Tiffany Holmes & Travis Boespflug

When: Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Where: Ralph Englestad Arena, Thief River Falls, MN
1st Dance Song: "True Companion" by Marc Cohn

For this Ralph, guests entered on the main arena entance, then took the stairs or elevator down to the dressing room level where a kitchen and ballroom for up to 350 guests wait. I got to drive down to unload my gear, which was pretty sweet.

Something I've brought up but never done before.... we saved the cake until 30 minutes into the dance. The cake cutting was immediately followed by the dollar dance, which also gave guests a chance to serve themselves. I'm a fan because it means waiting to enjoy your dessert instead of while you're full.

The picture of me with all the purses... well, when the wedding party arrives, we introduce them into the room. This means someone has to get all the stuff they're carrying in so they don't have to during their grand entrance. That's five purses and a breast pump and it all weighed a ton.

Also on the list of duties, shortening their special dances. They wanted three: a first dance, her dance with her dad, and Travis' dance with his mom. Rather than that totaling 12 minutes of music, I digitally shortened each to about two minutes each. Those who have stood out there for a dance, just the two of you, understand that two minutes is long enough. The songs were intact, each got their moment, and we kept things moving as best we could.


Another new one, I inserted Travis and Tiffany's heads (a photo from the reception) into a disco dancing video, played it at the end of the garter giveaway. No one expected it. It wasn't planned. I figured out I could do it during the dinner thanks to the magic of WiFi and the internet. The site is called JibJab.com and while you can make some of the videos free, to actually download or post them to YouTube, you have to pay.

Kiley English & Jason Cossette

When: Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Where: Avalon Events Center, Fargo, ND
1st Dance Song: "I Don't Know Much" by Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt

I got to put their slide show together and its was my favorite in years (see video below). As soon as I saw the pictures Kiley sent me I knew exactly what to do. The final result is to the right and, at only 3 minutes, it clips along nicely and even includes Kiley singing when she was, at most, two years old.

Kiley's dad put together a fun little quiz for the guests in lieu of a speech (How many times has Kiley seen New Kids on the Block Live? Three.). Both our Best Man Jon and Maid of Honor Hillary did very nice speeches, but Jason's was excellent. His was a great example to other grooms.

Apparently "for the night" means something different to the photographer, when asked how late he'd be here. If you're gonna pack up after the first dance, just say so. Otherwise I'm be looking all over trying to find you so you can get pics of the bride's brother performing his guitar live. At least I got the video and recorded the audio straight off the mixer (to download his song, right click this link and 'save link as' or 'save target as'). I also got CD recordings of her brother and dad in a band covering "One" by U2.

Kathryn Schleisman & Jesse Bergstedt

When: Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Where: A Touch of Magic, EGF, MN
1st Dance Song: "Me and You" by Kenny Chesney
Special Song: "A Bride's Prayer" by Kathryn Schleisman

Yes, that last song above is a live recording by Katie (right click and 'save target as' to download). For her speech, she wrote and sang a song for Jesse. It was a complete suprise. My role was to rent and setup a full keyboard and mic out on the dancefloor without Jesse noticing. That was shockingly easy. The song along with all the speeches and two videos (two!) brought quite a few people to tears. One video was the picture slide show you'd expect, the other was from her dad, and was comprised of home videos as he'd let you know what was happening.

Well, something new with the garter. We did a raffle, brought up four contestants competing by fetching items in the room. When I asked them to bring back a person wearing a boutinierre, Gary, our winner, wheeled over grandma in her wheelchair. She did not see the humor in it. He did, however, win.

I'm legally required to play "Jesse's Girl" at this wedding, aren't I?

Some random compliments from the evening: "You make it so personal." and "I have never seen a DJ put so much into it." Those are two of my favorite to hear because that is exactly what I strive for.

Coolest part of the entire day was being able to play Kathryn's song as our last slow song of the night.

Samantha Bopp & Chris McEntee

When: Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Where: Grand Forks Guesthouse Townhouse
1st Dance Song: "Your Song" by Elton John

Never let it be said I won't do almost anything for my clients. Tonight I gave the blessing, dismissed tables for the buffet, and tracked down some cornstarch in the kitchen (for the dance floor, to slicken things up just a little).

Chris and Sam kept things simple, made their own programs and guest book. Some floral centerpieces alternating with candles. No decorative cake, just sheets. Their Catholic ceremony meant an early start to the reception - the dance was seven to 11. Trust me, when you're day starts at 8 am (hair and makeup), 11pm isn't early. Again, tonight, we added the wedding party half way through their first dance song to kick things off quickly.


The groom-to-be for September 5th, Mr. Josh Windsor, is in this wedding party. Their wedding will be at the same location. With the same DJ. Umm.... here's hoping to impress. I did talk to his fiance during and we made some notes (likes and dislikes) for their night.

During the dance, I got a request for the Chicken Train by Ozark Mountain Daredevils. There isn't much to the song, but everyone gets in a circle, stomps the feet or hands, and a single dancer partners with a broom in the middle, passing the broom every so often. Not sure which part is best, the dancing with an inanimate object, or the people terrified of said dancing (if you come near them, they will flip out, like you just asked them to diffuse a bomb).

Rebecca Starr & Rich McFarlane

When: Friday, August 7th, 2009
Where: EGF Touch of Magic
1st Dance Song: "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton

Rebecca and Rich are both teachers which meant tonight was an unusual combination of family, friends, and students from their respective schools. Rich teaches theater (and SPA) at Red River and the kids in attendance were pretty enthusiastic. Along for the ride were some faculty I knew when I attended, Doc Brown (the mayor, not the guy from Back to the Future), and some past clients' parents: the Wakefields (the DJ's earplugs courtesy Wakefield Hearing Center, conveniently located in Grand Forks) and Wingers (grandparents to the cutest fist-bumping baby you'd ever see).

Since the reception was at A Touch of Magic, I wasn't allowed there during the social and dinner to help (the facility places a lot of restrictions). I arrived in time to assist with the slide show and speeches, though, which led us directly into their first dance song. One problem was the video setup (provided by Touch of Magic). Turns out Magic runs your DVD player (yes, its provide your own) into a VCR (which causes the volume to be very quiet). Then the video kept going dim (either a bulb or cord on the fritz). It definetely put a damper on things.

Getting things going and keeping it that way was very big with Rich and Rebecca, so only their first dance song (with the wedding party, too) before inviting guests to join them. The only break to the dance was the bouquet toss. No garter, no dollar dance, no problem. My job was to shut up and play good music.

The most unusual item for the night was a pair of dance instructors. Friends of the couple, they came in from Minneapolis. We announced a few times they were available to help guests learn some dances. Very cool. I've always wished we had that available locally.

Katie Tallackson & Ryer Stark

When: Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Where: Minto Community Center
1st Dance Song: "Amazed" by Lonestar

The Minto Community Center, in a town of 650 people, is one of the nicest places I've ever worked. Yeah, surprised me, too. It was built and opened July 5th, 2008 and is pitch perfect. It was very easy for me to patch into their sound system - that made announcements and speeches very easy to hear in the large room filled with 400 guests. A large retractable screen graces one wall. One cord and I had video and sound ready to go for their slide show (which they had me make with a photo from their wedding day dropped in).

The poor ushers. They were feeling so left out that they grafitied the limo/bus. Then I skipped them in the introductions. Sorry, guys, but you just aren't going to be treated as well as the groomsmen.

Actually, poor Shawn. His girlfriend revealed to me (and, as a result, everyone) his secret love for the Kelly Clarkson song, "My Life Would Suck Without You." Not a good move for him. Hilarious for the rest of us.

Noah (Katie's nephew) is probably the youngest wedding guest I've ever played for, though I can't say he was really enjoying the music. A little too loud for the one month old.

Katie Pankonin & Jeremy Curran

When: Saturday, July 25, 2009
Where: Grand Forks Masonic Center
1st Dance Song: "Then" by Brad Paisley

"Robert-we can't thank you enough for a wonderful time at our wedding reception and dance. The first time we met with you we knew we would have a full dance floor! Our slide show was perfect and the night flowed so smoothly. We will recommend you to anyone! Thanks again!"

As much as I love the Masonic Center once its decorated, I will warn you that it is surrounded on all sides by, respectively: Police Department, county jail, the mission, and the back of a brick building. Once inside its beautiful, with a double grand staircase leading down to the reception area.


I was responsible for creating and playing the video slide show. Original photos came to almost 15 minutes. An extra day with me and we were almost down to ten and it flowed noticeably better.

I've never seen anyone turn "Thriller" into a line dance before, but sure, why not?

Pretty typical evening, events-wise: Dollar dance; bouquet; garter raffle. Unusual items: the party bus they hired provided a certain.... energy (see video) which I used in their entrance/introductions; the toasts were excellent; I played Ricky Martin (had to? Got to? Can't decide)




I also got to work with Brian of Brian's Photography. The man was the gold standard when I started DJ'ing in 1998 and is still great to work with. I'm DJ'ing his assistant's wedding Ocotober 2010. Shockingly, I had very few usable photos from my camera (somehow my picture taking was worse than usual) so I'll have to wait and hope to snag from photos from Brian.

Kathryn Stephan & Grant Korsmo

When: Friday, July 24, 2009
Where: Grand Forks Celebrity Ballroom
1st Dance Song: "Heaven" by Bryan Adams
Special Performance: "Folsom Prison Blues" by Grant Korsmo & Chambers

Tonight's entire attitude was a bit different because the couple was actually married months ago in Hawaii, so no ceremony today. That won't stop us from kickin' up our feet, though. That special performance above is the direct audio recording of Grant's karaoke song, and quite a crowd pleaser. Enjoy part of it in the video, click to listen, or right click and 'save link as' to download for posterity.

No dollar dance, no bouquet toss, no garter. We did a few special dances, including Kathryn with her grandfather. Some requests that were interesting: a friend, Jackie, who could not attend, actually texted her request in (yes, Jackie, we did play Bel Biv Devoe). Also in the playlist were Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden," Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis," and Boyz II Men's "MoTownPhilly."

While the catering job by Bob Kincaid and his crew from 'Quality Catering' was impressive, I'll guess the taco grinders served at midnight actually appreciated most. Sorry, Bob. Cool centerpiece, though (photo left).

Most of Kathryn's bridsemaids are from Kodiak, Alaska, where she grew up. One even brought a paper fan, explaining, "it's cold in Kodiak, it's hot here (North Dakota)." First time I ever heard North Dakota described as hot, but I guess it's all relative (Friday's temp in Kodiak: ).

Last item is pretty unusual for our area (though its common in some parts of the country). We gave away the centerpieces at the end of the night. Anyone who wanted one, could have one.

Sarah Thoreson & Jeff Krumwiede

When: Saturday, July 18, 2009
Where: Grand Forks Hilton
1st Dance Song: "Grow Old With You" by Andi Thoreson

Yes, that's a recording of their first dance song, performed live by her sister. Its the love song from the "Weddingsinger" movie with Adam Sandler. Andi did a wonderful job dispite my recording (not really what I'm setup for, but I try). Right Click and 'Save Link As' to download it.

And if Andi hadn't done that, this would have been my favorite moment: the ceremony recessional was Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us." (apparently a reference to her childhood passion for "Mannequin.") I even caught a little of Jeff's brother, Jason, singing it for us all. Enjoy that in the video clip along with me trying to fix her bustle with my safety pins.

The great news is that the only mishaps the entire day were earlier, before the ceremony. There was a chemical spill and fire at the UND Engineering department that diverted traffic, making arrival at the ceremony site difficult. Then the limo was two hours late, so never took Jeff or Sarah to the ceremony. However, when they left, there were two. The one they actually hired, and a second, from a company Jeff had called, but never booked because they were already full. Apparently not.

Photographer Katie Miller can tell you all about me running into things... and people. A hostess, a little boy, and Andi (the singer) all fell victim to my clumsiness tonight. Sorry guys.

Sarah's only request, her only input for the music at all.... please don't play the Chicken Dance. Everything else was entirely up to me, as long as guests were having fun.

Nicole Jorissen & Paul Shanenko

When: Saturday, July 11, 2009
Where: Valley City Sabir's Restaurant
1st Dance Song: "Forever" by Ben Harper

Sabir's is a great restaurant in Valley City with a heck of a view out the back. The dinner was inside, then we moved outside for the dance on a wooden deck. This meant I setup my gear outside, and my backup system setup inside to provide wireless mic and music during dinner.


The original version of their first dance song has a 60 second instrumental in the middle, so Nicole had me trim that out.

While we skipped a dollar dance and garter toss, we were supposed to toss the bouquet. However, there was no toss version. Rather than my artificial backup I always carry, I tied together the loose flowers around the cake with ribbon and ta da! (picture left)

Great news! The deck was built sturdy enough to withstand at least 75 people jumping up and down on it. I wasn't really worried, but the concern had popped into my head when I first saw everyone out on the dance floor.



I can't praise Nam Sabir and his restaurant staff enough. They did so many things that other banquet facilities ignore that added to the evening. Soft lighting, a fire pit, mosquito traps plus spraying made a very comfortable night outside. Drink service all night, including outside, meant people didn't have to wait in line at the bar.