Real Life Weddings: Gilroy Wedding in a Venue like backyard (Bay Area Dj serving San Jose, Milpitas, San Martin, Morgan Hill and Gilroy)

 In 2016, I was hired to do a Halloween party in Gilroy. I do remember how much they decorated and it was a cool vibe. I was dressed like the 49er football coach Harbaugh. Then 8 years later I get a call that they want me to do their daughters wedding. I was impressed that dad remembered and appreciated how quickly I could mix out of songs. I said of course I will do the wedding.

 The house is beautiful and it has a nice swimming pool then in the back they have like a barnlike garage but its like for cars and very spacious.  The parents house could be a wedding venue and I was working with a wedding planner.  I went the day before to take a look at where the ceremony was going to take place. I was happy that we were in the shaded area.

Then we were shown our set up for the reception. There was a concern that we were right in the sun but I assured our host we will figure it out and not to worry about it.

 The following day we show up 2 hours before the ceremony and set up the ceremony system. Most ds use 1 speaker but we use two since it’s a better balance. We gave lapels to the minister and groom. I also had a back up wireless mic in the back just in case.

 After the ceremony they had a Frank Sinatra singer that sounded just like him.

 Our set up for the ceremony was we had our big boy speakers set up outside and connected some small speakers for the barn area. People were able to eat and listen to music and announcements. We did our first dance there and had dinner. It was a bit hot so we did everything outside.  We had our toasts and our special parent dances. Then it was party time. We were going with top hip hop from the 2015 to 2019. We go down with that music then we did a little old school from the 80s and 90s that the older folks appreciated.

Overall a fun time and a good vibe.

The set up was pretty easy. You can park next to the club house to set up. I was able to load all my gear next to the shade while I separated where the ceremony gear went and the reception gear went.

I was given one power outlet to set up two set ups. We had to use an extension cord to give it power. It was 105 degrees and we asked for an umbrella 3 times and on the third time I offered to carry the umbrella myself.

They had us on the corner of the reception area with the speakers facing the dance floor which was outside. The dinner area was behind us so we had to had the speakers face the dinner area so we were playing music with speakers facing us. There was a building structure in front of us so the dance floor was not 100 percent visible.

The bar area was in a different room so we had to physically round everyone up to get them ready for the ceremony and get them seated for the reception.

Beauty of the place it did get a good score.

The outside dance floor was nice.

But for a dj it was not very practical.

To fix it I would have an outlet close to the ceremony area.

I would have the dj set up in front of the dance floor outside with two other speakers with one in the bar area and one in the dinner area.

I would speak with the bride and let her know what would work for you.

I remember seeing the cost to do the audio for the graduation ranging from 3k to 7k. Some schools have big classes so therefore there are more guests that come to the grand event. Some local school were posting their costs and I was blown away. For me, it was a lot since schools pay thousands of dollars (schools do a lot to raise the money) and do not get to keep the equipment.

There has to be a more economic way to have these services. One thought is since there are so many schools, the district can contract with 2 or 3 big av services to ensure a loyalty discount. 

Another consideration is maybe looking for a local amphitheater.  They are built to carry sound. You could rent audio gear for 300 to 700 dollar to take care of the sound. (Probably need 4 speakers depending how big the school is. I do a local high school and it only requires 2 speakers. 

Another thought is to do it in-house. At this local high school they installed (2) 15 inch speakers and put them on 30 foot poles. Also they installed wireless Shure microphone with a fin to cover more ground. Of course there is cost to install the system and  pay for the system but the past 3 graduations at that school here was 0 cost for audio services. Yes, it’s a smaller school but the idea still works. 

Lori and Tim had a fabulous wedding at Fortino Winery.  Weather could not be any better. What was a treat was with the shade installed on the grounds it was not hot for the ceremony and reception. Fortino Wineries has to be one of the best outside venues in the area since it has a lot of space and a good shelter from the sun. They had a nice ceremony in the grass area by the Officiant Frances. She did a fine job. They incorporated a Japanese tradition of planting a grape wine together. 

Grand Entrance consisted  of the bride and groom and mother of the bride with best man and maid of honor. 

Cocktail hour was only 30 minutes and the great food was served. Dinner had a good r&b vibe during the meal. 

A few toasts were made and one was made via recording that was very touching. The first dance was a special one. It started off as a country song then it turned into C + C Music Factory song with the lyrics Everybody Dance Now Looped 4 times. Folks were able to join the couple with their first dance. Right after dinner it started to get dark. So we arranged to get some uplights to add some color around the venue. Venue is already pretty but the uplights add accents. They were lined up with the trees and bushes. Uplights always add a nice touch. They are a classy touch and it gives the area a new vibe. 

Music was very diverse. It was a lot of old school throwbacks. It was a mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s.