – although in reality very few people ever eat it, and the cutting is over quite quickly

A good wedding DJ should also look good, be a focal point during key parts of the day and make sure the party is good

When you compare the two side by side, surely the DJ (who will be part of your wedding for in excess of 5 hours) offers more value – so why would you pay twice as much for your wedding cake as for your DJ?

There is a saying in DJ circles “nobody goes home whistling the flowers” – people mostly remember and talk about the food at the wedding breakfast and the party (and of course the beautiful bride!)

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a beautiful wedding cake, you should be making sure that your day is perfect in every detail, and is the day that you dream of, but to scrimp on one of the biggest parts of the day just because you can find a cheap DJ may seem like a short term gain but in the long run it may be one of the biggest regrets when you look back.

You wouldn’t put your faith in a cheap cake, why put your faith in a cheap DJ?