Mr. & Mrs. Link

After finding our photographer we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Tiffany had Quizno’s (they’ve gotten way overpriced), and Jed got chili-cheese dogs at Wienerschnitzel. From there it was off to meet the first (and only) prospective DJ, recommended by the Hilton and by Rafael the photographer.

Devin Christopher from Night Life Entertainment is not only a DJ at local clubs, but the voice of the Mighty Ducks. We went to his house, and let me tell you… Mr. DJ is a big baller. He had a Hummer parked in the driveway. He had a huge house in HB (which is a very pricey town for those not from the OC) with at least 2 BIG screen TV’s and wicked sound systems (which I suppose is appropriate).

Devon was also a talker. He sat us down for a 9-10 minute pitch, which turned out to be more like half an hour. But he was excited and had a ton of energy. While he spoke very quickly, he made a lot of great points that we really agreed with about how the night should run and what role the DJ should play in it.

1) No making the guests to stupid embarrassing dances (eg. Macarena, chicken dance, hokey pokey, ect.)
2)DJ may not speak in hokey radio DJ voice
3)The DJ is not the social coordinator but the one who paces the wedding and controls the mood. If you want people to dance, then play good music, don’t yell at them to dance.
4)The DJ will not let anyone use the microphone unless the bride and groom have previously given them permission to, or tell the DJ that it is okay.
5)The DJ will keep the crowd informed as to what is happening next in order to keep the night running smoothly and on time.
6)Music will be appropriate for the time (eg. AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long” at the end of the night, when everyone is drunk enough to sing along, rather then at the begining).

Ultimately, he seemed to really know what he was doing and I think he’ll be a huge asset to have on our big day. It sounded like we’d be getting more than someone to spin music; Devon understood his roll as an orchestrator of the evening’s festivities. Music and the PA give him the power to organize the guests and to make our evening – as the bride and groom – as painless as possible.

But we may have been sold the second we walked in the door. Tiffany’s mom has been listening to a song, Somebody’s Hero by Jamie O’Neil. It’s country, but it’s got some great lyrics. The one’s that make Tiff and her mom cry are:

In any case, when we walked into the house, playing on the Country Music Channel on both huge-screen TVs: This song. At that point, the interview was almost a formality. I think we got another keeper.

Tags: planning