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

Simply put Bridal Fair is a wedding trade show where brides and grooms can come to one location to see a large number of local vendors in the Edmonton area. With over 90 vendors in one location this can be a good place to come and meet some decent service providers.

As an Edmonton DJ I have never participated in a bride trade show.  As a small operator in the Edmonton market,  where I mainly work by myself and use 2 other highly qualified DJs when needed I do not see the attraction to a bridal show.  From a DJ stand point I do not understand how anyone can simply go to bridal show and base their decision on booking a DJ on who has the prettiest booth.  DJing is so much more than just showing up and playing songs from a predetermined list, it is about helping to create an environment where you and your guests want to be and stay there all night long. 

The dance portion of your wedding night is generally 4 hours in length and often people do not place enough emphasis on this part of the night.  Often the difference between a cookie cutter approach to DJing and hire a professional that has more equipment than 2 speakers and a laptop and can all be carried in a Firefly is about 200 – 400 dollars.  Sure that can be allot of money but in the big scheme of things and a typical wedding costing about $19,274 (according to Weddingbells.ca) that really isn’t.  I often have people come up to me at a wedding and say “I wish we had hired someone like you for our wedding” and I simply ask them “what did you pay for your DJ?” and often the reply is $600 – $700.  I simple say “unfortunately you got what you paid for”. 

I recommend that people think about what it would cost to hire a Bobcat operator to work for them on a Saturday for about 6 – 8 hours.  Well I can tell you that is costs about $125/hr with an operator.  So if you had hired someone for 6 hours that would work out to be $750.  I can personally tell you that my equipment and music are worth more than a Bobcat, trailer and truck to pull both of those and it takes a lot more personality to be a DJ than running a Bobcat.

What I really am getting at is you need to do you homework when it comes to your big day.  Be sure to place the right amount of emphasis on the the things your consider important.  I always say to my brides and grooms to focus on the things that they remember from the functions that they have attended.

It was clear that some of the exhibitors went all out for this event.  Joe at River City Rentals created what had to be one best looking booth at the entire show.  He created a room within a room and setup a head table with guest tables so people could get a real feel for how a room could look.  They even went as far as to hang a chandelier from the ceiling to create the look and feel of a banquet room. 

One of the highlights of the day was the fashion show.  Lots of dresses and lots of tux’s made for a very well attend fashion show.  Seeing what styles and colours that will be in fashion this year is what everyone was wanting to know. 

From the exhibitors I spoke with following the show they stated that Bridal Fair 2009 had over 900 bride in attendance and the 2010 show had about 450.  With such a significant decrease in the number of attendees some vendors are already questioning the high cost of being in the show is worth the expense.

Please see the attached video of some highlights of vendors and the fashion show.

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

Elegant Touches – 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

River City Event Rentals – Planning & Decororations

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 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.

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.

August 29, 2009 – Garden Valley Hall Spruce Grove – Edmonton Wedding DJ

Little things can make a big difference!!!

Susan and Chad did a very good job of planning their wedding ceremony and wedding reception all in the same location.  It all started about 330 in the afternoon.  The hall was very nicely decorated and ceremony was held at the front of all which was changed over for the head table after the ceremony.

The ceremony was officiated by a marriage commissioner who was very well spoken and had a few entertaining anecdotes.  The young flower girls stole the show as they played with her flowers during the ceremony.  I have been to more ceremonies than the average person and this was the first time I’d ever seen the groom kiss the bride and have his hands a little below the waist.  Everyone noticed this occur and erupted in applause and cheers.

The only thing that could’ve been a little better was the fact that the photographers were using strobe lights with wireless flash control that beeped every time they took the photo.  This is extremely annoying and distracting during the ceremony.

After the ceremony the room was converted to accommodate the reception.  There was a very simple buffet which then led into a very short formal end of the evening.  Speeches were short and sweet with the highlight being three relatives sang a traditional song to the bride and groom.

When booking any venue there are a couple of things one needs to pay attention too.  The first is lighting control.  As an Edmonton wedding DJ atmosphere plays an important role in getting people in the mood to party.  If the venue does not have proper lighting or dimmable fixtures like scones then you should seriously consider artificially lighting the room.  Garden Valley Hall has very poor lighting control.  The entire facility has fluorescent fixtures with no dimmable lighting.  Lucky enough as an Edmonton DJ I carry extra lighting with me and used it to light the parameter of the hall so we could turn off all of the fluorescent fixtures providing a better atmosphere for everyone to dance.

The second, is air conditioning.  Edmonton weather in the summer can reach temperatures of over 30°C.  If you’re venue does not have air conditioning, generally speaking, your party will not be a successful as a venue with air-conditioning.  Simply put it can be hotter inside some venues than it is outside.  That was the case with the Garden Valley Hall as the kitchen door was opened as the cooks were preparing the meal and all the heat from the kitchen moved into the main room causing it to become hotter.

Due to the heat and the lack of air conditioning it took a little while for this party to get going.  But what the doors open and the fans on by about 11 o’clock the temperature was a bit cooler than people have had enough to drink that they were ready to start dancing a little more.  Everyone was having a great time and we ended up doing a couple of karaoke songs throughout the dance which really added to the night as it was not the focus but was an add-on that created an even better party.

Please watch the video below to see some of the highlights from the Garden Valley Hall.

September 12, 2009 – Dana & Graham

As an Edmonton DJ, the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald is a the place I both love and hate.  I love everything about this venue expect for getting into and out of this location.  If you can image, a 100 year old building was not really designed for all that we ask of it in this day and age.

Once you get into the hotel you soon forget about the load in and again you are over taken by the grandeur of this beautiful and historic building.  Combine this with the finest hotel staff in the city and you have all the elements needed to create an unforgettable day.

Both the ceremony and reception were held in the Wedgewood room of the hotel MacDonald.  It was a beautifully decorated ceremony with all the chairs wrapped in chair bags which were supplied by Elegant Touches.  There was also a 4 piece quartet which filled with air and that just added to a beautiful ceremony.  The ceremony started almost on time and went off without a hitch.  The justice of the peace was very well spoken and also very entertaining.  Her lighthearted approach put everyone at ease and made ceremony that much better.  The young ring bearer stole the show when the justice of the peace asked who carried the rings and without hesitation the young ring bearer yelled out “I do”.

Dana and Graham took it all in stride and would like no one else was in the room except for them.  It was great to watch two people that really have a connection with each other get married.  Being an Edmonton disc jockey I have witnessed a lot of ceremonies over the years.  This was truly one of the best.  The ceremony was followed by a dove release on the patio of the hotel MacDonald.  The bride and groom and their son together opened the birdcage and with a little help the doves flew off.

The ceremony was followed by champagne, a toast to the bride and groom, and lunch.  The guests visited and enjoyed a great meal until about three o’clock in the afternoon.

The staff at the hotel MacDonald then proceeded to flip the room over.  There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in a very short period of time to convert the room from a ceremony set up to a reception setup.  The room was then again open to the guests at six o’clock for the reception.

Just before the reception the bride and groom took some additional family pictures in the garden.  Their photographer was Nicole Fast of Nicole Fast Photography.

What surprised me the most on this night was the fact some of the guests were not dressed appropriately for a facility of this caliber.  I counted three pairs of blue jeans and one person was wearing hiking boots, shorts, a white T-shirt and an army vest.  Neither the jeans nor the shorts are appropriate attire for any wedding and especially a wedding being held at the hotel MacDonald.

At about seven o’clock dinner was served and we enjoyed, a buffet style, meal that was amazingly well done.  There are four different types of salads, sliced meats, turkey, potatoes and the best chicken I think I have ever had.  Dinner was followed by desert and then speeches.

The master of ceremonies did a great job, he was funny and entertaining right from the get-go.  The formal speeches were all very short and sweet and were capped off with the bride and groom saying there thank you’s.

Just after nine o’clock we got the dance started with the bride and groom leading the way just like every other function.  This has been a very funny year for first dances.  Almost every single wedding I have done this year, the bride and groom have chosen a song that is not as well known.  We then had a song for the father and daughter followed by a mother son dance.

Starting with only about 60 people generally makes my job, as an Edmonton DJ, harder.  I was very happy that we had quite a bit of dancing most of the night.  We also went right through until 1 a.m.  There were a good number of requests which made my job a little easier for such a small crowd.  This really helped me hold him find what they liked as a format and play within that format.

It has been quite awhile since I’ve seen a wedding done this well.  Dana did a great job of planning her dream wedding from start to finish.  The bride and groom definitely did it right and did it with style, right down to the Lyndor  chocolates that were given as favors.

A special thanks goes out to Dana and Graham for having me be a part of such an important day.  And thanks for letting me do my job without tying my hands behind my back.

Please see the below video for highlights of Dana and Graham’s special day.

September 5, 2009 at Woodvale Community Hall in Edmonton

Black and white… done right.

It was a beautiful September day where I was able to come back to one of my favorite places to play music.  Woodvale Hall is great venue with a easy load in and a very well designed and run location.  Add in some of the best staff in the city you have a winning location.  Bonuses are free parking and very easy to get to in the city of Edmonton.

Michelle and Carlos pulled out all the stops and did a great job of both holding the ceremony and reception in the same venue and decorating the facility. 

With a black and white theme that carried through the chair covers to the the napkins and even the cake. 

The ceremony was very well attended as there are usually empty chairs are most ceremonies but there was standing room only for this one.  The marriage commissioner was also very well spoken and entertaining.  He also got the guests involved in the ceremony.  I was one of the best ceremonies I have ever been to.

After the ceremony the room was flipped for the ceremony and that was all done in a very smooth and efficient matter and there was just enough time for me to transition from the ceremony to the reception.  As my show is one of the larger show in Edmonton I generally need about 2 hours to set it all up.

The doors reopened to the guests about 5:30 PM and everyone was in great spirits right from the beginning and I could tell that we were in for a GOOD time.

One other that was great about the room was that it was cozy.  There were just the right number of people for this size of room.  This is one of the most import factors when considering any room. For example, if you book a room that holds 400 and you only have 150 – 200 guests attending your party will, generally speaking, be less successful had you booked a venue that was well suited to the number attending. 

Dinner simply put was great.  Great selection and great quality and something for everyone.

Dinner was followed by some awesome speeches that were very well delivered.  Everyone was very well spoken making the speeches, for me, the highlight of the night.

I have attended over 600 parties over the last 10 years as an Edmonton DJ and I can tell you one thing for sure and that is the better the front end of the night is… the better the back end will be.  With a great venue, food and people my job was made easy. 

The one that was can help a dance or kill it… is kids.  On this night there was just enough kids that increased the energy but not many where they are causing chaos.  We had the right balance on this night.

What can I say about the dance but… WOW.  It was a lot of fun right from the start and with the bride and groom there to enjoy themselves and take everything in led us to a great dance that at time had everyone in the room dancing. 

Please take a look at a short video of the day highlights.

September 6, 2009

I received a call from the mother of the groom on or about August 3rd looking for an Edmonton DJ and slideshow like I had just done that past weekend.  The nephew of the mother of the groom was at a wedding that past weekend said that I did some creative things and referred me to Gail and Paul.

So we got the ball rolling and due to the condensed time frame we are all working under the gun as there was a lot to do, and very little time to do it.

Paul and Gail were very accommodating to get all that we had to get done in order to make the slide show happen.  We got together and shoot the video and we were off to the races.  I was under a lot of pressure to complete the slide show in under a month as I had a number of other projects on the go.

With the BIG day now upon us, I arrived at the Oasis Conference Centre about 2:30 in the afternoon as the wedding ceremony was also being held on site at 5pm.  This was the first time I ever played at the Oasis Conference Centre and was blown away by the look of this venue.  Wow, the Oasis is a beautiful place to hold a function and has almost everything you need to have a successful function. 

I was very impressed with the staff at the conference center as there were tremendously helpful to me as I was setting up for the ceremony.

The wedding ceremony went off without it hitch.  With Gail’s brothers being in the military and dressed in uniform added to the formalities.  It was all topped off with bagpipes filling the room with music as the bride came down the aisle.  One other unique thing happened that was very special, was that each woman that came to the ceremony was given a single rose.  They held onto the rose until Gail walked down the aisle, she then proceeded to collect all of the roses to form a bouquet.  One of the bridesmaids quickly tied the roses together to secure the bouquet.  All I can say is that this created a very special moment in the ceremony.  Paul’s father and brother in law officiated the wedding ceremony and together did an amazing job of joining Paul and Gail in marriage.  There were a number of funny points made along the way as Paul’s father made good use of his role as the marriage commissioner.

Following the wedding ceremony we flipped the room to get ready for the reception.  With only about an hour to do this made for quite a good deal of work to be done in a very short period of time.  The guests were then allowed to reenter the room about seven o’clock which was then followed by a nice meal provided by Elizabethan Catering.  It was a pretty standard meal with all the fixings and the highlight of dinner for me was the green leaf salad with raspberry dressing.  The master of ceremonies did a great job of entertaining and leading the evening.  Unfortunately, as hard as he tried, the guests did not respond as well as he hoped to some of his jokes and interactions.

As an Edmonton disc jockey I thought I had seen every kissing came ever invented, until tonight.  The bride and groom decided to play Plinko, a game need famous on the “Price is Right”. 

You simply had to come out and drop a disc down the pegboard and where it landed told you what would happen or what you have to do.  Either the bride and groom would kiss or you have to do the bird dance or even spin a hula hoop.  I will be sure to recommend this kissing game idea to all my clients.

Speeches follow dinner and everybody was very well spoken which made speeches even more enjoyable.  Right at the end of speeches we ran the slideshow which seem to go over quite well.  The brother of the groom, as it turns out, was at another wedding I did this summer and he commented on the difference between both slideshows.  The slideshow I built for Gail and Paul is an advanced product with a video interview of the bride and groom a long with pictures of the bride and groom over their lifetimes.  The brother went on to say how unique this slideshow was as it was like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

Please see the entire slide show in full

We then moved into the dance were the bride and groom decided to do a choreographed number.  I helped put together a sequence of songs were they did different dance moves the each of those songs.  It really helped to get the party headed in the right direction and added a lot of energy to the night.  The first dance where everyone was asked to join in was great. 

I think everyone in the whole room was on the dance floor, and you could barely move without running into someone else.  With a good start to the night, and the first dance in the bride and groom being on the dance floor helped get the party right off the ground.  Everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves the whole light through.  Just after 12 o’clock the party got even better everyone that was there was pretty much on the dance floor having a great time.  Had we not had to shut down at 1 a.m. I am sure we would went for another hour.

I am happy to say, that Paul and Gail were a joy to work with.  They were easy-going, laid-back and a lot of fun which made my job that much easier. 

Edmonton Oasis Conference Centre Highlights: What impressed me were the following.

1.  The look and feel of the venue were great and is one of the nicest venues in Edmonton

2.  The Garden.  Great for pictures or an outdoor ceremony. The waterfall just makes the space pop.

3.  The upstairs rooms.  Made available for a place for the bride and groom to get ready or hang out before they come into the reception.  Almost like a hotel with seating and bathrooms that allows for a great place to catch your breath between the pictures and reception. 

4.  Very good lighting control.  Lots of dimmers and I could fairly easily adjust the lighting to the setting I like for the dance.

5.  The Staff.  Everyone there works hard to make sure the details are done well and for the most part they were.  A gentleman (I can’t remember his name) was amazing.  He made sure I had what I needed and made sure the venue looked its best and were 100% people focused.  Thanks for all your help that day.

Edmonton Oasis Conference Centre Low Points: Here a couple of things that I noticed that were a bit of a challenge.

1.  Storage.  As an Edmonton Disc Jockey and being in almost every venue in the city this venue was built almost to perfection EXCEPT there is almost no in house storage for my empty containers.  This almost doubled my work load by having me put all my empty containers back into the trailer and then get them back out again at the end of the night.

2.  The A/V department.  This was very disappointing.  On Thursday Anne McLennan called me to make sure all is in order for the wedding and we talked about mics for the ceremony and plugging in a video feed to the projectors and this is not rocket science but she still had  their A/V tech call my on Friday to ask me a bunch of questions that made no sense at all.  What was nice the A/V tech did come a little early to make sure all was ready to go and I gave them the video feed and they powered up the projectors for a test and there were reddish lines running horizontally through both projectors.  We then went on to confirm that this problem was caused by something on their end.  As it was almost 7pm when we got to this point there was nothing that could really be done to fix the problem.  What annoyed me was that the A/V tech tells me that they had someone into do some work and it has not worked properly since then.  OK, if you knew of the problem why didn’t they get this fixed prior to the function and more so the new of the problem and proceeded to charge the customer for something that was not working properly.  This did not impress me at all. 

3. Rules.   They have a lot of rules that did not make sense to me.  Being an interactive Edmonton DJ I want to be as close to the dance floor as possible so I can jump into the party and have some fun with the guests.  I had to work a little to get them to place me as close to the dance floor as possible.  My rig is very sharp looking and very clean, I don’t even have my company name on any of my equipment as I think that looks tacky, and since I am generally 4 hours of the night a little more emphasis on the DJ would be great as generally I am the reason you stay or go home.

4. Cost.  From what I have heard talking to other people in the industry this is one of the most expensive places in the city to hold a function and they charge for everything.  Just to have someone turn on the projectors for 1 hour you had to pay the tech for 4 hours labour.  I could have turned on the projectors myself and saved the costumer that extra fee.  Also, if you do not use their preferred DJ, that’s right they charge you, I believe, $300 extra.  If you want to use an outside catering company or event company there are fees attached to that as well.  Just to name a few things.  All I can say is make sure of all your costs prior to signing a contract with any venue.

A Friday Night Rocker!!! at Woodvale Community Hall.

It is always enjoyable to be an Edmonton Disc Jockey at Woodvale Hall.  This Edmonton venue is more than just a community hall it is one of the best places in Edmonton to hold a wedding.  Add in the fact that Fong and his staff could compete with the staff at the Hotel MacDonald you have the best of both worlds; an afforable wedding venue and staff that work hard to make sure all in attenance are happy.

Michelle and Ryan went all out with the decorations in the room and this truly changed the look and feel of the room.  With a head table back drop right through to the chair covers and ties they turned this room into a beautiful place to hold a function.

One of the highlights was the candy table.  Instead of favours the bride and groom had a table of candy where veryone could fill there bag with what every treats they would like.  At times people were lined up 5 deep to get some treats.

Dinner at Woodvale Hall is always very well done and that night it was amazing.  There were so many things to pick from on the buffet line I needed a larger plate. 

Speeches followed dinner and they were very well done.  This summer as an Edmonton Wedding DJ keeps surprising me as people are so very well spoken.  The other thing that has impressed me is that guests are dressing up again.  Blue jeans should not be allowed at almost any function, and on this night I don’t think there was a pair insight.

We then go the dance under way right after the slide show and I am always a little concerned about doing a party on a Friday night.  People have worked all day and have been awake since early that morning.  Saturday weddings allow people to sleep in and have a full set of batteries from the tiime they roll in the door.  The groom and bride again did it right.  They had an open bar, which allowed for the guests to cut loose and not worry about spending a huge amount of money on drinks as some venues are now charging $6 – $7 per drink.

All I can really say about the dance is WOW!!!  It was a great party led by the bride and groom that were on the dance floor a good chunk of the night.  We had a great time with everyone loving the songs they could sing along to and the classics.  The dance went until about 1:30 and everyone that stayed had a lot of fun. 

Please take a look at some highlights of the Edmonton DJ Wedding.

It started as a typical Edmonton Wedding but that did not last long. 

The Clyde Curling Rink is by far one of the hardest venues I have ever had to get my equipment into.  The only ramp into the build was at the front door which is 300 feet from where I setup for the dance.  So it is shorter to come in one of the side doors which is 8 inches off the ground and then there is a short deck around the curling rink on the inside that then goes down 8 inches.  This meant that I had to lift my equipment twice just to get it into the room.  Had I know that this was the case I would have brought some help with me.

LUCKY I WAS THERE!!!

The girl that was building the wedding slideshow ran into a small problem that day.  She had just bought a new Mac PC and either she was not sure on how to run it or there was a problem with iDVD but she could not render the slideshow to any digital format or DVD.  Lucky enough she came to the hall early to see if I could help out.  The thing is, I know nothing about a Mac and she did not bring the monitor adaptor to connect the laptop to the projector we could not even run it directly from her machine. 

I then recommended that she transfer all the pictures to a memory stick and I would build the slideshow from scratch and hope that I could get it completed in less than an hour.  Long story short, I finished rendering the slide show 2 minutes prior running it and it went off without a hitch.  The bride and groom did the right thing by thanking the girl that built the slide show for building it and for the most part the guests had no idea that things went the way they did. 

It was great to help out and make sure that this part of the evening went well.  There are very few people that could have made this all happen, and I am proud to say that being more than just and Edmonton DJ is what DJing is all about.  I have all said that more people need to do more than what is expected of them and on this day… I did just that.  The bride and groom later visited me to thank me and that was a great thing for them to do.

We then headed into dinner which was all homemade and was very, very well done.  Even though I only eat chicken or turkey there was more than enough even for me to be made happy.

Being an Edmonton Wedding DJ, I can not remember the last time I saw so many kids at a function.  This can be both good and bad depending on the night.  Good, because kids have a lot of energy and can get the party going but when it is bed time for the kids you then end up losing the parents as well.

We had a good start to the dance with a few good/solid 2-steps and some oldies.  Country weddings are usually better than Edmonton Parties and that is mainly because you get the hall for the weekend and you can therefore party well into the night.  Add in that there were a lot of the guests camped right there on site, so all they had to do was crawl home at the end of the night. 

By 1 am the party was a jumpin’ and everyone that was there was on the dance floor having a great time.    I ended up playing ’til 2 am and that is when the parents shut us down as they wanted to go home as it had been a very long day.

Enjoy some Edmonton Disc Jockey Services highlights!