Confessions Of A Wedding DJ

Somehow I escaped having a DJ event this past Saturday. It was one of those days/nights from the Twilight Zone as far as I can tell, because I had absolutely nothing to do. There were no ball games, get-togethers…not a thing. In fact, it was so uneventful that I can’t even remember what I did (No, it’s not a flashback from the 60’s…I wasn’t even alive), but it was probably a mix of Xbox and lounging around. I love days like Saturday.

On Sunday, after a normal routine of church, lunch out on the town and shopping (Usually the grocery store…which I love…again, a whole other story), I had a Christmas event at a local restaurant called the Brickyard Cafe. Now the Brickyard is one of the more charming restaurants in Bowling Green. It was started by two Bosnian immigants a few years back in an old brickyard (duh). The location is beautiful and the food is a wonderful Mediterranean mix.

Since this is not a food review…on with the stuff that pertains to DJing (at least a little bit more). One thing that is almost always the case with old, charming buildings is the lack of convenient doorways, at least where a DJ (or large person) would be concerned. Not only are the doors to most of these places not as wide as most modern places, they always have sharp, steep steps leading up to them. In this case, brick steps (Duh, again…it was a brickyard). If you haven’t already figured it out, it is very hard for a DJ to work in buildings with this type of limited access. First off, our equipment is bulky, not to mention heavy. Secondly, we have arms that like to get between doorways and the equipment. Also, in order to unload at a reasonable (not too) distance you have to park on a thin sidewalk which cannot hold the width of a minivan. To top it off, it was raining! Needless to say, it wasn’t a pretty sight to behold.

On with the story…it was an event for the Bluegrass Cellular Bowling Green regional sales team. The manager, a bubbly woman to say the least, appeared to love this party. She had everything organized, door prizes available, music (that’s me) and great food. If I was a manager, this is how I would do it. The “team” seemed to have a great time, although there weren’t many dancers. The ones who did dance, though, really burned the floor up…a DJ’s dream come true.

Although I have my reasons to DJ that aren’t always related to DJing, this kind of event really makes it worth doing. Yes, it was hell trying to get setup and breaking down at the end of the night, but all in all it was a great time with a lot of Christmas cheer…and great food and drink for those in attendance. It wasn’t Saturday, though…not even close.

This past weekend was a busy one, with an unusual break in the middle. Each year, going on five now, on the first Friday of December, I have the pleasure of playing music for a group of realtors. It’s easy to see why realtors are realtors. They all smile incessantly, welcome each other and their guests with open arms, and even include the workers…DJs, caterers, etc. I have no idea if they act like this all of the time, but for at least one night a year they shine.

Actually, I have a few friends that are realtors, and for the most part they are always in a good mood. It’s in their blood…to be realtors. They may not have known it when they first started looking for careers, but they were made to be realtors. Thick skin…with a smile.

On the subject of DJing (Since that is why this blog is actually here), a pointer from my Friday event. DJs often work many hours on events. Not only do they sometimes have long days (11 hours for me on Friday), but they (the good ones) put a lot of work into creating music lists before the event, which includes downloading songs specifically for each event. With that said, if you are serving dinner, don’t forget the DJ (serving lines are easy)…and at the very least, don’t forget to offer them access to refreshments (Non-alcoholic for me, but some offer the other, which is a whole other tangent for me to pursue at another time.). As I said, I have been doing this event for years, and they always forget to feed me. In the coordinator’s defense, she always makes arrangements to have me fed and kept filled with a drink (I really am like a camel), but somehow the catering staff always forgets. That’s okay too, but I always get the server who is upset because she (They’re always “she’s” at this event) has to bring a plate to one more person. Thankfully, I’m resourceful enough to take care of this myself. I just figure out where the food is being prepared, talk to the chef (Almost always very pleasant people) and get myself taken care of. I then look for the drinks…which are usually large garbage cans (Clean, I hope) full of iced tea. Done…I get fed, get my fill of drink…and everyone is happy. Anyway, I can see other less-resourceful DJs starving to death at an eleven hour event.

Well, I’ll have to wait another year for that event to come around, but let me assure you of one thing…realtors know how to throw a party!

I’ve been doing this for 15  years and not many new things come around that aren’t technical in nature. Though I consider myself a “techie,” getting this blog up and running is something very new to me. I will attempt to write after each event and keep all of you updated.

I have to admit, at 38  years old, I still DJ for four reasons…Danissa, Nina, Jude and Hope…my wife and children. With three children in a private Catholic school, money can sometimes get tight. Although I make a decent living working for a local technology company named Hitcents, there always seems to be something our family needs, and DJing makes a huge difference. Don’t take me wrong…I love to DJ. It’s just that there are many weekends when I wish I could spend time with my family and not miss a recital, basketball game, Boy Scout campout, etc.

Anyway, I promise to keep this updated. There’s nothing like letting the whole world know how you feel!