Every once in a while I stumble upon a well written, well thought-out article by someone who – for lack of a better term – ‘get’s it.’  One such article was written by a wedding vendor that is not a DJ.  Her name is Stacie Tamaki and she is a wedding videographer in California.  Her blog, The Flirty Blog, is chock full of a lot of creative ideas for any wedding as well as containing several informative articles such as:  (more…)

Sharon and David Prudhomme – owners of Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia, PA – are quite possibly the hardest working and nicest folks you will ever meet.  Specifically, they operate their main restaurant in town as well as a cozy special events/wedding hall also in Columbia called Prudhomme’s on 4th and they provide catering services too at their facilities or at one of your choosing.  (more…)

One of the most picturesque locations to have a wedding ceremony and reception in Harrisburg, Lancaster or York is just a mile or so south of Wrightsville, PA at Lauxmont Farms Banquet Center.  Over the years, it has been a focal point for wedding ceremonies and receptions with some of the most scenic and breathtaking views of any facility within 100 miles of Harrisburg, PA! (more…)

Creating a realistic wedding budget starts first and foremost by defining what your priorities are.  If you have not done so already, please review my article titled Setting Your Wedding Planning Priorities before continuing with this article.

The next step is taking a look at all of your funding sources, totaling them up so that you know how much you have to work with.  Sources of funding may be your own income, savings or dedicated accounts, credit cards and so on.  Other sources may include parents from both sides of the family.  The caveat is if someone else is helping to foot the bill, be sure to include them in your budgeting and planning activities too.  (more…)

Setting your wedding planning priorities before you spend a single penny is one of the most important steps that you need to take.  By developing your priority list first, you will then know what order to secure products or services for your wedding as well as how much of your wedding budget you should dedicate to each.  This then gives you a yard stick by which you can measure your progress in planning as well as keeping on track with the spending.

Over the years, I have seen far too many couples run out of money before they had all of their planning details covered.  Often this is a result of couples having little or no formal plan and the spending quickly overruns their monetary limitations.  Of course this becomes a major source of friction between couples and their families as credit card balances spiral out of control, but the bills keep coming in.  (more…)

In my quest to find excellent examples of WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR when hiring a DJ while writing the forthcoming book Wed Without Regrets, I have been quite appalled and even disgusted at times by what I have found.  This particular video demonstrates several of those completely unprofessional behaviors that I have been educating brides about for the past ten years.  Aside from the fact that this DJ is either drunk and/or high while performing at this wedding, the incoherent shouting into the microphone, the mostly empty dance floor and inappropriately dressed companion with him, you will witness one of the worst acts of socially stunted behavior that I have seen caught on video to date!

WARNING: If you are easily offended, please DO NOT watch the following video clip – the content is inappropriate for minors!!!  (more…)

A common theme that I have addressed here on this blog is warning newly engaged couples, who are planning their wedding, to be extremely wary of the ‘too good to be true’ deals that other DJs offer.  True to that warning, I was made aware of yet another couple who were taken advantage of just over the state line in Maryland.  As I have been writing about in my new book – Wed Without Regrets – far too often, people do not realize the value of professional service until it is too late.  (more…)

It has been a very busy wedding booking season and the inquiries for 2011 are starting to really roll in too.  One of the most common questions I am asked by couples planning their wedding is what a good rule of thumb is for pricing DJ services.  It’s actually a pretty easy to answer question, since many of the wedding planning websites such as The Knot, Modern Bride (Brides.com) and many others have wedding budget calculators on their sites.  Another great source of information can be found on the American Disc Jockey Association website too.  (more…)

This girl finds out the hard way that there is a lot more to hiring a DJ than price alone.  This particular DJ charged $500.00 for “services” rendered and unfortunately for the girl, he fulfilled his contract and her guests are truly offended.  Just as unfortunate, she hired the DJ without ever meeting him or checking any references.

It’s an awefully hard way to learn the minimum basics of hiring a DJ for your wedding or special event…  (more…)

As I posted about back just before Christmas 2009, I am working on a new book that will be of interest to Brides-to-be and Wedding Vendors too.  The working title of the book has been changed to “Wed Without Regrets” and I am still playing with the subtitle.  The writing is currently on track for a Spring 2010 release date with approximately 20% of the book being completed now.  I am still looking for a reputable publisher, but at the minimum, the book will be available here, at DeeJayMasterMind.com and on Amazon.com to start things off.  (more…)