Erin Lowder & Derek Hoffert

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Jackie Baird & Chad Osowski

When: Friday, November26th, 2010

Where: Community Center, Minto, ND
1st Dance Song: "Better Together" by Jack Johnson

They really decked out the community center. Chair covers, a raised head table with lit backdrop and candlelight. Decorations courtesy Darcy Van Hoff. All three together make a great impression when you walk into such a large room. The raised head table, in particular, is almost necessary if you want to be seen at all.


Since the dance didn't start until after 9pm, we did the dollar dance, bouquet toss, and a garter raffle all in a row, just after 10. The garter raffle got us eight winners, who then competed in a sort of scavenger hunt to determine a winner. Very cutthroat business. When I asked for a picture of the bride and groom, one guy, instead of getting a camera, grapped the four foot tall picture collage display at the greeting table. Well, OK then.

Two different couples I worked for a few years back are here, and both are expecting babies first half of next year. Congratulations, but please don't name him Hershey.

Chad picked their first dance song, and it was held back as a surprise for Jackie. She didn't find out until they walked out onto the floor, which they did during the last 30 seconds of their video slide show. It setup the first part of their first dance with pictures of themselves as the backdrop. I thought it worked very well.

That hat Chad is wearing was a gift earlier in the day. His captain's hat for his fishing boat.

Awesome older song I'll never get to play again but that worked great here: "We Built This City" by Starship I also got to play Nelly's "Country Grammar." Despite how much it played when it came out, I don't think I've heard it or had it requested for at least five years.

See more at Grand Forks Wedding DJ.