Metro Atlanta Wedding DJ & Videographer Updates

It's been a while since I have updated the DJ blog, so I am definitely going to blow this thing up.  We had quite the busy wedding season so far for 2012 though we still have dates available on our calendar, so if you are reading this and are in need of a DJ, videographer, photographer or even a photo booth for your event in the Metro Atlanta, GA or N. Georgia areas, give us a shout because we would love to help you with your entertainment & multimedia needs. It goes without saying that our chocolate fountains have stayed quite busy too, which is no surprise to us. We have been posting all of our most recent testimonials & feedback to our facebook page.

Some recent videos from DJ Tony:

A fun bride and groom first dance at a recent wedding at Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming, GA

A Fun Unique Father Daughter Dance at a recent wedding in Roswell, Georgia

One of our most up-to-date links is our facebook page, we would love it if you would stop by and "like" our page. To Get an instant DJ Quote 24/7 

Forrest Hills Resort Wedding - Dahlonega, GA

We had a great time Saturday night at the wedding at Forrest Hills Resort in Dahlonega, GA.  Great people, great times.  More to come.  I got a few pictures of DJ Tony in action during the reception.

An East Cobb Pavillion Wedding Highlight Video

The latest wedding highlight video from DJ Tony from a wedding at The Pavillion at East Cobb, what a great venue to host your wedding! I love the communion during the ceremony, so wished we had done that for our wedding, if/when we renew our vows, we want to do that too. :)

Blackstock Winery Dahlonega Wedding DJ Video

We have DJ'd numerous weddings at Blackstock Winery & Vineyards in Dahlonega, GA.  DJ Tony Johnson LOVES entertaining wedding guests at this venue.  The venue is breathtaking and the staff is awesome to work with.  Here is the latest wedding Tony emceed and dj'd at Blackstock, oh and to top it off, if he is your entertainer, you also get a great video out of the deal if you haven't hired a videographer.  We also have packages that include a wedding photographer if you are looking for one.

Alpharetta Wedding DJ - Sneak Peek Video

Here is another video sneak peek from DJ Tony from another recent wedding.

A Recent Wedding at Blackstock Winery in Dahlonega, GA

DJ Tony LOVES DJ'ing weddings at Blackstock Winery, it just happens to be one of his favorite venues. This is just a sneak peek video that he compiled from the footage he got. Of course DJ'ing and MC'ing is top priority, but when he can, he gets some amazing video footage and then brings it back and puts it all together. If you are planning a wedding or event anywhere in the Metro Atlanta area or anywhere in North Georgia, you will want to get in touch with us about providing services for your wedding or event.  http://www.america-dj.com - http://www.sherijohnsonphotography.net/

Atlanta Super Sweet 16 Party DJ & Chocolate Fountain

We sure had a great time Saturday night at Shannon's Sweet 16 Party.  I know Shannon enjoyed planning the party and making sure everything was going to go exactly the way she wanted it to.  She took full advantage of our online planning forms and song request forms and the lines of communication were flowing during the planning phases.  The timeline was executed beautifully.  I showed up early to get the chocolate fountain and lights just right since the lighting was very important.  I kept the chocolate fountain continually flowing with lucious Belgian chocolate throughout the entire evening.  I broke down and loaded everything up in record time at the end of the evening.  I have to say the even better part was getting emails and a phone call yesterday about how everything turned out perfectly by both Shannon and her mom.

J + B Wedding at Chateau Elan

Some quick photos from a wedding we DJ'd at Chateau Elan in Braselton, GA. The staff there was SO awesome and it is a great wedding venue. DJ Tony should have some video from this wedding soon.

Rick & Rocksy Wedding 6-11-2010 Dawsonville GA

Rick & Rocksy were in the wedding party of Jason & April a few weeks ago at the same venue (Crystal Falls) in Dawsonville, GA.  At the end of the evening they asked about booking me to do their wedding too.  Right after they contacted us about the details they asked if I could do some photos to share online.  I took it one step further and incorporated a few video clips too.  It sure was a beautiful evening overlooking the lake at the marina.  Rocksy's dad, Rocky, was a hoot, you will see him in the video.  Enjoy!

April & Jason's Wedding Dawsonville, GA

I had the pleasure of DJ'ing for April & Jason's wedding at Crystal Falls in Dawsonville, GA yesterday.  What a lovely location for an event, especially one as special as a wedding. I also want to comment on how great it was to work with Cathie Waddell who oversees the event planning and catering, she is awesome!  Before I left another couple came up and told me they are getting married at the same place in 3 weeks and that they were interested in having me DJ for them too.  Luckily I was open on their date too...  so I get to go back there very soon.  Enjoy the photos I took from the DJ Booth.  ~ DJ Sheri :)

We Want to Play Your Most Important Songs, But You Have to Do Your Part

I was just remembering a party I DJ'd several years back and what happened that to me had an impact on the entire evening.  In planning the event the client just gave us an unbelievably LONG list of songs they like.  First off, we would never been able to play all of the songs on the list because it was anywhere from 7-11 hours worth of music and the party was only to be 4 hours long.  But what the client failed to do was give us a timeline or any notes indicating special songs.  I wanted to bring this up because it really makes a lot more sense to let your entertainer know about special dances before the event and to limit your song lists to indicate your absolute musts.  So you might already be guessing what happened.  Since the client failed to inform us of the special song, we didn't know how important it would be to them and since they gave us such a long list of music, we were not able to know ahead of time which songs they absolutely needed.  If the party is only 4 hours long, we don't need a list of songs that would take you into the next day.  It would have been better to say, "This is our special song that we want to dance to, do you have it?"  Nothing like being put on the spot and expecting an entertainer to play that special song at a moment's notice.  So it turned out I didn't have the song they needed but they didn't communicate in advance and they refused to use our online song request forms which would have made things more organized for everyone involved.  

If you are planning an event with us, we have all of the tools online including timelines, must play lists, do not play lists, special dance lists, etc.  Oh and the great part, our planning forms add up the length of the songs to give you an idea of how much music you need or have gone over.  If you put in more songs than we are able to play because of time constraints, you have not done us any favors because now we have to pick and choose which songs get played and because of this your favorite songs might not end up in the play list after all.  

Of course you do have to take into account the musical tastes of your guests as well as your own. If you want everyone to dance, take the time to consider what kind of music is going to get your guests up and dancing.  Many times the songs they want are songs you might not have ever thought of, so you might have to rely on the experience of your DJ to choose some of the songs and of course to consider the song requests of the guests.  If you take a little time to do this properly, your party will be everything you ever dreamed of, your guests will have a great time and there will be a lot less stress all the way around.  

So You Want Everyone to Dance?

We continue to add information to help your event be the success you envision it to be.  Today I will share more about music choices.  Remember while you may have your preferences, your guests may have music preferences that differ from yours.  You might not want to play all kinds of music since you don't want to scare off the grandparents right from the beginning, but there are ways to work with your entertainer to mix it up and have a little variety of different kinds of music that almost everyone of every age can dance to.  If you are not sure, please feel free to ask us about this.  The last thing you want is everyone sitting around staring at each other because they don't care for the music you have chosen.  We have loads of experience in entertaining guests of different ages and music preferences.

Where to Place the DJ at Your Wedding Reception

Many times we see that the DJ table or DJ area at a wedding reception venue is in an odd place and we wonder to ourselves, "How is this going to work?" So coming straight from a few wedding DJs is our best advice where we can do the best job for your special day. One of the most important things is that the DJ can see "the crowd" and "read the crowd" since this is how we get a feel for whether people like the music we are playing. We get our cues from the wedding guests by watching them and how they respond to the music we are playing. If we are put in a place where we cannot see the crowd, it basically causes a huge disconnect with the audience. If you have a designated dance floor area, it would be best to locate the DJ as close as possible to the dance floor. If you want everyone to have a great time and get up and dance during your reception, please take the time to discuss this with your wedding venue coordinator because this is something that can make a big difference.

Wedding Reception Seating Arrangements for Your Wedding Guests

As you plan your wedding, there are some things to consider. Keep in mind the area closest to the DJ, like right near the DJ's speakers, is going to be the loudest spot in the entire room. With that being said, it is best not to seat your older guests, like grandparents, in an area near the DJ. We say this because they will be the first to come up and ask us to turn the music down. If you want to be able to hear the music when you crank up the dance floor, you want to seat them as far away from the DJ's speakers as possible. In turn, the older wedding guests should be more comfortable.

At a recent wedding reception, they had me located off in the back corner of the room. We didn't even get things rolling yet, at this point low key background music was playing, and as you may have guessed it, an older lady came over and asked if I could turn the music down and at this point it wasn't even loud yet. Many times people don't think much about this until it is too late, so just use a little bit of common sense as you design your perfect day and discuss these concerns with your venue because many times they don't think about this stuff either.

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Wedding DJ

Sure there are plenty of wedding websites out there that give you a list of questions to ask as you interview with your potential wedding DJ. Just remember as you ask questions, use a little bit of common sense and ask questions that are important to you. The latest question that came today was how long would we hold the date while the bride and groom-to-be interview other DJ's. The answer is "We don't". We will not hold your date for you until you make a decision to hire us, and your date is not put on our calendar until we receive your retainer fee, which is non-reundable. We also require a contract, it is between the two of you and us. Please know this is normal amongst wedding entertainers.

Atlanta Wedding Reception Entrance Video

We are so excited to share this wedding reception bridal party entrance video with you.

Carl House Wedding

The Carl House is a top notch wedding venue located in Auburn, Georgia. I can't say that all venues in the Atlanta are on top of their game like they are at Carl House. As a wedding vendor, I am impressed with the facility, the staff and the food.... oh my gosh! It was fabulous! And Daniel & Ariel were such a sweet couple. Their friends and family were great too! They danced all the way up till the last minute and I know we could have partied together all day if we had more time. I almost forgot... in the morning is was raining and misting, and then right before the wedding, the sun came out and the skies turned blue with fluffy white clouds. I just know God was smiling on us all with this miracle.

Amazing Bride & Groom Exit

DJ Tony is super stoked about some of the images he got from this wedding. I have been teaching him a little bit about photography and he is learning to use a new camera slowly but surely. I can see why he loves the image he is excited about. You will have to check them out to see how the bride and groom left the wedding reception.

Another Wedding First Dance - YouTube Style

We had a bride and groom that wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary for their first dance at their wedding reception and we love doing these. Their guests gave them a standing ovation at the end. Atlanta Wedding DJ

DJs are People Too

I continue to be amazed at how people think even when it is really cold outside that they can have an outdoor party and expect their entertainer to remain outside in the cold, windy weather for four to five hours at a time. Are we not human? Sure the party guests can go inside and outside as they please, but the entertainer has to stay wherever the DJ booth is set up.

Other things to consider when planning a party. If you are playing loud music outside there are other people to consider....your neighbors. Sure you think they don't care, but when you want loud music, they may not. If they complain and call the cops, you are forced to either turn the music down or even off. The police do have the authority to shut your party down completely and it has happened. Also it would be good measure to know the sound ordinances for your location, because it is your party, you are responsible for the legalities of it all.

Many times it makes more sense to rent a venue for the evening and eliminate all of these issues. There are venues out there that are extremely affordable if you check around. You can have a real dance floor and plenty of room for everyone and decorate to your heart's content. And the great part about having a party somewhere other than your home is not worrying about your guests tearing up your house or stealing your stuff when you are not looking.