We are Regional Finalists for The Wedding Industry Awards
Thank You to all my Brides & Grooms who firstly booked me to provide Wedding Entertainment and Lighting Effects over the last 12 months at your Weddings and secondly for taking the time to vote for me at The Wedding Industry Awards Website. I feel privileged to have been shortlisted for the Regional Finals.
Manchester Wedding DJ Specialist Statham Lodge
So on the 24th May 2014 I was invited to provide my entertainment services for a fantastic wedding. Anthony & Danielle Grey were to be married at St Teresa’s Church in Irlam followed by a Wedding Breakfast/Reception at the beautiful Statham Lodge in Lymm. Although I am NOT a videographer I have provided video for around 5 Weddings and for this day I was booked for the Video too. This was a pleasure to do as I got to see the Wedding Prep – Final Dance. The special effect you see in the video is called Dry Ice that I use for the 1st Dance. The FX gives the look of Dancing in the Clouds. This gives your photographer the perfect opportunity to for UNIQUE 1st Dance photos that will WoW your friends and family. Manchester Wedding DJ Specialist Statham Lodge
Higher Irlam Social Club Charity Fancy Dress Naming Ceremony
I just found this photo from a Charity Event I did last year where the little boy included it as a naming ceremony. Instead of gifts all guests donated to a small charity. Some of the costumes were epic.
Lancashire Cricket Club Old Trafford The Point DJ
What I love about Lancashire County Cricket Club is the extremely tall ceilings paired with the uplighters on the plain pastel walls. Below is a recent Xmas Party I did for Creamline Dairies. I’m sure you will agree the room looked amazing.
30thBirthday at Irlam Steelworks Club for Katy Thompson. Irlam Steelworks Club is one of the main rooms for the M44 District in Manchester. It is a perfect size for medium birthday parties and gets booked up months in advance. This is a local venue to me and always a pleasure to deliver the perfect Party / Wedding whatever the season.
Wedding Stationers I Highly Recommend RODO Creative
Two Manchester born girls, two graphic design degrees and a whole lot of adventure! They established Rodo Creative in 2010, and have nearly 8 years of Graphic Design and Illustration experience. With an eye for opportunity – they use their experience and motivation to approach any and all projects. From weddings to fashion, cards to templates and a variety of other industries, they design it all.
Custom Bespoke one-offs are a speciality. I have worked with these girls on two occassions with a few more dates coming up and I love their work and their themed stationary in particular. I see a lot of Weddings and I can spot quality when I see it.
So drop by their website and check it out for yourself.
http://www.rodocreative.co.uk/homepage
https://www.facebook.com/RodoCreative and hit the LIKE button on Facebook
The Lowry Theatre Compass Room
Have you considered The Lowry Theatre to host your Wedding Breakfast/Reception? The beautiful Compass Room is an ideal venue. It has a few big ticks that all Party’s should have. The bar is in the same room as the dance floor and there is a large balcony which is great for any smokers in the party. It helps keep all your guests together and centres the party around the entertainment. Trust me there is nothing worse than a bar in a different room and all the blokes are propping it up. Watch the day turn to night with panoramic views of Media City illuminated at night. It’s a perfect photo opportunity. I have DJ’d many Weddings here. If you would like a chat then please get in touch.
So the festive season is on us again and with this brings the busiest time in a DJs calendar. So what has your company / office or group done to prepare for this? Hopefully you will already have the venue booked as we have less than 8 weeks to go until Santa arrives.
But what about the:
-Christmas Party DJ / Entertainment
-Buffet / Food
-Transport
Other considerations if applicable is what about your night shift? Are they coming to the event? Do they need cover from another store. What date will best fit in with your company? What is the budget? Are you doing a raffle? Do you need to order tickets? Free bar or free food? Fancy Dress? Games? Decor?
These are all variables that may depend on budget/location/date and business type.
In the past I’ve done a lot of theme weddings from Winter Wonderlands to Black and White Themes. They always go down a storm with the workers who can let off a bit of steam with the busy and stressful run-up to Christmas and also get to know their colleagues a little bit better away from the office.
So use this blog post as a check list and make sure you have all your bases covered.
Booked a photographer Watch this unfold. Yes the Priest was totally in the wrong. However, a professional photographer wouldn’t take this many snaps so close to the Priest. A professional photographer would of spoken to the Priest beforehand to understand what is acceptable and what is not. Do your homework and spell out to all your vendors that they need to do their homework as you don’t want any cock-ups. Does the venue allow your DJ to use smoke? Is there a sound limiter in the room that cuts the music if the DJ plays to loud to protect local neighbours from noise pollution? Do they require PAT Tests? Do the require PLI Insurance? Does the DJ only have 60 Mins to set/pack down? Make sure your vendors are up to the job and ask questions. Wedding Specialist DJs, Photographers and Videographers must do their homework and get it right.
www.promobile.org.uk
Pro Mobile DJ Magazine the mobile DJs Bible My Own Story
To all mobile DJ’s in the UK or abroad I always recommend you keep up to date with the Industry that we work in. Yes all to often the mobile DJ can feel like it’s just them against the world. But once you make that conscious decision to train, network and support others you will never fully understand how this Industry actually works. One doors opens another as the saying goes.
So 2012 seen me finally quit my full time managers job at Tesco. Having been completely fed up with my job I finally decided to become a full time DJ. The past 14 years had seen me be a part-time DJ who got busier every year until it was decision time. I came to the conclusion that if I stayed at Tesco any longer and my partner was to get pregnant then I would be stuck with the secure job that I hated. So I gave 3 months notice. I paid my Council Tax off for the year. I paid my TV Licence, Car Insurance and any other bills to reduce my monthly outgoings for the remainder of the year taking away the pressure.
After 3 months I was working regular but some of the gigs were poor payers and I was starting to get a bit demotivated. I attended BPM 2012 at Birmingham N.E.C where I attended a Wedding Workshop by the Chairman of CEDA. He explained the importance of formal training and what it helps you to achieve. Also by adding services to your list you can up sell these in turn taking the pressure off your clients.
Back in Manchester I booked a Wedding Theory Course with Derek Pengally in Reading. 12 other DJ’s with myself had a great day. We shared stories and offered our advice. I got some ideas from other DJ’s as I’m sure they got ideas from me. I also added 6 people who I met onto Twitter and Facebook. Curiosity found me viewing previous tweets where I came across a tweet about a Pro Mobile Wedding Conference in March in Oxford. On further investigation 2 of the key speakers at the event were wedding specialists we were talking about at my previous training in Reading. So I’m now booked onto this course in March.
Also this coming Monday I have a training session in Salford City Radio’s Studio and with a bit of luck I will get my own radio show.
So as you can see. With a little bit of effort, persistance and networking many doors open and your knowledge of all things mobile DJ will improve. So check out the Pro Mobile website. You can even sign up to their magazine which is full of information.
P.S. With 1 month left of my notice at Tesco we did actually find out my partner was expecting. I stuck to my guns and still quit. Things always work out if you put the effort in.
www.promobile.org.uk