This week's DJ Diaries entries come from two very special emcees, J Clark (Boogie Shoes) Anderson and Matt (magic rapper) Morris. Both had fantastic weddings. Their descriptions of the nights' events make me wish that I were a guests at both of these weddings! Matt even had the special honor of being a part of a father daughter prank war! Congratulations to Meghann and Chris and Jessica and Ryan!
April 25th, 2015 | Meghann + Chris
1. Tell us a little about the couple and their wishes for their wedding: Meghann & Chris are a very creative couple, and you could easily see that throughout their wedding day. Starting with the ceremony, Meghann and Chris had two very distinct ways to show their love and commitment to one another. First, their was a Ceremonial Tree Planting, and I know what you're thinking...seems like a great way to get really DIRTY!! Well, thankfully the tree was already nestled into it's pot, and when it came time for Meghann & Chris and their parents (Kim & Wayne Langford / Dave & Joyce Wright) to go up for the Ceremonial Tree Planting, their parents added water, the Chris and Meghann added water, and it will share in their growth as a married couple. That scene in the garden at Riverwood Mansion in Nashville will be an unforgettable moment. They also had an Oathing Stone Ceremony. This is a Scotish tradition where Meghann and Chris held a stone during their vows. Back in the day, saying your wedding vows on or near a stone was viewed to be more binding. And, in addition, each of their guests had mini Oathing Stones that were later collected in a bowl that will be a center piece in Meghann & Chris' home. Very cool and very deep stuff!
2. Was there anything special or unique about the day? Special moments among family members? Couple? Friends? A couple of moments stood out to me. Going to back to the creativeness of this couple and their friends and family, the best man's toast was a poem, but not just any poem. It was completely original and written by the best man, aka the grooms brother Michael Wright! And it was one of the more entertaining toasts I've seen in recent memory, and I'm not just saying that because he used a toaster like a modern day poet would use bongo drums. And, to top everything IMO, Meghann & Chris had one of the best wedding hashtags!! Yes, even better than #Winning!! Want to find wedding highlights on Instagram? Just search #TheWrightStuff2015.
After introducing their wedding party to Bruno Mar's "Marry You", I switched over to the unforgettable 1988 iconic original boy band song "You Got It (The Right Stuff) by The New Kids On The Block. The energy at that moment had gone to a whole new level, and it's one that I will remember for a long time!!
3. What were some of the couple's music selections for ceremony? Reception? There was definitely a range of music for Meghann and Chris' reception. At one moment, Joyce Wright (Chris' Mother) and Kim Langford (Meghann's Mom) were on the dance floor with their sisters who had flown in from all over the country for the event. It was a special dedication song featuring "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge. Definitely a memorable moment. This was also a crew who enjoyed their line dances, so they were getting down to the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide and the Wobble!! And of course, you can't have a dance party without the most popular song out there right now, "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars.
May 2nd, 2015 | Jessica + Ryan
Matt Morris: "As a 21 year old wedding DJ, It can be difficult to explain my job to some people. To my generation, a DJ is somebody that stands on a stage in a club or venue and plays Electronic dance music until the night ends. Yes, that is a DJ, but alas, I am not that DJ. They assume my job is fun and yes, I love my job and it is very fun and entertaining but if I had to use 1 word to describe my job, it would be professional. I am working and meeting with clients who are paying the company I work for to make sure that one of the biggest days of their life is a good time... no pressure. Being a DJ is one of the best jobs i’ve ever had, but there is a lot of pressure involved on the day of with song selection, announcements, and saying the correct names when introducing the bride and groom."
That is why the weekend of May 2nd's was one of my favorite weddings. To start off, This wedding had some very special moments. Their first dance song was performed by on of their good friends with an acoustic guitar and a microphone. While I love to be able to play the song for a first dance, this first dance became such an intimate moment. Everyone was crowded around as he played and sang. It was truly a one-of-a-kind moment. Also, the mother-son dance was performed by another friend singing. I loved that this couple involved their friends in their wedding. Another moment was the father-daughter dance. The father of the bride had requested that he pick the song to be a surprise for them to dance to and on top of that, he created a custom slideshow to play during the dance that went through their history together. This was my favorite moment of the night. You could tell that the bride and her father had a great relationship, which brings me to a month before the wedding.
The wedding was on May 2nd. A month before, on April 1st, I got an email from the father of the bride that read:
“Matt,
Do me a big favor. E mail Jessie and tell her you didn’t want to say anything about it but you are concerned about the song I picked out. Bridezilla will go nuts and ask what song it is? Tell her Blurred Lines or some other popular song that there is no way you can dance slow to it. When she e mails you back simply reply with this
April Fools from your father.
If she calls me I will pick up the phone and say that. She is very vulnerable at this time and I have to take advantage of that. It is pay backs for all the things she has done to me over the years. Thanks”
I read this email and all of my worries about making sure that the father of the bride was pleased with the DJ were gone, and the event hadn't even started yet. It was still a month way. She ended up calling him and he broke it to her late that night. She ended up emailing me the next day and so did her father thanking me for going along with it.
Two days before the wedding, I received an email from the bride wanting payback. She tells me joke nickname that her father goes by that I don’t think I am allowed to post online and she makes me introduce him to the whole crowd by that name. Luckily, they all thought it was hysterical. To be honest, I was a little nervous to say it..
The dance floor was a blast. My favorite dance floor moment was when I had a request for “Hang on Sloopy” by The McCoy’s. I wasn't sure why but the crowd went wild and they were all belting it at the top of their lungs. I soon found out that it was an Ohio State thing. Their Dance song requests were all over the place(which I love,) all the way from classic rock Bob Seger to Montell Jordan and even further!
All in all, it was simply a fun event and with all that being said, I want to encourage clients to interact with their DJ outside of the wedding planning. It helps the client get to know the DJ and it really helps us know how YOUR event should go. Yes, we are there to be professionals on the day of and in the planning process, but we are also there to create an unforgettable party. We like to have fun and we love to interact with our clients so fathers, If you need a prank pulled on your daughters. Fiancè’s if you need a prank pulled on your soon-to-be spouse, or anything else. Don’t ever hesitate to ask your DJ.
