I’m just a DJ

Have you ever had your hair cut by a landscaper?  They both trim excess growth, right?

How about this, have you ever gotten a checkup by a veterinarian? Docs and Vets are both medically trained.

When you plan your wedding, don’t you want the best? All-in-one packages, combo DJ/photographer/officiant, venues that provide flowers,officiants,DJs, etc, are all examples of settling for something a little less.

I’m a good photographer of sorts. I can even cook a good dinner at home. But I’m a great DJ. Specifically, I’m a great wedding DJ. Sometimes I get asked to do other types of parties, but I specialize in weddings.  I know the songs that will make your guests jump to the dance floor. I know which songs shouldn’t be heard at a wedding. I know how to match your tastes in music to your crowd.  You’ll hear the songs you love, and your guests will also hear the songs they love. The end result is a fun reception, no stress, and great memories. Your guests won’t leave the reception saying ‘can you believe the DJ did that?’

When you have the opportunity to choose each of your vendors, you have the opportunity to find someone who meshes with you, who won’t be an aggravation to work with, and who will exceed your expectations.

Visit my website (http://www.fanningflams.com) and drop me a line.  Let’s get planning..

 

Using uplighting to create the ambiance you deserve

Have you ever seen columns of light along the wall during a party or reception? Uplighting creates a mood that can accentuate all of the table decorations, flowers, dresses and bring your room together.

Traditional uplighting used PAR cans and gels.  Think of a spotlight in the can mounted on a board facing up. On top of that can is placed a color plastic or gel, creating a column of colored light. PAR cans are very inexpensive (really just a bulb in a can) and have been around for years. In uplighting, they provide a very cheap solution. Unfortunately, PAR cans get hot and can burn curious guests (are kids coming to your wedding?). Also, the combination of heat and plastic sometimes emits an odor near the can.

LED lighting utilizes LEDs (duh), so instead of having light come from a single source, light comes from 50-150 LEDs all working together.  Most stop lights are really more than 3 lights (red, yellow and green), but are a collection of LEDs (you can see them if you look closely).

Along with cool operation and very low power consumption, LEDs can be made in different colors. Combine red, green and blue LEDs into a single fixture, and you have the ability to create almost any color. More importantly, connect that LED fixture to an intelligent controller, and you have the ability to change colors, fade between colors, and vary the intensity. Traditional PAR cans make it nearly impossible to light your room with purple for dinner, blue for slow dancing, and red/orange for your bouquet and garter toss. Also, most controllers can also “listen” to the music and vary the colors based on the tempo of each song.

Let’s talk about uplighting for your wedding reception or next party!

The art of dinner music

At a wedding, it’s obvious that the DJ creates the party, the dance, the ‘fun’.

At almost every wedding, the DJ is also responsible for music during dinner. I think the bride, mother of the bride, etc should have a lot of say in what’s being played for their guests. I’ve had requests for many things that just didn’t seem like great music for dinner. Aren’t people eating and talking during this time?

Call me old-fashioned, but great dinner music fills the air with pleasantness, without dominating the room, and without being a distraction. Often the songs chosen are built around great love themes, sung by classic artists. Instrumental arrangements can also be warm and enjoyable during dinner.

Here’s my list of favorite dinner music selections:

• R N R – Rick Braun/Richard Elliot
• Groove On – Eric Darius
• Nothin’ But Trouble – Charlie Hunter
• Just Around the Corner – Eric Marienthal
• Brazil Chill – Bob Baldwin
• Georgia Peach – Acoustic Alchemy
• Teaneck – Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley
• I Still Get Jealous – Harry Connick, Jr.
• Bellavia – Chuck Mangione
• Angela Smiled – W.G. Snuffy Waldren & Snuffy
• Fly me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra
• Come Dance with Me – Diana Krall
• Let’s Fall in Love – Diana Krall
• La Rosa Negra – Ottmar Liebert
• Beyond the Sea – Bobby Darin
• Alright, Okay, You Win – Tony Bennett with Diana Krall
• Something’s Gotta Give – Sammy Davis, Jr.
• Moondance – Michael Bublé
• The Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra
• Titter Pipes – Tommy Newsom
• Uptown Swagger – Eric Darius
• Don’t Get Around Much Anymore – Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges & Septet

And the list can go on and on. 22 songs (from this list) is about 80 minutes of music, and plenty to get you through most any dinner.

Have a wonderful dance party, but enjoy the ambiance at dinner as well.

Leave your guests with a lasting impression, a good one at that.

I visited historic Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, S.C. yesterday afternoon.  If you haven’t been there, and you’re interested in the history of the south and how slavery impacted the area, I highly recommend a visit.

What’s this got to do with a wedding?

Let me set the stage.

It’s 94 degrees with 75% humidity. I’m walking around in shorts and a tee-shirt, constantly flapping the shirt to generate a little air flow and cool off.  Shade is helpful, but you can’t escape the temperature and humidity in the shade.

It’s an old plantation, so all of the roads are really just sandy dirt paths that have been there for 100′s of year. Getting the dust stirred up happens.

The plantation has appeared in many movies, including The Notebook and North & South. It’s picturesque entry through 200+ year old live oak trees with hanging spanish moss is breathtaking. If you can dream up a southern wedding with sweeping views, then you’re probably dreaming about Boone Hall Plantation.

I can imagine there are many weddings booked at Boone Hall Plantation.  There was one yesterday afternoon, complete with a beautiful bride, bridesmaids in royal blue, and gentlemen in classic seersucker suits. It really was the quintessential southern wedding.

With all of that beauty, planning, live musicians for the ceremony, amazing views and photo opportunities, what do you think the guests will remember the most?

Probably the 200 yard walk on the dirt road from the parking lot to the wedding/reception area while wearing appropriate wedding attire (suits and cocktail dresses) in a 94 degree/75% humidity day.

Could this have been solved? I don’t know. I would’ve investigated an air conditioned limo/bus to carry people back and forth.  Even a carriage drawn by horses would’ve been appropriate, fun for the guests, and much better than the walk.

I wasn’t working the wedding (I’m on vacation), and I’m glad I didn’t have the sweaty, cranky guests at the reception. Please, do your guests a favor and think about their day too, and how pleasant/unpleasant you are making it.

Wedding shows – sane or insane?

Working as a professional DJ for years in the wedding industry, I’ve done my share of wedding shows.

The really big shows seem to be a “cattle-call” of sorts.  I don’t know how any bride can spend a day (or even two) at a megashow, visiting 40 DJ booths, 100+ photographers, etc, and make any sense of it.  In the handful of big, big shows I’ve participated in, it seems the great majority of the “leads” are really just looking for a great deal.  I’m not against someone looking for a great deal, and I’ll work to stay within someone’s budget, but do you really want to put your reception into the hands of the cheapest available DJ you could find?

I know there are many good DJs in the valley.  I’ve met quite a few of them.  Some of the best I know are also, like me, recommended by Thee Wedding Warehouse.  Kathy and her staff do weddings, 100′s of weddings every year. I think they’ve seen it all, so to speak.

On September 24th, Kathy and Thee Wedding Warehouse is holding a wedding show of its own. What makes this different? To participate requires more than money. You can’t just put down $$$ and get a table.  As a matter of fact, our only expense is to help cover the cost of the rentals (tent, table, power, etc). The only vendors you’ll meet at this show are the ones invited by Kathy and Thee Wedding Warehouse to participate.  In other words, it’s a show with 3-6 quality vendors of each category (DJ, catering, photography, etc).  I feel honored to be a part of Kathy’s network.

If you want to meet vendors that are known for their quality of work, come out on 9/24 for the day.  I’ll be there, as well as other great DJs in the valley.  Pick any one of us and I will personally guarantee you’ll have a great reception.

Did I mention there are some great giveaways that day too?