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Posts tagged Weddings
Bridal Fair Edmonton 2010
Jan 11th
Edmonton Bridal Fair 2010 at the Shaw Conference Centre
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
Edmonton Wedding at Snow Valley Ski Club Edmonton
Dec 14th
Carrie & Jason
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.
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Wedding at the Garden Valley Hall in Spruce Grove
Dec 13th
Susan & Chad
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.
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Edmonton Fairmont Hotel MacDonald Wedding DJ
Sep 15th
It’s all in the details.
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.
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Woodvale Hall Wedding – Michelle and Carlos
Sep 11th
Wedding for Carlos and Michelle.
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.
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Edmonton Disc Jockey at the Oasis Conference Centre – Gail & Paul
Sep 8th
An Edmonton Wedding planned in 5 weeks.
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.
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Michelle & Ryan at Woodvale Hall
Aug 25th
July 10, 2009
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.
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Redtail Landing Ceremony & Wedding Reception – Kelly & Justin
Aug 6th
August 2, 2009
Dollar for dollar, Pound for pound, one of the best parties ever.
I have been an Edmonton DJ for almost 10 years and this past weekend was the 1st time I have ever been in the same room 2 nights in a row.
RedTail Landing is a great place to DJ and even made better when you get to leave your gear there over night. The day started out with an outdoor ceremony and the weather looked a little iffy but it all came together for a beautiful ceremony. The highlight of the ceremony was when one of the bridesmaids sang during the signing of the registry. WOW!!!
After the ceremony there was a short reception outside and by about 6 pm we were all back in the main room awaiting another great meal and RedTail Landing. I have been to RedTail a few times and Dean knows I am a bit of a picky eater and made sure that a piece of chicken was BBQ’d up for me. Thanks Dean, I don’t know of any other venue that works to make sure the venders are looked after.
The speeches were extremely well done some of the funniest I can remember.
We then went into the dance and earlier that day I was chatting with Dean and Steve and we were talking about how much harder it is to do parties that are under 100 people. This party had a total of 62 guests and it was on a Sunday night. We took a friendlybet as to the time the party would go to. Steve said 11:30, Dean said 12:30 and I took 1 AM. Boy, it sure feels good to be right. The dance started out great and never let up all night. We started with 60 people and ended with over 30. Kelly and Justin loved to dance and Justin was on the dance floor more than Kelly, usually it is the bride that dances more than the groom. The song of the night was “Kung Fu Fighting” and when the groomsmen were doing all the karate moves I was almost on the floor from laughing.
What surprised me even more was that fact that they were not big drinkers and just loved to have a good time.
Edmonton Wedding Highlights
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Fort Saskatchewan Wedding – Lori and Eugene
Jul 24th
June 13, 2009
Lori & Eugene did a great job of decorating the Fort Legion, I can not remember the last time it look this good.
Being an Edmonton Wedding DJ has taken me to many small towns and those often prove to be some of the best parties.
It was a great time, made better by the fact that there was people there that I new as friends or people that I had done weddings for in the past.
The speaches we very well done and even the little flower girl had some great words of advice for the bride and groom.
The dance got going and it was a rocker. Everyone willing to get out on the dance floor and have a good time. The bridal party was reved up and led the way on the dance floor. The party never stopped all night and would have went well into the morning but the venue pulled the plug and we ended on a high note at about 1 AM.
Please see some highlights with my very new Canon 5D mark 2 camera. Lots of fun in the parking lot.
Edmonton Wedding DJ By Greg Pawlechko
View in HD Download 720p HD Version Visit Greg Pawlechko’s ExposureRoom Videos Page
View in HD Download 720p HD Version Visit Greg Pawlechko’s ExposureRoom Videos Page
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