I had a formal  private high school dance in February at the Hayes Mansion. The Hayes Mansion is a huge property right off Blossom Hill exit. It is pretty easy to get to. I was able to communicate with the coordinator pretty easy and she was able to let me know where to park to unload my gear. The party was in the main ballroom. They had me set up on a stage with a table so that was nice since it gave me less items to set up.

Students were having dinner buffet style. I was supposed to play good songs early but not the really good ones since we would need them for the dancing portion of the night. Students were so well behaved. I was playing off a list that I could not deviate from and with students wanted a song that wasn’t on that list they were not upset at all. They just said ok that’s alright. One student was like can you play shorter amounts of the song if you can. Basically he wanted a quick mix but due to being limited on the song selections for this dance I had to play longer songs.

This place would be good spot for a high school prom. I mean the name of the place is Hayes Mansion so that is pretty classy itself. They do have a nice outside area where I am sure they can host events too. The main ballroom was big itself and the room acoustics sounded good. I was able to fill up the room with sound with only 2 speakers.

Finding the right DJ

The year of the wedding was marked 2020. Everyone wanted to be married on that year. Bam then covid hit and in California pretty much shut down. Some folks were able to reschedule their wedding with smaller guest lists in 2021. Then people were saying 2022 is going to be the year full of weddings and while I type this there is an increase of Covid Cases. It might be a short phase or it may continue. Some folks are opting for quick small weddings without a reception due to the restrictions in California. 

  Having a destination wedding in California can be the answer. There is plenty of open space venues that will be a solution during these uncertain times. A lot of destination weddings are smaller in attendance since it is not local to the attendees. Setting up a destination wedding can be difficult since most of the vendors will be new to the couple and have not used before. Setting up a wedding is like having a second job since there is a lot of prep to interview the vendors and then having to select the perfect one for the job. To make it easier there are venues that are all inclusive to take out all the guess work. That is one way to make it easier.

Finding the right dj for your destination wedding maybe a wee bit more difficult. Some venues may have in-house djs but I would not trust that. It’s a dj they always use and most of the time maybe only exclusive for that venue. But if the dj is on the venue’s preferred vendor list then that maybe better to choose for. It shows that the dj has been there before and did a good job so they recommend them. An in-house dj means the fee paid for the dj goes into the venue’s pockets and dj maybe good or not so good but the venue will recommend them either way since it means better profits. 

I recommend actually talking to the dj and getting a feel for them. These times it’s so easy to send a text or an email and get information about the dj but I feel getting the right dj is so important. They are going to be your party director or the Fun Ninja of your big event. It’s their job to build the energy of the event. In the phone call you will feel of their musical knowledge and if they actually like the music that you enjoy. Ask them about their wedding knowledge and what they recommend for the order of events. How quickly can they respond to you is important? You want a dj to have the best communication. You want them to help you with the playlist and give you suggestions and offer suggestions on how to do the events. They should be open-minded to the events you want to do or not do. A wedding is your event and you should have it any way you want since it’s a representative of you and your new spouse. 

I was all over the bay area for 3 holiday corporate events. Saturday we were doing a big internet company bash in Morgan hill. This is the 3rd event I have for the group. They gave me a lot of songs in their playlist of their liking. Mama mia served up a master meal. A few of the leaders spoke about achievements and talked about folks they wanted to hi light. We finished up the night on the dance floor.

The following day we were doing a corporate event in Fremont which was primarily Spanish music. This was the first corporate event where most of the music was Spanish. I started the event with a little xmas music then 15 min in when folks started showing up I then went with Spanish. I did throw in some old school classics in English. The boss was a young man and his assistant were running the events. They were running games for their employees for nice prizes. Later on they did a raffle and gave out prizes. The songs that got everyone grooving was cumbia and salsa.

Then on Thursday we had a real estate party. They know how to party and they did it on a weekday. It was at their office and they were very happy folks. It was supposed to be a 3 hour event but it was extended to an extra hour. It was all old school and r&b the whole night, No new music the past 5 years was played. There were no announcements and the theme was just to eat drink and be merry. All of them succeeded!

I had a big school event after the lockdown. My last event before the lockdown was a school event and this event was a big school event in Palo Alto. 

I had posters made and students were sending their requests. I had three lists to work from and it was a good starting point. Student still wanted to make verbal requests so I just pointed to the posters which had the directions for requests. 

The school was awesome is having food trucks and they had a variety of different kinds of food. I was amazed that we were outside and everyone had a mask on when I started. I brought 4 speakers and it was loud enough for all the folks that showed up. It was plenty of volume for the outside venue. 

What I noticed was the request for older music. Typically at schools I play the newest latest music  but this time around a few new songs were played and songs from the 00s were very popular. I believe it has to be the popularity of tic tock which is bringing back the old school. The biggest songs of the night were by Calvin Harris which is considered edm or house music. The question of the night is house coming back? I remember playing it during proms in 2014 then it went away. I think playing a little of everything is fun so maybe it is coming back.

Overall, the chaperones made a huge difference. We had to make reminders of keeping the social distance. Students were very respectful and very ready to party since they have been lockdown for a while.

Learn2Dj Part of Black and White Affair Dj Services

In California, we are not allowed to have any dj events more than 10 people currently. Some djs are doing zoom parties for households in the comfort of their own home. So during this down time, I have been organizing my music library and my dj education service. I always had dj lessons but it was on a different site and running multiple sites at one time can be a handful. So I decided to combine my dj lessons with my dj business website so I can get all inquiries in one area. People are stuck at home looking to learn a new craft. This is the time to do it since it is recommended to stay home. Different parts of the country are slowly opening up but coronavirus cases are still picking up. 

  As a dj, I am always doing research on the latest equipment and dj software. It is important to know all the tricks of the trade. Through many years of learning I want to share what I know. I know when I was learning I had to learn through the hard way through trial and error. I want to eliminate that experience and help find success sooner rather than later. 

 Maybe someone does not want to be a full on dj but rather learn how to set up gear for any event since events right now in California can not be too big this service can be for you also. We go over how to set everything up and what you would need. We can also break down the music playlist. It would be better to have a professional dj there but at these times there has be be different options. 

Feel free to check out Learn2Dj on this website and check out the blog area where we go over tidbits to make dj easier. We can do instruction virtually. It does not matter that I am based in the Bay Area in San Jose. We go over everything to beat matching to setting up your dj business. 

Check out Learn2Dj.org which leads you to my site for dj instruction. 

I am a proud SJSU alumni and I like to keep tabs on my school. I had an opportunity to play at a fundraiser. They were at first going to have a band and have me be the start of the night but that did not pan out. I did not get a special playlist but I was told to play appropriate music for the night. A lot of the time one would play background music during dinner time so the guests can be able to talk. Then the end, the dj would play the festive music at a louder volume to get everyone to the dance floor and keep them on the dance floor.

The venue was an Elks Lodge in San Jose. It was right off the 87 so it was really easy to go to. They do have a stage area for the dj and a huge dance floor.  I unloaded my gear and took it to the stage. They had the baseball and softball players there to help with the service of the food.

I knew the most of the crowd was going to be 30 and up. Also I knew the players were more about 20 years old.  So for the dinner portion of the night I was playing mellow familiar background music. All the players for both sports were introduced. Once they did all the auctions and the raffles it was time to pump up the volume. I went with the classic dance jams that all ages would enjoy.

Not everyone can speak Spanish. What happens if you find a really good dj but his Spanish is non existent? I have been a part of many Spanish weddings. Some weddings playlist have been all in Spanish. There have been times where the bride and groom offered to have a guest make the announcements in Spanish. Most of the time they just want to make the grand entrance in their language then the rest of the announcements the dj can do. They mostly do that so that the last names are pronounced correctly.

My Spanish is ok but I do have assistants who speak perfect Spanish so if the bride and groom want that then I make sure that assistant is available.

Also what helps is to have a script of what they are going to say. Some people say they are professionals and want to wing it but I advise to have a script. When it comes to announcements I like to repeat what is being said then rephrasing it so the folks that are not paying attention can follow directions. I do not advise using google translator for the Spanish translation because sometimes its translated but it’s not the correct meaning. If a Spanish script is written then it should be translated by a fluent speaker. 

For most Spanish weddings, I like to play a lot of cumbias. It’s the cumbias that gets everyone out of their seats and onto the dance-floor. Best bet is to have a playlist from the couple with Spanish music. 

Call Black and White Affair to book your latin party. Always repping the bay and now in Southern California.

There has to be a lot of coordination when it comes to a destination wedding. Once a venue is secured then the rest becomes easier. These are good questions to ask your venue

Is your Venue all included?

1) Are there options to pick what you want to pick or is there everything included. Get quotes for everything to do a price comparison. Some venues do have packages and some may have add ons.

2) Are you flexible with other vendors?

Some venues are particular in selecting other outside vendors. Sometimes they have their preferred vendors on their list and if you want a particular vendor then they may charge you more or ask for a certain insurance. It would be good to be upfront with the venue on what you would want.

3) What spaces are available for the ceremony and the reception?

 It ideal to have the ceremony and reception in the same area to limit the driving from place to place especially if you have to rely on someone else for transportation. Some if it cannot be avoided if you are going to get married at a church. It would be good to find out how may guests can the venue hold for the ceremony and reception. Also if you are interested in a venue ask them what would happen if weather was not favorable and what would be another option in case they had to move the ceremony elsewhere. A good venue always has a plan B in case the unexpected happens.