Ashley Croskey and Kyle Henning exchanged vows on Saturday, August 24th, 2013 and celebrated with friends and family at the LaScala Italian Bistro in Dublin.  The large and excited bridal party arrived curbside in a stretch limo with partying attitudes in check.  The dance floor got few breaks as these party revelers gave it plenty of action dancing to old school and to the latest beats on the dance party circuit. The Bride's father, Patrick Croskey, whipped out his air guitar and rolled up his pants legs and flamboyantly entertained the crowd to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long".  Enjoy videos of this celebration by visiting my website and follow the Youtube link. 

Millennium Mobile DJ just launched a new website complete with video and a revamped design.  At your leisure, please visit     http://www.millenniummobiledj.com

Best,



Jeff Madama
Millennium Mobile DJ
Professional Wedding DJ/EMCEE

Wedding Shoe Game

Kimberly Nobles & Michael Effinger exchanged vows on May 10th, 2013, at the Cheers Chalet in Lancaster, OH.  A gentle rain fell during the ceremony which added a romantic element to their union.  The evening then gave way to a grand introduction of the bridal party, fine cuisine, eloquent toasts and a celebration filled with plenty of dancing and fun on the Chalet's lighted and covered deck.  Kimberly & Michael also participated in the Wedding Shoe Game whereby the DJ fields multiple questions for which the bride and groom (seated back to back) each raises a shoe based on whom they feel most accurately resonates with the question.  Their responses generated plenty of laughter and good cheer and the game was a great addition for a crowd who turned out to have a great time.

 

Newlywed Trivia

Newlywed Trivia puts the DJ in the role of "Game Show Host" as the bride and groom have their knowledge of one another put to the test.  The bridesmaids will develop a cache of questions about the bride the groom may not know and the groomsmen will do the same concerning what the bride may not know about her new husband.  Questions should be non-offensive, given the diverse ages of guests that are likely to be in attendance and hopefully ones that will not prompt the bride or her groom to seek legal counsel prior to their first anniversary.  Place the bride and groom front and center on the dance floor and let the game begin; alternating questions.  The game can generally be completed in under 15 minutes so as to not take too much time from dancing and other formalities, yet provide for a fun and unexpected twist.

Is Your DJ Worthy of a Tip?

The cost to retain the services of a DJ can vary greatly and one might ask, should I tip my DJ after having already invested a significant amount of money for this service?  A DJ is a service provider and as is the case for many service providers, it is your discretion as to whether or not the provider earned a tip.  A professional DJ will never expect a tip and will be honored he was chosen as your entertainer.  I have outlined a few guidelines below to assist with the decision “to tip or not to tip”.

-Were your expectations exceeded?

-How well did your guests respond to the music selections and did everyone appear to have a great time?

-Did your DJ professionally manage your event, display good emcee skills and plan accordingly with you from start to finish?

-How well did your DJ interact with the other vendors you retained and did he employ a “team approach” to ensure your needs were met?

-Did your DJ treat everyone with courtesy and do his best to accommodate the needs of all in attendance?

-Did your DJ arrive on time and dress tactfully for your affair?

If the above were addressed to your satisfaction, it would not be out of line to tip your DJ.  Average tips for DJs in the wedding industry range from $50.00 to $150.00, as a guideline.  If you decide to tip, offer it at the conclusion of your event and place it in a thank you card or in an envelope.  It is suggested that the Best Man, Bride’s father or the Bride herself deliver the tip.  Prepare the tip ahead of time and adjust the amount accordingly prior to delivering it.  Extend a personal “thank you” to all of your vendors whom you feel worked hard and enthusiastically to make your celebration a success.       

Your DJ And The Music

At your event, who controls the volume for which the music is to be played?  If you answered “the DJ”, try again.  There are DJs who insist they know what is best in terms of how loud music should be played and will take offense if asked to “turn it down”.  Remember, you hold all the cards, as it is you, who paid your DJ to entertain on your behalf.  He should be more than happy to accommodate your needs.  An experienced DJ, on the other hand, knows what level to set the volume for different facets of your event.  For example, during dinner, the volume of the music should be such that guests can easily converse at their tables without having to shout across the table to one another.

When it comes to guests approaching a DJ for requests, some DJs harbor the mindset that this takes control away from them, because, after all, they’re the DJ and they know what everyone wants to listen to and guests should respond with elation to every song they play.  In reality, an experienced DJ will read the crowd and experiment with different genres while keenly observing what guests respond to.  The genre, era of music and BPM (Beats Per Minute) will ebb and flow as the event dictates.

The DJ you retain should be more than happy to honor requests and should be able to fit those requested songs in at opportune times.  Should your DJ not have a requested song, don’t take offense, as it is just not possible for any one DJ to have every song ever recorded.  Planning with your DJ ahead of your event will help ensure he has all the important songs you want and he will secure these ahead of schedule.  Thank you for reading and remember, “Music Makes Life Better”. 

Aim high when hiring a DJ

There is no shortage of DJs with sub-par gear and a cache of outdated CD’s whom you can hire for a bargain basement fee.  On the contrary, forget asking this DJ for a request, because, most likely, he has never heard of the song and most assuredly, does not have it in his limited arsenal of tunes. The audience would gladly pass around a collection plate to show him the door and toss a quarter in the juke-box instead.  This said, if you want some music played from a home stereo system, why hire a bargain DJ? 

  

When hosting a wedding or reception or any party for that matter, your DJ will be the most important part of the evening and according to statistics, you will spend less for your DJ than for any other facet of your event.  You owe it to yourself and your guests to retain the services of a professional who will deliver a “killer party” you will remember for some time.