Posts Tagged ‘cleveland wedding dj’

DJ’s don’t play music at weddings anymore…

Monday, August 16th, 2010

One of the most misunderstood areas of your wedding planning is music selection. Most Brides and grooms automatically think that they are the ones who are supposed to choose the music (all of it) for their wedding. That answer couldn’t be further from the truth. While most Brides and grooms are expected to choose formality songs and a few others, the rest isn’t and most likely NOT necessary to choose.

Part of a DJ/mc’s Job is to create an evening of fun and ongoing events where there is no dead time in a wedding. Even in the middle to end of dinner you should be playing some more upbeat music. The transition between dinner and dancing is EVERYTHING. If your guests are bored because too much time passed, then chances are they will become more bored/tired and less likely to get up and dance.

If you keep the evening running smoothly and build up the music and atmosphere, it will surely get all age groups up and dancing. The common denominator is the “fun atmosphere”

With the atmosphere in fun mode, everyone from grandma Marge to your young friends in college will see how contagious the fun is.

As a Cleveland wedding dj for 24 years, I utilize the input of the bride and groom in regards to some must plays and play if possibles and they give me a better feel for what they want and I mix that in with the reaction of your guests.

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best ways to talk about music with your DJ

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Choosing music for your reception. Good or Bad or how much?

A Cleveland wedding Dj Selective Sound Entertainment.

If your reading this article, I will lead you through the truth behind what makes a successful reception when it comes to music. The biggest misconception of all brides and grooms is that they are required to choose the music for their reception. TRUTH=NO WAY (see below)

1st of all, you should be meeting with your DJ/MC 4 to 5 weeks before the reception to discuss the music. Yes, you will have access to your online planner and get a chance to choose some must plays, do not plays, ect.. but you should have trust in your DJ that their talent and experience, balanced with your input on the music for your wedding reception will make for a great mix of music for all.

When choosing music: THINK DANCE MUSIC NOT your favorite listening songs. Most do not realize this and just put down music they want to hear, but truth be told, how are your guests going to react to those songs. We as DJ’s need to build an atmosphere of fun music for all age-groups.

DO NOT: submit a playlist with your own songs for the reception. If you do this, there is no room for error and your guests surely and most likey arent going to react the way you had hoped. If this happens, you better have a plan B for your DJ.

A do not play list should be discussed with your DJ. Most wedding DJ’s stay away from: corny novelty (discuss), rap, heavy metal, explicitlyrics, suggested lyrices ect… But go a little further and dig.. ask them questions about where they went to college, where did they like to go dancing,, oh, they aren’t dancers, ask them if they like to karaoke, go see bands,, ect.. This will way better tell us what they like music wise.

If submitting a Do not play list, only list about 5 or 6 of your most favorite. If the DJ has a do not play list of 10 songs or more, it does get more difficult as each song has to be run through the do not play list..

Interaction: should you or shouldn’t you………..we reccomend, but it can be done on a “if needed” basis

Trust your DJ/Mc,, utilizing their talent, your experience and taking requests from the guests, should make for an amazing night.

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Great weekend

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Selective Sound entertainment Cleveland Dj wedding service just completed a very successful weekend. With an amazing crew who worked with many cleveland brides. With over 12 successful weddings this past weekend, this cleveland wedding dj service is on its way to becoming the leader in the industry for quality and fun. Special thanks to the following vendors. Glidden house, Landerhaven, Windows on the River, Pine Ridge, The Patrician, The Ritz Carlton, St. Michaels Woodside, The Bertram inn, Embassy suites, Michaudes, Corey Anne Photography, Shima Limo, MIke Shuba, LCD photography, The Raddison In Eastlake.

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Great weekend

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Had a great wedding on Friday night with Beck and Brian Dombek! Being a Cleveland DJ for years, I have worked with many people, but this couple had something very special! They were truly made for eachother and it was a great wedding.
The wedding was at the Croation hall in Eastlake Ohio and was about 300 guests. PIctures to follow along with full review.

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Featured Wedding

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Last Friday night we did a wedding reception for an amazing couple, which had truly a very fun group of family and friends.

Reception Location: Borallys

Photographer: Best Image

Entertainment DJ/MC: Selective Sound Entertainment (DJ Christian)

The New Bride and Groom along with the best man

The new Mr. and Mrs. Sonkoy with the best man on right

What a refreshing reception. Having the reception in the Villa at
Borallys is truly a treat when you have the 2 levels and only 150-160
guests. T Title he guests were able to all seat on the lower level, while they had the upper level for gathering and desserts.
We worked very closely with Gary and Faye beforehand to ensure every
detail and every request was listened to and carried out. They came up
with a truly fun mix of unique formality dance songs and a very WIDE
variety of requests from the guests.

The MC for the evening

Guest MC for the evening

It all started when the guests came in. We were playing a mix of all
Tropical upbeat music. Everything from Bob Marley, to Jimmy Buffet and
so forth. Real refreshing and different. Gary and Fay chose to have
the head table right below on the1st lower level across from the DJ
GREAT location and it really opened things up.  We seated the guests
and blew everyone away with an amazing grand introduction using very
high energy music like Battle without honor and into Battleflag for
the bride and grooms grand intro. We obviously got the clean version
for this.

atomic dog

old fashioned atomic dog

After the toasts and cake cutting were complete we went into dinner
playing an array of Italian and upbeat Mowtown. The guests were even
swaying and dancing in their seats. In addition we did the
names/kissing thing where they gave us all the names of the married
couples at the wedding and everytime someone rang the glasses, we
pulled out a name and when we mentioned it on the microphone, they had
to show the bride and groom how a married couple should kiss. IT was
truly A HIT! Great icebreaker that involves everyone.

Some fun involvement from the guests

Some fun with everyone

After the formal dances which were really a great treat because there
were some Van Morrison songs.  Opened the dancefloor with a slow song, not a spot left open after the 1st song and then the fun really began.
The array of
music we played all night was incredible. We did the Tarantella, we
played gitterbugs into Michael Jackson, Paperboy, Counting Crowes,
Friends in low places,, to even Bruce Springsteens, Glory days.

Welcome the new couple

Congrats Gary and Faye

It was truly amazing as we did sing alongs, and had all the guests
dancing till past midnight. Songs from Pour some Sugar on me to Summer of 69. Even through in some Jump around and this was truly a treat.

First dance (song: These are the days-V.Morrison)

Father daughter dance (Song: something Beatles?

Mother son dance song: (let us know)

Bridal party dance (song: into the mystic, V.Morrison)

Introduction song for Bridal party: battle without honor

Introduction music for bride and groom: Battleflag (Low Fidelity All stars)

Special thanks to Raymond and Pam Chang from Best Image photography for use of these images. Phone: 216-381-6395  http://www.bestimage.org/

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Top 10 things NOT to do at your Wedding reception

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

These are the Top 10 most recommended things NOT to do at your wedding reception. While some of these are hard to avoid, the rest may not be. These are a matter of opinion of course.

1. Having the Bar outside of the room from where the reception is. The atmosphere is in the room and on the dance floor. If your guests are old

wedding bar set up outside of room

wedding bar set up

college roommates and they haven’t seen each other in a while, they will be hanging out in the bar area and most likely can’t see or hear the dance floor. Keep the energy and focus in your room


Too much music for the DJ

Utilize the Djs talent and experience

2. Controlling the entire music selection. The goal in hiring quality entertainment is to utilize their knowledge, talent and skill along with your input in creating the perfect mix of music. If you are in too much control and you don’t have any experience with choosing wedding music, then how are your guests going to react if it’s not working. Trust the pros, but give them input.

Utilize the Djs talent and experience
the wedding cake

Elegant wedding cake

3. Cutting the cake after dinner: too much time goes by and by the time they serve it, 1/2 of your guests either don’t remember the cake cutting or don’t even get to enjoy it, cause the festivities and dancing have started. Cut the cake after the introductions. Everyone sees it, and they are cutting it up while the guests are enjoying dinner so it can be served immediately following dinner. (providing you are having it for dessert or serving it)

4. Party favors:  one of the biggest wastes at a reception. Here’s the hint: do something that they can use and won’t

wedding party favors

wedding party favors? do they really care?

sit in the bottom of their drawer for years to come. No to picture frames, yes to candy.. The best and newest trend is to make a monetary donation to a cause in your guests honor and not only will they furnish little cards to place at the table, but it is a very classy gesture.

5. Top shelf Bar.. Unless of course you are rich and have extra money. Middle to lower shelf is fine. The money is the same in the envelopes and unless you’re trying to impress someone, you don’t need it.

6. Huge, expensive cake: really? Why not just get a small beautiful looking cake and have sheet cakes in the kitchen where the venue can serve. Think anyone will notice? no one except you and your mother in law? so unless you have extra money and the cake us THAT important to you?

7. Doing shots with your guests: Truthfully we say, don’t allow shots at your wedding at all. In the past 5 years, we have had more than a dozen weddings end early or get closed down because of drunkenness. IN addition to that, we have had countless brides and grooms over the years, pass out, get sick and even not make it to their own reception because of excessive drinking.

8. Greeting guests at tables after dinner: Here is one that we will get the most frowns upon. take this into consideration.. 30 seconds you may spend with each guests, 100 guests, that 50 minutes JUST for 100 guests. WOW! and to top it off, your guests are sitting there after dinner with nothing to do. If you must greet guests at each table after dinner, do 1/3 of the room, then get into some dancing and go back and finish. DO NOT go through the entire room and EVERY table, It will kill the mood and your guests WILL be bored to tears.

9. Single sided buffet service: Read this closely: if having a buffet dinner for over 125-140 guests, find out if there is going to be a two sided buffet line, if not ask them if it can be done.. In addition, if you decided to add a carver for roast beef or Turkey or something like that,  there should be one carver for each 100 guests (if not, ask for 2) they may charge you an extra 50.00-75.00, but it will be WELL worth it. Your buffet line will be gone through in 1/2 the time, which means more time for dancing and having fun.

disposable cameras

wedding disposable cameras

10. DO NOT buy or put cheap disposable cameras on the tables. Yes, you heard it, NO.. Why you ask.. Simple, there are most likely 25% of your guests that have a camera and are taking at least 20 pictures each. The way you collect these, is there are free file sharing sites that you can customize online where ALL of your guests can upload their photos and everyone can share.

These are just a few examples of some things we have learned over the years. These are opinions only and I surely welcome some opinions from everyone else.

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Interview part 2. about the owner/Founder of Selective Sound

Monday, March 8th, 2010

INTERVIEW Part 2: About Jay R, Owner of Selective Sound Entertainment

Jay r from the early days

If you could go back in time would you still be a DJ?
Without a question! Only, I would……. 

Favorite place you’ve played?
Probably the cruise ship we guest DJ-ed on during the Millennium New Year cruise.

Favorite song/artists to play?
WOW! I think I actually can say I like the newer hip-hop and adult contemporary music, because it’s not the same music I hear all the time.
jay r in action
What song do you wish you never had to play again?
Probably Celebration or Love Shack. But, they are both crowd pleasers (most of the time.) What we hear every week, some guests only hear once a year, if that!

What is a “go to” pack the dance floor song?
If I could tell you the answer to that for every wedding, I would be lying. Every reception reacts differently. If we create the right atmosphere of fun, we can play many different songs for a “go to” pack the dance floor song. We do, however, open the dance floor with a slow song (usually Van Morrison’s Have I Told You Lately?”) We pack the dance floor EVERYTIME; and I will bet you the cost of your wedding.

What is the craziest song request you’ve ever had?
Probably a Prince song that I couldn’t list the title to here, but you would hear it at clubs in the 90’s and the second part of the song’s name is “control.” This could be a blog within itself; I have so many crazy requests.
The set up
What is the craziest attire request you’ve ever had?
A Toga!

Best DJ experience?
Of 5000 plus events in 23 years, it’s difficult to really nail one down. But, probably a wedding we did back in 1999 when just as we started to have dinner, the fire alarm went off, followed by the sprinkler system.. it ruined everything and everyone.. I was able to be in such a spot where my equipment wasn’t damaged. The wedding was over,, we were packing up and I heard the bride and groom were inviting everyone over their house to have a backyard reception, and would order in some food.. Without their knowledge, we followed them to their house, set up in the garage.. and played the rest of the night. There were 150 guests out of 250 that were at this house and I will honestly tell you we stayed till 1am playing music, even though we were supposed to be done at 11pm.. It was one of the most surreal weddings we every did. The bride and groom and their families loved the fact we automatically came without being told.

Worst DJ experience?
Weddings in the weeks after 9/11/01. Of the 4 weddings in the month that followed, over 70% of guests could not come because the airports were closed. All guests did was talk about 9/11 and it was our job was to get their mind off of it.

What’s your favorite part of wedding receptions?
At the end when more than half of the guests are still there dancing. Also, when a bride and groom both give you a hug and thank you over and over again for exceeding their expectations.

Next: Part 3: About Selective Sound Entertainments information?

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INTERVIEW Part 1: About Selective Sound (with Jay r, Owner/Partner)

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

How long has Selective Sound been in business?

Since 1987. We started the company with the name “Music in Motion” and changed in 1989 to Selective Sound. a great wedding back in the beginning days..

Where did the company name come from?

Honestly, I can’t remember!

What is your role at Selective Sound?

I am the marketing director, accountant, human resource manager, scheduler, promoter, performer, worker, operator, technician and… owner!


Why did you start to DJ in Cleveland?

In 1987, I joined a youth group because I was able to play the music on the sound system at the youth group school dances. By the touch of a button I was able to make 300 people go crazy and by that same touch of a button I was able to also calm them down. For a moment I felt like a god.

How did you get your company started?

I bought my first mixer/amplifier and rented speakers. I was using cassette tapes. I made $25 for my first gig, $60 for my second gig and the rest is history. We’ve done over $2 million in gross sales since then.

Where do you DJ now?

In Northeast Ohio for private affairs. Ninety percent of our business is weddings but we also do corporate events and bar/bat mitzvahs. One of the Selective Sound Teams.


How many DJs do you employ every weekend?

We can do a maximum of five weddings and two other events per evening. Our busiest weekends are usually holiday weekends and we’ve done up to 19 events in one weekend!


How many weddings does your staff work in a year?

We average about 160 weddings per year.


What does your set-up consist of?

We are more refined in the DJ world. We use the new Bose l1 series 2 systems and a few Yorkville Unity systems (for the big events), a few wash LED lights and a compact computerized touch screen DJ system. Our systems are designed to blend into the decor, not be gaudy or noticeable.

How/where do you buy music?

Once a week we get CD with the top songs from each category from TM Century Prime Cuts. We own every song we every play.

What is a common misconception about your work?

That we just show up and play music. People don’t know about the 5 to 6 hours, pre-planning, coordinating, and music programming and so forth that we do before we even set up a speaker.

next week: part 2.. About the Jay r (CEO) of Selective Sound Entertainment.

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Denise and Jeremi

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Wedding of : Denise La-Riccia and Jeremi Woodruff
Location: Casa Di Borallys
Date: February 20th, 2010
Photographer: Perfect Image Photography

Jeremi and Denise Woodruff What an amazing and fun wedding this turned out to be. I mainly worked with Denise in the planning at the beginning, however when we met with Jeremi and Denise together, Jeremi became very involved. Here is their story.

We arrived at about 4.30pm to set up and as soon as we had our equipment loaded in, I looked up and guests started arriving. We were a little confused, but after about 10 minutes of set up we had some music playing so they had some form of entertainment.  After completing our set up at about 5.10 we sat down with our friends at Casa Di borally and went over the evenings agenda.

The Head tableThe evening was set up to be very unique food service wise. When the wedding reception officially began, they Borally’s hand passed their famous pizza for O’deuvre hour.  Dinner, however was going to be a bit unique, because they did Heavy O’Deuvre stations around the room.  There was to be an amazing spread of finger type foods of many different varieties including a Borally’s famous  chef carved Beef Tenderloin. These stations were to be set up around the room, to avoid the “buffet” style type dinner.

After the Bridal party arrived we met everyone and lined them up for the grand intro.  We did not seat the guests, because we did not want that type of atmosphere with the O’deuvre stations.

another beautiful cake

The grand introduction was high energy as the bridal party walked into Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne After the introductions we went into the cake cutting with the song Adam Sandlers When I grow old with you Following that, we had 2 Toasts from the Best man and Maid of honor and then into A blessing. We then announced for the guests to visit the O’Deuvre stations at their leisure.

Twards the end of dinner, Borallys cleared the Head table off the dance floor so we could get started right away. Some dancing

First dance was done while guests were still finishing up eating and we went into Denise and Jeremi’s first dance together as husband and wife. Their First dance song was Making memories of Us By Keith Urban

We followed that with a Father daughter dance to Heartland I loved her 1st and then to some Kenny Rogers and Through the years for the mother son dance.  After the formal dances we got started right away by inviting all the guest to the dance floor to join them for a slow dance. The entire floor was packed 1st song of the night.

We then went into an array of dance music for all age groups and there was dancing the entire night. This group of guests were incredible and we played everything from the Twist to Bone Thugs and Harmony. Great Couple to work with and play for. They were very energetic and fun the entire night. Borallys was great to work with and they were very accomadating. The Bar is on the 2nd floor in that room, which is a perfect placement in my opinion. Special thanks to Greg and Kathy from the Perfect Image Photography for allowing us to post their amazing work.

Another great wedding in the books. Amazingly enough we are doing the Maid of honors wedding in October as well. She called us and didn’t even know we were the DJ’s. Here we come Nicole.

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another great dj in the cleveland dj area

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Five StarEntertainment is an very good choice for DJ entertainment here in the Cleveland area.  Don Paul is a fantastic cleveland DJ here in Northeast Ohio. If you do get lucky enough to have Don or any of his staff at your reception you will be dealing with years of experience. One thing people forget about is that talent and experience is what plays such a vital role in your wedding reception.

Five Star Entertainment Djs here in cleveland ohio are a great choice. With as many years as they have in the business, they sure are one of the better choices here.

We wish Don Paul and his staff all the best in the future. we hope to keep a great business relationship. Thank you Don.

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