We’ve all heard that a bride needs “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”
By the end of her reception, Brooke Boucher Mielinski had collected a new set of bridal fashion accessories:
“Cellphone, toothpaste, toothbrush, napkin…I’m ready!”
Hey, a perfect smile like Brooke’s requires maintenance!
You never know what might happen at a Party Machine celebration.
We were doing a wedding at the beautiful Granbury Resort Conference Center. It was a great, fun event, everyone was dancing, laughing and having a great time, just as it should be.
Then I looked down at the floor and saw Ulysses S Grant staring back at me.
President Grant, my old friend!
That’s right, I found fifty bucks, literally at my feet!
Well, that could only mean someone else had dropped it, as it certainly wasn’t mine. And I knew that it was enough that they were going to miss it.
People lose things at parties all the time, and I am accustomed to being the “Lost and Found” department. As the man with the microphone, I frequently announce that we have found an earring or a cellphone, and it can be claimed at the DJ booth.
But fifty dollars in cash? There would be a stampede of liars, all claiming they had dropped it!
So what to do? I placed it in the drawer of my DJ booth, and figured either A) the money-loser would appear at some point, or B) I would give it to the host, who could return it later.
After two hours, event A happened. A young man who had been up earlier to make a request asked me, in a rather panicked voice, if I had found a fifty dollar bill. He was quite nervous.
I answered, “YES, I have! This is your lucky day,” and handed him the bill. His expression changed from fear and panic to joy, and he thanked me profusely!
About two minutes later I was cueing a song and felt a tug on my arm. I turned around, and a pretty young girl hugged me, thanking me for finding her lost birthday money, and returning it to her boyfriend.
It would have been worth giving them $50 of my own for that, even if I hadn’t found it!
Maybe someday after I earn my second million, I can do that sort of thing.
We are a nation of shoppers. We are bombarded by advertising wherever we look, and are always hunting for the bigger and better deal. Entire TV networks exist just for shopping, along with eBay, Amazon, and a jillion other online shopping sites.
Technology allows us to shop 24/7 if we want to!
Most of us have gotten burned a time or two, by a product that did not live up to expectations, mis-representation, poor customer service, or even outright fraud.
In recent years it seems the laws against false advertising have been relaxed, along with other consumer protections. Caveat emptor applies more than ever.
So we are on guard, and tend to be a bit apprehensive as consumers; distrustful, even.
Planning your wedding, even under the best conditions, is stressful. For most brides, it is the biggest event you will ever plan, with the biggest budget.
So price matters.
The biggest mistake brides make is to ask about only price when choosing vendors. Party Machine Celebrations gets requests by e-mail daily, asking for prices, but without needed information such as the date, time, place, number of guests, or even the services wanted – and they don’t provide a callback phone number.
It’s as though they view DJ and MC service as a generic product where all providers are the same, and the only difference is price. Marketers call this a parity product. But nothing could be further from the truth! It is a talent-based service, and the talent and the services provided vary widely – and that is what brides need to know in order to compare value.
Some brides shop for Entertainment like they shop for milk!
It seems some brides are collecting a list of prices, and will only call to talk to the cheapest vendors.
This is a HUGE mistake, especially where talent is a factor. Such brides limit their choices to the vendors with the least experience by doing this, and experience is everything where weddings are concerned.
Entertainment is what “Makes or Breaks” the celebration! For better or worse, 80% of wedding guests say the entertainment is what they remember most.
The low bidder tends to be part-time, un-licensed and uninsured, with old used equipment from a pawn shop. Perhaps worst of all, with their minimal price, they tend to have a minimal approach to everything – no backup gear, no contingency plan for staffing or transportation, and no clue how to coordinate a reception.
But what is ironic about brides not wanting to call on the phone, is that, when hiring a Master of Ceremonies, don’t you want to hear how his voice sounds? This person will be hosting your big celebration – pick up the phone, call him and see how he sounds!
“But we have a tight budget!” I completely understand! Everyone does, and it’s very important to set and follow a realistic budget. (Many brides fail to do this.) Experienced professional wedding vendors will always work with brides to stay within a budget.
But looking for the lowest bidder for wedding services can often lead to disaster. We hear horror stories from brides all the time about bad vendors, and it’s always the low bidder. This is doubly true about entertainment vendors.
There is an old joke about an astronaut returning from space. In his final radio communication from Ground Control before the re-entry blackout, he is told to say a prayer, because he is riding in a tiny vehicle made up of 3 million component parts, “every one of them built by the lowest bidder.”
Early astronauts risked their lives in spacecraft built by the lowest bidder.
The lowest price is only a good deal when the products are the same – comparing apples to apples. I buy gasoline and most grocery items at the lowest cost I can find. For a wedding, perhaps tablecloths might fall into that category, but the reputation for service and reliability of the rental company can be critical.
It is almost always a disaster to choose an entertainer by price!
Brides call my office everyday and ask, “How much is it for ‘just a DJ’?” I have to tell them I really don’t know, because “just a DJ” is not the right thing to have for a wedding, and we never provide “just a DJ.”
Weddings are unique, once-in-your-life events that should be personalized to reflect the style and personality of the bride and groom and their families. An experienced, talented Master of Ceremonies who can direct the timeline and control the flow of events is what brides tell us they really want. And they want a reliable professional who knows what to do if Murphy’s Law attacks and something goes awry, so the reception will proceed smoothly, no matter what.
And they want an entertainer who can create a look and feel in the room, coordinating lighting with the decorations, and often providing sound reinforcement for live talent, and audio-visual support for video or a photo montage.
An amateur hobby DJ simply cannot provide that level of service.
A true professional will never be found on “Craig’s List.”
But the real irony is that professional entertainers don’t cost a lot more than the lowest price being advertised on the Internet, when comparing the same service.
Is it worth it? Well, I have over 2,000 clients who believe it is. I am happy to provide their names, with telephone and e-mail addresses, upon request. (We do not publish them online to protect their privacy.)
So, how does a bride avoid making this mistake? Check reputation and references, and pick up the phone and call! Hear what the voice sounds like, that will represent you and your family at the event. Make an appointment to meet your MC. None of these cost you anything. Then make the choice that you feel best about.
You will be surprised by the way top professionals are happy to work within your budget.
Party Machine Celebrations can be reached at 817-688-2665 to schedule an appointment at your convenience, day or night.
One of the highlights of the Mobile Beat Las Vegas conference for mobile DJs is the exhibits of gear and equipment. New products are introduced, some prototypes are on display, and prices are discounted.
I already had a cool laser starfield projector, but wanted another one, and the price was too tempting to pass up. Here is what it looks like projected on the ceiling of a basketball gym:
Dancing beneath the stars, one of my favorite romantic effects.
I got an even better deal on the unit that was on the display.
As I boarded the plane to return home, I got a text message from “Video Keith” Mathis, asking if I got any new toys at the DJ convention. I answered, “Yes, I got a laser in my suitcase…that I just checked…”
Then it occurred to me that the nice people with Homeland Security may not understand why I have a laser in my luggage.
When I got home and opened my suitcase, it had the following notice from TSA:
A Laser in your luggage WILL get an inspection!
They must have been satisfied that it was not a weapon, and it worked perfectly at my gig the next night.
Having a great experience at the Mobile Beat Las Vegas (MBLVX) conference, but having a bit of trouble with abbreviations.
DJA organized our dinner party last night (that’s Disc Jockey America.) It was great.
ADJ is hosting their Customer Appreciation Party tonight (that’s American DJ, who manufactures lighting…in China of course.) Their party is always great, and features big-name entertainment.
And the annual meeting for ADJA (American DJ Association) was today.
My beloved profession is not very original when it comes to names, as though we only know three letters. It sort of reminds me of my father-in-law assigning names to a litter of newborn puppies: “I call the black one Blackie, and the white one Whitie.”
I think we could use a few more letters of the alphabet, and form a few more sorely needed professional associations.
BDJA – Bald DJ Association. One picture says a thousand words. The number of hairless DJs seems to be growing, even if their hair isn’t.
CDJA – Cheesy DJ Association. These are the guys who give the mobile entertainment business a bad image, by dressing badly, getting drunk, flirting with bridesmaids, and making brilliant announcements like, “Alright, now, at this time, ladies and gentlemen, at this time…anyways…hey, listen up, everybody, now, at this time, let’s all give it up for the bride and groom!”
None of the cheesy guys attend conferences, because it’s not a profession to them, and they don’t care that they are cheesy. But don’t they deserve to belong to a club, that would have someone like them as members?
I was thrilled when my old DJ buddy Craige Bandy called and asked me to make his 50th birthday celebration into a full-blown Disco Party.
Is Disco Fever having a midlife crisis?
Blog readers may remember Craige as a former Party Machine DJ, who won an Emmy® Engineering Award last year for inventing a specialized camera device. Read about that here.
Craige and I met over 30 years ago in college, we both had fledgling mobile DJ businesses, and we both worked as night club DJs in some of the hottest clubs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. When The Party Machine grew into a multi-system operation in 1979-80, Craige became our top guy.
The Disco craze was in full swing in our night club years. We lived it, and we know it well. So when Craige said he wanted a “70s Trash Disco” themed party when he turned 50, both of us clearly understood what that meant.
LOUD, with bass notes that you can feel. Sub-woofers that shake your bell-bottoms. Flashy. An amazing display of lighting would be required, with clouds of low-lying fog, and “Saturday Night Fever” showing on two big Plasma TVs. High-tech, but with a BIG mirror ball in the center of the room. And lots of sweaty people dressed in shiny polyester constantly dancing, with bad hair and bling.
And: Vinyl. That’s right, old-fashioned vinyl records, beat-mixed on turntables the Old Skool way.
The vinyl part was easy – I still have every record I ever owned, including all the Disco hits I played in clubs in the 70s and 80s, lovingly filed away in the Party Machine archives.
Even better, when one of the clubs where Craige and I both used to spin was turned into a Mexican restaurant, I ended up with the DJ Booth console, and it has lived in my attic for years. Getting it down, cleaning it, and installing first-class pro audio gear was not easy, but we had a Mission! Spinning for Craige’s birthday, with the same DJ Booth we used 30 years ago…well, it had to be done.
That's right, turntables and vinyl records!
TECHNO-BABBLE ALERT: For you DJs, audiophiles, and techno-geeks, we used original Technics SL-1200 Mk II turntables with a matched pair of Shure M44 cartridges and a Rane mixer, a DBX Driverack, QSC amplifiers and JBL MRX-Series main speakers and sub-woofers. Total system was 4,900 watts, but it was quite adequate for a crowd of 70 people, and crystal clear. In deference to modern technology, I did install a Denon HD-2500 controller in the booth – but we didn’t use it! And we had an Apple computer, with all music backed up on remote hard drives, and even on the iPhone. I confess to playing a couple of tunes on the laptop, but mostly I used it to search the BPM count on some of the records I had not played for 30 years!
Craige’s lovely wife Stasia put together a grand event, including planning the music playlists, which she does better than most of the top DJs I know. She knows her music!
The invitations emphasized that guests should dress “70s Trash Disco,” and the phones started ringing with costume buzz. Invitees received a small brown cardboard box in the mail, with funky disco lyrics scrawled on the sides, and inside was a written invitation, a party noisemaker horn, shiny confetti and a pair of miniature mirror balls, suitable for…wearing as bling! It was clear this was not intended as just another party, but to be a milestone in the lives of all in attendance.
And we planned a bit of showbiz razzle-dazzle, with “red carpet” photos of the costumed guests in the lobby (with a mirror ball, a glittery backdrop, and colored Disco lighting), and a cocktail hour in the bar of the Cowboys Golf Club. Guests would not enter the Disco Room until the “Reveal” moment. We had a separate wireless sound system with speakers in the bar and lobby areas, playing Stasia’s special cocktail hour mix.
The wall separating the bar and the ballroom had multiple doors in the center with smoked glass, so guests in the bar would see occasional flashes of moving light, enough to know there was a party next door.
The doors opened to the instrumental beginning of Heatwave’s “Groove Line,” and the polyester-clad guests poured in. When the bass riff kicked in, Craige and Stasia glided to the dance floor (as much as you can glide in platform shoes), and the crowd followed in a cloud of color-changing fog. Those who could not cram onto the packed dance floor were all dancing where they stood.
It was, in a word, perfect.
The energy level was at fever pitch all night, and we played an extra hour of disco hits before the staff said we had to shut down. So much great old music, so little time!
I forgot how much fun that was. I am ready to do it again, in about three weeks. Long live disco!
And Happy Birthday Craige. Let’s make this an annual event, if it can wait that long!
One of my favorite Party Machine wedding clients recently honeymooned on the Hawaiian island of Maui, and sent this picture:
Read it out loud!
Thanks to Jim and Jane Cronkhite for this one! They visited the island shortly after the President, who was there to celebrate a Maui Christmas.
This one is for all our punster Party Animals.
It was going to be a great reception at River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth. The weather was beautiful, providing a great view to the east from the upstairs ballroom.
The House Manager spoke with us as we were setting up our PM sound system. He was shocked by the wedding cake that was just delivered, a bizarre creation of multiple cakes on stilts, connected by plastic stairways, with a cheesy plastic fountain under the center cake. The manager said it was the tackiest cake he had ever seen.
I had seen some exotic cakes before, but this one was truly weird. It was Barbie’s Dream House meets “Chutes and Ladders.”
Nevertheless, the reception went well, and everything was proceeding according to plan – at least until a large woman stumbled backwards into the cake table.
You guessed it: the stairs came a-tumbling down, and the fountain made a huge mess.
The manager happened to be on our stage when it happened, but instead of being upset, he was delighted! He made a quick call on his cellphone, and the staff had the mess cleared away before many people noticed. And a beautiful cake suddenly appeared in place of the bizarre Stairway to Heaven cake.
Sometimes a disaster can be a blessing in disguise.
There’s no accounting for taste – but it can be improved!
For funny bad taste, visit the Tacky Weddings blog.
Fort Worth, Texas – January 19, 2010 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Party Machine Entertainment has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for DJ Entertainment, Ceremony Music, and Videography!
The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.
“This award is a special honor, because it is based on good reviews from past clients,” says Party Machine owner and Entertainment Director Scott Shirley. “This award represents lots of happy customers!”
Party Machine Entertainment is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.
“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”
We are happy to announce that Party Machine Entertainment is among the very best Wedding DJ/MC Services within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.
This makes our third consecutive year for this award.
Some of my favorite modern technology has to be LED lighting, which makes it easy to make lights shine in any color you wish. It is simple to totally transform the look of any room, or even outdoor spaces.
We can “Light The Night” in your favorite color, your school colors, or your wedding colors.
So it was no problem at all when Tara Eckelkamp handed me a ribbon, and asked me to light her ballroom the same color as the ribbon at her wedding to Jeff Hackney.
The ribbon could best be described as a reddish maroon color, rather like a red wine, only a bit redder. (I have always believed that naming paint colors would be the ultimate lazy man’s job.)
The individual LEDs in modern stage lights are red, blue or green, and they combine, exactly the way your color TV screen does, to render any of 16 million different colors.
The intensity of RBG can be adjusted to blend colors, using either a simple fader control, or with sophisticated computer software. Tara’s mother, Sherry dashed into the ballroom to approve the color match. With a single click, it was perfect – just like the ribbon!
Tara Hackney dances with dad Hugo Eckelkamp with the room bathed in lights in her Bridal Color. NOTE: Camera flash makes the colors appear lighter.
The “old school” method was to place a colored gel on a light. But stage lights get hot, and gels can burn and colors fade, not to mention that the gel must be changed to alter the light’s color. And to have lots of colors available meant maintaining a huge inventory of gels.
Plus the old incandescent lights got hot enough to cook on, and consumed lots of power. A separate electrical circuit was required for every 3 or 4 stage lights. This meant extra power supplies (and extra charges) at many venues, while making such lighting impractical or even impossible at others.
A modern LED Par light can generate the same output on 15 watts that required 400 watts on the old school lights. This eliminates complexity, cost, and saves electricity. We even have portable Party Machine power supplies and control receivers, making them wireless!
But it also opens the door to a whole new realm of creativity in decorating with light…and at a lower cost. Because they don’t get hot, they can even be used on ice sculpture!
The possibilities are exciting.
I have seen the light!
Give me a call at 817-688-2665 to discuss decorating with light.
