We received a special call earlier this month and were advised by a well-known, highly respected third party, The Knot and Wedding Channel, that our organization, DJ Magic Entertainment ~ Madison’s Best DJ, was awarded as one of Wisconsin’s Top Ten Entertainment Companies. According to Matt Long, operations manager, “We are humbled by this award. It adds value to the company that we are building and speaks to the ongoing training and dedication all of our entertainers afford to each and every customer. We look forward to continuing the ultimate customer service in 2010 as this is only the beginning!”
Recently we received an email from a new customer wanting us to answer these questions.These are all very good questions so we felt we would like to share them with you and hopefully make your decision easier.If you find that your question has not been answered, please give us a call or shoot us an email.It is our pleasure to add to this list.
Will you help us put together a timeline of events for our reception? Absolutely!We will act as your Event Coordinator while making sure all of your vendors are in the loop.We have established great working relationships.Not only will we help facilitate everyone by sharing your expectations but we also provide you the free software tools to help you plan out your experience.If you are looking for fresh ideas that is another area where we are experts.We do over 60 weddings a year.We are trend setters!
How do your entertainers interact with our guests?
This question should be written differently because it is not about how we interact.Instead, it should be how do you want us to interact with your guests?We have been in business for over 17 years.When you hire us you are not hiring inexperienced professionals.We will customize your event by first understanding your expectations and then executing accordingly.
What kind of equipment do you use?
We use commercial grade professional equipment.We bring the best show to every event and do not charge you extra for a wireless microphone and other essential items.Additionally, we also have such great relationships with venues that they will let us integrate our system into their house system.For example, Madison’s Overture Center Great Room is a prime example of where you would want a company like DJ Magic as we have worked with them on this type of an integration.Also note that we cycle out our equipment every few years in order to keep our shows looking fresh and on the cutting edge.We also bring a back-up system with us.
If we want the entertainer to play longer, what to we do?
All you have to do is ask!We love entertaining.
What will the entertainer be wearing to our reception?
It is up to you.At a recent wedding, our bride and groom requested that we wear Hawaiian outfits with flip flops.We accommodated their request.More often than not though, we wear Tuxedos.
What time will the entertainer arrive for our reception?
We base everything off of when your first guest will walk in the room.We always arrive 2-3 hours before every event starts.
Do we need to offer the entertainer dinner?
This is completely up to you.Whatever you decide please advise us as soon as possible.
Can we make song requests during the dance?
We welcome requests as long as you are open to this type of format.Our experience has shown that a structured play list included with taking request from your guests will make for a better event.
If we don’t want a song played, what do we do?
Our online planning system provides our customers an area to create a “Do Not Play” list.
If you don’t have a song, can we bring our own CD?
It is very seldom that we do not have a song.We have played many culturally diverse weddings over the years and have a pretty good collections of all genres of music.As long as an Artist Name and Song Title is provided we can guarantee you will hear it.Additionally, we also are open to playing a custom CD if you provide it to us ahead of time.
What types of music can you play?
We play all genres of music.We are against playing music which might be offensive so please keep that in mind.
What is the deposit amount and when is it due?
The deposit is $50 and is due with a signed contract or via our online Secured Payment Gateway.
When should we pay the balance?
The balance is due prior to the date of your event.The last thing a customer should have to deal with on their special day is a payment.
Do you have back-up equipment?
These are essential pieces of equipment that we bring with us anytime our company leaves our offices. Not only do we have back-up equipment, we never need to use it.
Do you have insurance?
We are insured with a multi-million dollar insurance policy.
Do you use a written contract?
YES, YES, YES!This is imperative and you should only do business with people who use a formal contract.The more expectations are known the higher the probability that services requested and services delivered will match.
Are you able to do First Dance Voice Talk Over Recording? Absolutely! We have some of the best technology in the industry. We’ll meet with you ahead of time or by telephone to discuss your expectations for this dance. If you do not know what you want, let us consult you and take charge of this service. We are trail blazers in our industry and have no problem creating a master piece for you.
It is not every year that July 4th aligns with a Saturday. Plus the weather that day was perfect, not overbearingly hot and not too cool. One can not complain about the location either. Right next to Lake Mendota, 2,000 people outside overlooking the lake and our wedding ceremony and reception inside. Yes, that is correct, we performed at The University of Wisconsin’s Memorial Union Building with a wedding ceremony and reception in the Great Hall. It was an exciting day!
As we are a Premium Custom Service company, we pride ourselves in the fact that we are able to accommodate almost any request from a customer. And for this customer, Jeff & Maria-Elise, it was not different. Below, I will provide a quick summary of some of the services we provided last weekend to Jefft & Maria-Elise on their special day:
Wedding Ceremony – Not only did we provide the music for their ceremony we recorded the event and produced a nice CD for Jeff & Elise to archive now and remember later. Additionally, we also were able to provide lapel microphones and execute their special production. By the way, if you are wondering they both said yes and are not Mr. & Mrs. Endres. Elise was not sure if she would be taking Jeff’s name or going the hyphenated route at our last meeting.
Photography Services – Our great friend, Karen Beard, provided her expert skills throughout the evening to enact our “Live Photo Montage Display”. This is much different than a static montage, rather, it is dynamic and occurs through out the evening as we mixed in special effects. For example, we provided transitions from picture to picture, information slides and let us not forget the firework slides. It was the 4th of July after all. Karen does a really nice job of capturing photos during the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing and at the end of the night we provided Jeff and Maria-Elise a copy of our product.
Cool Video Presentation – About 2 months ago, we obtained pictures of family, friends and Jeff & Elise together. We worked our “magic” and produced them a static Cool Video Presentation that we played during dinner synced to music. This is not the average presentation that one might see, instead one which is produced in four separate movie and graphic design programs fully integrated with our sound system. And at the end of the evening we delivered two DVD’s for our couple to enjoy later.
Audio Recording – Jeff & Elise wanted to capture special moments of time throughout the day. For a minimal price, we provided them copies of the ceremony, special speeches by their Best Man – Joel, Maids of Honor Sarah & Amy and their parents speaking throughout the evening. I wish this technology was available when I was married as my sister-n-law and best man gave great speeches and that is all I can remember – they were great. Now, Jeff & Elise have physical copies and can cherish them forever.
Video Productions – Our staff that evening was a bit larger than normal. Just this 2009, we have rolled out an HD video production service. Want to catch excerpts throughout the evening? Give me a call and we can go over this service more in detail.
DJ / Entertainment – Dan Beard headed up our emceeing, event coordination and entertainer services that evening. He played a variety of songs that evening which kept a mix of guests on the Great Hall’s floor while always integrating our Must Plays, Do Not Plays and our guests requests.
Child Interaction – The UW Great Hall was really set-up well for a lot of guests including children. DJ Magic helped provide supervision and some games for all the children at the reception. This all occurred in a room next to our main reception hall. One of the nice items I liked about Jeff & Elise’s planning for the children was that they had separate meals in a fun environment for the children. Plus the meals were appropriately chosen to be different than the adult meals so that the kids would be excited about having their own room with different food and lots of games to play. (Games included coloring books, Nintendo Wii and some other interactive games led by DJ Magic).
Party Props – Our main focus that evening was not only to ensure a great time for Jeff, Elise and all of their guests, but also create a FUN environment. We brought our party prop expertise and handed out over 125 props including glow sticks, air guitars, air saxophones, air rock guitars and a few other props. This was a nice way to keep people engaged and reinforce the fun environment we had established.
All in all, a huge thank you goes out to Greg & Jennifer Larson for the referral (see our blog entry on their wedding or their satisfaction survey from their wedding last October). And we wish Jeff & Maria-Elise nothing but the best for their new marriage.
Here is a list of the vendors we worked with from that evening:
I knew from my first view of Andrea and Sam’s arrival that we were in for a fun wedding! There is no doubt that Andrea wanted a Grand Arrival by the old classic convertible car she was transported in with her new husband, Sam. And by the way, we were back in Rockford this past weekend for another wedding. I guess the word travels fast that we are a great company to work with for entertainment and customer service.
For this wedding, we decided to provide some added value to our customers and decided to do Audio Recording while also bringing our HD Video Camera for recording. The product turned out great and really was not that much additional effort in addition to what we are regularly doing. Especially considering that we had two professionals at the helm, me – Matt and Andrew. The video turned out nice after I spent an additional 10 hours of editing. Want to see it? Give me a call to set-up an appointment. I have also included a quick edit of Sam and Andrea’s arrival: (sorry for the small screen format – it runs faster this way)
Besides some add on products that Sam and Andrea wanted, one specific one we brought and set-up for them was from our sister company, Solid Ice Displays. We helped deliver two Ice Sculptures that were made as Swans and when we put the two together the middle made a heart. Andrea did a nice job by procuring rose petals that matched her wedding colors nicely. The reception facility then surrounded the centerpieces in the cocktail room with lots of tasty hors d’oeuvres.
Did I mention we did a live “Cool Video Presentation Display“? YES and Andrea’s mom, Nola, mentioned that it was her favorite part of the reception. About one month before when we sat down with Sam and Andrea, they mentioned they had wanted this presentation so we made arrangements for the photos to be forwarded to me. From that point, I added many edits to the photos along with adding some special effects and synced the show. If you decide that you want this type of presentation, it is important to try to start in the planning process for this in advance. Not only will it give you less stress but it will also provide for a better presentation. I would highly recommend having us bring our giant movie screen and HD DLP Projection unit that we can integrate with our 5,000 watt system. Believe it or not, I have been to places (as an attendee) where the hotel provides this equipment and it either does not work or the sound is awful. Trust me, we put a lot of time into these presentations. Want to see one? Contact me and we can set-up a meeting.
One of the programming items I liked from this past weekends wedding was that Sam and Andrea chose to have their wedding party introduced, then the Cool Video Presentation Display be played and then have their grand entrance. The one major advantage I saw by completing the video right away was that it helped the event flow smoother and enabled their guests to be ready to dance once they were done with their dinner instead of having to wait to get up and be active after dinner.
All in all, it was a pleasure working with Lisa at Forrest Hills Country Club. Her 18 years experience was demonstrated by the leadership and friendliness of her staff. If you are having a larger wedding reception and believe your party will not fit at Anderson Gardens, your next best option might be to take a look at Forest Hills Country Club if you can find yourself a member to sponsor your event.
Notable Vendors:
+ Joe Jann Photography —> Joe and Beth Jann were fun to work with and we both have been in business for many years.
+ Forest Hills Country Club (FHCC) —> Lisa Morrison works hard to make everyone feel at home at FHCC. Let her 18 years experience wow you!
+ Solid Ice Displays —> Custom Ice Sculptures delivered all over from Illinois to Iowa to Wisconsin. They are a custom shop and can sculpt just about anything.
+ DJ Magic Enterprises —> Custom entertainment for your needs. Have an idea? Let us know and we will exceed your expectations one at a time. Get a quote now!
The first real day of spring happened last weekend and the weather could not have been any nicer for two people in love, Sara and Jonathan. Ahead of time at our pre-event meetings, I could tell we were in for a great event just by the way the couple treated each other and their inclusion of the groom’s mom, Jill – that is “J” “I” “L” “L” (all you at the reception know what I’m talking about!), into the wedding planning. This was an inside joke among the family as this was how Jonathan’s mother introduced herself to customer service people.
Upon arriving at the event at 2:00 pm, the Wingra room at the Crown Plaza was decorated especially nicely with beautiful flowers on each table along with the elegant effects of chair linens with the wedding colors. In addition to those details, the bride and groom had ordered an ice sculpture that had their initials etched into the ice.
The cocktail hour started outside the banquet room with fine hors d’oevres at 4 pm. By that time both Andrew and I were dressed in our tuxedos welcoming the guests. We also were busy moving the gifts to the gifts table within the banquet room. As 5:30 pm rolled around, a beautiful bus arrived with our wedding party having a good time within it. I boarded the party bus and welcomed our wedding party of 20. They were excited and hungry to eat.
One could tell there was magic in the air this evening. Everything seemed to flow perfectly and our newly married kissed and posed well when their guests requested by clinking glasses. Did you know there can be multiple ways to stimulate your crowd and have them act in a manner you desire? Everything from DJ Magic emceeing the event with trivia questions about the bride and groom to spinning a wedding wheel– come talk to us if you need ideas! For our occasion though, Sara and Jonathan let the evening flow without much worry and that organic approach worked perfectly. Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple!
This past weekend’s event started for me on Thursday. Our two companies were involved, DJ Magic Enterprises, Incorporated and Solid Ice Displays. It is not everyday that a family member is married, therefore, I wanted to make sure it was even more special to all involved, especially Brynn and Andrew.
Thursday morning started out with a 45 minute trailer loading session. Not only were we bringing down our entertainment equipment, but we would also be packing the Photo Montage gear, Ice Sculpture gear, Cameras, and Video Camera. Once loaded, we were on the road and delivering our Claddagh Ring Ice Sculpture to a good friend, John Hayes of Cafe 20 in Marengo, Illinois, who graciously allowed us to store our sculpture overnight in his walk in freezer. (Thanks John!) He really came through for us as our facility in Rockford, The Radisson Hotel & Banquet Center, did not have a walk in freezer. Can you believe that?
One unique thing we did to make Brynn and Andrew’s wedding weekend special was we created a Photo Montage. This was no ordinary montage though; I ended up using four separate programs to edit our pictures and add our music effects. Did you know most well prepared photo montages can take up to 10-20 hours of time, while we only charge $150 for that service? What a deal!
We decided to show the montage at Kiki B’s in Rockford, Illinois during the rehearsal dinner. This is somewhat more intimate and does not take away from the time at the wedding reception. Have you ever been to a wedding, eaten dinner and then had to watch a montage? If the montage is not scheduled at the right time, it can adversely affect the guests’ moods by adding too much time sitting when in actuality those guests are ready to dance. For this reason among others, we decided to show the montage at the rehearsal dinner. It was great!
On the day of the wedding, I had no worries as our DJ, Dan “The Man” Beard, was in charge of this wedding. I met him early in the morning to set-up the reception site and then I promptly drove to St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rockford for the wedding. Everyone played a role in the wedding: my wife was the Matron of Honor and I was in charge of watching JJ, my mother-in-law’s three year old. The bride’s mother (kind of like Mother Teresa to some) adopted three children a few years ago and already had raised 5 kids. Yes, a total of 8 lives blessed by this woman! JJ did very well for a three year old. We ended up in the balcony of the church and I was able to record Brynn’s brother Greg singing Ave Maria. See the video below (and see if you can hear JJ try to sing along). Being that this was an Irish wedding, JJ and I were pleasantly surprised with the cool sounds and were lucky to have a first row seat to see Greg sing and listen to the bag piper in the balcony.
Before, during and after the ceremony, Dan Royer of Dan Royer Photography, did a great job coordinating all of the family members. All in all, the reception flowed perfectly. So well that our ending time changed from 8 pm to 11:30 pm. Yes, everyone stuck around and enjoyed themselves greatly. Below, I also posted a picture that my brother-in-law’s girlfriend, Hillary of Dallas, Texas, graciously shared with me, showing everyone literally ‘getting down’ and having a great evening.
