At 57, Still Loving the DJ Thing

Hey friends, well it's been quite some time since I've posted in this blog. The last time we connected, COVID was in full swing and influencing every part of our lives. For a short time in Ohio, dancing was illegal at weddings except for the bride and groom’s first dance. As you can imagine, the COVID pandemic damaged the hospitality and entertainment industries. It's only now that these sectors are coming back. Many people have asked me, how are bookings? How is business? The truth is, I'm as busy as I want to be thanks to the word-of-mouth referrals from many clients and friends.

I started DJ’ing weddings and other events in the late 1980s. At that time, my mentor and trainer, Dennis McNulty, had me accompany him to the events that he had booked for himself. I trained with him for a year or two before we began booking solo gigs for me. From that point on, I've been a DJ entertainer in northeast Ohio ever since. By my calculation, I am closing in on 35 years in this industry. I estimate that I have been the DJ entertainer at over 1,500 events, about half of those being weddings.

 

When I meet with prospective clients, I don't hide the fact that I'm 57 years old. I realize that some folks will want a younger DJ. What I've also found, however, is that many people prefer to have an older more mature person controlling the music and making the announcements. I have been shocked, quite frankly, that my inquiries have not gone down as I age but in fact have gone up. I always imagined when I was younger that clients would prefer a young DJ and that as I got older the business would dry up. I have been blessed that I have had the opportunity to work steadily in this field all these years.

 

The thing that COVID taught me was that I enjoy being home on a Saturday night to tinker around the house or simply enjoy a hobby. I have allowed myself to slow down and book fewer events each year. In part, it's because working in this space is very exhausting and if you do your job right, you'll be quite tired at the end of the night because you give your clients everything you have up until the very last minute of the event. It takes me longer to recuperate from gigs now that I’m in my late 50’s, especially after working weddings that can be 10 or 12 hours long.

 

I have also been blessed all these years because (except for a few years here and there) I have had a full-time job aside from DJ’ing events on weekends. Some of you know that I worked in nonprofit social services for over two decades and then moved to higher education teaching at the college level which I still do to this date. When I began DJ’ing in the late 80’s and early 90’s I desperately needed money for college tuition. Into the 2000’s, my DJ income was used to save money to buy a house and build a reserve account. Now, the bulk of my DJ income is pushed into my future in the way of retirement investments and some of it is happily given to my favorite charities. It's been a lot of work over many years, many sacrificed weekends, but I don't regret a minute of it. I still find it a joy to help people celebrate significant moments with music. 

 

I imagine in the next few years I will be scaling back even more so, doing only a handful of weddings each year and an assortment of fundraising events for my favorite charities. At this point, I can't imagine stopping completely. Helping people celebrate with music will always be in my DNA.

Event Pros, What To Accomplish During The Off Season

We are sometimes asked, what do event professionals do during the off season?  The answer is that we continue to stay busy but in different ways.

This post is really meant for our colleagues in the event and wedding industries but it may also be of interest to the broader population including brides and grooms, event planners and others in the field, so here we go!..

In northeast Ohio, where we operate, the busy season for us starts in late April and continues strong right to the end of the year.  Our slower season is January, February and March, although we still typically have a number of events to fulfill.

First let's acknowledge that for serious event pros, our busy season takes a lot out of us. We're constantly on the go, traveling from one event to the other, conducting planning meetings with clients, setting up, performing and taking down equipment, etc.  It's a long busy marathon that doesn't seem to end but when it does, we're truly exhausted. And I can say this because I've been in the industry for over 25 years now, the older one gets the more it seems to take its toll.

A funny thing happens, however, when we finally do enter our slow time of the year. After a couple of weeks of recovery in the way of sleep, rest, and maybe a short vacation, we begin to get antsy for the business again, don't we?  We begin to get excited about the coming year and we try to prepare in the best way possible.

Here are some important tasks for event professionals to accomplish during the off season:

Respond to inquiries and book events - Many bookings for the year happen during the down time, so we're actually really quite busy responding to inquiries, answering questions, meeting with prospective clients and generating contracts. The goal here, of course, is to fill up our calendar for the upcoming year!

Review your pricing strategy - If you are going to change your prices, now is the time to do it.  Are you adding new packages and prices?  How will this affect your marketing strategy?

Review your marketing strategy - If you are going to change your marketing strategy, make these changes while you can before things get busy again.  Does your website need an update?  Are you going to do more or less paid online marketing?  What kind of traditional marketing will you do, if any?  Review your print material, are these documents still accurate?

Prepare for the upcoming tax season - Consult your tax preparer, issue tax related documents to employees and contracted workers.  Gather and organize receipts, copies of contracts, etc.  Make changes in your book keeping routines if you need to in order to have a smoother year ahead.

Repair or upgrade equipment - The field is tough on equipment.  During the year you have probably noticed a need to repair or purchase new equipment.  Perhaps you finished the last few weeks by using your back-up stuff because something was dropped or broken but you really don't want to start the new season with back-up equipment.  Be sure everything works perfectly going out of the gate!

Communicate with your insurance broker - Annually, make or update a written list of equipment inventory (as detailed as possible) and send it off to your insurance broker.  Savvy event pros will also include photos for good measure.  You want to be sure they know what kind of stuff you own and how much it all costs.

Communicate with your lawyer - Send your lawyer a brief email describing any new services or assets that you've added recently or intend to add to your business.  For example make sure he or she knows how many people you employ, describe your services, especially anything new you are adding.  It would also be a good idea to have your lawyer do a review of the language in your contract.

Communicate with staff members - It's important to communicate with employees and others who help you operate your business in order to share with them your strategy for the upcoming year.  What will be expected of them?  How will their respective roles change?  Are you adding products or services?  Will training be necessary to learn about new equipment, software, etc.  Be sure everyone is on the same page about what you want the business to accomplish when things speed up again.

Back up files - You should be doing frequent, periodic back-ups of electronic files during the year but at least annually, be sure to have a back-up system in place.

Prepare for bridal fairs - If you participate in bridal fairs and other such gatherings you know how much work is involved in setting up a booth or table, preparing marketing materials, etc.  Be ready with these items so that you can concentrate on being with guests and prospective clients and not running around at the last minute!

Get serious about your health - Many people begin their new year's resolutions during the off season and this is a good time to get serious about your health.  As an entrepreneur, your health is an asset of the business.  When asked about their biggest fears, self employed people will often say staying healthy is always a big concern.  They know that if they should get sick or injured, their business could suffer affecting their ability to make a living.  So now is a good time to establish diet, exercise and sleep habits to promote better health for the whole year 'round.

Well, I hope these suggestions are helpful.  Please let me know of other tasks to accomplish during the slow season that I may have forgotten to list.  I will add them in future updates to the article.  Best wishes for a successful year!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

So You're Engaged, Now What?

You'd be surprised at how many people ask advice of their wedding DJ about all aspects of the wedding.  Brides and grooms know that an experienced DJ has witnessed hundreds of wedding ceremonies and receptions, so we should have some value to provide, right?

So many newly engaged couples tell us that they don't know where to begin.  In other words, they don't even know how to start thinking about their wedding day.  That's the goal of this blog post, to help you develop a strategy for how to think about your wedding.  And, the best part of this suggestion is that it involves going out on a date!

If you're newly engaged, you've probably been dating for a while now.. So, going on a date to develop a strategy for wedding planning should be easy for you and even fun.  Your very first task is to develop a value structure for your wedding day.  I don't mean value in the sense of money, although it will ultimately help determine your budget.  I mean, value as in priorities.

Plan a date for just you and your fiancé.  No one else is permitted at this point to join you in your discussion.  Ideally, plan a date where you and your fiance can have a relatively uninterrupted, focused discussion about your wedding day, dinner at your favorite restaurant, a walk in the park or something like that.  The goal of your discussion is to prioritize the elements of your wedding day experience.  When you think about your wedding day, what's most important to you?  Is the setting most important because you desire a rustic outdoor experience?  Or, is the food most important?  What about entertainment? Try to have agreement between the two of you as to the top three or four priorities.  Here are a some questions in no particular order to help you get there:

• Is it important to you to have your wedding during a particular season (for those who live in areas that enjoy seasonal changes). Do you envision a spring wedding or a fall wedding?
• Do you prefer a small gathering or a large gathering?
• What words would you use to describe the type of experience you want to have?  Describe your wedding in just one or two words, for example - elegant, festive, informal, casual, traditional or other such description.
• Is it important to you to be married in a church or will you want a secular ceremony elsewhere?
• Is the venue or physical setting important to you?  For example, do you want an indoor experience or an outdoor experience?
• When thinking about what you want guests to remember most about your wedding day, what are they? Delicious food?  Great entertainment? Beautiful floral arrangements?

There are many more questions along these lines, of course, but you see where we're going here.  By the time your date is over, you should have an agreed consensus about the top three or four priorities for your wedding day.  It should be such that if you can guarantee that these top priorities are fulfilled, you will enjoy the wedding of your dreams and everything else is really secondary.

Why is this exercise important for you to do?

• It will give you and your fiancé a shared idea for what you want to happen.  You'll both be on the same page for the most important decisions that are yet to come.
• Others will give you a ton of unsolicited advice that will throw you off your game if you don't have your top priorities already lined up.  Now you'll be able to reply to well intentioned advisors by simply saying, thanks for your ideas but we've already discussed it and we're going with an outdoor wedding.
• Your priority list will help you figure out your budget.  Be willing to pay a little more for those things that you've given top priority and be ok with spending less on low priority items.
• You'll be better able to describe to your hired wedding vendors and professionals exactly the type of experience you want them to help you create. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and candor.
• Knowing your top priorities will help you put together a step by step action plan.  What to put in place first, who to call and when, etc. 

After your date, you should have a wedding day priority statement that summarizes your vision for the perfect wedding day.  Here are a few examples:

• We want our wedding day to be a casual gathering of a small group of family and friends to happen on an early fall day at a rustic venue.  It's important that the food be out of this world!  We'll have a DJ play background music but if no one dances, that's ok because we're not really about the dancing anyway.

• We want our wedding day to be an elegant gathering of about 300 guests in an urban setting overlooking the skyline of the city.  Music and dancing is key to our celebration!  We'll have a florist provide minimal decor to add to the venue's charm.

• We want our wedding day to be a festive gathering of about 150 guests to happen on an early summer day at an outdoor venue under a tent.  Great food is a must!  Amazing floral arrangements will highlight the garden feel of the venue.  We'll have a small jazz band play background music during the reception.

This exercise will only work if you both understand that your initial goal is NOT to plan every detail of your wedding day in one sitting.  It just isn't a realistic goal and you'll both end up very frustrated if you try to do it.  The goal of your date is simply to agree on the top three or four wedding day priorities.  Once you have your agreed priorities in place, you can then bring trusted friends and advisors into the discussion to help with the details.  You'll find that if you begin your wedding planning activities by identifying top priorities first, everything else will fall into place pretty nicely.

I hope you found this wedding planning tip helpful.  Enjoy your date and please leave comments or suggestions for others in the comment section.  Best wishes!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

Tips for Visiting Guests at Your Reception

Almost all of our clients, brides and grooms, share with us early in the planning process that one of their concerns is a slow moving reception.  They tell us they've been guests at other wedding receptions and they've experienced confusion about what's happening next, boredom, and a general - when will this party start - anxiety.  They don't want a slow moving, disjointed flow, or lack of flow, to their own reception.

One thing that often slows down the flow of the reception is when the bride and groom attempts to visit each table of guests, typically during dinner or toward the end of dinner.  Ironically, they are sometimes the reason for the very slowdown that they didn't want to happen in the first place. This is because most people do not know how to "butterfly" around a room.  If you've ever noticed a butterfly in a garden, you'll see that it quickly bounces from one flower to the next, not staying in any one place for very long.  For us humans, this is a learned skill that only priests and politicians have mastered.  It's precisely because their main goal when floating through a room is to say hello, be noticed, welcome guests and then move on.  It's not to engage in any type of drawn out reminiscing or storytelling.  It's not that they don't enjoy reminiscing or storytelling, it's just that they know this isn't the right time for it, if they want to honor and acknowledge all guests.

Brides and grooms, let's do a little math.  If you have 200 guests in a room and they are sitting at 25 tables of eight guests per table - how long will it take you to visit all tables if you spend just 3 minutes at each table?  The answer, a whopping one hour and 15 minutes!  What's happening during this time?  The DJ or band can't get the dancefloor going because traditionally, the first dance belongs to the bride and the groom.  I can tell you that this is one of the most frustrating points in the evening for DJs.  We often feel stuck because we know guests are getting antsy for the dancing to begin, yet we need

Two minutes at each table!

to wait for the bride and groom to finish their butterflying.

This blog article is not meant to talk you out of butterflying, although there are other options that we can cover in another post.  The purpose of this article is to give you a few easy tips to be an awesome butterfly!

1) Understand your goal is to thank and welcome guests, not to engage in storytelling.  Storytelling takes time and you can't control the duration of the story if you're not the one telling the story.  Many of your guests know that you're on a schedule but some have no idea about your reception timeline and will immediately begin to share a story about their recent vacation to Alaska.

2) Keep moving.  It's difficult to pin you down if you're physically moving.  Do the slow walk but don't stop for very long.  If you do stop, make it for just a few seconds to give someone a hug or shake hands.  Move on.

3) Stay together.  Have you ever heard the saying, divide and conquer?  This is true with couples who butterfly a room.  If you get separated, you'll never be able to visit all tables as a couple and you'll literally lose each other at your own reception.  Hold hands while you visit each table.

4) Blame the DJ.  I give my clients permission to use me as an excuse for moving on to the next table.  If you feel caught in the grips of a storyteller, simply say John, I want to hear more but our DJ has us on a tight schedule.  Or, Jenny let's get together to talk more, our DJ needs us soon to cut our cake, have our first dance, or whatever is next.  They'll understand and you won't seem rude about leaving on your own accord.

5) Two minutes or less.  Trust me, you will lose all sense of time on your wedding day.  So, try to keep under 90 seconds to two minutes or less at each table.  That will keep you to about 45 minutes, which is manageable and won't kill the flow of your reception.

Some clients suggest that they will eat their dinner quickly, knowing they'll be first served.  That will give them time to visit guests while guests are eating and thus not impede the timing of the reception.  This can certainly work as a time strategy but if you stop to think about it, do you really want to rush your dinner on your wedding day?  After a long day, you'll be hungry and need a brief rest.  Think about your dinner as half-time for your wedding day.  I think it's better to relax for a bit, enjoy your dinner and be an effective butterfly later.

I hope these butterfly tips help you to keep a fun exciting flow to your wedding reception.  If you have other strategies, please share them with us and our readers in the comment section.  Best wishes!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

Gazebo Wedding Ceremony

Outdoor wedding ceremonies held under a gazebo are beautiful and very romantic.  Although a gazebo is an ideal site for a wedding, they almost never have an attached PA system.  For this reason, we are often asked to help couples facilitate their gazebo ceremony by providing a PA system, a microphone and/or music.

If you are having a small intimate gathering of 40 or 50 people and you do not wish music to be a part of your ceremony, you may not need a DJ to assist with a PA system.  You  and your officiant will probably be heard just fine without the aid of sound amplification.  If your group, however, is larger than 50 and/or you wish music to enhance the celebration you will certainly need a PA system at the gazebo.  I suggest against the boom box option as they tend not to be powerful enough and outside ambient noise can easily drown out the quality of sound coming from a boom box.  Plus, the boom box option requires a family member or a friend to work the controls and this takes away from their experience at your wedding, even if all else works fine.

You'd be surprised at how affordable it is to have a professional provide this service for you.  Typically, we charge only an additional $100 to $150 to set up a sound system at the gazebo if the ceremony is held at the same site as the reception, which is almost always the case.  A recent client of ours commented on how valuable this service was to her because it relieved her of a lot of stress related to the ceremony.

We'll arrive well before the start of the ceremony to set up equipment in a manner that is not intrusive.  We'll do a sound check, prepare the microphone and music, etc.  When guests begin to arrive, they are welcomed by prelude music already softly playing as they find their seats and prepare for your ceremony.  When the ceremony begins, you and your bridal party will enter to a processional song(s) of your choice, making for a very moving experience.  And, hey, what about the postlude song as your officiant congratulates you as husband and wife?  We'll make sure that the end of your ceremony is a great springboard for fun and celebration afterward at your reception!

For more information about how we might help you with your ceremony and reception, please contact us soon to set up a phone chat or a personal meeting!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

18 Considerations When Planning An Outside Wedding

So you’re planning an outside wedding?  Here are a few things to consider.  These considerations are not all-inclusive but simply a handful of ideas to get you in the planning mode.  Let us know if you have other helpful tips to add!

Mother Nature:

This will not be a surprise to serious planners but if you know anything about living in northeast Ohio, you know that the weather is unpredictable and can change quickly.  You will need to have a rainy day plan, meaning a protected area for guests to go to if weather should be severe.  I recommend planning your day assuming that the weather will be bad for part or all of the day.  I don’t want you to do this because I’m a pessimist (I’m not).  But I’ve learned that a little planning can go long way toward a successful event.  If the weather is nice – great!  If the weather gets nasty, you’ll be ready for that too!

Many clients rent a tent, choose a venue that is connected to or near a cabin, covered pavilion, deck, porch, barn, etc.  Your DJ and perhaps other vendors will be bringing equipment that needs to be protected in the event of rain such as a PA system, lighting, etc. and even a 10 minute rain shower can damage electronic equipment. So, having covered protected space is going to be important no matter the weather.

You’d be surprised at how many people believe that Mother Nature will respect their special day enough to forego bad weather.  It won’t rain on us… 6 months from now!  No need for rainy day plans – ugh!

Consider your guests.  You and your fiancé may be outdoorsy people along with your close friends but not all of your guests are.  Severe heat or cold is tough on some older folks.  Will your grandparents be OK in 90-degree heat if it should be a hot day?  Just something to consider.. Be sure to share with your guests that your wedding ceremony and/or reception will be an outdoor event.  Share with them, too, if there will be protected areas from rain, sun, etc.

Here are just a few Mother Nature considerations:

1) Rain – Will you have cover? What can and cannot get wet? Where will guests gather if it should rain?

2) Drainage – Are you setting up guest tables on a high or low plateau? If it rains will water flow and puddle in that area or will it drain nicely away from the area?

3) Wet Ground – What if it rains the night before but stops on the morning of your wedding day?  The sun is out but the ground is wet and possibly muddy.  Are there walkways and/or concrete areas for guests to gather so that shoes don’t sink into muddy ground? If I had a dollar for every time I saw a female guest in high heals sink into the mud – I’d be RICH!

4) Wind – Not usually a problem but consider, what should be fastened down in case the wind picks up.  For example, if you are having your ceremony outside and you are using a runner for the aisle, you’ll surely want to figure out a way to prevent it from the affects of the wind. I’ve rarely seen a runner stay in place during an outside ceremony. Also, what about table centerpieces?  Make sure they’re heavy enough to withstand wind!

5) Heat – Again, there’s not much you can do if it’s really hot outside but guests will appreciate shady areas.  Make sure you have plenty of water available for guests to hydrate during the event.  Do not keep your wedding cake out for lengthy periods of time on a hot day.  I’ve seen a number of cakes melt, tilt, etc. due to extreme heat.  Have a protected, preferably cooler place for your cake to be kept until you plan on cutting and serving it.

6) Cool Weather – This isn’t the problem that a really hot day can pose but be sure to keep a sweater, jacket, blanket etc. handy if you should get an unusually chilly day in the middle of summer.

7) Bugs – Yes, I said BUGS! If you can, have the area sprayed a day prior to your wedding day to minimize bugs, spiders, mosquitos, etc.  Some clients also provide bug repellent torches for the event itself and spray repellent for guests if they choose to protect themselves.  I know this sounds crazy but… Contact a pest professional and ask them what bugs/pests are prevalent during that time of the year and what to do to minimize bug problems.  For example, for some reason, bees are angrier during the later months of summer and are more likely to sting – August & September.  A pest professional can give you tips on how to handle different types of bugs and other creepy crawlies.

8) Weather Radar – Just about everyone today has a smart phone with access to updated weather information. Have someone, a friend or family member, check the weather radar periodically during the event to stay informed about changes in weather – especially later in the evening when weather can change quickly in northeast Ohio.

9) Outside Noise – What?  Noise?  Yep. As DJ’s and sound professionals we’re always tuned into ambient noise.  A windy day can be noisy. Is your venue near water such as a lake or waterfall?  Animals, birds, etc. are noisy.  Is there a road or railroad tracks nearby?  There is more ambient noise outside than inside under controlled circumstances.  If you are having your ceremony outside, will your guests be able to hear your officiant declare you husband and wife?  We are often hired to provide a PA system, microphone and/or music for outside ceremonies.

Logistics:

Planning an informal outside picnic for a small group of guests is one thing but what if you are inviting a larger group of people to enjoy a grand celebration?  Yikes!  Here are just a few considerations…

10) Restrooms – Where will guests go to use the restroom?  Are the facilities adequate for your group size?

11) The elderly and guests with disabilities – Navigating uneven ground outside is typically not a problem for most people but what about your 85 year old grandmother?  What about anyone on your guest list who uses a cane or wheelchair?  Is your outside venue safe for them to navigate?  At the very least, delegate someone to assist the elderly or guests with disabilities when they need to move about the premises.  This will avoid trips, falls and other accidents and your guests will be glad that you considered their special needs.  Consider, what are other special needs for your older guests and those with disabilities?

12) Electricity – As DJ’s we always need access to electricity.  Probably some of your other vendors will also. Where are the electrical outlets for them to plug into?  Are they active?  Sometimes, if clients rent a park pavilion for example, the electricity needs to be turned on by the city or the park department before the event.  Don’t assume you have access to electricity at outdoor event venues.  Just something to look into prior to your special day.

13) Signage – How will your guests know where things are?  For example, do you need to post a sign directing guests where to park?  What about restrooms, food, etc.? Are there areas of your outdoor venue that you don’t want guests to access (especially children)? Mark those as well.

14) Lighting – When the sun goes down it will get pretty dark at your outdoor venue.  Is there adequate lighting for guests to be able to safely navigate the area at night?  Make sure you have at least some minimum lighting in the area to prevent guest accidents at night.

15) Basic first aid kit – Oh man, this is going to sound so campy… But, be prepared with a basic first aid kit if a guest should have a minor accident.  Being prepared in this way will minimize a guest’s small cut or bruise – especially if you are having children at your celebration.

16) Noise Ordinances – Check with area safety services to be sure you aren’t breaking any noise ordinances by gathering guests, playing music, etc.  Your DJ will appreciate not being approached by a police officer because he is breaking the law by playing music outside at 11PM.

17) Dance floor/area – If you intend on doing some dancing, be sure to have an even area at your outdoor venue for dancers.  Accidents can happen when people attempt to dance in an area that is uneven and/or otherwise not suitable to fancy footwork.  Consider renting a temporary dance floor under your tent or perhaps designate a deck, porch or some other even, safe area for dancing.  Preferably place your DJ near the dance area as he or she will want to be near the action and not on the other end of the yard from where dancers are doing their thing!

18) Check with your vendors – Each of your hired wedding professionals have their own special considerations regarding outside events.  The things that are important to your DJ/Band will be different compared to your photographer or catering team.  Be sure to share with your vendors your intention on having an outdoor celebration and ask them what they need from you in order to do a great job.  Also, ask for their advice.  Wedding professionals have probably worked hundreds of such events in the past and are more than happy to give you some tips and pointers on pulling off a great and memorable outside event.

We hope this article has helped you in some way, at least by giving you a few things to consider.  Please stay in touch with us if you think of other considerations we may have forgotten.  We’ll add them into the article in future updates.  Thanks in advance!


Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

The Magic Words Are: "Please Send Us A Contract!"

This message will not read anything like a typical post from us here at My Life Media.  In fact, for those who know us, it will resonate contrary to our normal demeanor.  We are not high pressure sales people.  We don't believe in hounding people, using cheesy gimmicks or misrepresenting ourselves during the sales process.  So please don't read into this blogpost something that's not there.  We're not trying to pressure people into making their booking decision before they are ready.

We do, however, want to be sure that we are clear when communicating with potential clients, so here we go... If you are indeed interested in reserving our service for your event date, the magic words are - please send us a contract.

Each year we receive between 500 to 800 inquiries for the skills and talents of just two experienced, professional DJ entertainers.  Not only are we DJ entertainers but more specifically, we are wedding specialists.  Probably 80 percent of the events we do are weddings.  I estimate that I personally have DJ'd and MC'd over 500 weddings in my 20 plus year career.  It's not uncommon for us to get 20 or more inquiries for the same dates, especially if they fall during the peak wedding season.  And, often inquiries tend to come in waves.  So, for example, we might get several inquiries in one day for the same date 10 months into the future.

As you can imagine, a lot of communication happens with potential clients throughout the year as we are sending information, answering questions on the phone, scheduling meetings, etc.  This is all happening while at the same time we are communicating with booked clients to help them plan their special events as their dates approach.

Now, truth be told, we are pretty well organized when it comes to the way we communicate.  We have notes on each email, phone call, personal meeting, etc. We utilize state of the art event planning software to plan and prepare for events.  This is not to say that we can't make a mistake, certainly that happens - rarely - but occasionally.  Nobody's perfect.  But it is rare that we flub up big time when it comes to working with clients.

So we are always surprised each year to have a few people who have submitted inquiries who think that just for the act of checking availability and asking for information, they've reserved our service without actually going through a contract procedure.  This almost always happens when people procrastinate on their decision only to discover that someone else was quicker to make a commitment and say the magic words.

To set the scene: It's possible for us to have been communicating with an undecided potential client for weeks, even months, via emails, phone calls, personal meetings and then have someone else contact us out of the blue for the same date in a brief 5 minute phone call and seal the deal by saying the magic words.

It's a difficult conversation to have with the procrastinator because we can sense the disappointment, frustration and despair.  "But we really wanted you for that date!"

Thus the purpose behind this article is simply to educate those who are planning their special event to say the magic words when they are ready to make a purchase decision.  No other words have the magic!  When you contact us to say "please send us the contract" your event date will be placed in our calendar and we will begin the planning process that will lead to a fun and memorable celebration.

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

Weddingwire.com Honors My Life Media!

{North Olmsted, OH} – January 23, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce My Life Media DJ Services has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for DJ!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, My Life Media DJ Services was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

My Life Media DJ Services is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes  the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate My Life Media DJ Services for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that My Life Media DJ Services is one of the very best DJs within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able  to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/my-life-media-dj-services-lakewood/0d200ac634b4807b.html.

To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers. WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple solution to build a professional network, improve search visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers. Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and Weddingbee.com.
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Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

Tips for Booking a DJ in Today's Economy

We are noticing that couples are waiting longer to book their DJ than in the past. Many couples tell us that they are paying for much, if not all, of their wedding/reception themselves and that they need more time to save for the deposits necessary for vendors. Surprisingly, we are still getting inquiries for this July, August and September. It's a difficult message for us to deliver to a hopeful bride that we're already booked for her wedding date. While the need to wait longer to book is understandable, couples may risk missing out on their first choice of DJ. Experienced pro's are booked 6 months to a year in advance of the event date.

Instead of waiting longer to book, consider these options -

1) Ask for a lower than typical deposit, perhaps one quarter the total price rather than one half. Also, ask if the vendor is willing to set-up a payment plan that works best for you.

2) Ask if your vendor would consider a custom package just for you instead of their standard rates. You may choose fewer hours of play time, 5 instead of 6 for example. Opt not to have extras such as large light systems, fog machine, etc.

3) If the bride or groom is serving in the military, ask the vendor if they would consider a "military discount". We have incorporated such a discount this past year and it is proving to be a great idea. Couples get a small break in the price and we feel good about giving back to military families that serve us so well.

Instead of waiting to book your DJ, call now to see if the vendor will respect your budget with a little flexibility. We hope, of course, that your call comes to us - but whomever you choose as your DJ service, we wish you a fun and memorable time on your special day.

Best wishes!

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!

What To Expect From Your DJ

Your DJ is an integral part of your event. An experienced, professional DJ will play several roles before and during the event to ensure that it will be a fun and memorable celebration.

Sound Technician

First, your DJ is responsible for delivering a sound system to the site of your event. He or she will assemble the sound system, conduct a sound check of the area and make sure everything is working and sounding great before your first guest arrives. This represents a lot of time, energy and work on the part of your DJ that very few people will see during the course of your event. In fact, this process may take several hours depending on travel time and the physical layout of the venue. In this sense, you have hired your DJ to be a delivery person and a sound technician.

Only through experience can one really understand the challenges and nuances of setting up electrical sound equipment in a safe manner that is out of the way of your guests, and making adjustments to provide the clearest possible sound. An experienced DJ will be able to do this in rooms of various shapes and sizes, inside or outside, making necessary adjustments throughout the event as people come and go (people in the room coming and going can change the way sound will travel). Your DJ will continually adjust the sound throughout the event so that your guests won’t be made uncomfortable by feedback, sound that is too high pitched or that may have too much bass, or is simply not well balanced. This is what many in the industry have traditionally called “sound mixing”, although the term now has several different interpretations.

Announcements and Coordination

Second, your DJ is responsible for making all necessary announcements throughout the event so that your guests and other vendors know what is going to happen. Photographers, for example, don’t appreciate when a DJ goes ahead with an unannounced portion of the event that might cause them to miss meaningful photos. Your DJ acts as the emcee of your party making sure that everything you want to happen, happens in an orderly way. Often your DJ will be playing and mixing pre-selected music while at the same time making announcements or facilitating festivities. This means that your DJ needs to be comfortable multi-tasking while coming off smooth, calm and collected. A DJ who effectively fulfills the role of coordinator and announcer will create a flow to the celebration and avoid a choppy, haphazard feel to the event.

A professional DJ will be prepared. Preparation is the key to making announcements at the appropriate time and ensuring that all that you want to happen, happens in smooth order. Preparation time is time well spent. Your DJ should communicate with you before your event to get from you the information necessary to act as emcee. There are various ways to go about planning. Some DJ services have online planning tools, many have planning documents that are completed by the client and returned to the DJ. Often a DJ will meet personally with their client to go over the details of the event. Your DJ will also be communicating with other vendors during the event to be sure everyone is on the same page for each planned festivity.

Music Selection and Engaging the Crowd

The third role is what most people think of when they imagine their DJ at work. He or she will be selecting music that reflects your musical tastes and will produce a fun and active celebration. Your DJ also needs to gauge the extent to which your guests need to be engaged and encouraged to get up and dance! Your DJ should be first and foremost concerned with the type of music you and your guests want to hear and dance to. Too many DJ’s show up with their own prescribed notion of what will be a fun time without consulting their clients. A professional DJ knows how to engage guests and encourage an active dance floor but without being obnoxious or too overwhelming. A pro will always remember that the celebration is not about the DJ but about you, your family and guests and will be more than willing to respect your choice of music.

Your DJ will, with your guidance, create the musical atmosphere you wish to have at your event. An experienced DJ knows that music has a powerful affect on the psychology of the group and therefore can influence the flow of the celebration. He or she needs to be able to “read the crowd” as quickly as possible and gain insight into what motivates guests to have fun. Your DJ will constantly monitor the energy level in the room and speed things up or slow things down when necessary. A pro will be sensitive to the diversity represented in the crowd (age differences, ethnic differences, etc.) and be sure to play music during the event that will be enjoyed by everyone. Be sure to ask your DJ how he or she prepares for the music selection of the event. Ask about the process that allows you to give input, song selections and how your DJ will incorporate requests from your guests. Be sure to mention, too, which types of music or specific song selections are NOT to be played.

A professionally operated DJ service will enable (and encourage) you to get to know your DJ and how he or she operates before the event. Don’t hesitate to communicate with your DJ by phone, website planning tools, email or a personal meeting. Your DJ will be glad to answer all of your questions because this type of communication leads to the effective fulfillment of the three roles discussed in this article. Remember, your DJ is your partner in planning and wants, more than anything, to give you a celebration that you will fondly remember forever.

Click here if you want to learn more about our DJ service or receive a price quote for your upcoming event!