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.