Add To My List

My good friend Chris and I were having a conversation the other day about the digital age, which we guesss you could say began in the late 80s - early 90s. It has made our lives so much more convenient but in doing so it has made nearly obsolete many industries or items, including:

• typewriters
  


• film based cameras
  


• record stores
  


• encyclopedias
  


• single color printing presses
  


• wrist watches
  


• landline phones
  


• video stores
  


• VCRs
  
  

Others? (Leave your thoughts in the comment box)

Picking the Right One

Last Friday night I had the groom approach me at the conclusion of his wedding reception. It was great time and he expressed his gratitude. Then he admitted to me that he was somewhat relieved.


“ Our research told us that the biggest complaint after a wedding was the DJ.” he said.

That was a bit surprising, but it was satisfying to know that this couple was happy with the job I had done. I also think that they had 'done their homework' and it had paid off for them. Too many times I believe couples base their decision on only the bottom line and end up with this:






Trusting your wedding to someone who is less than professional can ruin your day – and it’s the only one you’re going to have. Yes you can get your Aunt’s boyfriend to take the pictures with his fancy camera and then give you the SD card (but now YOU have to take the time to edit them, have them printed out and put together the photo album), or have an old high school friend take charge of the decorations because she used to work at the floral shop at the local grocery store, or have a cousin plug his mega mp3 player into the house sound system and play the music, but isn’t that like trusting your brothers friend to fix your car in the back of his Dads garage before you take a long road trip? And what is your recourse if none of this turns out?

It may be better to trust your wedding day to the professional wedding vendors – and there are many affordable ones available. Picking the right one is not much different than picking the right person to be your spouse.

Before you make your final decisions, it may be best to:

• Do your research and find out what you should be asking each wedding vendor

• Get recommendations from other wedding vendors or trusted friends and relatives

• Most importantly, when possible, meet personally with each vendor to make sure you are comfortable with them

Until next time

~ Mike ~

Only in America

Humor for the day . . .

1. Only in America......do we strive to find the closest parking spot to the - FITNESS CENTER.


2. Only in America......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4. Only in America......do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet Coke.

5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors to the vault open and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

10. Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

UNIQUE IDEAS

Ideas to make your wedding reception unique:

•Place childhood pictures of each of you on each table


•Display photographs of your parents and grandparents wedding pictures

•Dim the lights, rent up-lighting and program it to your favorite color

•Choose your favorite flowers for your centerpieces

•Have a "Love Story" introduction

•Have your guests write well wishes on note cards as they enter your reception and ask your DJ/Emcee to read some of them during dinner

•Include a groom’s cake in honor of his favorite hobby or team

•Photo Booth

•Name your tables by your favorite teams players or favorite movie characters instead of numbering them

•Have the DJ play your parents wedding song

• Monogram Lighting 

I Could Not Have Said It Better

The following is an article by Pittsburgh DJ Tracy Painter dealing with the art of making the playlist. If you're one of our upcoming brides or grooms, this could be helpful:

                         The PLAYLIST...and how to trust your DJ.


Since most of our couples are really concerned with avoiding "cheesy" songs...and most of them want to include their favorite songs and artists...creating a playlist makes a lot of sense.

The Do Not Play List lets your DJ know the songs you don't want. And a requested song list tells him the songs that are important for you.

Now, it's a great idea to include your favorite tunes in your wedding reception. It's an easy way to make your wedding even more personal and meaningful when you hear a song that makes it really feel like YOUR day.

But here's where it gets tricky...

You can't "make" your guests dance to the music you choose any more than you can "make" them have fun.

Even if you've chosen the coolest songs in the world...if you're guests don't respond to them...you're stuck with an empty dance floor.

DJs have different ways of dealing with the playlist question. Some of them only allow couples to request a limited number of songs, so they still have the flexibility to keep the party going. Others will play anything you want.

Personally, we encourage our couples to be as involved as they like in the music selection...BUT if given a very long list of Must Play songs we HAVE to play...the dancing may suffer.

It all hinges on the songs on your list. If they are classic, familiar and easy to dance to, everyone from Grandmam to the kids will dance to them. But if they're more eclectic or if you have a very traditional group, it might not fly.

What we find works best is to have a Do Not Play List of "forbidden" songs...a list of songs you'd like to play, including Must Plays...and combining that with our experience of reading the crowd to maximize the dance floor. We play all the Must Plays and as many of your other requests as possible while still keeping the dance floor packed.

Which brings me to the second piece of the equation...TRUST.

If you're going for the best of both worlds, you need to trust that your DJ understands you and gets your wedding vision. Otherwise you can't let go of your list and trust them to do what's best for your party and for your wedding.

So what do you do?

First, choosing the right entertainer is EXTREMELY important. We've already covered that, but you need to feel understood. Talk to him about how he will handle your request list...and what he will do if it isn't working.

Second, decide what's most important to you. Is it important for you to hear EVERY song on your list? Or is it more important that your guests are dancing all night long?

Chances are you can have BOTH, but one must have priority.

If you're concerned that your requested songs might not work to keep people dancing, ask your entertainer for his professional opinion. He should give you an honest assessment based on his experience. He's a professional...and he's good at what he does. TRUST HIM.

At the same time, it is YOUR wedding and YOU are paying him to play music. If you want to dictate every song that's played...it's your right. Just know that the dancing may not be as good as it could be.

We prefer to talk as much as we need to with our couples to reach an understanding about what songs will and will not be played. There is a way to work in your favorite songs...even the non-danceable ones...AND keep your guests having a good time...in a way that feels right for you.

Thanks for spending the time with me learning how to make your wedding reception unforgettable.
Good luck with all your plans!

Tracy Painter