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2010 ¦ 2009¦ 2008

Briget Sabourin & Jeremy Johnson

When: Saturday, December 27, 2008
Where: Roseau City Center
1st Dance Song: "Me & You" by Kenny Chesney
Parent Dance Song: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Wedding Party Song: "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick

Sorry that the photos are few and poor. My camera went MIA over the holiday and all I'm left with is a cell phone camera.

To the Left: Flower girl Ellie filling in for me during the dance.

The caterer, the bar, and I all arrived at the same time and first had to shovel some snow before being able to get inside. Once in we saw that they'd done some wonderful decorating with trees painted white with glass diamonds glued on so they looked like they were outdoors with ice on the branches.

I saw Ms. Langlie, Tina's mom from my August Roseau wedding. She was still helping with the wedding despite breaking her ankle two weeks ago.

Once the wedding party arrived I learned I had a few changes to make to the picture slideshow I had made for them - that's easy enough but very stressful because there isn't much time to spare. The screen I had rented was too small for the room so we just used the wall space and everything came out well.

Briget & Jeremy opted for guests to sing a song with the word 'love' in the lyrics to get them to kiss. Unfortunately only a handfull of tables opted to play along.

Instead of tossing the bouquet we presented it to the couple who'd been married the longest (51 years in this case). What surprised me was how many couples we over 25 years marriage.

Not too many song requests from the couple. Jeremy focused more on old-school hip-hop like "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature and "Let Me Clear My Throat" by DJ Kool. Briget's only song request was the original version of "Last Kiss" by Frank J. Wilson.

Poor Briget was exhausted by 10:30pm (and two hours to go!) so I started lying to her and told her we had 15 minutes left so it wouldn't seem so daunting. When we did reach our actual end at 12:45 we did a beautiful send off using Ben Lee's "Catch My Disease" and everyone took turns dancing with the couple before they dashed off.

Jess Wagner & Tanner Tanke

When: Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
Where: Grafton Marketplace on 8th
1st Dance Song: "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley
Parent Dance Song: "Then They Do" by Trace Adkins

As soon as I walked into the Marketplace I immediately recognized Daryce Van Hoff's decorations. A backdrop behind the head table, uplighting, and chair covers (some visible in the last photo, below). The room was amazing.

To the left: Guests had the option to enjoy some refreshments as they entered. RedEye, they called it (apparently I should know what that is). It certainly added an energy to the festivities.

They managed to fit 300+ guests into the Marketplace. If you've ever been there, that's quite a feat. However, our new couple and their wedding party were a smidge behind schedule. We called them and once their location was determined, we went ahead and started the salads. They arrived about 30 minutes afterwards but no one minded.

To the Right: Katie Tollackson & Ryer Stark. I'll be taking care of their reception next August. I met her mom (without knowing who she was) when I was starting up the video slide show (that I put together) and her mom (without knowing I was already their DJ) asked for my business card.

The dance was a bit shorter than normal because of the late start and the rules stopping me at 1 am, but it was a blast. Best of all, I'll be seeing them both again at least twice next year at their friends' weddings. To the left and again in the first photo are Jess & Tanner up on the stage during the last song of the night

Haley Fore & Paul Stinar

When: Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Where: EGF Touch of Magic
1st Dance Song: "True Companion" by Marc Cohn

Paul & Haley (one of those ridiculously good looking couples) had something like 400 guests despite the first gloomy and cold weather of the winter. Oh, and deer hunting opener. That's like planning a wedding on Super Bowl Sunday for some people.

I can't believe I didn't recognize the Stinar name sooner. A few years ago I worked a pair of weddings that, during each reception, there was a dance team that performed. Well, less a dance team, more a pair of... sweaty older men. The Czechoslavakian brothers have a tradition of dancing at family weddings. Frankly, I'm a little upset Paul and Haley didn't mention it in our meeting. The Czech boys pictured to the left (yes, the father of the groom was one of them). Seeing the boys dance is one of the funnest things I've seen at a wedding reception. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance, the pure fun of it is too much to miss.

Per Dennis' rules (owner of Touch of Magic) I setup after the cake table was taken down. This also meant I wasn't there to help during the social and dinner. My only contribution during that stretch was my backup laptop was used to play the video slide show DVD on the house system.

They brough in a photo booth from Minneapolis (sorry, I lost their business card) for more fun for everyone. I imagine the photos from around midnight were quite different than at 7pm.

During the evening my spidey sense tingled and sure enough, I found the bride and her attendents trying to fix her bustle. A half dozen safety pins from my kit and they were back on the floor. So far this year I've used a full container of pins, one spare garter, one spare bouquet, two bandages, and my lighter (for candles).

One bridesmaid kept trying to make requests, supposedly on behalf of the bride. Since I actually met with Paul & Haley about their music and none of it seemed to fit her I double checked, and sure enough, our b-maid was simply trying to make sure her requests got played.

In the end (an unfortunately early end - 1 am) there were still well over 100 people there, the happy couple, and usually 50-100 guests on the dance floor most of the night.

Kathleen Karpinnen & Robert Pederson

When: Saturday, September 20th, 2008
Where: Sabin, MN Community Center
1st Dance Song: "Night and Day" by Frank Sinatra
Father/Daughter Song: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

When Kathleen called me this past spring she already knew she wanted to hire me. She had the best possible reference: herself. I DJ'ed her first wedding in 1999 (Treetop restaurant in Moorhead).

I arrived to setup just before 80 bikers pulled up. They were finishing a fun run raising money for a cancer charity and ended up at the bar across the street. That's wonderful but the net effect was dozens of Harleys revving their engines for the first hour of the wedding reception.

Cupcakes were provided for the guests but one small cake was for both decoration and for Kathleen and Robert to freeze for their first anniversary.

Kathleen's dad grows his own fruits (in Minnesota) and then uses them to create his own wines. I got to try a Chokecherry (a red) and a Crabapple (a blush) that were pretty good (Bare Foot vinyards - and, naturally, I waited until after the end of the dance. I don't drink when I work).

I only had one requirement from the bride: to play "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams, Jr., for her dad. Other than that it was a fun, casual group, including when a couple of guys danced up on the groom during the dollar dance (I flipped it to "Macho Man" for them).

Potato Bowl

No weddings this weekend (September 13th). Instead I got to enjoy the parade with the girls and the game with Nomani.

Homecoming weekend for UND generally marks the end of wedding season so I've got one more next weekend before the hunting/harvest season imposes a hiatus on me.

Kali Neppl & Dan Cascarano

When: Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Where: Fargo Holiday Inn
First Dance: "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley
Father/Bride Dance: "Beer Barrel Polka"
Favors: None. See the pic below for details.
What they Said: "What can I say!! You were AWESOME! I will give you a glowing referral any day!!! You may use my name and number. THANKS!" -Linda Neppl, mother of the bride

I need to start doing a worse job (okay, not really). This was another reception that decided to add a fifth hour of dance time meaning I was on my feet from 3pm to 1:30am and I can barely walk this morning.

First, the room was gorgeous. Kali's dad explained how to get 300 chair covers setup: hire the gymnastics team. He made a donation to the American Gold Gymnastics team and they sent over 10 or 12 members to setup the chair covers Saturday morning at 7:30am. It meant the Neppl's didn't have to do the work and the team got some fundraising done. Kudos.

To the right: That's myself with my favorite photographers Shawna & Kory from ShawnaNoel.com having some fun. Everytime we work together they give me grief about two things: 1) how can I be a DJ and NOT have bubbles (they're teasing); and 2) please use their photos instead of mine. Its a quality issue. My photos make Shawna sad, but to be fair, if you look at her photos you'll understand why (their photos at the end of the post).

A photo booth was brought in for guests. The machine prints two copies: one for the guest(s) and one for a photo album for Dan & Kali. See the pictures at www.fargophotobooth.com or you can hire the photo booth from www.byrequest.dj

To bring in the wedding party to start the reception Dan & Kali
wanted to introduce each member themselves. They cooked up a list of songs for each couple and spoke via my wireless mic from the hall. Obviously once it was their turn we switched and I introduced them into the room rather than letting them do it themselves.

To the Left: Best Man John Hames, better known as Juanny (Juan-E). The speeches/toasts ran a bit longer than normal considering only four people spoke. Each was well prepared, sincere, and heart-felt and came across wonderfully.

To the Right: Jeremy & Amy Neppl. I DJ'ed their wedding last July. The next week Kali called Amy to find out who I was and booked me for this night.

Let's see... I got to play Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long" (Kali requested it) and wow they liked it... some other random mega-hits for them were "Bye, Bye, Bye" (NSYNC) and "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls... Tom, one of the groomsmen, sang along with a couple of songs, doing his best Elvis impersonation (sorry, no recording this time)... I saw the dad from Laurie Whitmore's wedding a couple of year's ago. At that wedding I sang backup for him on "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles so he could get Laurie and her husband to kiss. However, he didn't know I had recorded it(click to play or right click to download), so when he finished his formal dance with his daughter I played our version of the song to restart the dance.

The pictures of Dan & Kali's reception below are courtesy of ShawnaNoel.com. Shawna and Kory are unbelievable photographers. Click the photos for a better view of their work or head over to their website.

Janessa Raaum & Jerry Hegstrom

When: Saturday, August 30th, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Alerus Center
1st dance: "When I Said I Do" by Clint & Lisa Black
Favors: none. They donated to a breast cancer charity instead

First off the Alerus had the wrong name on the marque. For most of the day, their sign out front incorrectly contratulated 'Gary' which, naturally, meant that's what we started calling Jerry.

As the photo to the left might tell you, this group had a pretty good energy level. Here the wedding party is waiting to join Jerry & Janessa.(Bridal party song: Rusted Root's "Send Me On My Way")

I scanned and arranged the photos for the slide show. I had actually checked it by playing all the way though twice at the Alerus (earlier in the day). While the video itself was fine, halfway through the audio started to fail (the volume would get softer and softer, then back to normal for a few seconds...repeat). It was probably a failing cord but since it wasn't mine but the Alerus center's cords and sound system, I only had so many options, but it worked out. Fixed it by switching to playing the songs through my sound system (which meant timing them to match).

To the right: air guitar... or was it fiddle... to Conway Twitty's "Tight Fittin' Jeans." One of the few songs on their request sheet. In fact, its the song that got the biggest reaction of the night.

During dinner, guests had to answer trivia questions about the couple in order to get them to kiss. Items like their middle names, school mascots, his degree from college... all fair game. Get the question wrong and the guest had to kiss someone else. This led to one of the groomsmen intentionally getting his question wrong so he could step down and give grandma a kiss.

We sold raffle tickets for the garter and did the drawing to determine which four men we brought up. Those four then competed for the garter in a no-holds barred, fight-to-the finish game of musical chairs.

Once again I had to break out the first aid kit. The maid of honor got a small cut on her foot (stepped on during dancing).

To the right: our esteemed best man, Eric. Brother to the groom and budding crooner who graced us with his version of Joe Nichols' "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." To listen, click the link. To download, right click and 'save target as' or 'save link as'. As always, the recording doesn't quite do him justice (he was pretty good).

The dance started out slow but picked up late and they added an extra (5th) hour to last until 12:30am. There was another wedding next door so I poked my head in after we were done. They started two hours later than us, with almost three times the guests and had about the same number at their ending as we did (I'm saying my group had better staying power).

Tina Langlie & Erik Fabian

When: Saturday, August 16, 2008
Where: Roseau Gene's Bar & Grill
1st dance: "Lost in This Moment" by Big & Rich
father/bride: "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts
mother/son: "Its Your Song" by Garth Brooks
favors: candied caramel apples

Off for another long day. I left Grand Forks at 12:30pm (and didn't arrive home til 6am) to arrive in Roseau at 2:30. The reception began at 5:00pm. Gene's was setup for 350 guests which meant 10 tables (and 2 speakers) outside to accomodate the large group.

Fun for me were some old friends from previous Roseau weddings: On the left is Jenni Walsh with her daughter Ava. Jenni's was the first Roseau wedding I DJ'ed back in 2002; the right is Jackie (married 2004), whose reception was ended 30 minutes early by a tornado in the area (the only reception ever I didn't finish). Not pictured is a woman who said hello that was a guest at the Roseau wedding I did in 2003 for Anika Olson. The insane story for that wedding can be read here.

The wedding party arrived all together via RV and introduced into the room to "Right Now" by Van Halen - an old warmup song for Eric and his hockey teammates.

The speeches were unbelievable and each better than the one before (too many moments to recount).

I was responsible for putting together their slide show and no preview for them, it was to be a surprise. Thanks to the hard work of my favorite photographer, Shawna Noel, we included 17 photos from the day of. The result was I cut it pretty close. The video was ready about 2 minutes before we started the speeches, with the video immediately following.

During the dance, Erik came up and sang "Fishing in the Dark" (download it here). That was shortly before the groomsmen attached an ankle chain.

(to the left) After a long day, Tina & Erik tried to sneak out after the last slow song, but to no avail. Everyone noticed them and gave them a standing ovation on their way out.

Cierra Roebuck & Matt Hangleben

When: Friday, August 15, 2008

Where: Grand Forks Ramada Inn
1st dance: "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait
2nd song: "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill

What they said: "Thank you so much for being our DJ. You were a lot of fun to work with! Thanks for all the advice and help with the organization of the reception! Its been a pleasure :)"

Friday weddings always start later but more so tonight: dinner service wasn't until 8pm. A wonderful display out front (picture below) and a huge caligraphy for their sign above the head table (pictured above).

My favorite quote from the toasts... the groom explaining, "the first time I brought Cierra home my mom told me to marry that girl."

The 2nd song started out with Cierra and her dad, but Matt and his mom, then the wedding party came out to join them. A great way to get everyone involved quickly and get things started.

Among the few requests from the bride and groom: "Colour My World" by Chicago for Cierra's parents because the song was in their wedding; "Words" by the Bee Gee's for Matt's parents.

One of the groomsmem snuck in a 12 pack of beer. When I pointed out that there was free keg beer (plus the dads had drink tickets for all of them) his only response was, "...yeah, but I just picked this up on the way over..." Well, ok then.

Erin Austin & Jordan Grasser

When: Saturday, August 9, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Alerus Center
father/bride dance: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
couples 1st dance: "Faraway" by Nickelback

First up, the couple was married at St. Michael's church which meant a 2:30 service in an unairconditioned church (poor kids). Erin was the smart one and had a handheld battery operated fan with water in the base to help keep cool and I'm very jealous I didn't have it back when I was in a wedding party at the same church.

The favors were small candles made by Jordan's mom. Guests enjoyed appetizers while the wedding party took pictures in University park. We drew RSVPs and asked for example kisses each time we heard the klinking of the glasses, which is how we got the photo of Erin's mom and dad to the left.

Erin and her dad started the dance because his cancer has left him exhausted. They danced to a shortened version of "I Loved Her First" before she was joined by Jordan for their first song. The wedding party stepped up halfway through that and away we went.

Unfortunately two different people broke a glass on the dance floor. We swept but there were still casualties. I'm pretty sure it still felt better than wearing heals the entire night (but that's just a guess) and I had band-aids in my first aid kit anyway.

We took the banner down from behind the head table and had guests sign it with markers provided.

To end the evening, I played the first song Erin & Jordan ever danced to ("Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews), then "We Are Family" while guests danced down the middle of the floor (a stroll); their second time through the gauntlet Erin & Jordan just kept going and headed for the door while I announced their goodbyes before playing one last song for the remaining guests.

Below Left: Jordan's sister & dad dancing; Below Right: Erin & her dad after she presented him with the garter.

Kara Wendel & Jeremy Wiebe

When: Saturday, August 2, 2008
Where: Valley City Eagles
1st dance: "Home" by Michael Buble
father/bride dance: "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle

What they said: "Wow, it's taken me way too long to get back to you! :) Sorry for that! Thank you though for all you did at the wedding, you did a phenomenal job! You were so accommodating to what we wanted (or didn't want!) and we never had to worry about a thing. The evening progressed perfectly, but it would not have without your enthusiasm and professionalism! Thanks again!!"

Once again I'm off to the Eagles in Valley City so I brought extra speakers to accommodate the unusually large and long room (about 75 yards from my gear to the head table)..

No favors on the tables but they did setup what they called a 'Candy Bar' (a pun I refused to repeat). A table setup with candies to pick from.

To the left, the wedding party watching the video slide show.

The wedding party arrived from photos via golf carts. There was even an incident where the photographer hit her head while riding when somebody (*cough* the groom *cough*) hit a railroad tie but everything was ok.

A big suprise at the end of the speeches: a group from the groom's side came forward with guitars to sing a customized version of "500 miles (I'm gonna be)" by the Proclaimers. Hear it (or right click to download). It was fantastic (even if my recording isn't).

The toss bouquet was in a vase surrounded by votives and, not suprisingly, caught on fire. We had a spare so other than a quick scare, no harm done.

Susan Boese & Thomas Jankowski

When: Friday, August 1st, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Holiday Inn
1st Dance: "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain
Father/bride: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
Favors: none
What they said: "Thank you for doing such a wonderful job at our dance. We had many comments from guests with how much fun they had. It was such a great night, truly memorable. Thank you again!"

This evening threw me because the dinner was at the church and I wasn't involved. All afternoon I kept worrying I was late because a 5 or 6pm start is normal for me and I panic at the idea of guests arriving before I do. I finally gave in and arrived at 7pm - 90 minutes early for a 9pm start.

To the left, the cake has some evidence that little hands got to it before anyone else did.

There was food set out for guests to enjoy as they arrived, speeches at 9:30, and then their first dance. Normally the Edwin McCain song is four minutes long so they had me edit the song down to an even three by cutting a verse and chorus.

The father/bride dance was done about 30 minutes after the start of the dance and unannounced. I simply let the bride know a bit before I played her song and she asked her dad to dance.

The paper lanterns hanging above the dance floor were apparently provided by their florist and added a nice touch to the room (tip: if you're going to light them use something more than the tiny battery powered votives to acheive any sort of effect).

To the right, guests crowd around during Susan & Thomas' sendoff at the end of the dance.

Shaunda Otto & John Schroeder

When: July 26, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Holiday Inn
1st dance: "How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor
father/bride: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
favors: custom CD with favorite songs (which is, technically, illegal)

(below left) All reserved seating had photos of the guest rather than nameplates;
(below right) the cake had their favorite song lyrics written on the tiers and rotated on a battery powered base.

There was one song required: James Otto's "Just Got Started Lovin' You." You may notice the matching last name (bride's cousin). Actually, I had to play it twice. Shawnda's dad missed it the first time.

A pretty fun group, all told, but even party people get tired at the end of the day (but not really)...

Sarah Logan & Mike Lacher

When: July 12, 2008
Where: Valley City Eagles
1st dance: "Beautiful Life" by Michael Kisur
father/bride: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
wedding party: "Have a Little Faith (in me)" by Joe Cocker

I always get nervous when the job is very far away; I also get nervous when I do ceremonies (a lot of pressure there); even more when the ceremony is outdoors so when the drive down to Valley City wasn't smooth I was freaking out (ok, not quite). My driver's side door popped open three times going down the highway. With about 20 miles to the town, I noticed the ominous clouds... that can't be a good sign...

Doing the audio for outdoor ceremonies two hours from home is always stressful (last one involved a hail storm and a crop duster). The dark clouds cleared but 25 mile an hour winds swept in making things... challenging. Two pastors and a reader all need their own microphone. Each microphone picks up the wind noise, which then gets fed back into the speakers. Oh, and speaker #2 suddenly failed during the prelude. Fortunately it only took 90 seconds to swap out a cord and get the other three back to full speed.

Other than the high winds, the rest of the ceremony was relatively uneventful. I packed up and headed over to the Eagles for the reception. Unfortunately earlier in the day I had found someone's gear already setup at the Eagles so I had to wait until now to setup until it was cleared out of the way (something about the Eagles manager Paul thinking he was DJ'ing the dance...). I went as fast as I could and finished as the wedding party arrived - I was pouring sweat by then (still wearing my tux at this point).

The Eagles reception room is huge. Space for 250 guests in a dining area which is total separate from the dance floor area which is just as big. It means I was going about 60 yards from head table back to my gear to alter the volume or pause the music for speeches. Then to run the audio for the slide show was a challenge because that means an audio cable from near the head table back to my setup. Just another problem to be solved (which it was... solved, I mean).

Rather than a wedding cake, Sarah & Mike had an arrangement of doughnuts. Also, below, the only person working a longer day than me, the photographer Jill Schwartz (her site here) goofing with the matron of honor .

The couple below, on the right, are Clint and Lisa Plath, who just had their fourth anniversary. Their wedding dance (which I DJ'ed) was delayed almost an hour when a nearby tornado knocked out power to Valley City.

Kenna's to the left;

Plath's to the right;

Usher Jeff (my brother) with Clint's daughter to the left;

Clint and Don to the right... I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation, but I have no idea what it is.

Trisha Nelson & Todd Sangrait

When: July 5th, 2008
Where: Grafton Marketplace on 8th
1st Dance: "All I Ever Needed" by Brett Michaels
Father/Bride: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland

Now this was a change from the past few weeks. It was a slightly smaller wedding on a holiday weekend with the ceremony and reception at the same location (I worked both). The only real issue was a biggie: the banquet room's air conditioning wasn't up to the task. I felt the first cool air at 11:37pm so imagine how everyone else felt.

The ceremony was almost smooth. Someone broke the lighter (candles for the Candle Lighting ceremony) but I always pack one so no big deal.

After the ceremony the couple and their two daughters disappeared for 30 minutes while we reset the room (basically getting the chairs off the dance floor).

(to the left) The only really important request they had was to play an artist Fred Eaglesmith and Todd told the story of why before I played it. Basically it was an appreciation for another couple who had really helped them out (the couple is in the background, on the stage).

Last item was the conga line: out the side door (to the parking lot) and back in the front door; then out another side door and back around.

Sertoma-Grand Forks 4th of July!

When: Friday, July 4th
Where: Grand Forks Town Square (downtown)

Sorry, I didn't have my camera since I didn't want to carry it around all day, so no photos.

Sertoma (Service to Mankind: a charity group) is who puts on the city's celebration downtown. About 40 volunteers arrange for games, activities, a petting zoo, contests, bands, and, of course, the fireworks.

They also hire one master of ceremonies (me) to announce it all throughout the day and to generally be wonderful while I get a great reason to wear my linen suit. Its pretty easy announcing - convincing folks to buy raffle tickets mostly- this year's proceeds are going for Ali's Boundless Playground: playground equipment for all children, including disabled (see the full story at the Sertoma site for the why).

My favorite performer each year is Travis Dockter. He juggles, rides unicycle, and lights things on fire. In his finale, he does all three at once. Good fun, but the poor guy is always exhausted after his show - 45 minutes in the heat while wearing heavy flame-retardent clothes.

My part of the day lasts from the opening ceremonies at just after noon until the last band (32 Below) takes the stage at 8pm.

Jason Monilaws & Christina Hagen

When: June 28, 2008
Where: Casselton Governor's Inn
1st dance: "Faithfully" by Journey
Father/bride dance: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Mother/Groom dance: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

Much like the night before, this group was rather, um... energetic (still about 60 dancers at the end of the five hour dance). They had some hilarious requests like "Ghostbusters" - and each had its own back story that everyone seemed to know.

No cake tonight. Cupcakes with bright colored frosting (awesome). Bottles of wine set out for anyone who wanted. We used playing cards as raffle tickets for the garter.

The hotel ballroom could only hold 175 guests so there was a 2nd room with another 75. This meant two setups for the video slide show (which ran continuously til the start of the dance) and a 2nd set of speakers for in the other room. Turns out, this was a problem because nothing is ever easy, but I did get everything running eventually (never count on equipment provided by someone else).

We finished dinner quickly so the dance started early, at 7:15, but Jason added time so we wrapped up just after midnight (how we ended up with a five hour dance).

Not many things are funnier than a (small) group of people, dancing, trying to clap along with the song and being not quite successful. Its even funnier when the song has clapping and they still can't do it (sober).

Alligator!

Everyone was having such a good time that I tried playing another song after the 'last song' but the grumpy security guard did order me to turn off the music (at the end of the extra song). It didn't affect the guests so I didn't argue with him (could have since I knew the room was booked til 1am - the midnight end time was simply my original estimated end time I let the bar know.

Andrea Feltman & Andy Eickenbrock

When: Friday, June 27th, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Ramada Inn
1st Dance: "At Last" by Etta James
Father/Bride dance: "My Wish" by Rascal Flats
What they said:

"Sorry this email is almost 6 months past due, but I just wanted to let you know how amazing you did at our wedding this summer. I know I'm probably a little biased, but Andy and I think we had the greatest wedding reception and dance of all time (because we've heard it more than once, from people who weren't even there!)...and we contribute a great deal of that to your wonderfully creative antics.

"Our entrance into the reception that you put together the night before the big day per my request and the best man speech that you created on a whim are our favorite parts! I would tell other couples that you are not just a DJ, but a full service wedding guru. You made the night flow perfectly, you played great music, but most importantly you captivate the audience and make them laugh.

"We have and will continue to recommend you to anyone getting married. It was great working with you and best of luck in the future!

Thanks again for the best night ever!" - Andrea Eickenbrock

To start, Andrea had picked out songs for each wedding party couple to be introduced into the room and it went better than I could've imagined (music h ere). Each song was picked for a specific reason:Billy Idol's "White Wedding" for the couple the bride hopes will get married (but we're guessing the bridesmaid's boyfriend would object); Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" for the pair who had never met. Everyone had a blast with it.

Next up, Tony, best man and groom's brother (whose wedding I also DJ'ed), wasn't too excited about the speech so I wrote the toast and put it on cue cards for him (true). Even better was how well he did. His 30 second speech got a ton of laughs for his delivery - almost as if we'd rehearsed it. I've never seen anything like it. (that's me holding the cue cards - Yeah! I actually made it into a photo!)

I had a scary moment with the father/bride dance: during the first dance song I discovered the song for her dad wasn't working (no idea why, it had earlier). I managed to get my backup laptop up and ready with only about ten seconds of dead silence but my blood pressure was through the roof. This is exactly why I double check everything and keep backups.

In attendance were two couples I've worked for before:

Left: Melissa & Tony Eickenbrock (best man);

Right: Jenna & Brooks Johnson (and daughter).

Left: Andy & Tony's dad and his change of clothes.

Right: Andrea's pal hams it up during the dollar dance.

Ali Blackmon & Greg Moreland

When: Saturday, June 21st, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Celebrity Ballroom
1st dance: "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban
Father/Bride: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Bride/Son; Groom/Son: "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon

What they said: "I just want to say THANKS THANKS THANKS SO MUCH you did such an amazing job with the wedding and the slide show! So many people have come to me and asked for your name, so they can use you for a reference!!! You did such an awesome job we could not be more happy."

I've seen Greg & Ali and their friends in action at a couple of Christmas parties and have looked forward to this wedding for a while. The highlight of the night had to be Dennis Blackmon, father of the bride getting up to sing Van Morrison's "Gloria." Since I can't resist, you can hear him though trust me when I say the recording doesn't do his live performace justice (click to listen or just right click and download it here)

Both Ali & Greg have sons, Brandon and Mason, who they wanted to have a dance with, and John Lennon was a darn good choice. The favors were heart-shaped cookie cutters. Center-pieces were large candles imprinted with a photo of the couple.

Those both came out well, but very impressive was the guest book: an actual book printed with photos of the couple and guests signed the margins. The photographer put them onto it (or check sites like SelfPublishing.com) and I liked it as well as anything I've seen.

Laurie Chaput & Lee Westling

When: June 14th, 2008
Where: Langdon St. Alphonsus
1st Dance: "From This Moment" by Shania Twain
Father/Bride: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Mother/Groom: "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

To anyone who has ever not danced at a wedding (we can't be friends), I give you Elaine, the groom's mother. The best man, Mark, introduced a song for her, saying she once woke he and the groom up at 3 am by cranking the music up too loud: "Thunderstuck" by AC/DC. As soon as we started the music she came running out onto the floor.

This was one of those small town weddings where everyone knows everyone... except for a certain single young lady and a single young man the bride and groom clumsily tried to introduce by switching partners during a slow song. Unfortunately she's moving for a teaching job so true love will have to wait.

I was going nuts during the Electric Slide. One of the attendants kept missing a step and pulling everybody else off. I tried to show her, but no good...

I did get one new item. I've known about this game for a while but haven't had an opportunity to do it. Basically, you bring up some people (in this case, one person from each table), have a row of chairs for them, and send them back out into the audience to find random objects like a woman's left shoe to bring back. There are fewer chairs than participants each time and you slowly eliminate them until you have a winner (a 10-year old who got a cash prize). Its fun and goofy and woke up the guests after dinner rather nicely.

Melinda Petrowske & John Kinzel

When: June 7th, 2008
Where: Moorhead Marriot

1st Dance: "Making Memories" by Keith Urban

What they said: "GREAT job at the wedding. We got a lot of compliments! We are so happy you were able to be at the wedding. I could not believe all the horrible dancing, including myself. You must just shake your head most nights!"

Sweet molasses, I'm tired. Most of my receptions are about seven hours total, with four hours of dancing, but tonight's reception was 3:30pm to 12:45am. That's just over 9 hours. The dance lasted five and a half hours. If you're wondering, that's plenty of time to drink two full pitchers of water by yourself and to play 98 songs.

This couple was at the Tillisch wedding I DJ'ed in 2006. They're pretty laid back - no dollar dance, no bouquet toss, no song list (just NO chicken dance or 'I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock N' Roll').

No wedding cake. Cheesecakes were already on each table.

Framed photos of the couple were out front to sign instead of a regular guest book.

I projected a banner with their names and their date during the social and dinner.

I was responsible for the video slide show, but Melinda had already scanned, labeled, and ordered the pictures so it was a breeze, maybe an hour of work.

My favorite idea was the candy table. Yep. A table filled with boxes of candy. Little bags let guests fill up and bring them back to their tables since there was almost two hours from guest arrival until dinner service. The wax lips were long gone by the time the bride and groom arrived though we (obviously) managed to find one for Melinda.

Brandi Feuhrer & Tony Melicher

When: May 31st, 2008
Where: Grand Forks Ralph Englestad Arena lobby
1st Dance: "Far Away" by Nickelback
Father/Bride song: "Happy Birthday" by Steppenwolf
Favors: Wild flower seeds

If you didn't know, your bridesmaid Leslie can sell like nobody else. Poor groomsman Jared could barely sell any garter raffle tickets while she had buyers wrapped around her little finger. Of course, it turns out she was guaranteeing all of them they were buying the winner...

I love it when you can choose something from your childhood, something personal, rather than from the usual lists of father/bride songs. The Steppenwolf song seemed perfect, your dad was so excited...

Random thoughts: I know its a big deal that your dad got out to dance. The hockey helmet seemed rather popular considering how silly everybody looked in the thing.

Joanna Olson & Jonathon Cole

When: May 24th, 2008

Where: Hallock City Hall
1st Dance: "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait

*sigh* - I do this job because I love it, but seeing stairs when there is equipment to carry... well, that just makes the day just a little less grand (for me). Its not the trip in as much as the one at the end of the day, after seven hours on your feet without a break.

The good news is there is always something to remind me of why I love the job. I may not be the one having all the fun, but being the guy delivering is pretty sweet.

And as long as I get to play good music for good people those stairs won't be such a pain. Well, okay, they will, but I won't grumble as much.

Jocelyn Suchor & Adam Mohs

When: May 17th, 2008
Grand Forks Ramada, Saturday, May 17th
1st Dance: "Bring It On Home" - Little Big Town
Favors: wild flower seeds

I never stood a chance, really. Your whole group is crazy fun and you guys are great. And nice. Everybody was so nice. Its not always that way in this job.

So what was your favorite reception moment?

75 people in an enormous conga line or all of them screaming during 'Shout?'

Your grandma Suchor getting out to dance with her sons or Adam singing 'Friends in Low Places' with his new mother-in-law?

Naww. It had to be the bottle dance. Everybody (and I mean everybody) in a big circle, clapping, taking turns dancing, and sipping some, uh, beverage from the bottle in the middle. That was a blast and I haven't seen anything quite like it before.

Charlene Knealing & Brett Willenbring

Where: U of M Coffman Memorial Union
When: Saturday, May 3rd
What they said: "It was great."

Notes: offering a cheesecake buffet with four choices instead of wedding cake; the picture slide show was playing on a loop in the background to watch anytime the entire evening; drinks and appetizers in the lounge because the veranda was too windy;

In retrospect it made perfect sense when you asked me whose camera that was (when I was taking pictures). See, I'm not good at taking the photos so I don't make any promises about them so I never mentioned that I take them but I still take them and send them along because you never know what you're going to get. The only photo of Fred serenading Sarah when you were best man at their wedding? They got that from me.

I believe its often the little things that make the difference. In this case the ballroom staff really helped - not just the fantastic fourth floor view of the city skyline. Two volunteered, no hesitation, when I was trying to find someone to return the wheelchair we arranged for your grandpa so your grandmother wouldn't have to walk it back in from the parking garage herself.

It was a long couple of days for you both but I was glad to see you both on the floor - Brett so much he was dripping sweat, but hey, as long as you're having fun.