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....

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 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: DJ


Energy: - 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: Band

Fluidity - 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: DJ

Consistency: - 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!

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!

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