Sometimes you may think why not have a grand event in your back yard. I have to say most backyards may not be as fancy but if you live in the south county area some folks have more real estate to have a grand event. A few months ago I did a fun quincenera in San Martin. The house had plenty of acres and a nice paver area for the dance floor. Last week, I returned to the house and they now had overhangs to provide needed shade and lights. It gave it a really nice look. The place could consider maybe having more events since its so spacious and there is plenty of parking but that is besides the point.

We had the ceremony as the groom’s dad was the officiant. Five minutes before the ceremony we played the military wake up call to get everyone in their seats. Ceremony was a nice one then it went straight to the cocktail time. There was no grand entrance since bride and groom didn’t leave the area to take pictures and were able to partake in the cocktail hour.

We did the first dance to pantera and there were many parent dances. Then the rest of the night we had open dancing. There were some guest performances with folklorico dancing and grandma and niece had a duet. Then we had a surprise jam session with the groom on his electrical guitar. Truly a very talented family. No two weddings are ever the same.

We like working with all sorts of folks. The ones we like to work with the most are our repeat customers. We develop a good relationship with them and know what music they enjoy so much. They trust us with their event. They know the music we play and like the vibe we provide. We follow directives from the client and make sure we keep the client and their guests happy. Our number one belief is to stand behind our work and continue to make our clients happy.  Our clients know we show up at least one hour before our events and earlier if we are doing a wedding. But with weddings we don’t do repeat weddings (unless it is for different family members) with the same couple but have been called to do other events for them. 

 We also believe in having communication with our folks before during and after the event. Communication is key. Our clients like our prompt responses. I am open for email or text messages. I also set up facetime calls if needed.

  I like getting playlists from our clients. Most of the songs are ones I am familiar with but sometimes they have songs that I have forgotten and absolute gems that I will acquire for the event and become a weapon in my arsenal. 

Our clients know we do not bring multiple guests to the events. We bring ourselves and maybe one assistant to help with the event. 

We do all sorts of events. We can do weddings properly in which we can also mc. You want a dj who can do a grand entrance correctly and be able to work with a timeline. No timeline ever sticks with the exact time so the dj should be able to work with it and prioritize to cover all the events in the time allowed. A dj should meet with the bride and groom either in person or virtually to make sure they are on the same page one to two times at least to cover details. A wedding is serious business so details are the utmost importance.

 We love doing birthday parties. They are mostly people eating then having the dance portion taking most of the night. Usually not too many announcements are made. If it’s a Spanish party, just remember to have the Mananitas on stand by after the crowd sings happy birthday.

School dances keeps us on our toes with the latest music. I love getting lists from students then putting it on the playlist. A lot of music comes out locally so it’s good to be up to date with that. Now with school events they are outside so we make sure we have enough sound to cover more ground.

Corporate events are so much fun. Folks can let loose on the dance floor. They are made of announcements and good dinner music and then the fun dance music at the end. Its ideal to have multiple wireless microphones for the event for the corporate hosts to handle.

2021 weddings have been picking up and with 2022 coming in then it will be really busy. I typically do 1 to 2 weddings a month. Prepping for a wedding takes a whole lot more time than prepping for a birthday party or corporate event. 

When prepping for a meeting, one has to meet with the couple and get their vision for their big day. Once you get it then the bride and groom fill out their song lists and most of the songs I do have but with ones I don’t, I make sure I have the right version of it. Then before the wedding we meet again and go over everything in case anyting was added or changed. 

The Bay Area has to be one of the best places to have a wedding due to the weather. In the 8 days of the 3 weddings, the temperature could not be beat. And if it is hot then an umbrella would help out. One reception started at 2 with the other 2 started at 5. The one that started earlier was a little hot to start off but it was bearable. With the 5’oclock start receptions the temperature was perfect.

What I noticed about these weddings:

Only one of the three did a boquet toss and not one did a garter toss.

People were aching to get to the dancefloor

One wedding had a guest singer which added a nice touch.

The only way to make sure we did the events planned was with the wedding coordination sheet. Since the weddings were so close to each other the coordination sheet ensured nothing was forgotten. 

Once the first steps are done then the fun begins. A lot of folks do not know the names of songs but only have a few must haves. At BWADJ we send out playlists that are popular and it makes the song selection easier. Client can also include songs that are not on the list. I like having the list a week in advance so I can secure the music especially if its not on my list.  If it’s a wedding then BWADJ send a wedding coordination sheet with song suggestions and helps organize the events if no wedding planner is involved. A wedding is a custom event so there is no set way to do a wedding. Its based on what the bride and groom wants. If it’s a birthday party and the client wants party music the whole time then we do party music the whole time. Who needs to sit to eat dinner! Most of the time they do eat dinner sitting but it can always be an option! 

We keep in contact with the client to see how their list is going and to see if anything has changed. Then before the event we finally touch base to go over the game plan. 

We show up 1 to 2 hours before the event depending on how many set ups are needed. To set up one simple set up it takes 30 minutes. 

Then we have a fun event with dancing and memories being made.