Christy Sobolik & Shawn Luskey

When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Where: Ramada Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Fever" by Michael Buble

My second weekend and third dance in a row at the GF Ramada. They were kind enough to let me store my gear here, which saved me quite a bit of effort.


This was a Catholic ceremony at St. Michael's church, a much earlier start than normal to a day. Ceremony at 1:30, Ramada opened at 4, and dinner at 5:15. For comparison, last week's lutheran service started at 4pm.

Every single member of the wedding party, 12, plus the bride and groom, did a toast. That took a little while (30 minutes). However, most were very good and the guests didn't seem to mind.

One huge item: they choreographed their first dance and her dance with her dad. Very cool. Nothing too complex, but it makes a big impression.

Her vocal coach was the winner of the garter raffle. He was a more than a bit uncomfortable coming up since he didn't realize he wasn't going to remove the garter. No, no, sir, you merely won it. When Shawn came out to remove it, one snap of his fingers and his groomsmen came out and formed a privacy barrier. Public without being public.

My standard contract has a three hour dance to it, which would have only brought us to 10:15. Despite the heat, they decided to add two extra hours (that pic above is from just after midnight). The plus to that is you start to play songs you've never played before. Deeper requests. One was "I Wanna Be Sedated," by the Ramones. In 12 years, hundreds of events, it's never been requested. Ever. I played it right away and they loved it. Sweet. Also unusual (but good), Christy's favorite, "Longtime" by Boston (you'd recognize if you heard it, probably, skip to the 3:30 mark).

One benefit to good equipment: a guest slipped (someone had spilled a drink) and fell hard into my table. Which in turn slid a foot or so, but the music didn't stop and everything was fine. Quality craftmanship courtesy Colorado Sound N' Light and their Super Table.

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Mallory Winfield & Dustin Hiott

When: Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Where: Clarion Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain

"We had seen Robert in action at the Alerus Center (we work there) for many weddings and have been very pleased with his ablility to provide a fun filled evening for many wedding events. Remember Mom's he is there for the wedding couple but did accomdidate our requests also. Thanks Robert for making it a great night for our daughter and son-in-law!" - Del & Jim Winfield, Mallory's parents.

I actually booked this wedding because Mallory's parents both bartend at the Alerus center and have seen me work many times.

A pretty straightforward evening. The fear of public speaking reared it's ugly head though. The best man (whose wedding is in three weeks) and the bride and groom were all terrified. I've never really related to that, and I've always wondered what, exactly, people think will happen.

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Whitney Vidden & Cody Christie

When: Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Where: Ramada Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley

"Thank you so much for agreeing to DJ for our wedding reception. We really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us to make sure our evening goes smoothly!" - Whitney & Cody Christie.

Custom coloring books and crayons were at the guest book table. For kids, in theory, though I noticed quite a few older folks grabbing them.

I can't recall a room getting so quiet and attentive when I've started my introductions. Ever. It was so.... polite.

As a surprise, Whitney and Cody had two extra cakes, one each for their own parents. Both sets are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversaries this month. We brought everyone up for a cutting before the speeches.

And, wow, what speeches. Our best man had three typed single space pages. Usually a big no-no, but it was very good. Most of the wedding party stood up, too.

I had occasion to use my pre-edited songs again. Both of their first two dances, the Brad Paisley followed by "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts, I've made two minute versions. It really helps move things along at the beginning without being abrupt.

The dance was pretty easy. Cody and Whitney provided a sizeable request list of their songs, with a couple marked as 'must' plays. Mixed with guest requests, I always had songs I knew they wanted. It really helps tailor the evening to their tastes.

Kylie Leddige & Todd Tanke

When: Friday, August 20th, 2010

Where: Ramada Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Tupelo Honey" by Van Morrison

Another family affair. I worked Todd's brother's wedding in November 2008 (Jessica and Tanner) and one of his groomsman's Tanner Altendorf before that.

One obstacle tonight is that Todd gets cluster headaches. His body temperature will spike and bring on a migraine. During dinner he snuck away and took a quick cold shower. If it gets bad enough, he can take a shot, but, apparently, too early, and it doesn't work.

No cake, just cupcakes. Two different best men, maids of honor, and speakers from the crowd, along with his dad's speech. Somewhere, somehow, during the 1st dance, Kylie's dad managed to sneak out of the room and I didn't notice. So we bumped Todd's dance with his mom while I found Larry.

Todd, his brother Tanner, the other Tanner (Junior), and Chris have a bit of a tradition. Play the song "Wipeout," Chris is the surfboard, and the guys take turns. Hilarity ensued when Tanner took a spill, then Junior decided to ride the board on his tummy. Just stop and picture that visual.

After the dance wrapped up, the best man (and my past client) Tanner got attacked by cupcakes. In the ear.

On a more personal note, I'm exhausted. I barely recovered at all for my wedding the next day. If you're wondering: 7am to Noon, taking care of my 18 month old daughter and some household chores. During her nap, I was tearing up a floor on top of a floor on top of a floor on top of a floor as part of a bathroom remodel (yes, remove four floors in order to install one new one). At 3pm I loaded up the truck with my gear, cleaned up, drove to Grand Forks, setup, and worked the reception til 1am. No, I don't take breaks. During the reception I drank half a gallon of water and a V8 (great for replacing salt). Twice that the next day along with a couple of milks and an hour sitting in front of an air conditioner.

Megan Neppl & Austin Hauck

When: Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Where: Holiday Inn, Detroit Lakes, MN
1st Dance Song: "Fishin' in the Dark" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

In between the ceremony and reception the entire wedding party hopped on pontoons for pictures on the lake. They reached shore just in time to avoid a downpour.

The photographer, Brian Walker, setup a photobooth. It printed a copy for the guest and one for Megan and Austin. Brian also did pictures starting before the ceremony and was at the reception until about 11pm. Quite a long day for him.

Along with my usual duties, I was hired to make a video slideshow and film the ceremony. The former I've done quite a bit, the latter, not so much. The slide show came out great with a little surprise. Each Megan and Austin recorded a message of love and thanks for their parents that I dropped in. It starts at the 3:15 mark of the video. The quality isn't the best since we improvised. Between the ceremony and reception I had them read these messages to my voicemail, which I then downloaded as mp3s. If you get a chance to try the cupcakes from Central Market Grocery in Detroit Lakes, take it. They provided the dessert for the reception and I snuck one after the end of the evening. Fantastic frosting and pumpkin spice in the cupcake. See more at Detroit Lakes Wedding DJ.

Michelle Sande & Josh Schake

When: Saturday, August 7th, 2010

Where: Clarion Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "When I Look At You" by Miley Cyrus

"Hi Robert! Just thought I'd drop you a line and thank you for the great work at our wedding reception. We had a fantastic time with you. I appreciated the fact that you listened to our music preferences and catered our dance to us! The little game during dinner was hilarious, too! We will reccommend you to our friends!" -Michelle Schake

Khaki suits instead of black tuxedos seem very fortuituous on a day like today. Hot and sticky. The photographer, Brian (of Brian's Photographry), had them rotating back inside between pictures to keep from sweating too bad. Also awesome was, instead of cake, a sundae bar! A soft serve machine with toppings at the ready.

Once again I digitally edited their first dance song to shorten it up a bit, from about four minutes down to two and a half. It's something I can't recommend enough when you'll be having multiple special dances at the beginning, thus excluding guests. The reality of it is, these songs are mostly for the two people dancing, not for the guests.

I pretty noticeable mistake on my part tonight. I missed a change. Josh was supposed to dance with his mom to a certain Brad Paisley song (Oh, Love). I had it, and it was taken care of quickly, but there was still my gaffe. I had already begun bringing out wedding party to start the rest of the dance. It's the kind of mistake I pride myself on NOT making and one that will stick with me for a while even though the net result was Josh's dance with his mom started about eight seconds late.

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Kaela Erickson & Derek Laudal

When: Friday, August 6th, 2010

Where: Marriot, Moorhead, MN
1st Dance Song: "Whatever It Is" by Zac Brown Band

"Thank you so much for all of your time, help, patience, organization, and fun that you provided us for our wedding. We continously get compliments regarding the music DJ. We highly recommend you to others. Thank you for the perfect time at our wedding." Kaela and Derek

There are little things you notice when trying to get guests interested and excited. I should have noticed I wasn't quite engaging them. Not that I did bad. People still had fun. However, I left with that nagging feeling that I really could have done much better.

Milestone photographry was here tonight. Dave Arnson is his name. One of the four or so photographers I recommend.

Once again, the couple had very few specifc requests (that's been pretty common this summer). She likes Zac Brown Band and Brown Eyed Girl. They didn't want the YMCA, Mickey, Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey, and C'Mon Ride It. That's about it. Naturally, Kaela changed it so her nephews could have the Chicken Dance and Hokey Pokey. Then, later, she requested C'mon Ride It (the Choo Choo Train), which I used to make Derek lead a conga line. I teased her that she only didn't like five songs and had me play three of them. That's how it works, though. We make compromises for family.

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Lindsey Altpeter & Ryan Martens

When: Saturday, July 31st, 2010

Where: Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Look at Me" by Carrie Underwood

Ryan is Canadian, which brings with it a few different wedding traditions. The biggest change for me is they provide an MC to do the introductions. I haven't talked so little since my first year DJ'ing. Fortunately I still had people wrangling and setting up their video to keep me busy.

For their video, I supplied (no charge, as usual) the LCD projector and my custom portable screen (5'x6'). The benefit is I can set it all up and test the video before guests arrive. Then it all disappears until a few minutes before show time.

The best man is Brad Miller. He and Ryan used to play UND hockey together and were responsible for those sweet Brad Miller Time videos.

We did a fun elimination game to give away the garter. Scott, one of our ushers, won. Cool for me was getting to eliminate former UND Sioux standout and current St. Louis Blue TJ Oshie (not for anything in particular, just how many NHL'ers will I ever get to boss around in my life? At least one, I suppose.).

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