Equinox Sound - Edmonton DJ and Edmonton Wedding DJ Blog

Alberta Wedding Bridal Show Week

2012-01-20T13:41:00.001-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Edmonton and Calgary wedding professionals from all over Alberta will be coming out to see a ton of brides-to-be at a number of Alberta wedding shows.

Equinox Sound and Entertainment will be a part of four shows in a thirty day period which means a lot of inquiries and new clients!! We love trade show season.

That said, trade shows do not come without some stress. Couples asking for discounts, comparing apples to oranges in many cases and trying to decipher the good DJ, photography and video services from the not so good ones. So how do we separate ourselves?

Equinox Sound offers:

* High quality equipment
* Professionally trained staff in DJ, photography and video
* Full time staff to help with your planning and customization
* Backup options on all events
* Licensing and Insurance for all of our staff

We hope you come visit us at any of the following shows:

* Bridal Fantasy - Edmonton Expo Centre - January 22, 2012
* Enchanted Bridal Show - Camrose Regional Exhibition - January 29, 2012
* Enchanted Bridal Show - Royal Executive Inn Leduc - Feb 5, 2012

Congratulations Carrie and Philip

2011-12-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the happy couple. It was our pleasure to work with you and here are just a few highlights of what we were able to do for you!

Come Sing a Tune or Two!!

2011-12-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

We're in the singing mood... are you?

Starting just a week ago, Equinox Sound and Entertainment has added O2's Taphouse and Grill to our weekly karaoke rotation. Both the northside 135 ave and 127st and southside 10390 151 ave will be be holding karaoke from 10pm-2am and they want you to come down!

Over 10,000 songs to choose from, great for parties and bookings and a whole lot of fun.

Call O2's lounge for details or Equinox Sound and Entertainment if you want to reserve a table.

Two New Wedding Video Samples You Have To See!!

2011-11-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

It was our pleasure to work with some great new video clients this summer and we're starting to see the end result of the footage we shot with some very happy couples getting to relive their big day! These highlight reels are so emotional and beautiful it's no wonder our video services are growing more and more popular.

Thanks to all of our Edmonton video clients. We truly loved working with you!

Darren and Pamela | October 1, 2011 from James Cadden on Vimeo.

Shawn and Catherine | September 10, 2011 from James Cadden on Vimeo.

Another Happy Couple Edmonton Video Services

2011-10-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

Daniel and Ashley | July 30, 2011 from James Cadden on Vimeo.

Bridal Conference Weekend!!

2011-09-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well it will be a busy weekend for us here at Equinox Sound and Entertainment. Outside of the fact that we have a full load of wedding events to service as DJ's, photographers and videographers, we'll be working with the special guest of honor at this years Bridal Conference.

Jane Dayus-Hinch will be this years guest and as a wedding planner for over 25 years, she has plenty of knowledge to pass along. We'll be at the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert with Jane on Saturday and then following that up with two booths at the show on Sunday.

We encourage all couples to do a few things before the show...

1) Come and visit us at our office prior to Sunday if you're looking at our services. Waiting until the show comes and goes really means you run the risk of us not being available

2) Come see our booth at the show. We'll have our DJ, photography and video services on display and we'd love to tell you more about us!

3) Watch for a new company and product we're launching at the show. It's going to change the face of how we plan weddings in the future. This is something you don't want to miss out on if you're planning a wedding -- it's completely free!

July 23, 2011 Andrew and Cindy Video Highlights

2011-09-04T18:20:00.001-07:00

Andrew and Cindy | July 23, 2011 from James Cadden on Vimeo.

Thanks to Andrew and Cindy. Great people to work with! Equinox Sound and Entertainment was pleased to shoot your big day!

How to Understand The Crowd You've Invited to Your Own Wedding

2011-09-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's not all the time that in assisting with the planning stages of a clients wedding, that we are supplied with more than just a few simple requests of what to play and not to play based on the tastes of the wedding couple. That's pretty standard stuff.

Every once and a while, we send out our two page reception itinerary form and when it's turned back in by a couple, two pages became four or five pages rather quickly. Two pages of the information we asked for and the rest all songs that the couple would like played.

At Equinox Sound, we're all about making the reception, the dance and the entertainment about our couples. But, we urge all wedding couples -- even our own -- that going overboard with requests can have an adverse affect on your goal, which is to ensure a fun evening of dancing!

In many cases we understand that a couple is only trying to help that DJ company out. They want to make sure to share their music preferences so their DJ has a good read on what they like. That's a great gesture and DJ's do appreciate it.

Where it becomes tricky, is if it's not clearly explained to that DJ if the list should be followed to the letter or if these songs (many of which can be inappropriate for a wedding), are just suggestions ultimately left to the DJ to decide on.

Couples need to keep in mind the variations in any wedding crowd. You'll have friends your age, grandparents, sometimes kids and everything in between. Two pages of the newest Top 40 might not appease that range and if you've hired a DJ worth any of the money you've paid, they'll know this. It becomes important to give the DJ a chance to work your room with the music that will get everyone involved.

Special Thanks to Candace and Dustin

2011-06-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

It was our pleasure to work with Candace and Dustin on their big day. Our photographers, DJs and video guys all had a blast!!

Thanks again!

Thank You to Leslie and Bill From Equinox Sound - Edmonton's Wedding DJ

2011-04-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Equinox Sound was happy to perform both ceremony services and rock the reception with Leslie and Bill this past Saturday. The happy couple had this to say...

"The wedding was absolutely amazing and your DJ's did a fantastic job, was so much fun and really funny too. Thank you so much for everything."

Cheers,

Leslie"

It's that kind of feedback that we strive for every event.

We also had the honour to work with Renee from Getwed who was organized, helpful and right on cue in assist Leslie and Bill with their wedding plans. We look forward to working with getwed in the future.

Congratulations to Leslie and Bill!

#1 Thing a Bride Is Looking for in a DJ Company?

2011-03-10T00:02:00.000-08:00

Join our new Facebook fan page to find the answer. The simplicity of it will blow you away!

Plus keep up with us as we add great pictures, videos and profile updates on our events, our staff and so much more.

It is our goal to show you we are more than a company, we're a group of caring people who want to make your day the most special it can be.

Referrals You Have to Read to Believe...

2011-03-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the employees at David Aplin Recruiting I just want to take this opportunity to thank Kris very much for an epic celebration! He deserves a lot of credit for pumping up our awards gala – everyone is still raving! He was very professional and yet friendly and relaxed at the same time. He kept everything flowing the whole night, played the perfect mix of music during our dance, honoured requests, and made sure everyone had a great time. We would recommend him to anyone!

Thanks again! -- Sarah T.

That was truly awesome! We’ve never had a photographer on hand to print out the pictures of our staff right there and then before and it was a huge hit. The DJ was great, the music was fun and people were all over you guys telling you what a great job you all did. I’m not at all surprised that when our staff had finished with your photographers the company across the hall started hiring you on the spot to do the same for them. You guys have a really great thing going over there. Good job.

-- A staff member of Hadjuk and Gibbs

I just needed to call you to tell you I’ve found the DJ you need to hire. I’m sitting right here in front of him and you should see his shop. It’s a really nice place, very professional, he’s easy to talk to and he’s the guy! I’ve talked to a lot of other DJ’s and this is your guy. I’m worried he won’t be available if we wait so I had to call you right now. Should I put a deposit down to get him? He’s a bit more than you’re budget, but we have room from other places and if you’re going to spend the extra money somewhere it should be on this DJ. I just know he’ll make the reception a blast.

-- A conversation by a wedding planner on the phone while in our office

We talked to two other reputable DJ companies before you guys and by far we feel the most comfortable here. One company (who claims to be the largest in Western Canada) we almost booked with and then they changed the prices on us last minute citing some kind of “oops, we didn’t realize the date you were asking about, so now it’s this much” and the other company didn’t even have someone in their own office when we showed up for our scheduled appointment. We’re spending more here than the first company offered, but we’re happy to knowing you’ve taken good care of us already and met with us twice before we even decided to book you.

-- Nathan Forbes

Another Satisfied Client!

2011-03-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

It's never a great time when someone passes away. But when it does happen, you want a company that understands what you're going through, how they can help and that providing the type of services we can is the last thing you want to think about during a funeral.

We had a client of ours whom last year we conducted a wedding for, find themselves in that position lately. Here is what they said...

"For the staff at Equinox Sound,

I just wanted to thank-you for all of your help to make my grandfather's funeral a success. The slideshow turned out great - and it was so nice to have Brian there to set everything up, take it down, and relieve some of our stress.

The DJ and photography at our wedding last year was amazing - and we really appreciate your willingness to help us these past few days with such last minute notice.

I have been recommending your business to all of my friends!

Thanks again,

Ashley"

Bridal Fantasy Countdown Is On...

2011-01-21T23:35:00.000-08:00

Less than 48 hours to the craze known as Bridal Fantasy and Edmonton's leaders in DJ, photography and video packaging couldn't be more excited.

Here's what you can expect from our booth at the show...

Size Does Matter

We'll be twice as big as some of the others. Equinox Sound and Entertainment wants to ensure we get the chance to talk to you. To do so, we've booked two booths at the show and have a few activities going on. They'll be plenty of space to chat with us, lots of information and a few videos of what we can do to better serve our possible future clients.

What Makes Us Unique

Equinox Sound is Edmonton's only DJ, photography and video provider all rolled into one and each of our services will be on full display. Take a look at just one or ask about all three, but you'll get to see our video equipment and meet our videographers, you'll get to see samples from the extremely talented photographers we work with and you'll get to see why Equinox Sound is one of Edmonton's busiest and fastest growing DJ services.

It's not just about hiring a DJ anymore, it's about your event being special. Outside of some the most reliable, professional and quality talent; our company offers unique games, activities and options others don't or can't. Come by the booth and play a game of Trivia Feud? Perhaps a little Trivia Fortune? If you're not sure what we're talking about, our booth will explain everything.

Who Are We Friends With?

It's not just about what we do in this business that counts. It's about who we work with and who trusts us to be their reference for a great DJ service. There will be at least a handful of other booths at the show who are directly linked and related to what we do. From Flashworks Photobooth, to Bride-on-a-Budget to Greenwood Inn and Suites and more, all who use us on a regular basis. Even when you're not at our booth, you'll see our names around the entire show floor.

Great Prices

This is a spectacular time to get some terrific discounts on our traditional rates. Are we giving away the farm? No. But we are providing significant savings on our already competitive prices.

You want great service at a price you can afford. You can get a DJ, photographer and video service from us for less than some of the photography pricing at other booths by themselves!! It sound crazy but it's true. Last year we saved some clients over $2000 each!

We're excited to see you at the show on Sunday. Get there early, it should be a lot of fun.

Calgary Wedding DJ's 25% OFF

2011-01-14T00:04:00.001-08:00

Two days until Calgary Bridal Fantasy and Equinox Sound is planning to make a splash. With up to 25% off on a handful of our packages, there has never been a better time to talk to our staff in Calgary who are ready to serve brides and grooms this summer.

Equinox Sound is one of Edmonton's busiest DJ companies. Nothing wrong with that and we're happy to be that way. However being so busy took us some time to plant our roots in Calgary and now that we have, we want clients. Best way we know to do it is by grabbing their attention! A great way to do that is to save them money!!

With up to 25% savings, clients through Bridal Fantasy can save as much as $375 on some of our high end packages and still get a great DJ. We encourage you to come by and see us!

Edmonton's wedding DJ isn't just Edmonton's DJ anymore. Calgary look out, this is only going to mean good things for brides and grooms in your area.

See you Sunday at Bridal Fantasy!

Getting Ready for Wedding Tradeshow Season

2011-01-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

They're merely weeks away. If you're planning your wedding this summer or next, you've likely contemplated attending one of the many wedding tradeshows coming to your city.

If you're one of the many planning to attend the show, here are a few secrets you should know and may not have thought about:

1) Arrive early. Lines can be quite long about an hour after the shows start so if you want to avoid waiting, be there a bit before the show is to start, find a good parking spot and get first crack at the vendors.

** Secret: By getting in as the first people arrive, you'll get to see who of the wedding vendors with booths at the show are ready to go with a smile on their face for the first guests. If the booth isn't ready or the vendors themselves seem unprepared, that can be a real tell for the manner in which they approach everything, including your big day! Your wedding is one of those times that being on time is considered being late. You want someone ready to go long before they are required to.

2) Fill out forms and contest draws only for businesses you want to talk to or services you don't yet have. Unfortunately, many of the booths promote a contest where you can win a grande prize, but the purpose of these draws is not to be nice. It's to get your contact information. If you don't want to be called, follow up with and called some more, don't fill out the information. It may mean you can't win the prize, but if you're like many who hate telemarketing, it's worth it.

3) If you don't intend to watch the fashion show, go to the show at that time with the purpose to speak to the vendors. While everyone else is watching the models, you'll have the undivided attention of the vendors during a time they can actually spend with you. Bridal shows are known for being fast paced and crowded. This is one of the only times it won't feel that way.

4) If you have a specific wedding company you're specifically going to see at the show, call them prior and ask what deals they intend to offer at their booth. Most booths will offer a discount and unless they're crazy, they'll offer it to you just prior to the show. In fact, they'd rather do that than try to sign you up at the show where they likely aren't planning to sign people up. For a majority of the vendors, these shows are far too crowded in a lot of cases to sit down with someone and go through all the paperwork. Take advantage by visiting the business a day or two before the show and get the same deal without the crowds.

5) GO TALK TO EQUINOX SOUND!! For the best in Edmonton and Calgary disc jockey, photography and video, you can get a lot done in one place. Working with great vendors and each one offering discounts the more you book, you'll be pleased you did.

New Record in 2010 and 2011 To Be Even Better...

2010-12-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc. has been known for years as a DJ company. Unfortunately for some in the Edmonton area, we were known more as a "guy or two" who "did a few weddings here or there". In 2010, we drastically changed that perception in Edmonton.

Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc. successfully made a number of changes and became one of Edmonton's leading disc jockey services. While we did, we also took strides in offering photography and video services, moved offices into the city, renovated and designed a new 3400 sq ft showroom and meeting place, expanded our DJ services into Calgary, brought in and trained over a dozen new employees and all the while, increased the number of events we did by over 21%, while receiving an increased positive feedback response from our clientelle.

Not bad for "one or two guys" if I do say so myself.

Now with over 20 employees in province of Alberta and with just a week to catch our breath before a new year, we hardly have time to waste as in 2011 we expect to grow by another 25%. We look forward to adding new wedding, corporate and networking clients, we look forward to even more positive feedback and we look forward to exploring more ways to be innovative and entertaining as we do. We've got our eyes on being Alberta's leading entertainment and wedding company and we don't plan to stop until we get there.

We want to send a special thank you and Merry Christmas to all of our 2010 clients. Without you we'd not have been able to grow and flourish in ways we hadn't dreamed years back as a one DJ operation. Many of the changes we've made serve as a thank you to you. We can now better service repeat client and friends or family from our past clients. It is our goal to not only look after them, but make you a superstar for referring them to us. We owe you that much.

We invite you all to come check out our new showroom and office at 4913-99st in Edmonton. Make an appointment to have one of our staff walk you around, show you our DJ set-ups, take pictures in our new photography studio or just sit down and have a coffee while we talk a bit about how we can help you or someone you know.

2011 will be a busy year. We're quickly approaching wedding tradeshow season and we'd love to chat with you. Give us a call -- we're the right choice for your wedding entertainment needs.

Equinox Sound Is Making Waves as a Calgary DJ Option

2010-11-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc. has been in the Calgary area before. Primarily we've been servicing the Edmonton and surrounding areas as a DJ company for the past decade, working events here and there in Calgary as time permitted.

Edmonton's leading DJ company is no longer interested in just being a small piece of the Calgary pie. Equinox Sound is looking to make a splash and as such we've moved one of our top DJ's -- DJ Kris -- out to the Calgary area on a permanent basis to establish a foothold for us as a company.

Take Advantage of Some Limited Time Pricing!!

This is the perfect time if you're planning your wedding in Calgary to give Kris a call. Because we're known in Edmonton, but not as well known in Calgary, for a limited time, we'll be offering our already competitive Edmonton pricing at a reduced rate to bring Calgary residents a great DJ at a great price.

DJ Kris comes with over 10 years experience working in the wedding industry. He's been with Equinox Sound more than half that time and has been one of our most popular options. Our clients will be sad to see him leave Edmonton, but Calgary wedding couples get to take advantage.

Don't hesitate to give Kris a call at 403-336-9041 or email him for more information at kris@equinoxsound.com.

You can always check us out online at www.equinoxsound.com

Calgary -- you are in for a rockin' good time!

Edmonton DJ Set to Announce Deal with Flashworks Photo Booth

2010-10-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Equinox Sound is making waves. There is some buzz around the city that big things are happening within the company and it's true.

Equinox Sound is undergoing some major expanision, moved offices to 4913 - 99st in Edmonton, adding a full service photography studio and adding a great new staff.

Part of that expansion is in the re-evaluation of contracts with vendors, our working relationships with others in the industry and ensuring we are continuing to work with the best of the best.

A new wave of popular options are now available for a number of companies and portable Edmonton photobooths are one of those options. Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc. has taken some time to meet with one of the more popular photobooth services in Flashworks Photobooth and is set to announce an exclusive agreement to be their DJ provider in the event that their clients can use an Edmonton DJ service.

If you need a photobooth and are looking to add it to any one of our Edmonton wedding DJ, photography or video packages, Equinox Sound will have a number of options available.

We look forward to working with Flashworks Photobooth and are positive this is just the first step in a very successful relationship.

The Alternative To Drawing Names...

2010-10-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

As an Edmonton mobile DJ company, we're hired to do our thing at over 40-50 corporate holiday parties every year. And, every year we see a number of companies give away door prizes in the same fashion. Either they draw names and a good chunk of the staff wait around until they are lucky enough to get a prize or they give out awards for contributions within the workplace over the past year.

The second option makes a lot of sense. Employees should be rewarded for hard work and for the results they produce. If you didn't believe that, you likely wouldn't be considering having a corporate holiday function in the first place.

The first option however - this waiting around for your name to be called - is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

First, your entire staff knows that this is how it works. If you're giving away anything of real value, they'll wait to see if they win and then a good majority of them will realize there isn't much left to stick around for and leave before the DJ you've hired even has a chance to do his thing. Second, the entire process takes a good hour or more and that's a lot of downtime for those not involved or spouses who may not be eligible to win a prize.

At Equinox Sound and Entertainment, we've come up with some different options. Your next Edmonton corporate party can be remembered as a lot of fun and chances are next year, more staff will actually choose to attend.

1) Let's Make A Deal -- we've all seen the Monty Hall game show. A couple of curtains and a few gag prizes make giving away even the smallest item more interactive. Those are not choosing a curtain at the time are encouraged to help those who are make a decision. Perhaps you can add a couple of boxes and let as many as four employees pick a number at the same time, thus speeding up the process and keeping everyone involved.

2) Name That Tune - it's crazy music trivia that can be customized any way you see fit. If you have a number of smaller prizes to give away as a business, we can incorporate giving those prizes away during the game and whomever is left at the end without having won something can pick from the remaining draws throughout the night and immediately following the dance to shorten it up and keep employees partying.

3) Minute to Win it - one of the more recent and popular interactive game shows, this game can be taken anywhere and there a number of challenges employees can take part in as indivduals or a group. Make getting the better prizes something you earn by participating and you can bet money people will get involved.

4) An interactive Edmonton DJ - doesn't sound like a big difference, but if you hire a DJ who can get your guests involved, give out prizes and incorporate that into what he/she is already doing, it works fantastically. Your DJ can do a Michael Jackson contest, line dancing, a snowball or spot dances, singing and dancing contests and a whole lot more and without even thinking about it, a vast array of your smaller prizes have been given out without having to stop the night at any point to draw names. If you have some bigger prizes, your DJ should be more than able to make those draws without killing the flow of the dance.

These are just a few ideas to help you come up with a way to reward your employees but not bore them to death with the same draw they've seen time and time again. If you want or need more ideas, give us a call or visit us online.

Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc.
780-435-3686
www.equinoxsound.com

Edmonton's DJ Company Equinox Sound Goes Bridal Conference Crazy

2010-09-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Equinox Sound was again front and center in terms of Edmonton DJ, Edmonton photography and Edmonton video for hundreds of couples at this years Bridal Conference tradeshow at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

Proudly displaying some samples of our video and photo work as well as a full set-up of wedding DJ equipment, both Jason (one of Equinox Sound's Edmonton DJ's) and Jim Parsons (owner and President of Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc.) got the chance to speak with a number of brides and grooms showing off what Equinox Sound has to offer.

A special thank you goes out to all that stopped by the booth and we hope our promotional material was informative and helpful. We want to encourage -- and did let everyone at the show know about our new office -- that couples come on over to our brand new office/showroom at 4193 - 99st. We have a variety of systems set-up on display, a pile of additional testimonials and helpful staff who can get you the information you need to make an informed decision about the right DJ, photography or video services for your wedding.

As you know by attending the show, there are a lot of options available to you. One of the bonuses in Equinox Sound is the ability to locate a quality DJ, photography and video option using not but the highest in professional integrity and quality at prices that make your day more affordable than ever before.

Edmonton's Top DJ Company is Officially Moving to Edmonton

2010-08-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

For over a decade Equinox Sound and Entertainment has been a go-to company for DJ needs across Edmonton. Over the past couple of years, the company has added photography and video services to it's list of services. Also, until recently, this "Edmonton DJ" company was located in Sherwood Park.

All that is about to change as owner and President of Equinox Sound and Entertainment Inc. Jim Parsons, is packing up his crew and heading into the city. With the growing demand for their brand of DJ, photography and video services, the sheer number of events the staff are called to in any given weekend and to make it much more feasible for new and current clients to meet with the office, Equinox Sound is making the move.

It took some time, but the company has worked hard to get to the final stages of opening a 2400 sq ft showroom, photography studio, office and bay on 49ave and 99st (just off the Whitemud). New and current DJ clients, folks who want a exciting shots from the new Cormack Photography studio headquarters and any of the thousands who pass that location on each given day can now easily find, consult and discuss their wedding, professional and entertainment needs with the staff.

Equinox Sound plans to start things with a bang and will be offering exciting promotions and discounts for those who will see us at the Bridal Conference show on Sept 19th of this year, anyone newly engaged couples making wedding plans and the many corporate clients planning holiday functions.

Equinox Sound is hoping this move will help the company take the next step and they want to see you there!

Planning the Last Few Steps of Your Edmonton Wedding

2010-08-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

As I write this (August 11, 2010) Equinox Sound will do 14 weddings this weekend and is in the process of putting the final touches on each one. From last minute song changes to clients who wanted to add a slideshow, to a panic call from a potential client looking to catch the big day on video; we're seeing everything.

Here at Equinox Sound, we're used to it, so we handle each Edmonton wedding in stride. For brides and grooms, the last minute processing isn't always so easy. It's often what turns what should be a joyous event into the "bridezilla" nightmare we've come to associate many wedding with.

How does one avoid all of this? We'll give you a few helpful tips:

Make pre-arrangements for balances owing...

You need to pay all of your wedding vendors. In our case, our Edmonton DJ's, Edmonton photographers or Edmonton videographers will be accepting payments at different times as each service has a different end date. That may not be the case will all vendors as your cake, caterer, hall rental, marriage commissioner, entertainment, ... will need to be delivered their final payments on or before the event.

Designate a person you trust (or for some their wedding planner) to have final payments ready to go. Having them ready and able to deliver envelopes with already written cheques makes your life as a happy couple much happier.

Go Over the Small Stuff One More Time At Least a Week in Advance

When I say small stuff, I don't mean things that don't matter. I'm referring more to items that are easily overlooked or considered finer details.

In our case as an Edmonton disc jockey service, it's your first dances and request list for the DJ you've chosen. Going over your list and what was sent to the DJ one more time ensures that your DJ will have the first dances and important songs you want to dance to. If you decide to change something, that still gives the DJ company time to make an alteration.

Perhaps you wanted to do a slideshow? You've taken the time to create it, edit it, put music to it and scan everything. Yet, you forgot how you planned to show it at the reception and as such obviously didn't rent a projector or screen.

Having gone over this a week early means you aren't running around trying to rent or obtain something that could easily be sold out or booked on a busy weekend. Even if you can get one, last minute bookings are always more pricy. Being prepared can save you money.

Meals and Beverages

Who are you feeding? Where are you sitting them? Obviously if you made a seating chart you considered your guests and family. As you should.

Are you feeding any vendors? Is the photography company you hired mandating a meal as part of the contract as some photographers are known to do? Does the DJ who'll be working for 12 hours deserve a meal? Where would you like to sit them?

This is an area that gets overlooked often and you don't want them pulling up a chair or brown-bagging a lunch to your classy wedding. Make sure you place or communicate with anyone at the event your intentions on the food. This is something you can do last minute as where you sit a vendor matters least over where you sit your guests.

This process of making final arrangements on the food extends to the alcohol. How will you be serving alcohol? Obviously one would hope your wedding vendors aren't dipping into the drinks, however many of your guests don't realize that unopened alchol can be returned, so they dip in withouth thinking about it first. Did you?

Making an arrangement to not waste bottles and drinks by limiting how each person opens a new bottle when they want a drink will save you hundreds of dollars. It sounds silly, but think about it this way. If you required each guest to go to the bar when they want wine instead of placing bottles on the table where there is 8 guests but only 2 wine drinkers (who likely won't finish the bottle), you'll have dozens of bottles left. That refund you get could be the cost of your DJ for the night.

What are you going to do with 11 bottles of partly used wine? Will you really take the time to put them all in one or two bottles? Does the idea of it take the elegance right out of your wedding? It would be much easier just to tell your guests to head to the bar and that the bartender would be happy to poor them a drink.

There are many more examples of last minute planning. These are just a few. Have any suggestions or tips you'd like to add?

The Perfect Example of Never Being Too Careful When Hiring Your DJ

2010-06-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

First, let me start this article by saying I post this story with sadness in my heart. I left a phone conversation and series of emails with a potential client knowing that their wedding is weeks away from being less than the dream they had hoped for.

As Edmonton DJ's, we receive a lot of calls for summer wedding events. Many of them last minute. Just a day ago, we received a request for an estimate on a wedding event that was two weeks away. Our first assumption of course was that something had happened with the DJ that was asked to perform at the wedding and we were right.

They had asked a friend to DJ and that friend found "something better to do" and bailed. We didn't get details, and frankly we knew it was a sour subject so we didn't ask for much detail, but even though we could guess it was money related, we did feel bad because we see this more often than we wish to admit.

Upon getting a few more specifics about the event itself and what the clients were trying to find with little to no time, we realized the reason they had asked the friend in the first place was because they set their priority to have a good DJ way down the totem pole, spent all of their budget in other areas, and literally had no money left to solve the issue.

Long story short, they were up a creek without a paddle.

Knowing many of the other DJ companies these clients might call would see a couple in trouble and an easy pay day, thus jacking up their prices; we offered our services not only to help, but at a reasonable discount. We found one of our DJ's who was willing to assist for less than his regular fee and we as a company were going to take little to no profit, just so these folks could have a professional company look after things the proper way.

Our thought besides just being good people? Hopefully they'd remember how we helped and tell their friends about it. Good word of mouth travels fast...

Sadly, when we called back we were told we hadn't lowered our rates enough and that they had literally less than $200 to spend and were going to hold out until they'd found a DJ who could fill that request.

After my initial shock that a couple would be so blah about something that was mere days away, as politely as I could, I asked "what happens if you find no one willing to do it, or if the only people you find are as shady as the DJ you first decided on?" They replied that they had little to no choice since they simply couldn't afford it.

Knowing that this couple wouldn't even be able to rent an adequate sound system with no DJ for $200, I politely asked if they had tried to contact a relative to borrow an extra couple hundred to get a good DJ. Maybe make cutbacks in other areas just to ensure they had music at their reception? They said that they just didn't feel comfortable doing so.

We left that conversation knowing we couldn't help them and that their only resort was to possibly make the same mistake again by trusting a non-professional with the entertainment and fun of over 100 guests at a wedding where everything else took time and effort to organize.

Now, I'm not writing this because we missed an opporuntity to add a new client. Of course, that always makes me sad, but I write this to clients planning their event. Let this be a lesson.

You don't have to go crazy. While we contend it's important, you don't even half to make a DJ your top priority. But, for heaven's sake, hire a professional!

We can't explain how often we receive calls from clients who asked their cousin for this or a friend for that. They trusted those cousins or friends (most of whom have no experience as DJ's, just lots of music) with the entire entertainment of their event and those favors fell through. it happens all the time.

Don't let this picture be your wedding. You spend so much time and money on everything else, do you really want to ruin it with a DJ who looks like that?

A professional DJ company has back-ups, contracts, written agreements and more to ensure this doesn't happen to you. All we ask, is that you do your part and contact professionals. There are plenty to choose from and you always get a competitive price without blowing your entire budget on music.

The Key To A Good Wedding Slide Show

2010-05-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

It's not everyone's speed, but let me tell you, when we do them at Edmonton weddings; guests, couples and even banquet staff stop and watch and share an incredibly important moment with the bride and groom.

So whey then, is it not the favorite thing of many couples to have a slideshow at their wedding? Sometimes the words cheesy or boring come to some couples minds when we ask if they'll be doing or would like us to help with a slideshow.

Our only assumption, is that somewhere along the line, these couples have seen a poorly made slideshow and it's ruined their experience of them. So much so, they've sworn off wanting one at their own wedding. We find that unfortunate, because when done right, a wedding slideshow can be something a couple can cherish throughout the rest of their marriage.

With some experience at making these, here are a few tips to doing it properly. These are tips we've been employing as Edmonton DJs for over a decade:

1) Be aware of how short or how long a slideshow is. Unless you or the person creating your slideshow incorporates video or other elements besides straight photographs, anything over about 10 minutes has a tendency to feel long and drawn out.

2) Pick the right music. Something upbeat and fun that your guests will recognize captures their interest more than just plain old background music. You may think that you just need to "add music", but there is so much more to it than that. Songs should represent the pictures in the show, the couples the pictures are focused on and their personalities. If the creator of your slideshow isn't taking those elements into account, they're not doing a good enough job for you.

3) Add something that gets your guests to watch along. It can be simple text with your names and dates. It can be small captions or descriptions of certain pictures. Whatever you choose, it should get people to understand what they are seeing.

*** Important note... do not add so much text that it becomes hard to see and read. These aren't books. You don't want people squinting trying to read the articles you write on each slide.

4) Create your slideshow in a universal format. There is nothing worse than taking the time required to put together a slideshow, but realize you made it in a format that your DJ, video crew or photographer can't use. Powerpoint is a great example. Often it's the one software platform the average person has some familiarity with, but it's the one software platform that has more transfer issues than any other format. Sure, almost everyone has Powerpoint, but what year? I may have 2007, you may have 2004, your friend may have 2009...

5) Don't try to undertake creating a slideshow if you lack patience, time and the knowledge to make one. I've seen it time and time again that people want a slideshow, think it's as easy as scanning a few photos and off you go. It's not, so don't waste your time. A proper slideshow is scanned and each picture cleaned and formatted to its clearest image. A proper slideshow has the photos in an order that makes sense to the couple and their guests, telling a story along the way. And a proper slideshow is entertaining.

Equinox Sound has been making and creating slideshows for over a decade and we'd love to make one for your wedding. When it's done properly, you'll be so glad you had one.