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April 2015

Grandma Didn’t Make It | Awkward Wedding Situations

This is our final installment of the most “Awkward Wedding situations we’ve seens as DJs” series. We hope we’ve provided a little humor for you.  After almost 20 years in the wedding DJ business, we can tell you that weddings, in and of themselves, make for great stories. With the exception of a few minor glitches, most turn out as planned, but in some rare cases, the “glitches” can be a bit more….well…interesting. As a matter of fact, some can be downright awkward.

Obviously, the awkward ones make the most interesting stories. We whittled it down to the top 5 and they are told by our entertainers themselves.

NOTE: To protect the innocent, we have purposefully left out names but beyond that, I assure you that none of this has been embellished.  If you’re in the industry, I’m sure you will sympathize with us.  If you’re a soon to be bride or groom or a general reader, this may have you shaking your head.

Awkward Wedding Situations

This definitely gives a whole new meaning to the phrase lost in the translation.  As the manager on duty, I had the night off from actually DJ’ing while our other entertainers were working.  I get a text from one of our ceremony musicians that one of the grandmas cut her leg as she was walking down to the beach for the ceremony, and she was losing so much blood that they had to call an ambulance.

They had to take her to the hospital and the ceremony was delayed for almost an hour. I texted our DJs so they could be aware of the situation before the reception started.  Our ceremony guitarist was distraught about what happened and he said he felt bad for the family as he could see the look of disappointment and worry written across their faces.  I told him I’d keep him posted on what ended up happening.

About 30 minutes into the reception, I sent a text to one of our DJs to see how everything was going.  He said it was a tough crowd because everyone was bummed about the grandmother.  I asked him if he had any updates on her condition and his reply made my heart sink.  His text read, “Grandma didn’t make it.”  I texted him back and asked him if he was sure and he said the nurse called the family and told them.

I couldn’t believe it.  I mean, I understand losing blood in your leg can be serious, but death?  I had never had a death occur at an event, so as you can imagine, I had no idea how to deal with it. I texted our guitarist and his level of shock was equal to mine.

Come to find out, our DJ left out some key information.  Apparently grandma didn’t make it TO THE RECEPTION!  What a difference a few words make, huh?  Of course, I didn’t get this info until after the reception when I talked to the DJ on the phone.

A happy ending was still on the horizon, however, as the grandmother did finally make it to the reception.  Our guys did a special “grand entrance announcement” mid-reception just for her when she arrived and the party went off without any deaths whatsoever.  Needless to say, I’ve made sure to tell our entertainers to over-communicate when it comes to texting me anything.

To see more humorous wedding stories, click here!

Groom Has A Social Disorder | The Five Most Awkward Weddings We’ve Ever DJ’d

We are nearing the end of our most Awkward Weddings We’ve Ever DJ’d series.   How did we come up with this series?

After almost 20 years in the wedding DJ business, we can tell you that weddings, in and of themselves, make for great stories. With the exception of a few minor glitches, most turn out as planned, but in some rare cases, the “glitches” can be a bit more….well…interesting. As a matter of fact, some can be downright awkward.

Obviously, the awkward ones make the most interesting stories. We have whittled it down to the top 5 most awkward weddings we have ever DJ’d (as told by our entertainers themselves) and are posting them for your reading pleasure.

NOTE: To protect the innocent, we’ve purposefully left out names but beyond that, I assure you that none of this has been embellished.  If you’re in the industry, I’m sure you will sympathize with us.  If you’re a soon to be bride or groom or a general reader, this may have you shaking your head.

We are nearing the end of our most Awkward Weddings We've Ever DJ'd series. How did we come up with this series?

Truth: The ONLY bit of information I had received about the groom from this story was that he “had some sort of a social disorder.” Now I’m not a glass half empty type of guy by any stretch of the imagination, but if all the adjectives and descriptive phrases in the English language were subconsciously sorted through and the only one that seemed appropriate to mention was, “he has some sort of social disorder”… let’s just say I was anticipating the ceremony with bated breath.

For the sake of time and your comfort while reading this, I’ll say, after doing this ceremony and actually getting to know everybody involved…if I had to describe the groom to somebody else, I would probably say, “He has some sort of social disorder.”  I could talk about the 2 minutes that the groom literally held up his mother on the dance floor for the mother/son dance… but I think I’ll share the following instead:

The reception had been over for about an hour, and I had filled the elevator with my DJ gear and was ready to descend the 14 floors to my car. On the 2nd floor, the elevator came to a halt. The doors open to a confused and glossy faced groom who stood in front of me mildly disheveled. He was panting lightly.  I searched for congratulatory words for his recent life event AND something that would comfort whatever might have furrowed his brow…the only words I could muster were, “Uhhhh, hey man!”  Is this the 12th floor?” he blurted.  “No, man… this is the 2nd floor.” {Awkward pause}. “OK,” he said and ran down the hall in what I could best describe as a glorious, bowlegged scamper.

The next night (after the wedding) I get a call from the wedding coordinator. Apparently, the groom was a little late for his “after wedding celebration” with his wife… and by a little late I mean HE NEVER SHOWED UP to the room! The dude actually fell asleep in the hotel lobby on a couch.

I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to relationships, but I feel that the wedding night is relatively important. If you get confused with elevators (we all do), reserve a room in a one floor hotel. If you get lost easily (some of us do), buy a sourdough bread bowl and “Hansel and Gretel” your way back there. Just make sure your biggest take away from your wedding isn’t a bran muffin from the continental breakfast.  P.S.  We found out that the wedding was annulled after only 5 days.

See more articles in this series by clicking Here!

The 1.5 Party Crowd | The Most Awkward Weddings We’ve Ever DJ’d

We’re in part 3 of a 5 part series of posts that we’ve entitled “The most awkward weddings we have ever DJ’d”.  We’ve had some doozies so far and this is yet another.  After almost 20 years in the wedding DJ business, we can tell you that weddings, in and of themselves, make for great stories. With the exception of a few minor glitches, most turn out as planned, but in some rare cases, the “glitches” can be a bit more….well…interesting. As a matter of fact, some can be downright awkward. Obviously, the awkward ones make the most interesting stories.

NOTE: To protect the innocent, we’ve purposefully left out names but beyond that, I assure you that none of this has been embellished.  If you’re in the industry, I’m sure you will sympathize with us.  If you’re a soon to be bride or groom or a general reader, this may have you shaking your head.

Awkward Wedding Moments

In our early years, we did not have the same event vetting process in place that we have now.  Starting out in business, you are sometimes forced to take whatever clients come your way.  The couple in this particular story had read our reviews and booked our DJ services online…without any initial phone conversations or face to face visits.

During the planning phase for their big day, I asked what they did for work and the groom mentioned he was a chemist and the bride said she was a librarian.  Knowing how serious some librarians and chemists can be, I then asked them to rate their wedding guests on a scale from 1-10 scale (1 being hard to get out of their seat and 10 loving to party).  Their response: “1 – 1.5.”   Yikes!  Not exactly the type of crowd we usually get.  Given this situation, I suggested we have a few backup plans in case dancing did not go over well.  Trivia was one of the solutions.

Fast forward to wedding day; I start the song for the first open dance set and no one even thinks of dancing. Everyone just stared at me. The dance floor was open for business, but no one was buying. So, I tried a slow song…then a fast one. I even tried line dancing, but no one moved from their seats.

At this point, I was thinking that the 1-1.5 rating was entirely too generous and decided it was time to pull out the trivia.  We literally played trivia for an hour and 40 minutes…at a wedding reception.  Fortunately, trivia loosened them up enough to finish the last 15 minutes dancing.

Of course, I thought that our services bombed, but was surprised to have multiple guests say that this was the best wedding they had ever been to. Some even said they’d be calling me for their wedding.  Ugh, thanks?!? Not exactly the type of wedding style I wanted to be known for, but at the end of the day, it’s all about making a reception fun, and if trivia is what it takes, I’ll do it.

See more awkward wedding stories stories here!

The Five Most Awkward Weddings We’ve Ever DJ’d | Surprise Toast And…

We’re continuing our series of posts of the top 5 most awkward weddings we’ve ever DJ’d (as told by our entertainers themselves).

After almost 20 years in the wedding DJ business, we can tell you that weddings, in and of themselves, make for great stories. With the exception of a few minor glitches, most turn out as planned, but in some rare cases, the “glitches” can be a bit more…well…interesting. As a matter of fact, some can be downright awkward. Obviously, the awkward ones make the most interesting stories.

NOTE: To protect the innocent, we’ve purposefully left out names but beyond that, I assure you that none of this has been embellished.  If you’re in the industry, I’m sure you will sympathize with us.  If you’re a soon to be bride or groom or a general reader, this may have you shaking your head.

most awkward weddings we've ever DJ'd

A good toast takes you through a color wheel of emotions. It can bring laughter, tears, and even create a sense of togetherness.  To RUIN a wedding with a toast, however, takes skill beyond measure. We were fortunate to have learned these particular skills from a master who was an active Duty General AND father of the Groom. Based on his example, we were able to compile a list of steps that will allow you to offer the worst of Toasts:

1) Talk as long as possible! A wedding is supposed to be a once in a lifetime event, so this is your chance to shine! Every little girl dreams of having a full hour and a half toast at their wedding reception, don’t they?  You don’t want to disappoint that bride on her special day, so be sure to fulfill your diplomatic duty and filibuster until the cake starts to mold. Just ignore Aunt Irma’s shushing and stay strong. Do so and you will ALWAYS be remembered as the person that everyone wants to forget.

2) Lose the filter. This point is heavily debated and can be somewhat controversial. Some people think that unfiltered stories are shameful, but we know that it helps loosen up a crowd like nothing else. Rest assured, a good cringe worthy story will make some prudish folks a little squirmy, but they’ll get used to it.

If you have a story, like General Toaster did, about catching your son on the couch with a lady of the night…YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY SHARE IT! The bride will eventually calm down and come back to the reception (we think). She may be crossing her arms and tapping her foot, but she’ll come back. And, that toe tapping is a sure sign that you have made a huge impact on her special evening.

3) BONUS! Not part of the toast, but still a great way to ruin a beautiful evening. Plan a surprise horse and carriage to pick-up the bride and groom about halfway through the reception. DON’T TELL ANYBODY that you have planned it… especially the couple, the DJ and the wedding coordinator. When the Bride and groom get back from their little horsy trip around the block and get back to their grand exit that THEY actually planned, everyone will be so confused that dancing will be out of the question. WIN/WIN.

Be mindful: All of this takes serious dedication, and you have to suspend any and all self-awareness…but if you follow these 3 simple steps, you can offer a toast that will let others know that, no matter how bad they screw up in life, it can always be a lot worse.

See more awkward wedding stories stories here!

The Most Awkward Weddings We’ve Ever DJ’d | Wish Lantern Gone Wrong

After almost 20 years in the wedding DJ business, we can tell you that weddings, in and of themselves, make for great stories. With the exception of a few minor glitches, most turn out as planned, but in some rare cases, the “glitches” can be a bit more….well…interesting. As a matter of fact, some can be downright awkward.

Obviously, the awkward ones make the most interesting stories. We have whittled it down to the top 5 most awkward weddings we have ever DJ’d (as told by our entertainers themselves) and will be posting them over the next week.

NOTE: To protect the innocent, we’ve purposefully left out names but beyond that, I assure you that none of this has been embellished.  If you’re in the industry, I’m sure you will sympathize with us.  If you’re a soon to be bride or groom or a general reader, this may have you shaking your head.

Awkward weddings

A while back, we had a groom who wanted to use wish lanterns for their grand exit.  Mind you, this was before they became the rage so we had no clue what he was talking about.  The grand exit on the client sheet just simply read – “Wish Lanterns”.   No bold letters, no all caps, no special attention, and no instructions. As a result, we had no mental preparation for the eminent disaster that lay before us.

For those of you who don’t know, a Wish Lantern is an eco-friendly lantern that you write a wish on then set on fire and it flies away in the sky.  It symbolizes good luck for the couple.  Admittedly, it’s pretty cool to see, but you should only use them in the right conditions…conditions which were not present at the venue in this story.

The groom had paid a pretty penny for his lanterns and by golly, there was no way that heavy winds, low hanging trees and a nearby building was going to keep him from lighting them.

The first spark of the lighter gave off a familiar glow, but quickly sputtered and died in the gale force winds: another attempt, and another fail. Those fails might have shut the lantern party down, but in the wake of vows and romantic first dances, the promise and hope of eternal bliss still filled the air.

Finally, one of the lanterns accepted its flame (barely), took shape and rose gently into the sky. If you had been there, you would thought it postcard worthy, but that was short-lived. An event that had started out as a dreamy and romantic celebration was now turning into a terrifying and hellish nightmare.

The flaming ball of death slowly hurdled towards the wedding party, ricocheted off of an unsuspecting girl’s head, and finally found rest in a few dry tree branches. Did I mention that they were dry branches? A second flaming sphere soon followed and found refuge on the roof of the clubhouse (which allowed me to segue appropriately to the song “The Roof Is On Fire”). Cheers of jubilee soon turned to blood curdling screams and as you could imagine, panic ensued.

Every couple wants their reception to be memorable… and though blood soaked arson wasn’t the original plan… that day will surely go down as “memorable”.

Have a story of your own?  We’d love to hear it. Please comment below.

See more awkward wedding stories stories here!

DJ Josh W and DJ Irving G Entertain for Sandestin Hilton Wedding | Levi & Andi

The location was the Sandestin Hilton Beach Golf Resort & Spa. We had a full B-Boy team in effect with a ceremony violinist, photographer and 2 person DJ/MC Package. We also got a chance to work with the amazing vendor team of Kiss The Bride Wedding & Event Planning and It’s A Perfect Day Wedding Florist.  What started out as a calm, warm day turned into a very windy affair for Levi Croy and Andi Seward’s wedding.  This, however, did not dampen the joyful atmosphere and despite uncooperative weather conditions, the feeling was warm and loving.

Destin Wedding

This particular Sandestin Hilton Wedding ceremony took place on the beach.  Our violinist set the mood with some beautiful classical selections picked by Levi and Andi.  They wrote their own vows which  were extremely touching and heartfelt.

Destination Wedding

In what was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, they incorporated a “dove release” just before they were pronounced husband and wife.

Dove Release

We transitioned into the reception on the Sunrise deck and the table décor and florals absolutely captured the Spring destination feel they were going for with teal and pink colors.

Hilton Sandestin Weddings

With memorable toasts and a real sense of togetherness, you could not tell which of the guests were from the bride’s side and which of the guests were from the groom’s side. My partner for the evening, DJ Irving G, orchestrated a fitting soundtrack as guests danced the night away.  We wish you the best Levi and Andi!

DJ Josh Weck

Emerald Coast Wedding

DJ Irving G

 

Formality Song Selections
Grand Entrance (Bridal Party): “I Gotta Feelin'” by Black Eyed Peas
Grand Entrance (Bride & Groom): “OMG” by Usher feat. Will.I.Am
First Dance: “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw
Father/Daughter Dance: “Daddy (Dance With Me)” by Krystal Keith
Mother/Son Dance: “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

Destin Wedding Private Showcase Proves To Be A Success

Towards the end of last year, we began working on a new line of thinking for the Florida panhandle and Destin wedding market as it applies to our marketing approach. The standard way to market your company outside of traditional advertising mediums was via bridal shows. We used to do them and saw some success but over the last few years, the attendance had dwindled and even more than that, the bookings nose-dived. It became more of a social event that lent itself to competing via price. Because we are more concerned with value than price, it was a battle we decided not to engage in and have pulled out of them all-together.

Destin Wedding Djs

So outside of doing a sneak-peak at a wedding we are performing at, how can a client see us LIVE? After all, that’s where you can see if a company can deliver the goods rather than some photo shopped image or well-edited video. In the Northeast, private showcases have caught traction and are starting to become THE thing to provide that outlet. We were an ideal candidate for this as we’re an all-inclusive event company. We offer DJs, Emcees, Live Musicians, Officiants, Photo Booths, PA Rentals, Ceremony Rentals, Dance Floor Rentals, Production Lighting, Day of Coordination, and most recently photography and videography. The only things we don’t do are florals, catering and reception rentals. So even if they had their entertainment handled, they could get the other services they needed and vice versa in a one-stop shop approach.

Destin Bridal Show

We spent November and December rehearsing and refining the presentation part of our showcase. We came up with a way to highlight all of our services but also give potential clients a 20 minute reception feel with each of our 10 local headlining MCs getting an opportunity to get on the microphone and entertain.

DJ Irving G

DJ Heidi

DJ Josh B

In getting the word out, we brought in 20 potential clients on a Saturday morning. With a strong venue partner in the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, who not only allowed us to use their space, but handled the phenomenal food and mimosas, the stage was set for something new and fresh to be unveiled at no cost to these wedding clients. The “proof is in the pudding” as they say. 14 clients were able to book at least one service they needed and were home by the early afternoon.

DJ Che

B-Boy Photo Booths- Destin Wedding

It went so well that we have decided to do it again this summer. Our videography team captured some of the highlights in this promo reel below to give you an idea of what took place. If you’re interested in attending our next private showcase, contact us and we’ll get you all the info once the details are solidified. We hope to see you there!