Stephanie Wilson & Trevor Anderson

When: Saturday, August 6th, 2011 Where: DoubleWood Inn, Fargo, ND 1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley Three different wedding receptions going on here, at the Doublewood, tonight, causing a little guest confusion in the halls.  It also meant that, while we did our toasts, the room next door was blasting music already.  Not cool.  We were alright, but no one should have to give a speech with a muffled, but still loud, version of 'Shout' playing in the background. We did some different things with our opening songs.  For her dance with her dad, Steph made up a mix: start with 'Cinderella', which suddenly rips into.  The wedding party started out fast with Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling in Love."  I followed up quickly with a surprise black light dance.  I handed out 30 or so pairs of white gloves, turned down the rest of the lights, and made it glow.  Check out the video for what I mean.  It's a great effect when used for the one song (and doesn't turn your wedding dance into a night club). For the garter, we sold raffle tickets, then brough up eight winners who competed via musical chairs.  Cutthroat business.  Ashley won by disqualification when the other three guys all sat down without the music stopping.  They thought the music had stopped because, ironically, I got on the mic to warn them not to sit down without the music stopping.  The crowd voted them out. Things fired right back up after the bouquet/garter, so I did a stroll:  everyone forms two lines, facing each other.  The couple on one end dance on down the middle (see the video).  You only attempt this while things are going great.  It's not really something guests will do until they trust you to be fun.

Kristen Litzinger & Jared Young

When: Saturday, July 30th, 2011

Where: Ramada Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "All or Nothing" by Theory of a Deadman

Decorative up lighting again tonight.  Purely as decoration, though.  There are no floruscents to contend with at the Ramada. 

The only rough spot for Kristen and Jared today was at the church.  The unairconditioned church.  The pastors sped the service up slightly to make sure everyone was OK.  One choice that seems down right genius now is the groomsmen had no suit jackets.

Their request list was four songs, all line/group dances.  Otherwise, it was about 10 songs on the 'do not play.'  Easy to work with, but, I do actually prefer a bit more direction than that.  For example, I learned, during social hour conversation, that Kristen's favorite movie of all time is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."  It's a thoroughly 80's movie.  That's something I can work with.  Play the namesake song, and suddenly a lull in the dance turns into 20 ladies dancing in a circle around the bride.

Elva Perez & Brandon Frank

When: Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Where: Community Center, Wyndmere, ND
1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley

Things are looking up.  Temperatures have returned to relative normal and this community center has AC.  I also setup decorative up lighting.  This room has those giant floruscent lights every school gym has, which means, with the lights, it's either all or nothing.  With the up lighting around the room, we were able to leave the floruscents off. 

I've never seen a staff serve so many people so quickly in a buffet.  150 guests in some 12 minutes.

Photobooth tonigh was provided by Black Tie Photobooth.  If you are looking for one, he's easily the first and only I'd recommend.  Not only was his equipment top notch (HQ photo prints in about 12 seconds), he seems to do everything the right way, but he is as cheap or cheaper than anyone else I've seen.

A slight change in tradition.  Elva danced with her dad first, who handed her off to Brandon.  From there we quickly added the wedding party, all married couples for an anniversary dance (48 years was our longest marriage).

A rare moment tonight, the Chicken Train (by groom's request).  A big circle forms, one person in the middle has a broom as a dance partner, and everyone gets a turn.  It's silly but who cares.

Kasey Swiers & Nolan Klinkhammer

When: Saturday, July 16th, 2011

Where: Community Center, Bejou, MN
1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley

Today's temperature got up to 162*F.  Or at least very close to it.  Thankfully the city hall here in Bejou is air conditioned  Oh, wait.  It's not.  Nuts.  That's fine when it's just me setting up but once 150 people pile in here and start moving, sweet mollases, it's hot.  We were dying by 9pm, but couldn't open up the doors until after sunset, or we'd be trading intense heat for swarms of mosquitos.

I'm only here for the dance.  Nolan and Kasey had their dinner at the church in Mentor, where they were married.  She didn't bring a toss bouquet, so I supplied one of mine (what?  You don't keep a few spare toss bouquets in your van?).

These guys were definitely ready to dance.  It would have taken a pretty bad DJ to clear these folks off the floor.  I got to play almost anything you can think of.

To the left is the result of a concrete floor and spilled drinks on a wedding dress.

Gina & Josh Wagner

When: Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

Where: Teamsters, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "Love of a Lifetime" by Firehouse

Tonight was marred by some delays.  You wouldn't know it, but having only a single stall bathroom for a reception of 250 people can really slow things down as wedding party members are forced to stand in line for their turn.



Hello to some old clients, the Wagners, married about three years ago and guests at (what feels like) many, many weddings.  Pictured here is their new baby boy with their uncle Josh.

No song list from Gina and Josh.  Just after the dance started they snuck outside to finish their pictures (an open shutter, then drawing a heart using sparklers).  This made for a slow start to the dance.  Once they came back in, the requests started and we got rolling right until everybody was disappointed it was time to go, three hours later.

Lacie Fogelson & Casey Hanson

When: Saturday, June25th, 2011

Where: Avalon Events Center, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "You Make Me So Very Happy" played live

Today's ceremony was also at the Avalon, and I took care of sound for that, too.  This meant a mic for the pastor, reader, singer, and inputs for a cellist and guitarist.  It didn't go the way I had planned but went well and that is all that matters.

Our singer (Andi Thoreson who also sang at her sister's wedding two years ago), the cellist and guitarist also performed the first dance song for us.

Some interesting touches tonight.  The guest book was plates (china) guests signed with a silver pen.  This will let Lacie mount these on the wall later.  The Avalon held two receptions tonight.  To make sure guests knew they were in the right spot, a front door, painted with chalkboard paint, had Lacie and Casey's names on it.  I also received a request list made by guests who listed songs on their RSVPs.

Or only real issue was that it appears Lacie and Casey were both struck with food poisoning from something they ate during pictures.  They ducked out about 11pm, a little over an hour early.

As usual, more great work by wedding photographers Shawna Noel and Kory Wallen.   Well, I guess I don't actually know that... we haven't seen the pictures yet, but history suggests it will be more outstanding work on their part.(no, these aren't their pictures.  Their pictures are good)

Katie Jo Johnson & Carlos Ballinas

When: Saturday, June18th, 2011

Where: Under a tent, Battle Lake, MN
1st Dance Song: "As Time Goes By" by Buena Vista Social Club

"Hi Robert!  I'm so sorry it took so long to get back to you.  I think things were more crazy after the wedding than before:)  Again thank you for everything you did for our wedding reception!  I don't think it could have gone any better than it did.  If you need any recommendations just let us know!"

Katie and Carlos were actually married January in Mexico, and again yesterday, in Minneapolis.  Today is a reception only at her parents' lake house.

I stole a baby (OK, babysat) during dinner when I sent her mom and family up to the buffet.  Her name is Laney, she is 4 months old and she giggles when you hold her up so she flies like Superman.

Since Carlos and his family are from Mexico, we used a translator during the prayer, and during some of the event explanations.  Their first dance song is in Spanish (somehow I can't find the Spanish title, though).

Turns out, at weddings in Mexico there is a tradition of carrying the groom in and tossing him in the air, all set to the Funeral March.  Fantastic.  We followed that with "A La Vibora De La Mar," which is, as best as I can describe it, a cross of a conga line, circle dance, and limbo.  No footage for that one because, no one told me about the song in advance, so I bought it, downloaded and was playing it from my smart phone, which I had been using to catch some of these moments.  Maybe I'll be able to get some footage from the videographer.

One other very random request:  "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus.  Apparently they line dance to a Spanish version in Mexico.  That's a first time playing it for me.  I also got to play a bunch of salsa music.

Brooke Melicher & Tim Hanson

When: Saturday, June11th, 2011

Where: Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "Grow Old With You" by Adam Sandler

A night opposite from last, this one with about 140 guests, in much more modest ballroom (the Holiday Inn is great, it's just not the size of a football field).  Brooke, Tim, and the wedding party arrived via clydesdale drawn hay ride (and I missed pics).


To involve the guests quickly (and give the photographers a better background), we brought up all the guests to form a circle around Brooke and Tim for their first dance song.  Not an issue since the song is only 90 seconds long.  The second song, Brooke and her dad, Paul, danced to a minute long version of "You Never Can Tell" by Chuck Berry (most recognizable these days from Pulp Fiction).

No dollar dance, bouquet, or garter tonight.  The only interuption to the dance was when a young lady, Destiny, asked to sing "The Way I Am."

One amusing moment: a guest from the wedding next door came over to request a song... for next door.  Turns out that DJ didn't have "Into the Mytic" by Van Morrison, so I got it for him on an mp3 player I use for backup.

Ericka Erdmann & Garret Kollin

When: Friday, June10th, 2011

Where: Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen, MN
1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley

The reception hall was set for more than 500 people.  The room was as long as a football field.  Quality sound for that size room with that many people is tough, but if you do it right, everyone can easily hear the speeches, the room is full of sound, but not too loud, except on the dance floor which is loud enough (and that is one heckuva run-on sentence).

While Ericka and Garret wanted to recognize their mom and dad (respectively) with a dance each, she did let me shorten them.  I created digital edits of their first dance song, her dance with her dad, and his with his mom so that all three songs lasted about eight minutes instead of the full twelve.  The songs still sound intact instead of the old, awkward fade down halfway in.  Instead of another slow song for the weddng party, Ericka had me play "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz.  Something upbeat and fun can work, just warn your wedding party in advance and get them onboard.  In our case, it was also after 9pm and a bit easier to get people going.

No dollar dance, but we did toss the bouquet, and a scavenger hunt to give away the garter.  Out of left field, Ericka asked if I could do something I haven't in a couple of years, and even then it was at a Christmas party: the frozen t-shirt contest.  Five guys race to put on t-shirts that have been soaked and frozen.  Fantastic for it's silliness, definitely something you do late, in our case, 11pm.

Yingxi (Rona) Shi & Jeff Kuntz

When: Monday, May 30th, 2011

Where: Turtle River State Park, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Eyes on Me" from Final Fantasy

This was actually an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception.  The couple met as students in the UND meteorology department.  There was a brief panic in the morning when lightning knocked out the area's power, but the park runs on propane, not the electrical grid, so my mad scramble for a generator on Memorial Day Monday was unnecesary.  There was some misting rain as we all arrived for the ceremony, but in all, the day was quite beautiful.  The ceremony went off without a hitch, though the pastor's mic was on mute, his voice carried fine.  The reception, however, was perfect til about 9:30pm, when tornados were spotted around Grand Forks, sending many of our meteorologists on their way, and the rest of us to safety.  Which wasn't too bad, since we had to be done at 10pm (per park rules) anyway.

I'm very used to pronouncing difficult names, but that's usually Polish or Norwegian.  This is Chinese, a whole new set of phoenetics.  If you're wondering, Rona's name is pronounced like 'Ing-She'.  That's the easy one.  Have fun trying to pronounce Shaoyue or Zhe.

The reception was pretty traditional.  Rona's parents flew in from China for this, and her dad wanted to do a speech, done with a translator (her cousin), who learned just how hard that is to do well.  Not everything in Chinese translates easily into English very well, or at least, not literally, but he did a pretty good job.

Rona and Jeff choreographed their first dance song, all five minutes of it, making a great impression on the guests.  For those who can, 12 lessons or so is all it takes to put something together that will get noticed.

Erin Lowder & Derek Hoffert

---

When: Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Where: Bestwestern Guest House, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "Beautiful Mess" by Jason Mraz

Derek's family and I go way back.  I DJ'ed both his older sisters' weddings in 1999 and 2000.  Tonight, they decorated the Guesthouse pretty well.  Real evergreen trees behind the head table, candle-lit lanterns on a bed of grass (yes, as in lawn) for centerpieces.  Their flower/decorator Georgina Smith had containers of grass growing from seed for the last eight weeks, just begging for sunny days.

Erin wasn't crazy about the garter removal, so we turned things around.  Once Derek got out to the floor and dropped to one knee, she grabbed him, put him in the chair, and took the garter off his leg (already under his pant leg).

Random song I've never played before, and probably won't again, but that did great here: "Stop" by the Spice Girls.

Amy Strand & Charles Getsman

---

When: Saturday, May 21st, 2011

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

Don't worry, Chuck, I won't repeat your wife's nickname for you here, though it was revealed (playfully) to the guests.  The same can't be said for your buddies, though, or the youth soccer team you coach.

Instead of the traditional garter giveaway, Chuck decided to have the guys compete over it, via an air guitar contest.  Sadly, there is no footage of this because, while silly, it was still fun.

Danielle Grandbois & Daniel Danielson

When: Friday, May 20th, 2011

Where: Doublewood Inn, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "Heaven" by Yanou & DJ Sammy

Just go ahead and try and say their married name outloud.  It's all about the emphasis and second syllable in Danielle to make sure you don't sound like Daniel is marrying Daniel.

 Danielle is a big karaoke fan, so we included that throughout the night.  Something like 12 songs scattered over a four hour dance.  Only one singer was bad... she yelled more than sang her song.

Danielle did make a video slide show of pictures, but had me play it on a loop during the entire social and dinner.  Guests could watch if they wanted, when they wanted.  This is key if your video exceeds ten minutes or so.

Aleesha Ruff & Andy Nicholson

---

When: Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Where: Woodland Lodge, Turtle River State Park, ND
1st Dance Song: "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain

Alee and Andy were married on a Tuesday.  They both just graduated, he's now commisioned in the U.S. Army, so it was a now or never thing for them if they wanted their friends there before everyone scattered to the winds.  They did end up competing with a Tim McGraw concert, but it didn't seem to be a problem.

The Woodland Lodge is a bit small (space for 100 or so indoors) but is actually pretty nice: full kitchen and central air.  There is also a patio area if the weather is nice.

To get Alee and Andy to kiss, guests asked them questions.  So a guest who knew Andy well asked Alee about him.  Because of this we learned that Andy is into power kites.  I'm not sure what that means, but one is 13 meters long.  That's enormous and I now feel bad because I still have trouble getting the regular little ones off the ground.

One last note, I would have never expected a bunch of ROTC/military guys to be so into Rebecca Black's "Friday."  Curious.

Megan Sellie & Aaron Elgin

---

When: Saturday, April 9th, 2011

Where: Radisson Hotel, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain

I'd been looking forward to this wedding for a while.  Megan and Aaron picked several touches I thought were just a little out of the ordinary.  This winter, her father built a hot rod for them to ride from the church to the reception.  Aaron made the knife for the cake cutting.  Guests had to answer trivia about the two of them to get them to kiss.  There were little cards for guests to fill out, with "In 25 years, Megan and Aaron will be..." and "Love is...".    They took dance lessons to get ready for their first dance.  Each added just a little to the evening, but, most importantly I think, added something personal.
The video to the left is of my new light towers so you can judge for yourself if you like them.  Most DJ lights you just get dots on the floor or wall because you can't use a fog machine at almost any banquet hall.  I'm hoping these are both nice looking and cool.  They stand eight feet tall, are wrapped in fabric, and are synced to the dance floor lights.

Once again I edited their first dance song to change the song from just over four minutes, down to under three.  I sent a copy to them in advance so they could practice during their lessons.

Amy Lewis & Ryan Knudson

---

When: Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Where: Avalon Events Center, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "Look At You" by Chris LeDoux

"Robert, thank you so much for all the hard work you did at our wedding.  We were so pleased with the way the reception & dance went, and you really helped us to have a great night.  You did a great job of keeping the night moving & keeping us informed.  Everyone had a blast on the dance floor and we will recommend you to all of our friends!  Thanks again,"  -Amy & Ryan

Amy is sister to the wonderful Fargo photographer Katie Lewis, whose pictures you see here.

It was my first real opportunity to show off my new decorative up lighting (back ground below).  I kept it simple, with their wedding color blue behind the head table and by the cake, gifts, and front door.

The Avalon is a beautiful space, but the acoustics on the second floor are murder for a DJ.  Normally I would run additional speakers out away from the dance floor to keep a good, clean sound for speeches, but here there were so many guests and doorways that I couldn't.

Amy and Ryan were married three weeks prior in a ceremony on the beach.  Today's reception had me setting up a screen to show pictures from the ceremony (difficult in the limited space but I got it), then a six minute video after dinner.

One group of guests kept requesting 80's music, like Lionel Ritchie's "Dancing on the Ceiling," and "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night," by Cory Hart. 

Brianna Martinson & Garrett Grasser

When: Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Where: VFW, East Grand Forks, MN
1st Dance Song: "When You Say Nothing At All" by Allison Kraus

I was hired for this reception because of another I did not too long ago, where Garrett and Brianna met, the wedding of Jordan and Erin Grasser (Hi, Erin!).

No ceremony today, they got married in Mexico on January 8th. I edited their ceremony video and some pictures into a six minute reel to show their reception guests who, mostly, couldn't make the trip. If you think a wedding on the beach is for you, realize you are likely to be very close to other, non-guest beach-goers, the video will pick up a lot of wind noise, and that sometimes your mom just can't help but film herself digging her toes into the sand in the middle of your ceremony.

Our first hurdle tonight, the VFW has bingo until 5pm, and you don't mess with bingo. When I tried to setup about 2:30, they had already started, but I was able to be ready for the guests by 6pm. Our second issue, which was actually pretty simple, no priest for the prayer, so I got to do it.

We skipped the bouquet because, there wasn't one. Customs wouldn't let Brianna bring hers back into the U.S. without a huge hassle because those flowers could kill you and everyone you ever cared about! Or something. We stuck with a garter auction. For the removal, we stuck Garrett in a Green Bay Packers jersey (he's a fan) and brought him out to their touchdown song ("Bang on the Drum").

I did get to bust out my emergency kit's toothbrush for a certain someone in need.

Attention to detail is important: especially when you notice the groom is busy, so you stall before playing the last slow song of the night so he can enjoy one more dance with his wife.

After everyone had left, and everything was getting packed up, there was a little trouble with the cake. It was falling, and ended on being set down in the parking lot. I didn't stick around to find out what happened, but hopefully it worked out.

See more at www.RobertBenda.com

Diana Driscoll & Zach Bopp

When: Saturday, February 5th, 2011

Where: Ramada Inn, Grand Forks, ND
1st Dance Song: "To Make You Feel My Love" by Adele

No pictures, no video from this wedding. I'll leave that to the people who are good at those things. Every vendor was from FreshWed. Photographers Shawna Noel and Kory Wallen; Videographer Corey of Sub-Zero Productions (glad to finally meet him); flowers and decorations by Just Add Water, Brooke Roche. Oh, and me. You just can't go wrong by hiring all of us. In fact, maybe we should make some sort of package deal. Hmm....

I must say, it was nice to see the videographer at the reception. A lot of couples don't hire one, or only have them at the ceremony. I usually use my camera to make sure key moments like the toasts and their first dance are captured. Tonight, I didn't worry.

During dinner we learned that Zach, when he was less than one year old, managed to lift himself out of his crib, and broke his arm in the process. And I was scared of what my two year old could do...

A few random things I took care of: I had Diana's slippers for the reception; I'm the one who washed out and got the box for their brand new, beautiful crystal champagne glasses; and I'm the one who knew where the circuit breaker for their decorative lights was.

Zach and Diana's wedding was at 3pm, at Sacred Heart (yes, Catholic). Dinner wasn't until 6:30, which meant a lot of time for guests to kill. We did our best to have something happen every so often: the bridal party's arrival; shoe game; video; speeches. If the guests were bored from the large gap from ceremony to dinner, they didn't show it. When the dance started, they were right there, ready to go, too.

To give away the garter, we did a raffle. The drawing got us seven or eight contestants to compete. I asked for things, they went and fetched them. Each time they came back, we elimated some. Very simple. Very funny. One groomsmen didn't quite make the chair. Twice. The Best Man thought we had solved the last item, yelled it out, but forgot to actually go and get it. Someone else won. Poor Beau.

We also did a broom dance. No, they aren't common. Everyone in a circle, someone in the middle with a broom dances for a bit, then passes it, and the new holder dances. It's exactly how it sounds, but if everyone is into it, it can be a blast. Especially when a grandma gets wheeled out in her chair to dance.

See more at Grand Forks Wedding DJ.

Kirby Black & Jake Vossler

When: Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Where: Hilton Garden Inns, Grand Forks, ND
Photographer: Shawna Noel Photographry
1st Dance Song: "A Walk in the Forest" by Brian Crain

First thing you'd notice when arrivng at the reception was an appetizer buffet with two trays being butlered by staff. Very unusual for this area, but very lovely.

The weather interfered with the guest list a bit, but the room was still almost full. Unfortunately, Kirby's two older brothers missed out, getting stuck between Minneapolis and Fargo. Her younger brother, Isaac, stepped up to give their toast instead. Another side story to the storm travel was two cars of guests having a run in with a horse on the highway. Don't worry, everyone made it out okay.

Kirby and Jake took dances lessons, which led them to choose a waltz for their first dance. The results are there in the video.

Champagne toasts were nothing compared to Jake's dad. He brought out an old family tradition. Everyone got a small shot of Redeye. Normally, they would have had a bottomless glass, but the Hilton's liquor license won't allow for that. Free wine and keg beer were substituted instead.

We did a challenge to win the garter. Guys had to fetch items in the room and make it back to their chairs first. A few were racing back just as I pulled their chairs away. Splat, to the floor they went.

Most interesting, I thought, were some storm stories. The bartender, Kelly, had been stuck at the hotel since 5:30am the previous morning, thanks to the blizzard. She was on shift til the end of our wedding dance. The photographers, Shawna and Kory, had spent the entire day trying to get to Grand Forks from Bismarck, since the highway was closed the last 80 miles, they took county roads, and made it just in time to shoot the ceremony. That was after taking a train from Fargo to Minot, then hitching a ride to Bismarck to shoot the wedding the day before. By the end of today, they all just wanted so desperately to get home and get some sleep.

See more at Grand Forks Wedding DJ.