What a great weekend! I had met with William and Ciara on more than one occasion as we prepared for what was to be the very first wedding held at the brand new Flint Hills Discovery Center, in Manhattan Kansas. Their personalities were both so fun and energetic, and I couldn't wait for today to arrive as we had a lot of "twists" incorporated into their celebration. As the day arrived, we began by taking a dose of what mother nature often times dishes out to us in the Midwest: - Kansas wind and the impending threat of rain. As we began setting up the sound system for the ceremony, the wedding party arrived for an expedited photo session with Heather and her husband from " Spitting Images Photography" before guests began arriving. William had not yet seen Ciara in her dress, and in the interest of time, they chose to do a "reveal" prior to the ceremony. As incredible as this facility looked both inside and out, it was all overshadowed by this absolutely beautiful bride as she approached William, with his back turned, who had not yet seen her. Shortly after the pre wedding photos concluded, guests began arriving, and the skies began to look even more ominous. We stuck it out, and the ceremony went off as planned, although we had to eliminate the microphones due to the wind. The ceremony matched William & Ciara's personalities perfectly. They had written their own vows, and in those moments, they injected laughter, love and a few tears. After a fun "high-five" followed by a passionate kiss, these two officially began the rest of their lives together. But first, it's time to celebrate!  The guests had arrived and the stage was set. It was time for the grand entrance. This facility has a very unique layout, including a 3 story open foyer/atrium with railing on both upper floors and we had chosen to use every aspect of that to our advantage as we introduced the wedding party into the room.
As the guests gathered on the ground floor, we introduced the wedding party in fun fashion, all appearing over the rail from different floors before making their way downstairs. The guests attention was all turned to the upper floors as they anxiously awaited the arrival of William and Ciara, but there was a twist. As the chorus of "Love in an Elevator" rang out, the distinct "ding" of the elevator cued the guests to turn around to find William & Ciara enter the celebration in unique fashion.
William & Ciara proceeded to the cake table to cut their cake. Another personal element was injected into the cake cutting. William proudly serves our country in the Army, rather than cut their cake with the standard cake knife, it was done with his sword! Not many cake cutting photos will have that element look back on!
Onto the toasts: After a fun toast from one of the groomsman, one of William's family members delivered a very heartfelt toast that William thought to be the final toast. However, there was one more. You see, one of William's groomsman wasn't able to be a part of the celebration today, his brother Joey. The two of them are very close, but Joey too serves our country and was deployed to the other side of the world. Without William knowing, we had arranged for Joey to be able to be a part of this once in a lifetime occasion with his brother. After a short introduction, Joey was patched into our sound system, and delivered a live toast to his brother and his new bride, all the way from southeast Asia.
The entire day captured William & Ciara's personalities and was filled with fun, laughter and dancing. Ciara & William, I wish you both the best as you begin this journey in your lives together, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Thank you both for trusting me with one of the most important days in your lives together, and I was truly honored to be a part of such a fun and special celebration!
This weekend, I had the pleasure of working with Chris & Amber Elder at Hidden Lakes Golf and Country Club in Derby Kansas. The day began with the threat of rain, but the threat remained just that. As a matter of fact, it turned out to be a beautiful, cool, sunny Kansas day, with a little bit of the wind that we are known for.
Chris & Amber had a fantastic outdoor ceremony complete with bits and pieces of their personalities sprinkled in here and there, and overall was a picture perfect reminder of the fun couple that they are. Amber made her way down the aisle, escorted by her father to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland. She looked absolutely stunning, and you could tell that Chris was blown away seeing her in her dress for the first time.
Following the ceremony, and a few photos, we worked out a fun grand entrance for the wedding party to enter the reception, followed by Chris & Amber's first dance together. After dinner, toasts & the cake cutting, Amber shared a dance with her father, followed by Chris dancing with his mother. After that, it was time to get the party started!
We covered literally 5 generations of music over the course of the dance, and ended the night on a fun note as Chris & Amber were elegantly chauffeured away in a stretch Hummer. Overall, it was a great night and these two were truly a blast to work with!
I LOVE my job!!
 Have you ever been to a wedding where you really didn't enjoy yourself? Overall, you felt really disconnected from everyone in the room, there was no direction, and you were flat out bored? You're certainly not alone, as that happens each and every weekend in cities all across the country. When searching for their wedding entertainment, most couples are going through that process for the first time, and quite frankly do not know what to look for, what questions to ask, or even where to begin. This brings them to the default question: "How much do you charge?" Now if you were buying a loaf of bread, or a gallon of milk, that would be a valid question, and a great place to start, right? Why is that? Because the two things that I listed above are for the most part, simple commodities. Look at it this way, imagine that you and your fiance are headed out to the movie theater to catch a movie. You visit the concession stand, and make your way to your seat. As the curtain goes up, and the movie begins, this particular film never really captures your attention, as a matter of fact, you are completely disinterested! You begin to ask yourselves: "Do we want to waste the next hour and a half of our lives and sit through this, or do we want to leave?" On the flip side of that coin, put yourself in that very same situation, except for the fact that the movie is phenomenal! From beginning to end, it captures your attention, and you feel like you are a part of the movie. You connect with the characters, you laugh with them, sometimes even cry with them. In short, you are emotionally connected with the movie, so much so that you did not even want to get up to use the restroom, in fear of missing something. Even though this movie may have been 3 hours long, you were simply not ready for it to end. Weddings are very similar in that regard, as you can actually get the same types of feelings and reaction from your guests. Either they're engaged in every moment, and enjoying it from beginning to end, or on the other end of the spectrum, it could be like the first movie that I mentioned above, one where they are looking at their watches, wondering when the best time to slip out would be. In order for your wedding to be the captivating, engaging, and incredible event that you deserve, you have to have a great supporting cast, which in this case, equates to who you choose to guide and direct you through the evening. Do you want a DJ who will simply play music, yet take no involvement in the direction of your wedding? Do you want someone attempting to guide and direct you through your evening who quite simply is not qualified to do so? It's kind of like a movie with really bad acting! Even though the premise of the movie was great, the delivery was really bad, and they weren't able to convey the thought and emotion intended, leaving a lot to be desired. My question to you is: As you are planning your wedding, which "movie" do you want your guests to see? For more information, please feel free to contact me via e-mail, or on my website.
 Those of you getting married in the future, and are searching for your DJ/Entertainer or even your photographer, how do you begin your screening process? Most will ask one and only one question: "How much do you charge?" but what do you really learn by asking that question? (other than a number!) There are so many options available to you when choosing the service providers for your wedding day, and I can assure you that with a lot of the service providers out there, it IS an apples to apples comparison. The key phrase in that last statement is "A lot". Notice that I didn't say "all", and there is a big reason for that. Many of you may not realize it, but there is a BIG difference between the levels of wedding service providers out there, and they key thing that creates the large divide is a very important word in just about any other walk of life: "Education". Now I'm not talking a High School Diploma, or even a College Degree, but let's look at that for a moment. When you go to see your family doctor, you know from the fact that he is a doctor, that he has completed all necessary requirements in order for him to become a doctor right? The same can be said for many career fields out there. My question is, when factoring in that same logic towards your wedding day, why not hold your chosen service provider to those same standards? I mean after all, your selecting someone to work with on what will theoretically be the first (and only) time that you're ever going to do something in your life. Let me put it to you another way. If you knew that you were only going to be able to buy one car in your lifetime, and that you'd have that car forever, would you buy a Ford Festiva? (sorry if I offended any of Ford Festiva owners reading this!) Or a different scenario, if you were only going to be able to eat at one restaurant one time, and you were never able to eat at another restaurant again for the rest of your life, would you really pick Burger King? My point being, as you begin your wedding planning, approach the day for what it is, a once in a lifetime moment for you. Hold your service providers to the same standards that you hold many other people in your life to (i.e. the family doctor mentioned above, the general manager at your place of employment, etc.) Find out where your service provider received their training and education, and that they make continuing education a priority with their business. Just because someone has the tools, does not make them qualified, much less a professional. I have a fairly impressive set of tools, but simply owning those tools does not make me a carpenter! (Far from it I might add) You may not realize it, but there are many ways for your service providers to receive continuing education on a regular basis. In my field, I am a member of the American Disc Jockey Association, they host an annual entertainment seminar/convention yearly The Las Vegas DJ Show, something that I attend on a regular basis. There is also Mobile Beat DJ Show that I've attended every year for several years. Expanding upon that, there are shows for all wedding service providers that cover a variety of fields from Photography, Event Planning, Entertainment, Decor and more, such as the Wedding MBA, you get the point, right? The bottom line is, you should definitely do your research and make sure that who you are choosing quite frankly is qualified to even be there. For more information, you can contact me on my website, or by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by, and til next time!
 Last weekend, I had both the honor, and the privilege to be the best man in the wedding of a dear friend of mine. As far as character goes, there are few that I know of who have the morals and values that he's displayed on a daily basis, and I couldn't be prouder of him. He's going to be an amazing husband to Kaila, and an even better father, once they have children.
As most of you know, I'm a professional wedding entertainer by trade, so I'm definitely no stranger to the wedding world, but I will admit, Greg & Kaila's wedding was a challenge. You see, it was the first time that I've ever been involved in a wedding as part of the wedding party, but also working as the MC and Entertainment as well. It presented an entire different level of planning and preparation, definitely more than I've ever experienced in my 13 year career in Wedding Entertainment. With that being said, I wouldn't have missed for the world!
When I think back on it, I had been looking forward to his wedding day probably since the day that my wife and I got married. You see, Greg isn't like a lot of guys out there. He didn't just rush into marriage with the first girl that came along. He waited longer than most, but it was definitely worth the wait, as he hit a home run when he asked Kaila to share the rest of her life with him.
All in all it was a great night. The venue took on a total transformation, as we added a lot of lighting elements, wall coverings, etc. Overall, the end result looked amazing! It was great seeing a lot of friends that I haven't seen in several years. I also had the opportunity to meet new friends, whom I look forward to getting to know better in the future.
In closing, both Greg & Kaila have been, and will continue to be an inspiration to me, and I can't wait to see what life has in store for them, especially once they have children! I consider myself lucky to be in your circle of friends, and thank you for giving me the honor of being a part of your wedding!
 Of course, I'll have to start off here by stating the obvious, and letting you know right up front that being a professional Wedding DJ/MC, I may be a little biased here, but I can assure you, I will do my very best to be objective.
Quite Honestly, there are both DJ's and Bands that have something unique to offer their clients. With that being said, regardless of which you choose, in most cases you'll have to weed through a lot of the bad in order find the right DJ/Band for you. By bad, I mean if after seeing them at your wedding, you feel you would have been better off had they not shown up, that's a pretty good indication that you may have made a poor choice!
Let's get started....
_____________________________________________
How much is this going to cost me?
_____________________________________________ Why not start off with the question that you're all asking yourselves? How much is this going to cost me?
With either a Band or a DJ, there are going to be a wide range of talent, ability & skill levels, and experience available for you to choose from. Everything that I mentioned will also directly affect the overall cost to you as well. In simple terms, one of the phrases that you'll hear time and time again throughout your lifetime will be "You Get What You Pay For".
As you begin your search, you'll be able to find bands that will range anywhere from $500.00 to $5000.00 to have perform for your wedding or event. On that same token, you'll also be able to find DJ's that will range anywhere from as low as $500.00 up to $2500.00 and sometimes more, depending on what you are needing for the day.
Is the most expensive Band or DJ always going to be the best for you? Not at all! It's the same way when you're buying a house, a car, or anything for that matter. You will typically start looking for that perfect marriage of the overall cost, along with what you get for your money, right? While they may be great, the $5000.00 band may not be what you are looking for out of a band in terms of style, and overall energy, while the $2500.00 DJ may be the exact opposite of what you are looking for in a DJ, both in personality, style of entertainment, etc. However, a polished, experienced, and professional DJ will be able to adapt his style of entertainment to you and your guests. That type of flexibility is generally not something that you'll find with a band.
This is where doing your research beforehand comes into play. A word of advise: Ask for references! In my opinion, some of the best places to get references on a service provider are going to come from other service providers. They will generally give you an honest opinion of what they have seen, and many of them will be involved in weddings or events every weekend. They have a lot of experience to draw from, and I would encourage you to use that to your advantage.
The bottom line here in terms of cost comes down to this: In most cases, the DJ or Band is most likely going to factor their rate of services based on the amount of value that they deliver to you and your guests. There are many Bands or DJ's who will try to convince you that they charge abnormally low rates, simply because they love what they do so much that they would do it for free if they could.
Let's be honest though, no matter how much you love your job, are you going to go up to your boss tomorrow and tell him that you love working there so much that you are willing to work for half of the amount that they pay you?
I didn't think so, and neither would I.
_____________________________________________
So which is better, Band or DJ?
_____________________________________________ So much of this question comes down to YOUR personal preference. Which do you think fits your event better? Here are a few things to consider when making your selection: Hosting/Master of Ceremonies: - Typically a band is there to do one thing: Play music for your guests, right? While there are a TON of DJ's who are there to do just that (and only that), with a little research, you'll be able to find a select few that will sit down with you, help you map out your entire Wedding Celebration, and work closely with your other service providers in order to ensure that your celebration runs smoothly, and that everyone is working together behind the scenes. This is something that quite frankly, you will not get with a band. If you've chosen a professional DJ, this is one area where there will be absolutely no comparison between the two. With that being said, if you've chosen an unqualified DJ, this is an area where you'll quickly begin to regret that decision! Advantage: DJEnergy: - This is one area where if you've hired a great band, the level of energy that live music can bring to a room is nearly impossible for a DJ to match. If you've ever been to a concert, or even out to a local bar or club where a band is playing, it really changes the dynamic of the room over music that is played through a PA system. Advantage: BandFluidity - The Ability to Adapt to Change: - This is an area that most often times, a good DJ will be able to adjust his performance to the mood and feel of the room. Remember, he/she will most likely have just about any era/genre of music to choose from, and can literally have something there for everyone, and is not limited to just the type of music that he or she is able to sing! If you know you're going to have a wide range of ages and musical tastes at your event, I'd have to give the edge here to the DJ. Advantage: DJConsistency: - We all know that most if not all Bands (whether they are good or bad) are going to take breaks, after all, they are working hard up there and deserve them, right! The fact though, is how does the dynamic of the room change during that break time? Many will play music through an Ipod during those times, but it is during these times when your guests will generally start looking at their watches, and making the determination of whether or not it's a good time to slip out and head home for the evening. You'll know whether or not your guests agree with your choice of bands during that first break. If you see a max exodus of guests, there is your verdict! On the flip side of that, if you've chosen a bad (or unqualified) DJ, although there won't be any breaks, your guests won't care, they'll leave as soon as they realize what they are in for within the first hour. Advantage: DJ **** - I give the edge here to the DJ (providing that you've chosen a professional). Even if you've chosen a phenomenal band, they are going to take breaks. During those breaks, a lot of times, your guests will use that period to get a drink, strike up a conversation, visit the restroom, etc. Honestly, you may not lose many (if any) of your guests in this scenario. But in comparing a great DJ to a great Band, the DJ has the advantage in this category, hands down. Overall, your choice in entertainment will play a major role in whether or not you are having a great time with your guests from the beginning of your event until the end. If you haven't chosen wisely, it could mean ending your reception an hour or more early, while looking around saying: "Where did everybody go"? Just like you do with any major decision that you make when you are purchasing something, spend as much time as needed to do your research in order to make the right decision. These are just a few things that I've listed here to help you make your decision. There are so many factors that will play into how to make the right decision for you. For more information on this, or any questions in general regarding your wedding entertainment, please feel free to visit my website. You can also reach me by e-mail, or on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time!
| | Now before you go and say anything, I think we all agree that weddings aren't a "sport" , but let's look at that concept and how it applies to a wedding for a moment:
As with any team in any sport, you have a group of individuals who are working together with one common goal, and that is to win the game, right? As we discussed above, I know that your wedding isn't a sport (far from it) but the overall team concept has to apply to your wedding if you want it to be a success. Let me explain.
When you think about it, just about any wedding is a production. As with all productions, some are small and some are large. The fact of the matter remains, that regardless of the size, they require a concerted effort behind the scenes in order for the finished product to turn out the way that you envision it.
|
Are you still with me??? Good! Let's continue Your wedding is no different. Choosing your location, and hiring your team of service providers is just the first step (of many). As you put your team together, many couples choose to first hire a professional wedding consultant. (a move that I highly recommend!) One of our local talented consultants is Ronni Johnston, from Perfect Touch Custom Weddings. She can help you with literally every detail of your wedding planning, including choosing a great team of service providers.It can seem like a laborious project just selecting your event professionals, and having a consultant is a great way to remove a lot of the stress from your wedding planning before you ever really get started. From planning the decor, the room layout, choosing your colors, invitations, putting your guest list together, the list goes on and on and on.... It can and will overwhelm you if you let it. That is why having a team of qualified, talented event professionals to work with as you put your wedding together will certainly prove to be invaluable to you in the long run. But...(there's always a "but" right?) What happens if you hire all of your service providers, but prior to the day of your wedding, there was no communication (or practice if you will) between your team of service providers leading up to the day of the wedding? What you will wind up with is each service provider will have their own agenda for your wedding, and I'd be willing to bet that they will all be different! In closing, not only is it invaluable to you to make sure that you hire great service providers, it is just as important (if not more so) to make sure that they work well together as a team. As with any team, their goal being to make sure on your behalf that you get YOUR ideal wedding celebration! For more information, please feel free to contact me or stop by and say hello on Facebook or Twitter. Until next time!
I've just passed my 13th year of being involved in the wedding entertainment industry, and one thing that I can say with a high degree of certainty is, that weddings are changing! I know, change is good right? In this case, I say "Absolutely!" So, you say you don't want to do the Hokey Pokey, or the YMCA at your wedding? Honestly, neither do I! We've gone from the days of being guaranteed of having an hour long receiving line, a wedding party who plays absolutely no role in the rest of the day once the ceremony is complete, and an almost certainty of hearing "Butterfly Kisses" during the Father-Bride dance, to couples who are literally turning the wedding world upside-down and adding a ton of creative genius to their day. I mean, if you can't be yourself on your wedding day, when exactly is it ok? It's not uncommon for couples today to collectively spend an hour or more with me simply planning their Grand Entrance into their Wedding Celebration. Couples are getting more and more involved and excited to uncover new ways to break the mold, and I LOVE it!! I may be in the minority here when I say "Bring it on!" I love that couples are becoming more and more receptive to adding unique twists and turns to their Wedding Celebrations that truly showcase who they are, rather than portraying them to be something that their not! It seems like every week, I'm able to sit down and literally brainstorm with my clients in order to come up with new and exciting ways to help make their wedding stand out as "theirs". I can't wait to see what the future holds as we move forward, I'm having more fun as a Professional Wedding Entertainer than I ever have. I have the very best job in the world! For more information how you can "step outside of the box" and have your ideal Wedding Celebration, please visit my website for more information. You can also stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, or on Twitter. Until next time!
 Before I get started, I want to preface this by saying that this may "ruffle a few feathers out there", and for those that come away from reading this feeling that way , then I sincerely apologize! Ok, no I don't, but here goes!
I recently had a conversation with a potential client, and we were going through some ideas of different things that they could do with their wedding. These were just some basic ideas that they could do in terms of order of events, as well as some creative ideas to incorporate into their reception. As I got into tossing a few things around to them, an all too familiar statement was made: "But we've never seen it done that way before." More than anything, I sensed resistance as the statement was made.
I immediately thought to myself: "Exactly!" All too often when couples are working on their wedding planning, they tend to fall into the trap of planning their own wedding, based solely off of what they have seen at other weddings in the past. The problem with that is, that more often than not, the weddings that they have been to may have been nothing more than the "an average every day wedding reception."
So many wedding receptions both now, as well as in the past have been put together in more of a "cookie cutter" fashion, rather than focusing on the couple, their personalities, and incorporating the "YOU" factor into their celebration. The result of which almost always will be them having "A Wedding" rather than having "Their Wedding." (figuratively speaking)
In relation to the above mentioned conversation, one thing that I challenge engaged couples to do every day, is to take the time to really think about what they are wanting to do with their Wedding Celebration in order to create one that is a reflection of who they are, rather than just going through the motions and having the same "McWedding" that happens each and every weekend in cities all across the country. The most important factor in this is to make sure that you choose a team of highly skilled, and qualified professionals to work with. In short, think about it for a moment: This is truly a once in a lifetime occasion for you both. It is the only time that you will marry each other, the only time that the exact group of guests will be there at that very moment. It's a very powerful moment that will only happen once in a lifetime! Take the time to put your personal touch on the entire celebration in order to walk way knowing that it was better than you could have ever imagined! For more information, click here
I don't usually talk much about this subject, other than to my industry peers and colleagues, but I got a call tonight from a bride that was looking for entertainment for her wedding that really had me scratching my head. Although I was pretty certain fairly early in the conversation that she probably wasn't my client, I wanted to do everything that I could to help her make an educated decision on what to look for when choosing the right entertainment for her wedding.
A few more minutes into the conversation, she really started stressing to me just how important, and how much of a priority that she placed on the entertainment as part of her wedding celebration. I began wondering if I hadn't given her enough credit in the early portion of the call. She started telling me about all of the research that she had already done in searching for the right entertainment, but wouldn't really divulge any numbers in regards to what she had found.
After a few more minutes, she opened up a little bit, and shared with me what she had found, and what she felt was "the norm" in our area. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.... When I asked her the question, "How much value do you place on your entertainment in terms of the overall success of your reception? Iin short, what do you feel that quality, professional entertainment is worth to YOU on YOUR wedding day? Her answer: "about $450.00".
I was a little taken back by this point, but still did my best to give her an idea of where to try to find a qualified entertainer for her wedding celebration. I couldn't help but feel for her a bit, as she was truly setting herself up for failure, and didn't even realize it. All too many times, couples go through that, or a similar process when searching for their wedding professionals. Now before you say it, I know that not everyone has "an unlimited budget". As a matter of fact, I've yet to work with anyone who has! But I know that the odds are not in her favor to achieve the type of success that she wants with her wedding entertainment, without setting realistic expectations. To quote a close friend of mine: Cain Humphrey of DJCain.com "If there is a car for sale for $500.00, would you want to buy it?" Check out his short article entitled " The New Car Theory" on his website. It's a very thought provoking way of looking at things. In short, don't make a decision on anything, especially when it comes to your wedding, without knowing each and every detail of exactly what you are purchasing. Do your research, protect yourself! After all, how many chances will you have to get married? For more information Contact Ryan by clicking here.
|
RSS Feed