I CANNOT be rented!

So I was reading over at a popular wedding site and came across an article offering advice to brides & grooms regarding music. The article was...shall we say....fluffy? I was about to click away and then this caught my attention

Once the ceremony is complete and the newlyweds along with their bridal party and guests move along to the wedding reception, they should find themselves in an establishment which has music playing as well. The main choice which the couple needs to decide upon is whether to have a DJ or live band play at their wedding reception. There are a few considerations when trying to choose between the two.

There are pros and cons to having a DJ play music at the reception. Some of the pros associated with DJs include less expensive fees, greater selection of music and the bride and groom will always know what the music will sound like, as it is prerecorded. Some of the negative aspects which one may find with a DJ is that there is only one individual playing the music, there is a lack of variety in song versions and the DJ may not be as lively as a band.

When considering having a live band play at the reception, it is important to consider some of the positive and negative aspects of doing so. On the bright side, when the couple has a live band play at their reception they will have lively entertainment by the individuals playing the music, there may be more exciting variations to the songs and it provides a more elegant and personal atmosphere to the special day. With regard to potential negative aspects of having a live band, the band members may not sound as good as on their demo tape, they may not have as many musical selections and they will most likely be pricier than renting a DJ would be.

There are many things that I take exception to in this section of the article.

How exactly is a band more "personal" than a skilled wedding entertainer/DJ?

You want more exciting versions of a song I have remix upon remix of the most popular tunes and if by chance I don't find a remix I will do one live on the spot. I don't think this is something most B&G's are seeking for their reception. My experience is that the standard version of a song is the one people truly want to hear. Not a "good cover" with an extended "jam" in the middle!

Want custom introductions for your bridal party(different specific songs for each couple)? I did a party this year with 12 couples in the bridal party and custom edited music from 30 different songs to personalize their introductions. Good luck having the band pull that one off.

Now I agree that a band is certainly a lot more entertaining to watch and if that is what you want, something for your guests to watch then have your DJ provide video screens for the party and take it to another level, but most times I find that the B&G want to enjoy their friends and family, while dancing to some good songs. It is my philosophy that the B&G should be the primary focus of the guests, not me and certainly not some raucous floor show.

Too each his own.
Here is where I got "tweaked"

they will most likely be pricier than renting a DJ would be.

I can be hired to do an event, but I am not a commodity to be rented!

This is the problem with some so called wedding planners ( I said some - I actually love working with a good qualified wedding planner at an event) They view the vendors as merely commodities to be shuffled around, and too often to be treated poorly, dismissively and too often without even the slightest professional courtesy. I never understand this. What benefit is there to a wedding planner in alienating any if not all of the vendors at an event? None that I can see. Your wedding entertainment, be it DJ or band, should be professionals with wedding experience. If they are they deserve the respect that their years of experience has earned them. You don't rent people. Your rent, chairs, tents, lights, etc...NOT PEOPLE!

Treat your vendors courteously and respectfully and they will work even harder than you ever imagined possible to give you your wedding, YOUR way

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The fastest way to save the MOST money at your reception!

I read this online today and I am not sure whether I agree with this strategy or not. Here it is for your consideration.........

Want to know the fastest and easiest way to save big money on your wedding?

Reduce the number of guests you invite!

At an average cost of $50-$100 per guest (for food, drinks, tips, taxes, etc.) you can save a lot of money really fast! Here’s a fact: Most brides and grooms invite TOO MANY people to their wedding! After the wedding, over 90% feel that they could have saved money by not inviting some of the people they felt obligated to invite!

If you are thinking of 250 people and you trim it to 225, you save anywhere from $1250 to $2500 dollars!! This alone pays for your DJ, or a professional videographer! Trim it to 200 and you have paid for your honeymoon!

Never forget: 90% of brides and grooms come away from their wedding realizing that they wasted a lot of money inviting people that they really didn’t have to! Trim that guest list! In fact, you are sure to be one of the 90% if you do not review and trim the list at least 5 times!!!! Trim that guest list! Look at all the money you will save!

What do you think? Sounds reasonable but I know from experience that the guest list is a BEAST and one that is extremely hard to tame! Many brides and grooms spend weeks on making their list. Perhaps there's something in the amount of time spent dealing with this issue. Sort of a "can't see the forest for the trees" thing. Here's a thought take a look at your guest list and picture yourself intreacting with each person or couple on the list. When you get to a shudder or a feeling that is less than true exuberance make a note of that name. Then put the list away for a week, come back and read ONLY those names and see if your feeling is the same. If the mere thought of dealing with a guest makes you uncomfortable now, it probably won't change on YOUR big day.

Just something to think about!

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Last Minute Crisis: Disasters that occur the Week of the Wedding, and How to Avoid Them”

Here are some more common Week of the wedding / Day of the wedding emergencies and strategies to prepare to cope with them.

Keep the bench DEEP!
A member of the bridal party is called out of town for his or her job or is in an accident, or too sick to be in the wedding. Plan for this! When you make up your list of bridesmaids and groomsmen, list a couple of “alternates” just in case!

Sitting with your back to the driver in the limo.
With all the excitement, you may be overly warm, you start feeling queasy….and get sick! Some people can get motion sickness sitting in a car in a way that their body is not accustomed to. Limo drivers are the best! And good at being smooth drivers, but sit facing the driver!

Your uncle’s old Ford broke down.
You want to save some money on a limo and your uncle has an old classic car he volunteers to drive you in, but it breaks down. The car isn’t a bad idea, the solution is to have a friend drive behind you just in case that old classic dies!

Early Bird NOT the worm!
You are having the pictures taken before the ceremony and someone is late! This can ruin the whole schedule very quickly! Taking pictures before your ceremony is a great idea but only if you insist that everyone be very early. What does “early” mean? Here’s a good standard: If they had a flat tire, they could get it fixed and still be on time!”

Perfume going in...
A headache or upset stomach because you drank champagne on an empty stomach. Most of us here in the real world rarely drink it so we aren’t prepared for what it can do to us. Eat a little something before downing the bubbly! It may save your night!

Here's a Tip!
Gratuities for service providers are traditional during the wedding day. While in most situations a gratuity is given for EXCEPTIONAL service, in the wedding business some companies actually include the gratuity in the contract. Tips for the servers, the priest or minister, limo driver, DJ, videographer, photographer, bartenders, etc can easily add up to hundreds of dollars! Decide how much you have spent and tip accordingly, as you would in a restaurant, better service gets a bigger tip!

Not breaking in your shoes!
And this goes for the whole bridal party! Not being able to dance at your own wedding without a lot of pain (or your maid of honor can’t dance with you to all your favorite songs from the college days) is a real disappointment. Plan ahead! Even bring a second pair of shoes for dancing! Remember, you will set the tone for the reception. And if the guests don’t see you dancing, they will be less inclined to dance as well!

Not packing a “Wedding Emergency Kit”.
Put a little bag together containing the following: A needle and thread, An extra pair of contacts, Asprin or Tylenol, Tums, Breath Mints, Make up. An extra pair of Panty Hose, Shoe polish for touch ups, Band-Aids, Tissues, Safety pins, AND, Whatever else you can think of! Don't want one more thing to remember then order one HERE for only $39!

Remeber the wisdom of Poor Richards Almanac.."An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Keep Murphy and his nasty law off your reception guest list!

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Always so much happening

There's always so much going on that I sometimes wonder if I can keep up with it all. The Photo Booth inquiries have now reached the point of ridiculousness. I would need at least 5 booths to cover the inquiries we already have. Much of my time and attention during the day are being devoted to returning phone inquiries and replying to emails.

I guess it never occurred to me that the Photo Booth rentals might actually be good for DJ business as well. I know, I am supposed to be "the marketing guy" but this one just escaped me. Anyway many brides are finding their way to the DJ side of the website and inquiries are up for DJ as well. 2009 may well be my best year ever.

I was looking at site referrals today, the way people get to the website from the web itself and I noticed a bunch of referrals from www.lisa-walsh.com. Lisa is a wedding photographer of extraordinary talent as you will plainly see if you click over to her page. I get work with a lot of photographers but Lisa and her husband were two of the nicest professionals it has been my pleasure to work with.

And finally...a complete and total website redsign is underway! Go on over to JHatchDJ.com and meet JH Weddings!

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DiNicholas Wedding 12-31-07

Times when you don't hyphenate your name

Here are some good examples of why hyphenating your last name is a really bad idea...

CONGRATULATIONS Michael & Hannah

This was a lot of fun. Hannah & Michael are friends of mine. I LOVE working for people I know because it makes the performance personally meaningful. I give 100% effort at all my parties but when it's friends or family you really step it up a notch. Hannah is a teacher who just graduated from college with her degree and spent time student teaching in both of my children's' classrooms. Additionally she is my daughters Pioneer Clubs teacher and has been an incredibly positive influence on my little girl.

The Springside Inn is a nice, family run establishment that serves some really great food. The Inn is old (it opened originally in 1854) and while it is well maintained it is an old building filled with all of the nuances that give old buildings their charm. The grounds are beautiful for pictures and the staff was very pleasant and accommodating, despite some problems with the seating chart, everything was handled well and professionally.

Hannah and Michael are just like most of the Brides and Grooms I've worked with over the last 15 years. They had a very definite idea of what they wanted to hear musically for their wedding. They chose a lot of really great music and we would have had an awesome party had we stuck strictly with what they had chosen. However as the big day arrived and their friends and family began talking to them about their desire to dance to specific songs and to really have a great time they began to wonder if their music selections focused too narrowly on their own tastes. This prompted Hannah to ask me to "play just good music that everyone will enjoy." Taking this new "flexibility" to hand I am happy to say that the dance floor was filled the entire time, and keep in mind this was an AFTERNOON wedding reception, which usually present the biggest challenge to dancing. I managed to play about 90% of Hannah & Michaels requests only having to add a few classics like "Build Me Up Buttercup", and "The Twist" to move things along.

(* Special note - I tell all my client this and I truly believe it with my heart but its good people that make a good party. The DJ can guide it and he can even take it to the level of GREAT but it starts with the people. If they want to have fun, and you give them the basics they will, even in spite of a crappy DJ)

And there you have it. That is the art of what a really good DJ is capable of. Discerning what music will motivate a crowd and how to string those songs together to keep people involved is indeed an art form. Like any art it takes years of trial and error, and herds and herds of practical experience to learn. Thats what a DJ does if he wants to make people happy.

Making requests is fine. You need only read the previous post to know that I am willing to play strictly the music that clients choose during their affair. Any professional DJ should be willing to do the same. However I encourage people to allow the DJ the flexibility to work "his magic" on the crowd. You can essentially play 40-50 songs duringa 4 hour party. Pick 20 that you absolutely MUST hear, and leave the DJ with the room to string those requests, together with "appropriate" requests from your guests and the songs that he KNOWS will move people to enjoy themselves. That is the recipe for a GREAT event. One which will be memorable to you and your guests.

Happy 50th Birthday Linda

LIVE FROM Pensabene's Casa Grande!

Every now and then you meet a client that you just love. Linda is just such a client. I met Linda when Cheryl at Pascale's recommended me for her 2006 company holiday party. She is one of those people who can make you smile at every turn. She has such an energy and is so filled with a joie de vie that you feel like a long lost friend from the moment you meet her. The party was arranged and we had a blast thanks in no small part to a great ice breaker game called "Human Scrabble" and some really choice tunes requested by the guests. Linda told me at the end of the night that she was turning 50 in 2007 and that she would love it if her husband booked me for the party. Music to my ears!

I heard from Linda again about a month later when a friend of hers called to ask if I was available for her 50th Birthday party. She told me that Linda had confided to her that I was the BEST DJ she had ever seen and that if she wanted a really great party she should book me for it. I booked the gig and we had another great time. (Great 50th birthday game called "Older than/Younger than) It was at this party that I met Linda's husband and she insisted not only that he take my card, but that he better not even think of hiring anyone but me. That very night Linda handed me an envelope containing her request list...all 14 pages!

Her husband did indeed book me for Linda's not so surprise, SURPRISE 50th Birthday party. Another list followed via email....12 pages long (phew at least its getting shorter)

A week before the party Linda sent me through "snail mail" her final revised list....10 pages.
I sat down and programmed them into the laptop to get a feel for what I was dealing with. Linda had requested 9hr and 38minutes worth of music to be played during a 4hour party. She had indicated special dedications on about half of the songs for a total of about 5hours worth of stuff. Whats a DJ to do?

Well not panicking seemed a good place to start so I planned out the night as if I would have 10 hours to play. I always pre-program the music that I think I will need. This is a great overview of the flow of the party. It ALWAYS changes but its like a painter doing a rough sketch, or a novelist doing a synopsis you need to have the ideas sussed out to get a vision of where you'll go.
I then made note of all the special dedication songs giving them top priority. Weaving together a playlist is pretty cool. checking the starts and stops to make sure they flow is detail type work and I always throw in some "easter eggs" in the shape of themes - a string of songs that are related in some way that only I know. Once in a blue moon someone will come up to me at a gig and say..."I see what you did there.." but mostly its just for myself.

Pensabenes Casa Grande is nice place. I've done weddings there in the past and the staff is very friendly. It's an incredibly easy load in which is always nice to encounter.

The guests arrived about 45 minutes before Linda and gave her a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY as she came in. I got down to playing through the massive list of requests and trying to decide what stayed and what had to go. About 15min into the party I played "Stormy Monday" by the Allman Brothers Band which my notes told me was for Linda's brother. The tune is a bluesy sort of mid tempo deal with lots of solos and its over 10min long. About half way through Linda came up and says "What is THIS?" I showed her the request list and she said "Ugh - my brother - skip to the end of this - I want energy I want excitement!" and with that statement the request list trimmed itself to just over 4hrs.

You see most people when they are planning a music list go with songs they "like" and don't consider the way or the context in which they will be played. So a song that you love to hear cause it reminds you of something or someone is truly a great song, but may not be so hot for a party where you want people energized, excited and dancing. A good DJ with some decent experience will tell you that his or her personal music preferences play absolutely no part in crafting a great set-list. What matters are things people don't immediately think of when it comes to music...tempo, key, length, lyrical content, mood,genre. 2 great songs will not necessarily play well together. If the songs don't "mesh" then you kill the flow of the music and if you do that the dance floor will empty and you have to start over to rebuild it.

When Linda realized, and she could only have realized this on THAT night at THAT moment, that what she really wanted was high energy she eliminated alot of the mellow memory tunes from her list, which represented about half the list. Weddings can be even worse as everyone is so focused on love. I have received 30 song request list with 25 slow songs on them and 5 hip hop songs of the current charts. If you play that type of list you can be assured that the party will be a snoozer AND that the majority of guest will look to leave ASAP!

As it was we had a great time. The party reunited many old friends, some from quite far away, and Linda has told me that she's calling me soon to schedule this years company holiday party. Honestly I can't wait!

CONGRATULATIONS Brian & Jessica

Live from Gilfillans aka The DJ with no pants!

I like Gilfillans. I get along well with the owner Dan and its a nice place even if the layout in both rooms is a bit awkward for a DJ on a wedding. I got myself together to head out to this wedding with PLENTY of time. 4hours in advance as a matter of fact. I carefully laid out my clothes, planner, checked my gear, loaded the trailer and generally was feeling pretty smug and prepared as I headed out to DJ a great wedding.

I arrived during the couple in the other rooms ceremony but was so early that I decided to wait to unload rather than be a potential distraction. The gazebo at Gilfillans is the first place that I ever performed a wedding "ceremony" as the offciant.

Yes gentle reader I am registered and legally able to act as the officiant for you ceremony. I have done it twice, though both times it really didn't count. Once at Gilfillans and once at Boldt Castle in Alexandria Bay. You see both the couples had gotten married before hand and were holding ceremonies for the benefit of their families so they were already legally married. I did not know this the first go round so I inquired and learned that in many states anyone who registers with the county in which the ceremony is taking place may officiate a wedding and sign the license. Just to be double sure I got my self ordained on the web which has been court tested and passed. but I digress...

Once the ceremony was over I nloaded and set-up my gear (about an hours work) and then turned to getting ready with 45 minutes before my contracted start time. The one thing I hate about my job is having to dress in bathrooms. It's just so..blah! I hate it! Anyhow I unzip my garment bag to discover that my dress shoes are nowhere to be found. This is irritating but not a really big deal. I know of one really successful wedding DJ in Baltimore who wears flip flops with his tuxedo and has a Schtick that he does explaining it. I could fix this...no biggie. I stripped of my shorts and dug into the bag for my......
OMG!
I have no pants! The jacket, the shirt, the...hey wait..these are from LAST NIGHT OH JEEZ I have grabbed the wrong garment bag I have 40 minutes till I have to intro the bridal party and I have..no shoes...and no pants.

I frantically called my wife who was on her way to the movies with our youngest child. She did a U-turn and began the 45 minute trek to save my hide! I then did what any self respecting professional would do. I put on the elements of my tuxedo that I had...shirt, tie, vest, jacket....and shorts and sneakers...and went out to greet the Bride & Groom....

Wanna know how this ended? leave a comment in the comments section voting to hear then end. I will only finish if I get 4 or more requests......caio

Happy 50th Anniversary Doc & Lucille

It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this lovely couples 50th Anniversary celebration. 125 family members and friends were on hand to wish the couple well. I played a selection of hits from all five decades of their marriage including "their" song "Nobody Does It Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me)" - Carly Simon.

I was able to broadcast live from the Hotel Syracuse using the Local TPG wireless I found downtown at the 50th Birthday party last month at Pannini's.

The Hotel Syracuse sure isn't what it used to be. When I arrived the place was hot and smelled musty. Eventually the maintenance guy arrived and got the AC cranking and by the start of the party the room was cool and the smell had gone. Sad that such an historic building was allowed to deteriorate to it's present state. We were in the Persian Terrace which used to be gorgeous and still retains much of its charm. The catering at the Hotel is run by Pascale's and they are ALWAYS top notch.

Not alot of dancing but there was some. The average age of the crowd was easily 65 and it was late afternoon. All in all though I received numerous compliments and Maureen (my client, one of the couples daughters) was very pleased. Nice tip for a Sunday gig!

Live from Canadaigua Inn on the Lake

I don't even know where to begin. This was the kind of gig Wedding DJ's dream of! Fairly easy load in and an always pleasant and helpful staff make Canadaigua Inn on the Lake a great place to play. Add to that the SPECTACULAR lakeside views (literally on the water!), awesome sunset, laid back client and a very enthusiastic crowd and this was a 10 out of 10 for wedding receptions.

The meal was served in 4 courses and the bride chose to spread out a series of toasts in between each course. Unbeknownst to the bride 4 of her bridesmaids had prepared a musical tribute to her. They contacted me 3 weeks before the wedding and emailed me the accompaniment in mp3 format. They sang pretty well and everyone cried.

Guests danced from the moment the Parents dances ended till the very last downbeat. They had great requests, but mostly let me do my thing with the bride & grooms list and just enjoyed the party.

I was able to grab onto the free wi-fi from the hotel which came in really strong for being outside under a tent lakeside. More and more hotels are providing free wi-fi as are many catering halls. The world will be awesome when its just a wave in the air everywhere!

HUGE tip from the father of the bride! Handed out tons of cards felt like a million bucks on the long ride home...

under an unbelievable cherry moon that seemed about to touch down on the road before me...

Live from Casa Larga Vineyards

Great reception! I highly recommend this venue. Terrific staff, great food, beautiful setting. Thanks again and.....

CONGRATULATIONS Tom & Alicia Carroll!