I’ve compiled a list of all the reception halls, or venues, that I have entertained (DJ’d) at in the Last 2 years. Some of these reception halls are hard to find online and you will have a hard time finding them if you do a search on google. It has taken me longer to find their information online than it has to make the list.
There is a common question that I get asked a lot;
What is the difference between a DJ and a Wedding DJ?
It may sound like a dumb question but I assure you… It’s not.
There is indeed a difference between your regular DJ and a Wedding DJ.
First, before I got into detail about the two, let’s define the different types of DJs that you may come across.
Disc Jockey (DJ): According to wikipedia, “A disc jockey (also called DJ) is an individual who selects and plays prerecorded music for an intended audience.” Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_jockey In addition, the term Disc Jockey came from the old days of the Black Vinyl Record Discs, not CD’s as some may think. So, according to this definition anyone is a DJ if you play prerecorded music for an intended audience, which means there really is NO CERTIFICATION, Accreditation, or anything else required to be a DJ. Scary, Huh!
Club Disc Jockey: Club DJ’s are those who just regularly play music at clubs. Pretty basic huh. So they normally deal with large crowds, usually do not have to come over the microphone, the club promoters do that. And they usually stick to a few genres of music. Those genres are usually they styles of music they like or like to mix. Club DJ’s are not required to own any equipment, as all they really need is their music and themselves, the club provides the rest of the equipment. They do have to be very skilled at matching beats seamlessly so that the entire night’s experience feels like one looong, danceable fun song.
Radio Disc Jockeys: Radion DJ’s are, of course the ones you hear in the radio. They are sometimes the same person doing all the talking on the radio and sometimes they are not even heard at all except for the mixes they create. Sometimes they are the Club DJ’s doing a mix, live for a radio station. Radio DJ’s do not have to match beats, in fact they play very little music now-a-days. Additionally, they do not require any additional equipment other than the music they need and their mixing skills.
Mobile Disc Jockeys: Mobile DJ’s, are as their, title states, mobile, or able to move from one place to another and provide not just music, but the equipment required to create the desired atmosphere. Mobile DJ’s can do just about any party and their skills do not have to include beat mixing, which I think is a vital skill of any Disc Jockey. But some do great without beat mixing any song all night. Additionally, Mobile DJ’s must be able to play the majority of the genres out there, or know at least a few songs of each genre. Basically, they have to cater to all the guests and make sure they play music suitable for people of all ages. Mobile DJ’s can do any type of event, from Weddings, Quinceañeras, Birthday Parties, Bar / Bat Mitzvahs, Company Parties, Holiday Celebrations, Corporate Events, etc..
Wedding Disc Jockeys:Wedding DJ’s, are the ones who only do Weddings, or at least the majority of their events are Weddings. I consider myself a Wedding DJ because I Love DJing Weddings, I spend a lot of time and effort finding ways to improve a wedding reception (from what I can control), 95% of the events I do are Weddings. By doing a wedding every weekend of the year, I create some failsafe techniques that allow me to create that fun, memorable and enjoyable atmosphere that the brides are looking for. If I go just one week without doing a wedding, I feel like I have to work extra hard to make sure I help the Bride and Groom create an amazing reception for them and their guests.
Q: Can Non-Wedding DJ do a great job at DJing a wedding?
YES! Absolutely. However, they might not be familiar with the ins and outs of running a wedding reception. For example, a wedding, from the view point of a DJ, can be broken down into 3 major sections: The Ceremony, Dinner, and The Celebration. Those are the 3 major parts of a wedding and each one is handled differently as far as music used to set the correct mood. Another thing that DJ’s are not used to is running an event from a time line, or Itinerary. This is very important because All the announcements have to coordinate with what’s happening, what the DJ says over the Microphone has to coordinate with what the staff is doing, so that requires constant communication with the catering director or the room captain. The DJ has to be aware of where the Bride and Groom are as well as where all the other wedding professionals are throughout the night. If he announces that the first dance is next and the bride and groom are not ready for it. He just made EVERYONE look bad, himself, the bride and groom, and the staff at the venue. Next comes the blame game… of course it gets worse from there.
Again, by only focusing my efforts in doing weddings, I can foresee a lot of the common challenges and be in a great position to adjust to any unforeseen challenges.
Public Speaking!!!!
One of the top 5 fears in approx 80% of the I’ve seen is……
THE FEAR of PUBLIC SPEAKING!
On some surveys, they even list Public speaking as #1 over the fear of spiders, death, and flying!!! So, there are A LOT of DJ’s who do not come on the microphone at all during your event. For weddings, can you imagine a DJ not announcing the first dance, the person doing the toast, the introductions of the bride and groom along with their bridal party… How awful would that be? Even if you get an uncle or cousin to do it, it will not be the same… Well unless your uncle or cousin is used to doing public speeches, then you might be ok.
Don’t assume your DJ will be doing all the announcements at your wedding. There are some DJ Companies in Houston who charge an additional fee for the DJ to speak. I love to do all the necessary announcements, and I, like you, feel that it is the responsibility of the DJ to make sure that all the announcements are done in a Professional, Presentable, and memorable manner. After all It’s a WEDDING for God’s sake! A day people will cherish and remember for the rest of their lives matrimony.
What do you think, is there any difference between a Wedding DJ and a Regular DJ?
Saturday February 9th, 2008, was my sister, Veronica’s, Quinceanera, or sweet XV (15). Boy do they grow up quick !!! I have 2 of my own so I have to start preparing… now… YIKES!!
What I will try to do here is summarize my experience from both sides, the side of the coin: the side of the consumer and the side of the vendor. I will use my magical insight into the world of this service oriented industry so you can form some insight of your own to use during your own Quinceanera, or wedding, planning journey.
I actually had little to nothing to do with the whole planning process. I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, great and how are we supposed to learn from you?” Let me tell you how…
I was there, the day of the event, so most of this will cover that day and maybe I will go into detail of some of the unexpected things that you may run into from your vendors.
On January 5th, 2008 I had the pleasure of being the DJ at one of the Last events held at the Houston Arabia Shrine Cente. This was Amparo and Alex’s Wedding and they had a Unique item at their event. I had never seen one before, at a wedding that is, and early in the event I was kind of skeptical as to how people would take it. Well I was surprised to see that from the moment of it’s announcement, 8:00 pm, until the time expired, 11:00 pm, the line never dropped below 10 people waiting to take their very own snapshot. Their PhotoBooth was strategically placed in a place where it was not intrusive, it did not take away from the elegance of the event, but at the same time was very accessible to the guests at the wedding.
Their Photo Booth came from all the way from Dallas, Texas to Houston, Texas mainly because the service is not offered here, locally. So what I did, is I created my own Photo Booth, and launched a website for all people interested in this BRAND NEW Service for the Houston Area.
4×6 photos with either 4 pictures in a grid or 2 rows of 4 photos. See Picture Below.
A Scrap Book (Additional Option).
A Personalized Logo or Banner on each Photo taken: Ex. Alex and Amparo 01/05/2008
A FREE CD with all the photos Taken at the event. ($30 value, only for a limited time)
An experienced technician to assist your guests.
A FREE, password protected website for your guests to see all the pictures taken (Lasts 90 days online).
FREE Delivery and Setup.
To be one of the first to provide this service at your event.
Tons of unimaginable fun memories from your guests.
Photo Booth prices starting at $695 for 2 Hours of Use with Unlimited photos for everyone. Visit the Website: HoustonPartyBooths.com for booking and additional pricing information.
I get a lot of traffic to this website from the search engines for people that are looking for some ideas for their Quinces. Since there is not a lot of information out there on suggestions for dances for the Quinceañera, I will try to list a few of my favorites.
Entrance of the couples, or Chambelanes and Damas.
Outkast - I Like the Way You Move
Amber - This is Your Night
Duff Punk - One More Time
Debbie Deb - When I Hear Music
Johnny O - Fantasy Girl
Kenny G - Sentimental
Richard Clayderman - La Mer
Raul D’ Blassio - Melissa
Jennifer Lopez - Waiting for Tonight
Rupaul - Snapshot
Richard Clayderman - Balada Para Adelina
Grand Entrance of the Quinceañera
Quinceañera (With Lyrics and Instrumental)
Moments in Love
Cancion a Papa
Bosson - One in a Million
Jill Subole - Supermodel
Jennifer Lopez - I’m Coming Out
Beauty and the Beast (Instrumental)
Raul D’ Blassio - Corazon de Niño
Pretty Woman
Cinderella - Ten Minutes
Raul D’ Blassio - Piano
Mariah Carey - Butterfly
Disney Theme Songs
Aladin
Sleeping Beauty
Cinderella
Beauty and the Beast
The Little Mermaid
Anastasia
Favorite Waltz
Sleeping Beauty Waltz
Cinderella Waltz
The Blue Danube Waltz (El Danube Azul)
Roses From the South Waltz
Veinna Waltz
Tiemp de Valz
Summer Place Waltz
Valz de la Quinceañera
Emperor Waltz (Valz del Emperador)
Vals Fascinacion
Voices of Spring
Vals de las Mariposas
Entrance for Fathers and/or Brothers
Natalie Cole - Unforgettable
Rod Stewart - Have I told you Lately that I Love You
Kenny Rogers - Through the Years
Alvaro Torres - Chiquita Mia
Mariah Carey - Hero
The Temptations - My Girl
Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight
Cline Dion - Because You Loved Me
Elton John - Blessed
Mark Anthony - My Baby You
God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You
Julio Iglesias- De Niña a Mujer
Bette Middler - The Wind Beneath My Wings
Christina Aguilera - I turn to You
Paloma San Basilio - Gracias a Ti
Pimpinela - Hermano
Bob Carlisle - Butterfly Kisses
Besos de Mariposa
Tomas de San Julian - Mi Niña Bonita
Gloria Estefan - Milagro
Jose Feliciano - Niña
Christina Aguilera - Por Siempre Tu
Celine Dion - Porqu Me Amaste
Again this list comes from the Quinceañera and Bride Magazine Website. They have a lot of good suggestions. If you want to hear the songs, go over to Itunes and Search their online store and you can hear a 30 second clip of the song to see if you like it. Also you can go over to YouTube.com and see if they have it there.
There is a common question that I get asked a lot;
