Saturday, November 20^th, 2010

Tonight, I was DJ’ing a wedding for Glenda and Wayne at the Edmonton Faculty Club, which is located on the University of Alberta Campus.  I have been in this location numerous times in the past, but today was the first time I was on the main floor of this venue.  The venue is located on Saskatchewan Drive at approximately a hundred and fifteenth street which is easy to locate, parking is very affordable and often free, and is very accessible from all points of view.

The bride and groom, on this day, asked me also to provide ceremony music, which is becoming more and more of a norm where people have their ceremony and reception in the same location and also sometimes in the same room.  On this day, both the ceremony and the reception were held in the same room, which made my job slightly easier not having to set up sound equipment in two different rooms.

Upon arrival to the location, the faculty club, for the most part, is one of the harder venues to get equipment into and out of, especially if you are in the upstairs room.  Lucky enough, I was in the downstairs room, which simply required me to roll my equipment down the hallway and into the room.  The faculty club is well- known in Edmonton for its fine dining, and in my mind, is in the top five venues in Edmonton to eat at, but I will get to that in a little while.

While arriving to the faculty, the general manager was on staff, greeted me in a very friendly manner and welcomed me back, obviously recognizing me from the times I have been there in the past.  It is always great to be treated as a guest when one arrives to a facility even though I am a contractor.

The ceremony started at 5.30, with a marriage commissioner and a friend of the family officiated the ceremony.  I found this to be very dynamic for the person who was a friend of the bride and groom provided a level of intimacy that you just do not get from a marriage commissioner.

I never met the bride and groom prior to this day, and they straight away impressed me when they greeted me immediately when they came to the room. They also made sure that I was looked after from every respect as to where I was placed in the room to set up, as well including me for dinner, which often, as DJs, we are overlooked.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and for me, the interesting part of the ceremony is when they had three friends singing and playing guitars for parts of the ceremony and as well, a niece of the bride, was playing piano prior to the actual ceremony starting with background music.  I always find live music to add such vibrancy to almost any function, especially a ceremony.

After the ceremony, the reception began immediately, and the staff at the faculty club proceeded to flip the room from a theatre setting to tables and chairs in the area used for the ceremony.

Dinner then began about seven o’ clock, it was a three course plated service, and the meal was exceptional.  In fact, the dessert was probably the best dessert I have ever had and I have probably eaten out over 600 times in this business of being an Edmonton DJ.  I give thanks to the chefs and the people who planned that meal, as it was truly magnificent.

On that note, of the meal, the one thing that is disappointing in a plated service is sometimes, the staff doesn’t know or was not trained with the proper etiquette of service, and the only thing I noticed is that the staff served the men or women in whatever fashion they want.  As to my understanding, proper etiquette, especially for a higher end facility like this, would be that the women at each table are served first, and the men served last.

Throughout dinner, the speeches were given between each course, and I have to say that these are some of the finest speeches I have ever heard. The mother of the bride truly stole the show with a poem that she did.  Actually, it turned out that she rapped the song, the poem out, and everybody was snapping their fingers along with her to create a groove and rhythm.  It was by far one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen or been a part of.  The laughter, at times, was so loud that she had to stop and wait for them to stop laughing so she could continue with her poem.

The bride and groom had one thing in mind as they planned their wedding – for their guests to have an enjoyable evening.  That was clear from every aspect of whatever they may did and the dance was a big portion of that night and it placed a great value on that, and we worked hard to provide a level of music that everyone would enjoy.

As the bride and groom were having their second marriage, and they are close to 50 in age, it was clear that the older staff would work and did work most of the night.  Anytime I tried to play a request that was newer, it unfortunately did not work.

The dance floor had people on it the whole night through and everyone in attendance had a great time.  I special thanks go out to the staff that the Faculty Club as they made sure I got back my battery and charger for my camera that I had accidentally left behind.

Beautiful, glamorous, and fancy wedding dress, inspiring wedding ceremony, Hollywood like photos and video coverage made you think that you have the most perfect wedding of the century, when out of the blue you suddenly heard the music that ruined your dream wedding. Wedding day is one of the most memorable events in one’s life but the question is, is it really for the best or for the worst? Most people don’t take much thought of it but having a great wedding DJ to cater for a wedding event can make a huge difference. The songs being played by the wedding DJ radiates an impact to the wedding attendees, especially for the newlywed couple since their own love story can be related to the songs being played.

    
Here are the tips to consider when hiring a wedding DJ:

A great wedding DJ knows that it is the most important event in your life and treats it as one. He also makes you feel that you are the most precious person in the event. The success of the event is his success and he goes an extra mile to achieve it.

A great wedding DJ must look and acts professional, he dresses appropriately for the event and treats everyone with respect.

A great wedding DJ plans and correlates with you to know what music should be played and those that will not. He also offers advice and suggestions on things that will create a perfect atmosphere in the said event.

A great wedding DJ does not directly invite the guests to go to the dance floor. He does it by capturing the crowd’s interest and playing the music that they want.

A great wedding DJ makes a quality sound using high quality sound systems. He plays the music just right, not too loud neither too soft.

A great wedding DJ delights and impresses people. He does not just play music and perform but he entertains and makes everyone feel that they are being considered concerning the kind of music to be played and enjoyed by them.

A great wedding DJ is ready to accommodate any special request by the bride and groom and even from the guests.

A great wedding DJ is prompt and always in action. He arrives on time and always ready to entertain everyone.

A great wedding DJ should always have his alternative plan when unexpected things happen such as emergency cases on his part, breakdown of instruments, or transportation concerns. In this kind of situation, the DJ must assure that the equipments needed in the occasion will be brought in the event.

A great wedding DJ makes a perfect blend of music and announcements. He knows when to turn on the microphone and when not to talk. He talks in a very clear, smooth and professional manner.

Your wedding day should not only be memorable to the bride and the groom but to the guests as well since they are sharing the most noteworthy occasion of their loved ones. The tips above are useful and functional guide in choosing a great wedding DJ to create an alluring, classy, having a sweet, and an inviting ambiance of music; indeed a perfect wedding ever.

Edmonton Wedding DJ

Bridal Fantasy 2010 at the Edmonton Northlands Agricom.

Video Highlights of the day.

There is a lot to say about Bridal Fantasy this year as there were a few surprises.

Most noticeably was the decrease in attendance of the exhibitors as it was clear to me that there were less vendors this year compared to last. Add-in the fact two major vendors were missing from Bridal Fantasy goes to show either those exhibitors have not been happy with the results from the show or how the show is run. I have not spoken with River City Rentals or Elegant Touches but I do know that they both were in Bridal Fair 2 weeks prior but did not participate in this show.

It is hard to say if attendance numbers were as strong this year over last year as no numbers have been currently released. Most vendors I spoke with seemed to be happy with the show and felt the numbers were down slightly but no one was positive about that. Most exhibitors were a bit nervous going into the show as Bridal Fair on had one half the attendance they had in 2009.  As it turns out attendance was about the same as 2009 with about 50 more people attending this years show.  Bridal Fantasy did a good job of promoting the show via radio, TV and print advertising.  Add in the good weather which helps to bring people in the doors.

The other big challenge to Bridal Fantasy this year was the Agricom itself. With the renovations that have been taking place now for almost 2 years this venue has become disliked by both attendees and the public as you have to walk a great distance just to get to the main doors from the parking lot and another long haul down a long hallway to get to the exhibition halls. Add-in the fact that you had to pay $12 for parking and $20 to get in the door I am surprised anyone came to the show at all.

I must say that there were some very well done booths this year and people put allot of thought into making the most of the day.

This was the 5th time I have been to Bridal Fantasy and I was again disappointed with the fashion show. For what seems like 5 years in a row the Derk’s have used the same stage back drop/theme and even worse to me was the show producers used the exact same music. The fashion show truly lacked anything new and exciting and with such a changing world that we currently live in it was disappointing that there was no new energy brought to this part of the event.

The BIG challenge I noticed this year at the show was a few companies pulling what is known as Bait and Switch. One DJ company inparticular took what is normally a $600 DJ package (at best) they then marked it up to $1195 and created a show special were they discounted the price by 50%. I can personally tell you that even their $600 package is not worth $600 not to mention $1200. As a DJ for almost 10 years I was shocked by this companies approach to marketing. If you consider a good DJ package to included 2 speakers on stands and a laptop with no lighting run by a DJ that may or may not have ever done a wedding before a good deal then you definitely got what you paid for.

All I can say is make sure your do your homework before you book any of your major vendors and never book anything the day of a wedding show. Go home after the show and do a little more research online to make you hire the right companies for what most people consider one of the most important days of their lives.

I have never personally been an exhibitor in this or any show but have helped out a number of vendors/exhibitors over the years with their booths.  What has always frustrated me the most is the end of the day when the mad rush occurs as everyone is trying to get done and their booths taken down as fast as possible. The Derk’s and Heidi really need to lay down the law with GES (the company that provides the tradeshow equipment for the show) and have them not lift a finger for one hour after the show ends to allow the vendors that paid at least $1400 to attend the show have the right-a-way when clearing the building. The staff of Goodkey Show Services were so inconsiderate that they began to roll up the carpet while there were still guests in the room and some of them with baby strollers. My apologies to GES as I cited them as the problem as it was their name I saw and some of the equipment at the show.  This was very disappointing to see and I was impressed that a few exhibitors, raised shit (excuse my French) and had Goodkey stop this work immediately.

All-in-all it was a good day and as a lot of competitors are very friendly with each other so it was a chance to visit and say hello to some great people that work in the Edmonton Wedding market.

List of Show Exibitors

A Beautiful Day - Planning & Decorating

A Chair to Remember - Planning & Decorating

ABC Weddings – Planning & Decorating

Artistic Creations Photography and Design – Photography and Videography

Avenue – Publications/Media

Beauti Control – Health & Beauty

Bed Bath and Beyond – Retail

Best Buds Flower Co. – Florists

Best Western Cedar Park Inn and Westwood – Wedding Venue

Bliss Wedding Consultants – Planning & Decorating

Bloom N’ Memories – Florists

Blue Sky Limos – Limo Services

Bridal Debut – Bridal Fashions

Browns Photography – Photography and Videography

Cakes by Janna – Cakes & Sweets

Coast Edmonton Plaza – Wedding Venue Location

Coral’s Design – Florisit

Crystal’s Bridal - Bridal Fashions

d’Lish – Catering Company

Derks – Men’s Formal Wear

Electrik Lemon Hair and Body Studio – Health & Beauty

Elegant Events – Planning & Decorating

Erik Hornung Photography – Photography and Videography

Fantasyland Hotel – Wedding Venue

Final Touch – Planning & Decorating

Flowers In The Park – Florist

Gemini – Bridal Fashions

Graham and Lane Florist - Flowers

Hilton Garden InnWest Edmonton – Wedding Venue

Holiday Inn Convention Centre – Wedding Location

In Motion Style Group – Health & Beauty

Infinite Event Services – Planning & Decorating

Instant Memories – Photography and Videography

Isagenix – Health & Beauty

Karisma Resorts – Wedding Travel

Kelly Redinger Studios – Photography and Videography

La Piazza Dasee – Florist

Mary Kay – Health & Beauty

Moby Disc DJ – Edmonton DJ for Special Events

Moores Clothing For Men – Men’s Formal Wear

Nickibeans – Cakes & Sweets

Notables – Stationery and Invitations

Photsmiths – Photography and Videography)

Picture That Photography – Photography and Videography

Pioneer Meadows Golf Course – Wedding Venue

Piotr & Megan Photography – Photography and Videography

PoGirl Productions – Photography and Videography

Sandals – Destination Lane

Sears – Retail

Shandro Photo – Photography and Videography

Sharaton 4 Points – Wedding Venue

Special Event Rentals – Planning & Decorations

Stella & Dot Jewelry – Bridal Fashions

Strathcona String Quartet – Entertainment/Musicians

Sweet Beginnings – Planning & Decorations

Table Charm – Retail

The Bay and Home Outfitters – Retail

The Bounce – Publications/Media/Radio Station

The Bridal House – Bridal Fashions

The Islands of the Bahamas – Destination Lane

The Last Detail – Planning & Decorations

The Papertree – Stationery

The Tuxedo House – Men’s Wear

The Westin Edmonton – Wedding Venue

To Be In Pictures – Photography and Videography

Transat Holidays – Destination Location

U Weight Loss Clinic – Health & Beauty

Uniglobe Geo Travel – Travel

Vigor Media – Photography and Videography

Weddingbells – Publications/Media/Magazine

Wedlux – Publications/Media

Whimsical Cake Studio – Cakes & Sweets

Yukon Brewing Company – Grooms Room

It has been 2 years since the last time I was with my friends at Davis and Company and boy it was good to be back.  The weather outside was frightful and inside it was delightful with great food and friends coming together to celebrate everyone’s favorite time of the year.

The Hotel MacDonald is the most beautiful venue in Edmonton at the best of times; and this time of the year takes it too a whole other level.  The Christmas decorations are so well done and really add to the look of the hotel.  So much so that people were taking pictures of each other in the lobby in front of the great tree and reindeer.

As an Edmonton DJ it is always great to DJ at the MacDonald Hotel and tonight was as good as always.  Over the years I have gotten to know some of the staff and on this night a couple of people were there that I have gotten to know.  A special thanks to Chris for his unequalled service and helpfulness.  He treated me like a guests rather than the hired help and that says a lot about him and the MacDonald Hotel.  If other venues could understand this it would server them well as I have customers that call me and ask what is a good venue to hold a function at and I always mention the Mac.

Dinner was served just about 7:30PM, which was a little late, because of the poor road conditions making people run late getting to the location.  Dinner was, simply put, amazing and I could not have had another bite as I over did it.  It was great to sit a relax and enjoy a great meal and my dinner guests were great to visit with and we had a great conversation over dinner.

After dinner we had a couple of quick speeches and the highlight of the night was 2 things.  1st was the slideshow and video presentation that the interns put together.  There were a few slides shown on the screen that were doctored in Photoshop that had everyone laughing as the interns made jokes about the office staff. 

The video presentation followed the slideshow and that was a spoof in the TV show “the Office” and boy was it funny. It must have taken days to put that together and was one of the best presentations I have ever seen and all I can say was the bar has been set high and will be hard to beat.

The 2nd thing was the “Family Feud Game” where 2 teams were picked and competed against each other to answer a few fun questions about the staff and partners based on how well they new each other.  This was very well done and the MC did a great job of preparing the game in advance.  I will be sure to recommend this to other companies in the future.

The dance got started about 10:00 and it was just like old times.  Since I had been with this group before and had a good understanding as to what they liked and that was a good starting point and we were able to hit the ground running.  There were lots of requests and everyone just seemed to cut loose a little and have some fun and relax, something we all need to do once and a while.  What I love about the Hotel MacDonald is the atmosphere in this room.  With a great look and feel and add in great lighting control you can really set the tone for an inviting dance floor where people will want to be.

Please see the attached video for some highlights of the day from “Edmonton DJ” 

It might have been –46 degrees Celsius outside but the wedding was on FIRE!!!

As an Edmonton DJ I can’t remember the last time I was this concerned going into a wedding.  The weather can play a major role in a function but not tonight.

The Denham Inn in Leduc is a very nice location to hold a wedding as I have been here a few times before I was very familiar with this venue.  When I arrived to the venue, which was nice and early to allow my equipment enough time to warm up from the freezing temperature outside, I was very impressed as the how the room was decorated.  Murielle and John did a few things that I have never seen before.

The first thing I noticed was the socks as favors.  This was a great touch as there was a story with the socks and the first date the bride and groom shared.  This was brilliant as it made things more personal and socks were favors that people could actually use.  At most weddings there are always favors left behind but not today.

Second was the game played during speeches… but I will get to that in a minute.

The bride and groom wanted to set a great tone for the night and by picking “Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feelin’” as their grand entrance song that definitely worked.  With aunty “M” getting married, everyone was very excited for her on her BIG day.

This was an advanced wedding for me with not only DJing the function but built my advanced slideshow with video interview.  This type of function puts a great deal of work on my plate but the rewards are well worth the effort.  The Denham Inn has a couple of limitations when it comes to what I do and with a slideshow being a big part of the evening the very low ceilings makes it very hard for all the guests to see the image on a small screen.  Since I had been here before and was aware of this limitation I brought as second screen and projector so that the projectors and screens could be placed at opposite ends of the room allowing for easier viewing for the guests.

Dinner was very well done and I really enjoyed the meal as it was a good home cooked meal that covered all the basics and then some.  Everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves with lots of visiting and laughing around the tables.

I cannot remember the last time I was this stressed at a function.  This was caused by a computer malfunction during the rendering of the slideshow.  Even though I am well prepared with a backup slideshow in hand, I like to add in a few pictures and video after the bride and groom to the hall into the slideshow and re-render the slideshow during dinner so that it is ready to go at the end of speeches.  Things were going perfectly until my PC got hung up and I had to exercise a hard reboot and then again render down the slideshow again.  This whole process took me until about 7:45 which would have been fine had I not made the mistake of not double checking my changes to the slideshow after the reboot.  Realizing my mistake after rendering put me in a big time crunch and I had to render the slideshow again for the 3rd time and the process takes about 40 minutes to complete.  We pushed the speeches up just a little and we were only delayed in showing the slide show by about 5 minutes.  The slideshow ended up going over in a huge way and at time the laughter was so loud that we almost needed to show it twice to catch everything the bride and groom said.  When you get a big huge from the bride you know you did a good job and that is exactly what I got from Murielle.

A big thank you goes out the their photographer.  Sonia allowed me to use a few pictures from the ceremoney and formals at the end of the slideshow which really blow everyone away as I was not at the ceremony or formals yet there were pictures in the slideshows from the day.  It is great when vendors work together for the good of the client as most people only have their own best interests at heart.  Sonia’s company is called PhotoArt by Sonia.  Thanks Again.

Lets get back to the second thing I had never seen at a wedding before.  The MC’s were simply put… AWESOME.  They were very well spoken and creative and did there homework.  The highlight of the speeches was a game that was played with the bride and groom.  First the groom was blindfolded and several different women were asked to come up and give him a kiss (they were picked in advance) and the bride was also one of the kissers.  After the women kissed the groom he had to pick which one was the bride and boy when he guessed WRONG the roof almost came off the building with laughter.  One of the volunteers nailed him with a good kiss and that really throw the groom off the trail.  The bride then had her turn and was also blindfolded and the male volunteers came on up.  She had to squeeze the butts to see which one was the grooms.  This was so funny and they got more volunteers than that had planned for as lots of men want to have their butts squeezed by the bride.  What was even funnier was after she took off the blindfold she also picked the wrong man saving the groom from years of humiliation.

After the speeches and slideshow we quickly went into the first dance once the head table was taken down via the hotel staff to accommodate the dance floor.

There were only 2 special dances and we were off to the races with everyone in to mode to have a good time.

Even though it was one of the coldest nights ever in Leduc it was one of the hottest parties I have ever done. I thought for sure that the room would be empty by 11:00 as people would not want to be stuck out in the cold or worry about trying to start their cars.  This was not the case at all as everyone stayed, danced and enjoyed themselves.  At 1:00AM I still have 50 people in the room which was a total surprise.  A BIG thanx to Murielle and John for putting up with me and really taking it upon themselves to have fun and really enjoy themselves on their special day.

Please watch the video below for some highlights put together by Edmonton DJ.

As an Edmonton DJ I have pretty much seen it all and all I can say is that Intuit did it all at this function.  From the minute you came up the stairs at the Westin Hotel there was something for everyone.  So where to begin.  As a guest you came in to the reception area where there was a piano player and bass player playing a variety of Christmas songs that just filled the air.

Down the hall was a room where you could have your picture taken via a professional photographer.  These pictures would then be made available to everyone in the weeks following the Christmas Party.

Everyone was mingling and visiting and enjoying themselves and there was a couple of magicians walking around performing close up magic.  This is a great add on to any function as it creates a great conversation starter that breaks the ice and leads to a better evening.  When the staff and their spouses come together for a function the spouses can feel a bit out of place and anything that can make everyone feel at ease creates an even better event.

The doors to the ballroom opened about 6:30 PM which was a little late to allow enough time for everyone to get into the room and find their seats prior to dinner.  The room was very well decorated with a back drop of Las Vegas as a background image that tied into the theme of having a funny money casino after dinner.  There was nothing new here for decorations that I have not seen before but what the organizers had done was well and all tied into the overall theme.

Dinner was very well done, served buffet style and everyone made it through the line in a very short period of time.  When you are feeding 300 people it is important that they all get through the line as soon as possible to all for a better evening.  The Westin did a great job of keeping the food on the buffet line so that there were no delays.

Dinner was followed by a couple of short speeches and a few door prizes that both very well received.  We then went into the informal end of the evening where there was both a dance and a funny money casino.

When there are two different things for guests to do that can be good and it can be bad.  If is always a balancing act trying to make as many of your guests happy.  The thing is that not everyone dances and the fun money casino was a great add on that appealed to allot of people.

The fun money casino ran from about 9PM to 11PM and the dance ran right along side it for those that did not want to gamble.

The casino was very well received and by most of the guests and those that did not want to play were on the dance floor.  There was not anyone sitting in the entire room so it was clear that everyone was partaking in all the activities provided via the organizers.  After the casino ended the person with the most money was awarded a prize and rest of the door prizes were given away and the dance finally got going.  With such a bigger distraction the dance generally suffers until the casino ends and that is exactly how it was on this night.

We did lose a few people after the casino which was expected for a crowd of this size but this size but those that stuck around danced their butts off and had a great time.  I was a little surprised that we had a good crowd still left at 2:00AM when I had to stop playing music as the crowd that was left were chanting “one more song” over and over again.

The challenge for next year will be to top this event.

Please see the video below for highlights of the event for Intuit Canada.

It was great to be back with Leduc Junior High for their winter formal.  This is one of my favorite functions to do each year.  I really enjoy doing school dances as the kids just love to dance and have fun, I wish my adult parties were more like this. 

The staff at Leduc Junior High again show what great people they are.  This is an outing where the students must be dressed appropriately, no blue jeans allowed.  First, they all go to a movie at the local theater and then come to the Denham Inn in Leduc for a semi-formal lunch followed by a dance.  Mrs. Ponich was telling me that when they got to the movie theater that some staff did not make in that morning and some of the students that work there on a part-time basis jumped in too fill those spots to allow the function to go that much better.  This really shows the quality of the students at Leduc Junior High.

The students and staff all arrived about 11:30 am to the the Denham Inn and even though it was a bit cold outside everyone was in good spirit and everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Everyone was very well dressed and not a hair was out of place.  Lunch was served buffet style and it was a good mix of Chinese food. 

Right after lunch we jumped straight into the dance and we started out with some songs from their social dance program at the school  Dancing is such an important party of our adult life and knowing how to dance is a great thing to know.  As and Edmonton DJ I have been with Leduc Junior High for years and I am always surprised how enthusiastic the students are when it comes to social dancing.  In fact, more kids were on the dance floor for the social dances then for the top 40 dance hits.  Even funnier, is that a lot of the requests were for more songs that were “older” like the “YMCA” and “Macarena”. 

There were lots of door prizes, good food and dancing for everyone.  I really enjoyed myself and hope I have the privilege of being able to come back again and again.  One of the staff at the Denham Inn stated during setup that she still remembers coming to this event and stood out as a great memory from her junior high school days. 

Please see the enclosed video below for some highlights of the day.

Edmonton DJ at the Edmonton Petroleum Club

I have been an Edmonton DJ for the last 10 years and the NAIT JR Shaw School of Business Christmas Party came about via someone in my past hunting me down.  John Beck is a great dancer and we knew each other from the days I used to DJ at the Fantasyland Lounge in West Edmonton Mall about 6 – 7 years ago.  They wanted to change things up a little for this years event and John remembered my company name and looked me up on Google and as they say it… the rest is history.

The Edmonton Petroleum Club is a really good place to DJ if you are lucky to be in the big ballroom with the access door right off the stage making for one of the easier load ins in town.

We had a great group of people that all were enjoying themselves and we then went into dinner about 7:00 PM and I jumped in with a game to decide the order that the tables would go to the buffet line.  It is a short a sweet game that requires the people at each table work together to answer questions about Christmas Carols and the table with the highest score gets to go 1st and so on.

We enjoyed a great meal with more choices of items than I have seen in a long time.  If you were not happy with all the choices then you were even harder to please than me and I thought it was a great meal, one of the best of the year.  Add in a great selection of deserts made for an enjoyable meal.

Dinner was followed by a couple of short speeches and a few door prizes.

The highlight of the evening was when John Beck sang a slightly modified version of “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” that had everyone in stitches as he played it up with a great introduction and I had the karaoke version of the song that he sang along with.

We then went into the dance that had a great start but we ended a little earlier than I had hope but it sure was a good time while it lasted.

Please see the video below for some highlights of the night.

November 15, 2009

Twice a year the Hudson’s Bay Company at Southgate Mall hold a special evening for their customers to come into the store after hours and enjoy themselves.  The winter extravaganza was very well attended with lots to do and see.

People were already getting into the Christmas spirit as I was hired as an Edmonton DJ to play Christmas music and provide a microphone for the draws.

The store and mall were all decorated for Christmas which really helped with the atmosphere.

Everyone in attendance was visiting and enjoying themselves and patiently waiting for the amazing door prizes to be given out at the end of the evening. 

What can I say but wow.  There were so many door prizes that started in value from $100 and went up to $350 with 2 grand prizes. 

At about 8:30 everyone gathered at the entrance to the Bay and the door prize giveaway began.  There was lots of cheering and screaming as the winners were announced and claimed the prizes.

Please see the video below for some video highlights of the evening.

September 19, 2009

If you are considering booking your next funtion at Snow Valley you NEED to read this post by Edmonton DJ.

Being an Edmonton DJ for almost 10 years has taken me into almost every venue in and around Edmonton and Snow Valley for the most part is pretty decent location for a function.  Except on September 19, 2009.

Lets start with the good stuff.

My bride and groom (Carrie and Jason) were awesome people to work with.  I did all my communications with Jason and he was easy to get along with and open to working together to make their wedding the best that it could be.

Even though it was a little cool out that day, the ceremony was out side the front door of the Lodge at Snow Valley.  Providing the music for the ceremony generally adds about an hour to two of extra work for most functions.

The bride and groom had provided me with all the songs that were required for the ceremony prior to that day.  This made it very easy for me to provide sound for the ceremony.  The only thing that I would have done differently would have been to make sure that the justice of the peace wore a wireless lapel microphone.  This would have made it easier for the guests to hear and therefore enjoy the ceremony that much more.

The bride and groom did amazing job at planning their wedding in providing some of the most interesting and well planned details I have ever seen at a wedding.  As you will see from the photos provided herein the bride and groom spent a lot of time creating a very unique and creative wedding experience.

It started at the ceremony with the program that was passed out prior to the ceremony.  The program was actually designed by the bride, as she is a graphic designer.  The program had all types of interesting tidbits about the bride and groom along with crossword puzzles and games that could be played to pass the time both waiting for the ceremony and in the reception hall.  I had never seen anything like this ever before and would recommend stealing this idea for your next function.

The ceremony went off nearly perfectly.  The only thing that could have been a little better was the weather as it was a little bit chilly that day, therefore making it a little uncomfortable for those attending.

This is only the beginning of the uniqueness and creativity the bride and groom provided on this day.  As soon as you walk in the front door was the sign in table.  It turns out that the bride and groom, in the early days of their relationship, went to a lot of movies and therefore tied the movie theme into their entire wedding.

The seating arrangement was a beautifully designed and laid out table arrangement using movie themes with everyone’s name that was assigned to that movie and the table then had the associated movie placed at that table so you were then able to know where to sit.

Also at the sign in table were some photographs that were placed into a picture frame in the form of a film strip.

Once you made your way upstairs into the main room of Snow Valley you noticed again the attention to detail.  The bride was a country girl and the groom was a city boy, there had table tied in the country theme with a wooden fence placed behind the head table.  It was simple, yet elegant, and really made the head table standout.

Each table had a DVD with a movie jacket and DVD label custom made for each table with the names of the guests at the table printed on their, and as well some other details for the evening.  Each DVD was associated with the seating chart from the main floor and was used as a table number for each table.

After the ceremony the guests were permitted to come straight into the room.  Everyone couldn’t stop talking about all the details the bride and groom had taken into account for their wedding day.

The master of ceremonies did a great job of leading the evening’s festivities with some very entertaining stories and good jokes.  Dinner was then served buffet style in the adjoining room making it a lot easier for the staff at this venue to be less disruptive by not having the buffet line on the dance floor.  The only challenge with dinner was that they ran out of perogies.  I cannot remember the last time I had seen a facility run out of food, and especially pierogies, addin you can simply boil some more BUT thet did not.  Lucky enough this happened with about the last three or four people, including myself, going through the buffet line.

Speeches were short and sweet followed by a very well made slideshow that was put together via the bride and groom.

Shortly after speeches we moved into the first dance.  The bride and groom had decided to do something a little different.  They decided to use “AC-DC – Hells Bells” as their first dance song.  This definitely caught everyone off guard but really broke the ice and set the tone for the entire night.  With a good number of requests and the bride and groom being on the dance floor most of the night helped to produce a great reception.

Now the bad Stuff.

September is a great month to book a venue like Snow Valley where there is a tremendous amount of glass.  This is a venue, in my opinion, should never be booked in June, July or early August.  As nice as it is to look out the windows the challenge one faces is that there is too much light coming into the room until the sun falls which can be as late as 10:30 p.m. at the end of June.  This poses a challenge when getting people to dance as most people have a fear of being watched and generally like the room a little darker which generally leads to a better dance early in the evening.  I have done functions in the past in this room in early July and they generally don’t really get going until the sun falls.

I really do think a Snow Valley is one of the better Edmonton venues except for one thing.  Maria, is the lady that looks after/runs this facility and is truly one of the most difficult people I have ever had the displeasure of working with.  As an Edmonton DJ, I have been to this venue a number of times prior to this function and have always had very few issues in the past.  The biggest challenge is that Maria thinks that the DJ should set up in what I would consider an inadequate location for the type of show my customer has paid for.  When I arrived at the Hall I let her know that we were there and it was good to be back.  I then proceeded to set up my show in a location that would provide both the best sound and allow me to interact with the crowd.  The location I chose to set up my rig had no impact on any other component of this function.  It did not impede the movement of the guests in or out of the room nor did it detract from the look of the room.  Maria came to me when I was nearly finished setting up and asked if that’s where my rig would remain and my response was simply yes for the reasons I do stated above.  She then proceeded to ask you for my business card, politely at that point, upon which I gave her one and as she walked away she turned around and told me that I would never be allowed to return to this facility.  As far as I can tell the only reason she said this is because I did not set up my show in the location upon which she wanted me to.  I simply set up my show, where I had discussed with my customer prior to that date, where I felt would produce the best possible party.  This is the first time I can remember I was treated so poorly as a vendor coming into a reception facility.  It should be the goal of all parties involved in this industry to work together, and to provide the best possible environment for both the client and their guests on that day.  This is clearly not the case at Snow Valley.  My customer and other DJs have also stated that Maria can be very opinionated and rigid when it comes to planning or working at this venue.

I can only say that this was my experience on this day and had been to Snow Valley a number of times before without any incident, what is funny, each time I was there in the past I have set up in the exact same location without any incident or objection from Maria.

Please click on the Edmonton wedding DJ highlights video below to see Carrie and Jason’s special day.