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Another busy week for this award winning DJ

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It’s been another busy week.

Last Saturday it was Alex and Hannah’s wedding (as mentioned in the previous blog post) at Norton Park I arrived just after 10am to set up and left at 2am on Sunday morning- 16 hours onsite and I loved every minute (except when one of my flight case lids slammed down on my thumb – but I didn’t break anything!).

Another busy week for award winning dj

On Sunday we went to see Ricky Gervais at the Mayflower. It was a very good show, we hadn’t seen him live before and he really didn’t disappoint. Before the show we were delighted to bump into Rachel and Ed who got married last year at Ampfield Golf Club, it was lovely to catch up with them. (In other news this week the Hampshire Wedding Group confirmed their next wedding fair at Ampfield will be on Sunday 1st October – full details to follow).

Monday it was time to ‘sharpen the sword’ with some more training. This time it was off to Reading for the day with 16 of my colleagues. It was good to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. It’s just a shame more DJ’s don’t take advantage of these opportunities – if YOU are a DJ reading this and want help to find good training please email me.

Hampshire DJ of the year

Tuesday afternoon I visited one of my couples to talk about their plans for their forthcoming wedding at the beautiful Master Builder’s Hotel at Bucklers Hard. In the evening it was a social catch up with some of my friends from Toast Masters International.

Wednesday I had a catch up with one of my local advertising contacts and talk about some future campaigns and competitions. You can see the online version of this weeks Hampshire Independent CLICK HERE you’ll see I have an advert in there this week.

Yesterday, Thursday, I went to a wedding ceremony rehearsal in preparation for next Saturday’s wedding – I’m so excited, it’s going to be wonderful. I had to stop on the way home and act like a tourist to take this photo just 8 miles from home!

Hampshire Wedding DJ

There’s been plenty more going on that I won’t bore you with, I just wanted to give you a flavour of my week.

Don’t forget my Creating Your WOW Wedding evening on Thursday 6th July!

Coming up … another busy week, because that’s the brilliant life I have 😀

September weddings

Just to say … I’m back and these two great events are happening!

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Just to say … I’m back and these two great events are happening!

I’m just about to rush off for a meeting but I just wanted to post a quick update to get a couple of things on your radar.

When I say I’m back that’s because we’ve just had a fabulous break away in Fuerteventura (I don’t want to make you too jealous so I won’t post a picture … no, I’m a horrible person, so here’s one!)

So it’s back to work now and I’m preparing for two excellent events in the next few days

First, on Sunday …
Brockenhurst Village Hall wedding fair. It’s FREE entry and there will be plenty of great wedding experts on hand to chat to. I understand there will also be a welcome drink and a goodie bag. Brockenhurst Village Hall is in Highwood Road and the postcode is SO42 7RY.

Then on Wednesday evening I’m hosting another of my “Your The Man” Bridegroom’s workshops, which isn’t really a workshop at all. It’s just an evening for the gentleman when I run through their responsibilities and help them with great ideas so that everybody thinks they are a “top bloke”. I could tell you more but then I’d have to kill you – so, if you know anyone who might be interested (even if they aren’t my client and don’t need a DJ) tell them to email me paul@thepartydj.co.uk and I’ll tell them more.

I actually haver lots to tell you but I’ll get to the other stuff later I just wanted to let you know about these two great events before I went to my meeting ~ Cheers! x

Le Chanteclerc Wedding Fayre

Rhinefield House Wedding Fayre This Sunday

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It’s Rhinefield House Wedding Fayre this Sunday and Ce and I will be there. It is one of the most popular venues in the area and I’ve done lots of weddings there with more booked for this year. CLICK HERE for more about Rhinefield House Weddings.

The Rhinefield House Wedding Fayre is always a great event with lots of couples looking for great suppliers and many of my friends will be exhibiting including Carole from The Flower Stables and Kim and Krysia from Kim Collins Photography.

As always, I recommend that whenever you visit an event like this you should try and speak to EVERY exhibitor – they are experts and will usually be happy to help with advice even if they can’t do your date.

I haven’t managed to attend as many wedding fairs as usual this year so I’m really looking forward to Sunday, PLUS I now have a new WOW Wedding events scheduled to tell people about.

This Sunday’s Rhinefield House Wedding Fayre starts at 10:30am and ends around 3pm, there is a £2 entry fee which includes a bridal bag and show guide. It’s organised by the excellent Stylish Events. The Fayre is actually held in The Hurst Castle Suite which is away from the part of the hotel where weddings normally held but there will be plenty of signage to direct you. I look forward to seeing you there.

Winner Best DJ and Contribution To The Wedding Industry!

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Last Friday was the first ever Hampshire Wedding Suppliers Awards. The Ceremony was held at The Grand Harbour Hotel in the centre of Southampton. I was the winner Best DJ and Contribution To The Wedding Industry categories!

To enter the various categories you had to submit two client testimonials and a testimonial for a colleague. One and again I would like to thank Hannah & Dan, Gemma & Brian and Antony from Lightbox Studios for their support (CLICK ON THEIR NAMES to see the reviews). These, along with my answers to various questions were then judged “blind” by a panel of industry experts. More details about the process can be found CLICK HERE.

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Looking back to the Awards Evening, a week ago, it’s all a bit of a blur. So I asked the organisers if they had any of the notes used by the Host Paul Kinvig from his script and they got back to me with these …

One judge said about the winner ~ “This experienced company is clearly doing something right. Keep it up! ~ The Winner Best DJ is The Party DJ!”

contribution

contributionContribution to the Wedding Industry:

It hadn’t even occurred to me that I might be in contention to win a second award, so I was amazed when I heard …

This award is judged on not only how you support the wedding industry but also how you convey that in your application. This company provided the most comprehensive answer by far. The winner of the Contribution to the Wedding Industry Award goes to The Party DJ!

As I said, the evening was all a bit of a blur, I listed all the winners in a previous post CLICK HERE. I had my wonderful wife, Ce, and our children Amy and Joe with me on a table of friends so it was a very special night for me. To be the Winner Best DJ and Contribution To The Wedding Industry was amazing!

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Thank You

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I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all my couples in supporting me in the recent awards I entered. Each and every one of my 2016 couples have taken the time to score me and write comments some in both of the competitions I entered.

As you may have seen last Friday I won the “Best Entertainment (DJ)” award and a second for “Contribution To The Wedding Industry” at the Hampshire Wedding Awards. On Tuesday it was the regional finals in the National Wedding Industry Awards and with an overall score of 9.9 and some amazing comments for my couples, I didn’t make it through to the finals. However I’m delighted that my two former colleagues in The Party Hosts did very well – Gary Evans won it and Alan Marshall received a Highly Commended. So, all three of us have been acknowledged this week, proof that training and dedication really do make a difference in what we do.

I returned to DJ’ing just over six years ago and I have so much to be thankful for. I’ve met some amazing DJ’s, trainers and mentors who have played a part in helping me ~ thank you.

I’ve been blessed to work with some beautiful couples and their families, and been included in so many wedding days that I will never forget ~ thank you.

I’ve also met dozens of brilliant wedding suppliers who have encouraged me and recommended me to potential clients ~ thank you.

I know I am a very fortunate person to do this for a living and have such amazing family and friends who support me … an put up with me ~ thank you

Earlier today I posted “Be Thankful For What You Got” for Thanksgiving Day on FaceBook – here’s another great song to everybody who I want to say thank you to today …

Thank you x

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The Red Arrows and Rainbows ~ WOW Countdown … 2

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Arrange a fly-past by the Red Arrows …

red-arrows-2

OK, maybe that’s a step too far, but at one wedding a couple of years ago we knew they were appearing at a nearby event, so the photographer and I kept an eye out and made sure we got the wedding party back out to see it so they could get some photos.

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A similar moment was captured when Jane from Winslowe House kept a look out for a rainbow on a sunshine and showers wedding day – she let us know and the photographer took the couple out from their meal to capture the moment.

Likewise there may be something happening that has a potential negative effect on your big day – a big event may cause unusual traffic congestion or a major sporting event might have your guests checking their phones every two minutes – think about how you can get the best outcome in these situations.

You can’t always plan for this stuff but you can keep it in mind, just in case.

So, we’re almost there ~ just a few more hours until the “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening at Ampfield. If you haven’t already reserved your places email me now paul@thepartydj.co.uk or CLICK HERE Remember, your entry fee will go direct to The Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity.

baked with love

real weddings

Photographs ~ WOW Countdown … 6

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Photographs ~ they say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so displaying photo’s is a great way of telling your story and engaging with your guests.

photographs-6

The first “W” in the “WOW” system is for “Weave” yourselves into the day – what better way than including your childhood photographs, your parents’ and grandparents’ wedding photos, shots from your hen and stag events, pictures of your pets ~ in fact anything you want! You can also add snaps from the day as you go along so that evening guests can get a real flavour of the whole day. You can display them in frames or on a screen or projected on a spare wall, is a great way to entertain your guests and help you weave YOU into the day.

If you are having a “destination wedding” abroad and having a party when you come back a photomontage of your trip and ceremony is an absolute essential!

If you haven’t already read “Your WOW Wedding” email me and I’ll forward a link to you ~ paul@thepartydj.co.uk

We are now one week away from the “creating Your WOW Wedding” event at Ampfield Golf Club when I’ll be running through a wedding day timeline and explaining how you can use use “WOW” to make yours the best wedding day ever! Tickets are £10 per couple with all proceeds going to The Countess Mountbatten Hospice Charity ~ CLICK HERE for more information. Reserve your places now ~ email me today ~ paul@thepartydj.co.uk

real weddings

HELP! ~ WOW Countdown ~ Day Five

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It’s day five of my countdown to the “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening and today’s topic is … Help!

help

If you’ve been following this series from the beginning you’ll known I talk about getting others involved. Here are two videos from my ABC/123 series of wedding tips. The first is about getting help from your friends and family. Speak to the married ones and find out what they loved about their weddings and also about what they would do differently. You can also get people involved, some will be able to do things for you before the big day in planning and making things,

The second video is about choosing your suppliers. Working with suppliers you actually like, who understand exactly what you want, and really want to help you is the key to success when planning your wedding. Remember your suppliers have an incredible amount of knowledge through their experience. They will be able to make suggestions and recommend other suppliers. If you need help they are a very useful resource.

So, don’t try and do it all on your own, ask for help and get others involved in creating your WOW wedding.

For more details about the Creating You WOW Wedding event at Ampfield and to reserve your places please email paul@thepartydj.co.uk.

help

real weddings

Back To Basics ~ Day Four ~ the WOW Countdown

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The WOW Wedding Countdown is a tip a day that I hope will help you with your wedding planning and give you a flavour of how attending my “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening might benefit you. Today let’s go back to basics.

Back-to-basics-W-c-27

It’s now 27 days until my “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening at Ampfield Gold Club, so this is day 4 in the series so make sure you scroll down to see the previous entries and bookmark this blog or follow my FaceBook page for more free advice. I thought I’d go back to basics and recycle a video I made a while ago for couples who had just got engaged.

I believe a great wedding can draw many comparisons with a great film – and most great movies have a fantastic soundtrack, especialy created to enhance the experience. To me, the most important piece of music at a wedding is what’s being played as the Bride enters the ceremony for her “processional” – it sets the tone for the whole day – there should be goose-bumps, tears of joy and lots of smiles. Music can really help with this and helping with moments like this are why I have become more and more involved in weddings over the years.

back-to-basics-wow

The “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening takes you right back to basics and runs through the wedding day timeline and explains what will happen and how you can make the most of every precious moment. This isn’t event for just my clients, it’s for everyone who is planning their wedding – it comes with a full money-back guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose. If you want to know more about the event PLEASE CLICK HERE, or email paul@thepartydj.co.uk

I’m going to continue with the back to basics theme tomorrow, so please look out for tip 26 in the WOW Wedding Countdown!

real weddings

Day Two ~ The WOW Wedding Countdown … 29!

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Just in case you missed it yesterday, the WOW Wedding Countdown is a tip a day that I hope will help you with your wedding planning and give you a flavour of how attending my “Creating Your WOW Wedding” evening might benefit you.

countdown-day-2

Wow Wedding Countdown ~ Tip 2
The “O” in WOW stands for OTHERS
Get others involved in your wedding.
You will have talented friends and family who will love to help you prepare for your special day.

Have your family and friends participate directly in your wedding day. This goes way beyond just inviting them to do a reading at your ceremony.
For example, if you have a professional or gifted amateur singer or musician attending, ask them to perform for your ceremony or during the reception.
I’ve been at weddings which included performances by guests who were singers, guitarists, actors, comedians and magicians.
You may know people who are gifted in crafts and making things … the list goes on.
Maybe it could be a special dance routine with friends, hens or stags.
When you are creating your WOW wedding get others involved and everything will become more memorable!

At my Creating Your WOW Wedding evening on 15th November I’ll be running through a wedding timeline explaining how you can use these ideas to make your wedding totally unique, elegant and fun. Tickets are £10 per couple and there is a money-back guarantee AND every £10 goes to The Countess Mountbatten Hospice. If you liked to know more about the event PLEASE CLICK HERE, or email paul@thepartydj.co.uk

You can also follow the WOW Wedding Countdown on my FaceBook page CLICK HERE It would fantastic if you give the page a Like and share it with your friends ~ thanks x.

save-the-date

See you tomorrow for tip 28 in the WOW Wedding Countdown! when we get to the second W of WOW