As we begin the new year, the first big event for me is the Wichita Bridal and Event Expo! Every January, it allows engaged couples to come to one place and visit with some of the areas most talented wedding and event professionals, gaining valuable insights as they begin planning their wedding. For those of you who may be attending the bridal expo in January, here are a few helpful tips for you! 

Before the Show:
Visit the show website by clicking here.
You'll be able to preregister for the expo, saving you time at the door. You'll also be able to see which event professionals will be attending the show, which will help you make your plan (see # 2 below). Also, don't forget to set up an email address for your wedding BEFORE you register or attend the show. You will get an incredible amount of "wedding email" in the months to come, and this will allow you to keep that separate from your personal inbox!

1.) Entering the Show
When you enter the show, you'll be handed a bag at the registration table. Inside of that bag will be the main book for the bridal show that will have some ads, as well as one of the most important pieces in the book. In the middle, you'll find a few pages that go through all of the event professionals in alphabetical order. It will list their booth number, as well as a show floor map that will help guide you through the expo. You'll also see 3 letters: "Y  N  M" This very well may be what you may find to be the most useful piece of the book. Those letters stand for "Yes, No, and Maybe". As you go through and talk with different event professionals, make a note in that section. If you pick up any literature from that booth, simply write their booth number on their literature, and after the show, you'll be able to pair up the literature with your notes, and it will help you make some sense of everything that you'll come home with in your bag. 

2.) Have a plan for what you are wanting to accomplish
Every couple who attends the show will most likely be in different stages of their planning process. Regardless of how how long you've been engaged, and how far along you are in your planning process, you'll want to make a plan before you enter the show. Your plan should consist of making a list of what you still need to accomplish for your wedding, going through the event professionals who will be at the expo, either on the expo website above, or in the bridal expo book that you'll pick up when you arrive. And mapping out where their booths are so that you'll be able to navigate the show floor to get to those that you want to speak with. Depending on where you are in your process, you may need to visit with several different event professionals, or you may just need to see a few. Whatever the case may be, don't just wing it when you walk in the door, or you will definitely run the risk of getting overwhelmed! 

3.) Take Notes!!
This may be the most important thing that I can share with you. Most couples that I talk with there are completely overwhelmed with the process, as there is SO MUCH to see! There are over 250 booths in the January show, as well as showcases, and it can easily overwhelm most people. Bring a notebook with you, and as you work through your plan (remember the plan from #2 above?) you'll be able to take notes as you talk with some of the event professionals, which will be a BIG help to you. 

4.) Enjoy Yourself!!
I can't stress this enough! You're planning one of the major milestone events in your life, and it should be a fun process. If you do a little legwork in advance, it will definitely help you to have a more productive experience at the expo, as well as to enjoy it more. By following your plan, you'll be able to spend more time talking with those who are providing a service that you are still needing for your wedding, without feeling the need to stop by each and every booth. 

If you have a chance to read this, feel free to stop by and say hello! We'll be in a booth near the stage, next to our sister company, Majestic Lighting Design, and would love to have a chance to meet you! 

Creativity is the engine that drives the personalization process that a select few wedding professionals today incorporate into their clients weddings. Now more than ever, couples that I work with are looking to differentiate their wedding, and to have it stand out. They are looking to stretch the boundaries of "tradition" and to really add a personal touch to their wedding day. Over the 16 + years that I've been involved with weddings, I've personally witnessed this dramatic shift, and a lot of which is the direct result of guidance and direction that they receive from the team of professionals that they choose to work with on their wedding day. 

Speaking of the "tradition" word, some couples see it as a bad thing, while others continue to embrace it. I'll say this: There is nothing wrong with either approach. One is not right or wrong, it's completely a matter of personal preference for each couple. With that being said, just because a couple wants to have a traditional wedding celebration, that does not mean that they can't have a personalized and unique wedding, far from it. The thing that I caution a couple with when we are discussing their wedding day, is not to go one way or another, simply because they saw it at another wedding, or on Pinterest (which is either a love/hate word with wedding professionals, but I'll save that one for another day!). 

Speaking from personal experience, creativity is also one of the things that makes me love what I do more today, than at any point in my career as a wedding entertainment professional. Some say that across the board, as entertainers we are not any different from each other, and for many, that may very well be the case. What I can tell you though, is that even now, after all of the years that I've been working with clients on their weddings, I am constantly creating (and searching for) new ideas, and new concepts, things of which I've never done before to incorporate into a couples wedding, giving them the opportunity to make it even more of a personal experience for the both of them. 

From my standpoint, the entire planning process with my couples is like a puzzle, one in which we work together to complete, and no two completed puzzles look the same when we are finished with them, and that is the true beauty of creativity! As creative wedding professionals, it allows us to literally create something that we may have all done hundreds of times, but do so in a way that the end result is something  new and different each and every time! 

Even after over 16 years as a wedding entertainment professional, I still get nervous before each and every wedding. I not only care about each and every couple that I work with, I also care about the entire experience that they have with me throughout our planning process.  In doing so, I try to put myself in their place in order to treat them the way that I would want to be treated if it were my wedding day. As a creative wedding professional, we have to LOVE our clients in order to give them our very best! As two of my mentors, Mark and Rebecca Ferrell say regularly, "it's all about Love"! 

A perfect example of creativity from a photographer's standpoint: May of 2015 was an incredibly rainy (and record setting) month for us in Kansas. Not one to let the rain spoil the occasion, here is an incredible image captured by the talented Lois of Lois Elaine Photographie! 

 You walk into the building and before your eyes it's like the Disney World of Wedding Expos. You'll have everything there from cakes to DJ's, Florists to Realtors, Travel Agents to Chiropractors, and the list goes on and on....and on.... you get the picture. If you're not careful, what will happen is you'll go to each booth, you'll take the literature that they have, drop it in your bag, and move onto the next booth, fully expecting to walk home with a wealth of knowledge tucked neatly away into your bag that you'll be able to reference upon getting home. You'll open up your bag and excitedly see what treasures that you've come home with, eagerly awaiting the process of sifting through your newly collected information. 

However, that's not the case. 

Here's how that last part will REALLY go. Are you ready?

You'll spend the day at the show, collecting literature from literally hundreds of wedding professionals and other service providers, when you leave the show, you'll be exhausted, your brain will feel like mush, and you'll have what feels like a 20 lb bag attached to your shoulder. Once you get home, you'll collapse onto the first piece of furniture that you run across, and eventually you'll empty the contents of the bag that has been attached to you for the past several hours. Remember the feeling of when you were a kid and you came home on Halloween night and dumped out your bounty for the evening? It will look similar to that, with the exception that rather than a bucket full of candy, it will appear that a bridal show has just thrown up on your bed. You'll more than likely have little (to no) recollection of which piece of literature represented what wedding professional, and you'll essentially have spent your day collecting what amounts to be a wedding phone book. 

For those of you in my market, this weekend is the Wichita Bridal Expo at Century II Convention Center. This is THE summer show to attend for those of you who are getting married in the future. When you walk in the door, they will give you a bag, and inside of that bag is a highly useful book, that if used, will save you a lot of time and headache following the show that I mentioned above. Inside the book, there will be advertisements from some of the participants in the show, and there is an extremely useful tool inside of the book. Right in the center section of the book, it will list every vendor by name, and will have their booth number. There will also be a map of the show floor inside of the book that you'll be able to use to find the booths that you're looking for. But wait, there's more! You'll also notice that next to each company, there are 3 little letters. Without any explanation, those three letters won't mean much to you, and you'll likely disregard them all together. What are the letters you ask? They are "Y"  - "N"  - "M". Now you're probably asking: "What do those mean"? Simply "Yes" - "No" - "Maybe". When you visit a booth, you can circle your letter of interest in that company, which will make your life a LOT easier following the show trying to remember who was who. If you pick up literature from the booths, take something to write with, and write their booth number on the literature, this will help you a ton as well. 

By taking things in stride, if you walk in with a plan, and don't let yourself get overwhelmed, you can really have a lot of fun at the show, and meet some incredibly talented people who can take a lot of the guess-work out of your wedding planning experience. By having a plan for the day, it will allow you to better use your time in order to be able to spend more if it with the companies who you have a genuine interest in working with, rather than feeling like you need to stop at each and every booth. 

Take a deep breath and realize that you're in the process of putting together a team, a team that will help you have one of, if not THE most incredible nights in your life. Enjoy the process!

**For more information, stop by and see us at the Wichita Bridal Expo this weekend. If you have any questions, feel free to call me in the office at 316-239-7993, or e-mail me. . 

I always enjoy having the opportunity to work with talented photographers and videographers. In Wichita, we are VERY fortunate to have BOTH! Recently, Owen Thomas of OT Media invited me to sit down with him for a series of spotlight videos that they are doing with a few of the local wedding professionals.

Owen asked me to talk a little bit about my business, and allowed me to go into a few details of how to begin the search for the entertainment for your wedding, as well as some things to look for when making the decision. 

 If you're looking for a talented team of Videographers, check them out!

Over the past 14 years of my career as a wedding entertainer, this is something that I (as I'm sure that many other DJ's) have heard on a fairly regular basis. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoy receiving compliments and thank you notes from my clients, but at the same time, I also have to look a little deeper into them. While I'm very gracious to my clients or their guests when they approach me and say something like "you're the best" or something similar, the absolute worst thing that I can do in that situation is to BELIEVE it, and here's why. 

Regardless of the career field, whether it's someone who practices medicine, a professional athlete, an actor, or an entertainer, something that all of them have in common, is that they have to be willing to accept that regardless of how "good or great" that they are, there is always room for improvement. There are very few (if any) people in this world who are naturally "great" at anything. If you want to achieve that status, you have to be willing to invest your money, you're time (and a lot of it!) into improving through any means necessary. Let's look at professional athletes for a moment. While Adrian Peterson is an unbelievably gifted athlete, and has a tremendous amount of God-given ability, he still has to have the heart and desire to outwork everyone else on the field in order to have that edge. As an entertainer, that is something that I have to be willing to do as well.

If I were to begin to believe everything that an excited client or guest says to me either at the close of their event, or in a thank you note to follow, it would become increasingly difficult for me to keep the drive that I have to constantly want to improve. In order for me to achieve the improvement that I work so hard for, it requires me to step outside of my circle, and to seek the training/education in whatever means necessary in order to attain my goal of constant improvement. I see so many in my career field who are completely self-taught, and have never looked to gain any training or education in order to improve their performance. Quick, name one profession that you can be completely self-taught in, yet still improve on a yearly basis? I do not know of one.

Each year that passes, I try to identify areas either personally, in my business, or in my overall style of entertainment that I can improve on. I often use the analogy that "it's similar to how your immune system attacks a virus". I look for ways to improve through a series of either conferences, seminars, or workshops in order to challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone in order to be better at every aspect of what I provide my clients. Do you know why? It's because they are WORTH it! 

In closing, it would be a lot easier for me to sit back and not challenge myself to improve, and to believe what my clients and their guests say at the end of the event. While I may be able to get by on that, not only would I quickly become complacent, but in the end, the ones that I would really be doing a disservice to would be my clients, and I'm not willing, not even for one second, to be satisfied with providing my clients with "mediocre".

  I'd love to answer any questions that you may have, or to hear your feedback. You can contact me through my website at www.absolutesounddj.com, by Twitter or on Facebook. 

Until next time! 

1.) Make sure that the entertainment company that you choose can provide you with proof of liability insurance - This is a standard practice for professional DJ's, but there are many out there who are not. From your standpoint, you are the only person who signs an agreement with the facility, therefore making you somewhat of a contractor for any other service providers that you bring in.  The policy that I carry is a 2 million dollar policy per incident, which is standard in my industry

2.) Is the entertainer (not the company owner) that you are looking at a full time or part time entertainer?  - While being full time is not a necessity, it is great to be able to find someone who will be able to devote plenty of time helping you to plan and prepare for your wedding. This also gives you the peace of mind that the entertainer that you are working on can give you their undivided attention not only on the night of, but throughout the planning process as well. 

3.) Does your entertainer take part in any programs/courses/workshops for continuing education? In the 14 years that I've been in business, I make it a priority to attend several wedding entertainment seminars and conventions, as well as performance workshops in order to make sure that I am the very best that I can be for my clients. Many (even those in the business for years) are completely self-taught, and do not feel the need to spend the time or the money in order to help them improve their craft. Look at it this way, I have a great set of tools, but that does not make me a carpenter!

4.) Does your DJ provide you with a written agreement/contract? - This is a big one. I can't tell you how many calls that I get on an annual basis from couples who thought that they had someone hired, only to find out weeks (or even days) before their wedding that they can't get in touch with their DJ, or they get a call from them with an excuse that they had a death in the family, car accident, etc. and can't make it to their event. Make sure that you get a clearly worded agreement, and that you are protected. 

5.) Will the person that you talk to/meet with be the person at your wedding? - This stems partly from what I had mentioned in #4. Our industry has a little bit of a black eye due to companies out there who will literally book as many events that they can on a given day, and worry about how they are going to staff them later. This not only gives you no guarantee of WHO you'll be working with, or even if the person that shows up is even an employee of the company that you hired. But you also have no idea if the person that you are working with is even qualified to be there. Don't find out that you made a mistake in who you hired after your wedding!

6.) Ask for references for the specific entertainer - I always recommend getting professional references from other reputable service providers. By doing that, you know that the people that you are talking to are not only legitimate sources of information (not an friend or relative of the person, posing as a past client) not only that, but these are people who are part of weddings each and every weekend, and can tell you the good (or the bad) about what they've seen.

7.) Does your entertainer have a legally purchased (and updated) music library? - Professional DJ's will obtain their music from similar sources that radio stations buy their music from. Not only is it licensed for public performance, but they will also have the "clean radio edited versions" of the songs available, insuring you that you won't have profanity-laced music played throughout the night. (parents and grandparents tend to appreciate that part!)

8.) What does your normal planning process for a wedding consist of? - The answer that you get for this question can be very telling. If you ask the questions and get an answer similar to: "Well, first we send you a reception planner to fill out (or even have one online) and then we work off of that during the wedding". If you get that answer, RUN! I meet with my clients a MINIMUM of 2 times prior to the date of their wedding. There is a lot of work that goes into the planning process, and you want to make sure that you choose someone who clearly knows (and can execute) the vision that you have for your wedding day, both as a Master of Ceremonies, as well as an entertainer during your dance.

9.) What is your back-up plan in case of any equipment failure? The answer to this one can also be very telling. You'll generally get 1 out of the 4 answers here:

                1.) "All of our equipment is only a few years old, and top of the line, therefore we do not keep backup equipment onsite" - Anything can happen with electronics, regardless of the age (or brand name) of the equipment.

                2.) "We have people on staff who can bring out equipment if something were to happen" - If something happens, do you really want to wait the 30 minutes to possibly an hour later when the "staff" can get by there to replace the faulty equipment? This can literally be an event-killer.

                3.) "We do have backup equipment in our vehicle/trailer onsite"- While this is definitely better than either of the two scenarios above, you'll still be looking at anywhere from 20-40 minutes (or more) of downtime (depending on what happens) while they replace the gear in questions.

                4.) " Yes, we carry backup equipment, and it is in the room and ready to go" - While any equipment failure would be unfortunate, you certainly want to make sure that if something does happen, that your wedding does not suffer because of it. Time is of the essence when you have a room full of guests, and nothing but dead silence. (especially if it happens in the middle of your dance!)

10.) Does your DJ belong to any professional trade groups/associations? - While belong to a trade association does not guarantee you that you're hiring a professional, it does assure you that they are at least serious about improving their craft. The American Disc Jockey Association (www.adja.org) is a great association, and I would recommend starting there as you begin your search.



Ryan from Absolute Sound DJ Entertainment has been a Professional Wedding Entertainer for 14 years. He is a full-time wedding entertainer, and is a member in good standing of the American Disc Jockey Association, attends wedding entertainment seminars/conventions on an annual basis, as well as taking part in performance based workshops such as the Marbecca Method Master of Ceremonies Workshops. For more information, you can contact Ryan by clicking here. 

Wedding season is winding down, and as I reflect back upon this year, I must say that 2012 has been nothing short of incredible. I am so excited to see what 2013 brings! I have the very best job in the world, and I deeply appreciate each and every you (my clients) who have placed your trust in me during one of the most important days in your lives. I look forward to continuing the friendships that we have built, as well as hearing about your lives moving forward together.

One thing that I will promise all of my future clients is that I will continue to do the very best that I can to insure that your wedding celebration is the amazing, breathtaking event that you so richly deserve. I will do so by working closely with you to help you create your ideal wedding, as well as taking every opportunity that I can to improve the service that I provide to you through furthering my training through continuing education. I do so by attending a combination of Wedding Entertainment conferences, seminars, and small-format workshops in order to insure that I can offer you my very best. In order for me to do the best that I can for you, I have to learn from the best. 

To all of my friends and service providers in the Wedding industry: I also would like to thank you for displaying your trust in me enough to refer me to your clients. I wish you the very best as we approach the Holiday season. Wichita has an amazing group of talented photographers, caterers and bridal consultants to choose from, and I look forward to working together with you as we finish 2012, and move forward into 2013. Let's keep raising the bar! 

      In the years that I've been blessed to have been in business, I've been able to spend the majority of my weekends spending time with couples on one of the happiest, and most important days in their lives. Often times, their celebrations are filled with happiness, laughter, and sometimes tears as they share each and every moment with the most important people in their lives. THAT is a powerful moment, wouldn't you agree?

     Today we'll be talking about some of the parts and pieces that make up a great wedding toast, as well as some things to avoid when either delivering a toast, or speaking to those whom you would like to give you a toast at your wedding. 

    The introduction: This can typically happen in a few different ways, a lot of which will be dictated by whom the bride and groom have chosen as their DJ. If he is a true Master of Ceremonies, he or she will set you up nicely before delivering your toast. In the case where he or she may not be handling those duties, you'll want to make sure that you open your toast by greeting the guests, thanking the bride and groom for giving you the honor of being a part of their day, and then introducing yourself to the guests, including how you know the couple. This is a great opportunity for you to transition into the next element of your toast. 


     To be, or not to be (funny) that is the question! Let's face it, there are some people in this world who can make people laugh, and almost make it seem effortless. Do you know why that is? It's because it comes natural for them. Some people are just funny people, most of which comes naturally for them. Comedy is all about timing, if you don't have it, don't try it! The bottom line here is this: If you're not a funny person, don't try to be! There's nothing wrong with you if you're not. Each of us have different personalities. Structure your toast to play to the strengths of your personality. Not only will the delivery be more genuine, but it will be a much better toast as well. 
     

    The skeletons in the closet: Everyone has them, right? One thing that they have in common, is that they were put there for a reason! It's one thing to reflect upon embarrassing things that you have done in your past in a small setting, but often times these are brought up at your wedding, and many times are completely inappropriate. Whether it's past relationships of either the bride or groom, or whatever the case may be, think carefully before bringing it up at their wedding. When delivering a toast, there is nothing wrong with having fun, even if a little bit (I stress the word "little" here) is at the Bride/Groom's expense. But if the story is going to make Grandma blush, maybe it's better left in the closet, where it belongs, wouldn't you agree?

    Inside Jokes:  It's inevitable that if you have asked someone to deliver a toast at your wedding, or if you are the one delivering the toast, that there will be many things that you have experienced together that are fond memories, some of which you'd love to share, and that is ok! When you are composing your toast, and deciding on which of those memories you'd like to share with everyone, ask yourself this question: If I bring this up at the wedding, is this something that is easily explained, and something that everyone in the room will be able to "get"? If not, it probably fits into the category of an "inside joke", and while it may be hilarious to the 4-5 of you who experienced it originally, by telling it at the wedding, you'll more than likely get zero response from the rest of the guests in attendance. 

      The Close: Every toast should have a close. This is where you'll want to offer the couple your congratulations, as well as asking the guests to raise their glass with you. The remainder of the close can be as simple as "If you would, please raise your glasses with me as we toast to the new Mr. and Mrs. *****. Or you can also add more of a creative, or personal element to it. 


     All things aside, just be yourself. I would encourage you to write your toast out on paper, and rehearse your delivery enough times to where you do not have to read it. If you can do that, you may stray from your original text, but that is perfectly ok. By doing this, more of it will come from the heart, and your delivery will be MUCH better than it will be by simply reading a script. You'll also be able to make eye contact, and connect with the guests, as well as the most important people in the room, the couple that you are toasting. 

*This is a brief overview of a few ideas that you can incorporate into your toast, or even ideas that you can pass along to others who may be delivering a toast at yours or a friend's wedding in the future. For more information, please feel free to contact me, or visit my website at www.absolutesounddj.com. 

Til next time!     

     This weekend while although busy, was definitely memorable! I began the week with a phone call that Iin the back of my mind I was expecting, but also one that I wasn't looking forward to receiving. Without going into details, a friend of mine is going through a very challenging time in his life, and I was fortunately able to help him this weekend by taking on a wedding that he was physically unable to do. The couple was very understanding about the situation, and although challenging to put a wedding together in such a short period of time, I could not have been happier with the way that it turned out. They had really set themselves up for success by choosing a great team of service providers. Alli and her team from Jubilation Events, Tim Davis Photography, and Ann with Hotel at Old Town, as well as Sunflower Photo Booths are all top notch professionals, and did a remarkable job putting everything together, and capturing the events of the evening.

     Afterwards the Father of the Bride approached me and said something to me that I'll never forget. He said to me "I know the situation that took place this week, and I want you to know that you did an amazing job. Many of our guests here tonight thought that you had known ********* and *********** for years, Thank you!" 

     Not only did I have a very short time to prepare for their wedding, this was also the weekend for the Wichita Bridal and Prom Expo.  Twice each year, my wife and I have the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with A LOT of Brides, Grooms, their parents, as well as a few of their friends, as they begin the process of planning their weddings. Although it does get very busy, it's a fun way for us to have a little bit of face to face time with them as they start their journey. While I know that I'll only get the opportunity to work with a select few of them, I still enjoy the opportunity to meet with so many couples as they begin to prepare for the most important event in their lives.