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THE GOOD, THE FAD, and THE UGLY

As Experienced by Darryl Cameron

Planning any wedding or special event can be a very challenging undertaking.  We strive to make the process stress-free with helpful tips from my years as a Professional DJ, Live Show Producer, and Event Planner.  Below are a few insights and what I like to call "The Good, The Fad, and The Ugly". 

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THE GOOD

  • Collaborating with us on the music provides the best overall experience for you and your guests.  Using the Itinerary Builder to layout your music preferences along with the freedom to use our professional instincts will help create a good variety of music for the dance floor.

  • Cater the music to accommodate the tastes of the majority of your guests and the theme.  For example; if dancing is the main focus, select music people can dance to.  Do not be pressured to stray away from popular tunes just to please a few music mavericks.  Those folks will only scare away the majority.

  • Remain in the room with your guests (specifically during wedding receptions).  People want to engage with you at your special event and see that you are enjoying yourself, so do not keep a low profile.  If you are leaving the room to take pictures with the photographer, keep it brief.

  • With over 3500 events under our belt, we've pretty much seen it all.  We will be able to navigate any unforeseen occurrences or delays to keep the flow of your event on track. 

  • Forget about all of your worries and enjoy the party!!!

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THE FAD

  • With more and more events taking place in unique and non-traditional venues (i.e. barns, industrial spaces), please consider where we (the DJ) will be setup.  We cannot properly operate with guest tables directly in front of our speakers and sound system.  Make sure we are centered and directly in front of the dance floor.

  • Make sure your group/family pictures take place either before dancing begins or towards the end of dinner.  You do not want to interrupt the momentum of the dance floor.

  • Those dance-mix choreographed medleys you see on YouTube are great when they are original and executed properly.  However, after a million plus views and an abundance of copycats, they can become stale and boring to your audience.  I do not recommend these dances unless you are truly presenting something new or different.

  • Do not create an overly "unique" playlist.  People come to events expecting to hear some commonly played songs because they are fun to dance to.  While tempting, it is not a good idea to eliminate all of these selections.

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THE UGLY

  • Over-planning and stuffing too much into an event can overwhelm your guests, especially if it interferes with dancing.  

  • Selecting music that is unfamiliar or not suitable to dance to will encourage your guests to leave early.

  • Stacking all of the formalities at the beginning of the evening will also encourage your guests to leave early.  We see this mostly during wedding receptions--couples will try to have everything scheduled at the beginning so that it's "out of the way".  Big mistake...avoid doing this.  Instead, create a timeline that naturally flows and makes sense. 

  • Do not allow a subpar event planner to ruin your event with bad practices and/or unrealistic ideas.  Over the years, this has interfered with our performance. We have been in business since 2003 and average over 130 events per year.  We know when we are dealing with this type of planner, so please defer to us for everything related to music, sound, and lighting (when applicable) as we are the most qualified.

  • Do not have anyone speaking (speeches/toasts) during meals.  Unfortunately, television and movies repeatedly depict actors doing toasts while guests are eating and that is far from reality.  Schedule toasts and speeches before or toward the end of the meal.  FYI: If you really want your guests to pay attention, then definitely before a meal because there are no other distractions to deal with.

  • Do not seat older guests or those with sensitive hearing near our sound system.

  • Some guests may cut their night short if an abundance of children are in attendance.  Many people are not comfortable socializing and/or drinking around kids, and if the dance floor gets overtaken by them it could spell doom for your party.  Click here to read expert advice courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings.

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