I guess that’s true… While I have posted on Facebook and have tweeted occasionally about the charity events I’ve been involved in, I haven’t really drawn attention to it. Part of that is just not wanted to make a big deal about it, but it was suggested that “not making a big deal about it” was actually causing others to miss out on the inspiration that comes with making a difference in your neighborhood. I’m involved a lot, and I highly encourage you to do the same.

Just in the first part of 2012, Matt’s Entertainment has been an integral part in raising funds for Habitat for Humanity in Albany and for Sundborn Children’s House, which is a Montessori School in the same town. For the latter, we not only gifted our services as DJ/MC and entertainment planner, but also over $1200 worth of radio advertising from KGAL/KSHO radio. This coming weekend we’ll be donating our time to Great Strides in Corvallis (the walk benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and then in June we’ll give our time to Linn-Benton Furniture Share for their inaugural Wine & Brewfest (Albany Grapes & Grains on 6/8) and for the Albany Relay For Life as their DJ/MC for the 18 hour event on 6/22-23. We worked for several of these groups in 2011, as well, and were able to help other fantastic organizations such as Liberty House in Salem (which helps abused/neglected children)

There will be more giving to come during 2012, and we encourage you to do the same in your community! It’s an honor to be a part of such great things!!!

Last weekend was Denver & Shay’s wedding… a truly fabulous celebration at Langdon Farms Golf Club near Aurora, OR. The staff at the venue were terrific (gold stars for Mark (GM), Alison (catering & sales), Katie (assistant), and Jason (banquet captain) in particular… Additionally, our photographer (Denyce Weiler – Something Blue Photography) and videographer (Ryan Chaney – Focal Point Digital Media) were superb in creating a real team approach. Can’t say enough positive about the TEAM!

One of the extraordinarily cool things we were able to create was a wedding ceremony that just looked (and sounded) stunning in it’s simplicity. I’m including pictures for the first time in the blog in an effort to show you the end result. The look is completed by the lack of a single power cord across the grass, no safety orange or bright yellow lines across the grass (can’t tape cords to grass, of course)… it’s all battery-powered!!! The threat of rain required the white canopy, but even that was a perfect accompaniment to the white chairs. So if you’re planning a wedding ceremony (or even a cocktail hour) in an area with no power and the thought of a generator makes you manic, consider giving Matt’s Entertainment a call at 541.497.6020!!!

Here is David’s comment:

“4 hours is the show, set ip time and breakdown time isnt in the 4 hours. After 4 hours extra pay needs to come in but the 4 hours comes from the event centers. you obviously are new(2-3 years expe).”

Thank you for the comment, David. Forgive me for 1) not approving your comment sooner and 2) not being clearer in my writing. Hopefully this will help:

This is about PREPARATION TIME, not performance time. By preparation time I do not mean SET UP TIME or breakdown time. I’m speaking to the time you spend consulting with your client about their wedding day… specifically the time you spend asking questions, the time you spend listening, and the time you spend sharing with your clients how theirs can be a fabulously successful celebration.

Most DJs don’t spend much, if any, time consulting. Once the sales pitch is over and the client has signed the contract, the DJ hands the client the planning forms (or sends them to the link on the website) and then leaves the client to plan their own wedding and reception (not something most brides and grooms have a lot of experience with, I should add).

NEXT STOP:  the wedding day. The night before the wedding (or perhaps the morning of), the DJ prints out the forms, loads all the special songs into their laptop or CD case, makes sure all the requested equipment is in the van, and drives to the wedding venue. Total preparation time? Probably under an hour.

In my ten years in this profession, the average length of my wedding receptions has been around four hours. What I have learned during those ten years is that my ability to create a unique, personalized, memorable, and FUN celebration has very little to do with how long I’m on-site on the wedding day. The only way I know how to create this kind of entertainment is to PREPARE. Hours of preparation time including consultation time (described above), education (learning new ideas & skills), creation, and practice are required in order to have the type of celebration that leaves the guests surprised and delighted… that has them be participants instead of spectators… that has them be connected with the bride and groom so well that they actually feel closer to them and their families when the event is over.

The kind of wedding where you leave saying “that was the most fun I’ve ever had at a wedding”.

You don’t create that by showing up for four hours to play music & make announcements. You create that when you dedicate yourself to making your clients’ wedding day better than they imagined was possible. You create that when your expectation is that the wedding reception probably takes at least forty hours of your time, not just four.

Again, thank you for your comment, David. If you were unclear about my message than I’m sure many others were, as well. I appreciate your bringing it to my attention.

Cheers!

Matt

What came about following last night’s wonderful wedding celebration was this: Wedding guests love (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!) weddings that are personal. Personal stories and emotion are what make the guests laugh, cry, be interested and entertained… AND what make them stay and celebrate with you. These stories create connection. These stories help the myriad of strangers who come together for your wedding feel as they know each other. Because they do, really. Every wedding guest has something in common… you and your spouse! So let’s focus on that.

Who tells the “stories”? Your wedding officiant, for one. This is the person who has everyone’s attention during the MOST emotional time of your wedding day. A disconnected justice-of-the-peace who you met three weeks before the wedding won’t have nearly the same ability to connect that your family pastor, a dear friend, or someone who’s really taken time to “get you” WILL.

But during the reception, the stories may be much more subtle and are the responsibility of your DJ/MC to facilitate. Whether it’s sharing stories directly with your wedding guests, or ensuring that the toasts are clearly heard by all your guests… so the emotional words of your bridesmaids, groomsmen, and family members can move and touch all of your guests… the DJ/MC has tremendous power when it comes to connecting your guests.

Not all DJs are qualified to do this. A DJ who shows up on your wedding day with a few planning forms but otherwise has no clue who you are… is NOT qualified to be your personal MC. They’ll make announcements, but will be incapable of creating chemistry with your wedding guests. These are the wedding DJs who frequently think the names of the guests of honor are “the bride and groom” or “the happy couple”. Typically these DJs rely on a wedding “schtick” for entertainment. Typically these DJs are referred to as “cheesy”. They do not connect.

So if you truly desire to have a wedding that is personalized and brings your wedding guests together (and may even heal some family strife)… you should seriously consider officiants and DJ/MCs that will take the time to “get” who you are… and will share that with your wedding guests. And those connected wedding guests are much more likely to show their appreciation by staying and celebrating with you well into the night!!!

Your wedding is the result of months, or even years of planning. From a money, time, and emotion standpoint, your investment is huge.

So why would you need your wedding DJ (the guy or gal with all those amps & speakers… who will be louder than ANY wedding guest… who will be your official spokesperson/master-of-ceremonies) for only four hours? Why? Because we, the members of the wedding DJ industry, have set the bar so darn low.

How low? It’s so low that most wedding DJs actually give you a lot less than four hours at your reception. Think about the weddings you’ve attended as a guest. What do you remember when you think about the DJ? Whether a “good” wedding reception or a “bad” one, the answer is probably “the dancing”. In a typical four hour wedding reception, the open dancing is, what, maybe the last hour? 90 minutes? So what happens during the other two and a half to three hours? Generally, a lot of sitting around, and a lot of going through the motions. And a lot of missed opportunities!

You may not immediately recognize the missed opportunities unless you’ve been to a wedding where they weren’t missed. Here are some examples of wedding entertainers who “missed”… The wedding DJ who literally seems to think the bride’s name is “the bride“. The wedding DJ whose background music is as inspired as a collection of Kenny G’s Greatest Hits. The wedding DJ whose on-microphone vernacular is punctuated with “whoo-hoos” & “all-rights” and lacks any sincerity or real connection to the bride, the groom, and the guests in the room.

Something is usually missing when your wedding DJ is only charging you for performance time. He or she does not understand that what makes a performance memorable is rehearsal time. Time spent by the DJ consulting, planning, in preparation, and in practice is what is going to make your wedding day extraordinary. Neglecting this time will make your wedding day ordinary, and ordinary is exactly what the four hour wedding package begets.

What do you think? Am I on to something? Am I delusional? There’s more to come… Stop by later this week for part two!

It is with great pleasure that we announce Matt’s Entertainment was awarded Wedding Wire’s Bride’s Choice Award  for 2012!!!

The below comes directly from the Wedding Wire website:

How are the winners determined?

The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards ™ recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. Awards are determined by a combination of four factors: Overall rating (quality), total number of reviews (quantity), review performance from 2011 (recency), and consistency of reviews from year to year (consistency). This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of WeddingWire’s vendor community, across all service categories and all regions throughout the US and Canada.

This award would not be possible without our wonderful, wonderful past clients. Thank you, all of you, not only for your kind words, but for allowing Matt’s Entertainment to be a part of this special day in your lives. Your trust means more than can be expressed in words… best wishes to you for an incredible 2012 & beyond!!!

Scheduled “alumni times” are Saturday 11:30a-3:30p and Sunday 12:30-3p. Plus, we have a comfy couch!!!

I look forward to meeting you at the Showcase this weekend. For directions, please click the Oregon Wedding Showcase link above

If you’re interested in meeting our past clients, I highly recommend you come this Saturday in Salem or next weekend in Eugene. Due to quirky schedules, Sunday 10/16 has proved difficult to fill.

The fashion shows are scheduled for 12:30 & 3:00pm! We hope you enjoy them!!!

And have I mentioned that we’ll have chocolate? And we’ll give away copies of Peter Merry’s “The Best Wedding Reception… Ever!”

The Oregon Wedding Showcase is located at the Americraft Center at the Oregon State Fairgrounds (formerly the Jackman-Long Building) and at the Lane Events Center in Eugene.

Mark & his wife Rebecca really “get it”.

Mark posted this on his blog recently. It’s a great read. The Marbecca Community is filled with fantastic, and extremely caring entertainers. The weird thing is that many of these entertainers (including Mark & Rebecca themselves) are mocked by the DJs that don’t “get it”, or the ones that simply don’t care.

Take a moment to read this. It’ll warm your heart about the DJ entertainers that are out there… those that are just WAITING to transform your wedding day into an incredible experience for you and your guests.

Best to you all,

Matt

HPE is short for Hip Pocket Entertainment, and every fun wedding reception requires it. It’s also called “lull repellent”… and it’s created ahead of time by the bride, groom, and the DJ/MC.

Why? Because life happens, and life is unscripted

Despite the best planning and the best efforts of everyone involved in your wedding… things are probably going to crop up on your wedding day that were not anticipated.

Maybe it’s rain. Maybe it’s a wedding wardrobe malfunction. Maybe it’s heavy traffic on the way to the venue. All of these events can throw off your wedding time line and cause lulls for your guests. A lull (which conveniently rhymes with dull) typically causes a wedding to guest to 1) yawn 2) look bored and 3) ask their wedding date if they’re ready to leave yet.

You get the idea… lulls are bad.

But Hip Pocket Entertainment takes the lull right out of your reception. Instead, your guests will be 1) entertained 2) engaged and 3) frantically calling their babysitter so they can stay until the end of your reception.

Sounds cool… so why keep it in your hip pocket?

Because sometimes “less is more” and it is possible to put too much into a wedding reception. Over-stimulated guests may not have enough opportunities to be sociable with their friends… or with the guests of honor. Or if the party has already reached “critical mass” and the dance floor is packed, unneeded entertainment may actually serve to detract from the energy of the party.

If your entertainer is focused on the party, they’ll pack plenty of HPE.