Saturday night at one of my favourite venues with a couple I first met in April 2010 ~ I am so lucky to be able to do what I do!
The venue was Marwell, the couple were Jen and Martin, their first dance was to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”.
More on both this weekends weddings very soon.
Yesterday was the wedding of the new Mr & Mrs Zainal at the amazing Captains Club in Christchurch. I’m sure I’ll post several entries over the coming days but for today here’s a live version of their first dance.
I’ve just been directed to these two very good videos on YouTube from THINKER.
First we have some tips on writing your toast …
and the second one, more great advice on delivering your toast
Toasts and speeches are covered for Bridegrooms in my special “men only” Bridegrooms workshop ~ Click here for more information. 😉
First dances ~ what would you choose ~ what did you have?
Some of you may know I frequently stage a “Guess The First Dance” competitions and invite the guests to fill in a card with their answer, I then find any correct guesses and the Bride and Bridegroom draw out a winner for a special prize.
Nobody got this one a couple of weeks ago, what a classic!
Most of the enquiries I receive ask just that one question – “how much is a disco?”. Couples frequently ask for a quote before talking or meeting with me. This is very difficult because my service usually isn’t just a ‘four hour’ type of operation. I’m often on site from a couple of hours before the ceremony until at least an hour after the finish of the evening party. 14 hour days aren’t uncommon. Price isn’t an easy thing to discuss without me knowing exactly what is expected and helping the couple realise that I can probably help them achieve an experience way beyond what they’re expecting.
That 14 hour day is, of course, after I’ve already done the 20 to 30 hours of preparation, which includes meetings, planning, location visits, communication with other suppliers, correspondence, phone calls, emails, buying additional music, providing insurance and of course equipment maintenance!
Communicating this well in an email seems to be almost impossible, and over the phone isn’t much better. In a meeting, couples start to really ‘get it’ and begin to understand the importance of the entertainment as a considerable percentage of the overall success of their wedding day. Once they see that value, the percentage of the overall wedding day budget starts to make sense and my service becomes a very viable investment because I offer great value for money.
Many couples choose to spend hundreds of pounds on chair covers with beautiful sashes to match their colour scheme, but they are reluctant to spend even the same amount on a DJ to get people up from those same chairs to dance!
I guess the problem is that many people have never seen a good DJ and they think we are all the same. The truth is anyone can be a wedding DJ ~ YOU could be a wedding DJ! There are no exams to pass, no qualifications to secure, even things like insurance aren’t legally required, so many people DJ as a hobby not as a professional business and just do what they do. They have limited experience, training and skill, they just do it because they like it and can make a few quid on the side.
I’m not cheap, and there are a lot of reasons for that. In fact I’m one of the most expensive wedding DJs in the area, and I usually work around 30 weddings per year at prices that mean I can offer my clients a totally unique and personalised service. People hire me to ensure that their wedding will be unlike any other celebration that they and their guests have ever been to. They book me to ensure that their day flows perfectly, that their guests don’t leave as soon as the DJ starts and that everyone feels like they are part of something truly special and memorable.
So that’s why I offer a free, no-obligation to anyone who wants to check me out. More information can be found on my website CLICK HERE Why not get in touch and we can get together over a cuppa and you can tell me about your dream wedding celebration.
This Friday I was booked for a 50th Party for Andrea and Tony.
They had also booked a band to provide some live music.
“Shift” played two 45 minutes sets full of gutsy covers of tracks ranging from “Teenage Dirtbag” to “Tears Of A Clown”. They were mostly a four piece with a saxophonist joining them for some tracks. They created a really good honest rocking sound and soon had the guests up and dancing.
The party was held at the excellent Totton Sports & Social Club, a really nice venue for parties like this, and Simon and the team provided their usual excellent service both behind the bar and on the barbecue.
I’ve DJ’d at several events Andrea and Tony had attended including last years New Years Eve Party at Le Blaireau so I was delighted to see lots of familiar faces. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did, plenty of great dance music from across the last 40 years ending up with Rufus & Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”, The Fatbacks “I Found Lovin” and The Jackson Fives “I Want You Back” – great fun!
I was at Marwell Wildlife on Friday for an all-day wedding and then The Bartley Lodge Hotel on Saturday – both weddings were great fun, so obviously I had a fabulous time too. But I love every day!
Yesterday (Tuesday) I spent the morning …
editing a video for the Bride and Bridegroom from Saturdays wedding
and then I had my weekly Skype with my colleague David in Cyprus.
Next I met up with 16 other local DJ’s from the Hampshire DJ Alliance for a networking lunch.
After that 3 of us continued the brainstorming for a couple more hours.
Finally I met with a couple who I’m providing Master of Ceremonies and music from drinks reception to party in September.
… and today I went to the beach with my lovely wife – well everyone deserves a day off sometime!
Love it!
… I’ve just been very busy!
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, so many things to do and so little time to do it all. It’s been a week of admin, meetings and planning. I’ve had meetings with two very special couples who’s weddings are imminent and I’m so excited about them – you’d think it was me who was getting married!
I don’t think I’ve mentioned my FaceBook page ~ “The Party DJ”. If you use FaceBook I’d really value your support, please give it a “like” and share it with your friends 🙂
Finally, here’s another video I haven’t shared here before. It’s from a wedding I did back in April for lovely Sharon and Dave.
Also at last Sunday’s wedding fair were Grace and Karen from www.eventcrashers.co.uk
Wedding Crashers provide hidden staff and secret guests who can infiltrate your wedding and astonish your guests when they burst into song!
They even promise a fourth special event crasher for their grand finale!
So if you are looking for a “Wow Factor” take a look at www.eventcrashers.co.uk and The Wedding Crashers
www.eventcrashers.co.uk
02392 614 212
07760 177 579
Tonight I’m back at The Concorde Club 🙂
The Concorde is a members club and is open to members and their guests only on Saturday nights. I’ll be in the booth from about 9:30 through until 2:00am.
If you’re looking for great entertainment and dining on a regular basis you really should consider membership to the Concorde DETAILS HERE
Full details of the what’s coming up at The Concorde Club over the next few months are available to download CLICK HERE
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