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.

Brides article 

1 Food 2 Music 3 Décor 4 Bar 5 Dances 6 Entertainment 7 Couples Entrance

 8 Reception Location

There was an article put on on brides.com which got their info from Wedding Wire about what the millennial guest love about wedding receptions. I will touch on ones that the dj has their mittens on during the celebration. 

Food is number one on the list. Of course, the dj has nothing to do with selecting the food but I always recommend to the couples to always eat at the wedding. Most time couples get caught up in the excitement of seeing family and friends and taking pictures that sometimes they forget to eat. Make sure you chow down!

Music was marked number 2. I also believe it’s one of the most important factors of a reception. It sets up the vibe for the celebration. During cocktail hour, you want a good atmosphere while your guests are socializing with some upbeat music. Dinner time is not the time to put everyone to sleep, the dj can actually mix feel good music to keep the party going. At times right before dancing the dj can tease with some sing along to get folks in the dancing mood. 

Next on the list are things djs have nothing to do with: Décor, bar and drinks. I can give my two cents on these since I have been to a lot of weddings. Decorations do make a huge difference and is important. Bar and Drinks I have mixed feelings. I have been to some weddings where there was no alcohol and we had a good time. There were other times where they had open bar and it was a crazy good time. If you have beliefs in not having alcohol at your event then do not do it. But if you are ok with a bar then it is a good investment.

Dances are on the list on what guests’ value. The first dance is a monumental as the first dance as husband and wife. I have seen fancy dances mixed in with some modern choreography with a special dj edit. I have seen just a slow dance with the couple slow dancing and enjoying every minute of it. A good dj would not have his dance floor lights on since it does not do the photographer justice to take a good picture of the first dance. Dances also include parents dancing with the bride and groom. 

Entertainment was on that list. Will there be a photobooth? Some djs have their own booth or can refer a trusted vendor to provide that fun wedding service. 

The Grand entrance one of the most important moments of the night. The guests are seated then stand up when the guests of honor come in. On the speakers is a fun song while they stroll in. A good dj will coordinate to make sure everyone walking out is in order then will announce their names. Then when the bride and groom the djs switches up the song. That is when everyone stands up to celebrate the bride and groom. 

A dj does not have any say about the location of the reception area. Most times the couple picks the venue and has a date picked for the wedding. But a good dj would have venues they like and could suggest to the couple in case they are having a hard time securing their event. Just a heads up, these times Saturdays in 2022 are filling up fast and probably already filled. Be open to having a Friday or Sunday wedding if you have not secured Saturday 2022 wedding by now. 

A Celebration of life is an event to remember someone who is no longer with us. We try to invite friends and families to the event. Especially at these times it is difficult since there is a pandemic going on and people are trying to stay in their homes. People can still partake in the activities but just need to be safe in these situations. 

We had a small gathering at Fortino Winery. We had around 15 people present. We were playing music that the guest of honor loved. It was a lot of 70s rock. His bride also had music she loved which was classic r&b. 

In the middle of the celebration friends and family took turns sharing stories. They had a nice touch with pictures of the guest of honor on the table. They also had a board with a lot of pictures. I have seen other Celebrations of life use projectors with pictures showing through the whole event. 

Celebration of Life is an opportunity to share stories and to give one last good bye. From what I seen mostly there are appetizers at the event. It can be a solemn time but also a joyous time. The person being honored is being celebrated and friends and family can relive the good times they had with each other. It gives an opportunity for family to get together with the guest of honor’s friends and share words and food with each other.

What is a budget Wedding? These times I have seen weddings are not as big as they once were in California. I have been to a few events and there were less than 30 folks in the attendance. So, in essence weddings can be more budget friendly since less guests are actually attending these events. 

I recently got an inquiry asking for a quote and they really stressed having a budget dj. I liked how they were direct and to the point. But the word budget can throw off folks. Everyone’s budget is different. When I think of a budget dj, I think of someone who does not have the best equipment and does not have regular events. Do you want someone to be the host of your wedding with out experience? That is when a budget dj comes in. You do get what you pay for. If someone wants a wedding to remember make sure you hire a professional.

What is a professional dj? A professional dj has a music planner guide to help organize the music for the wedding. They make the music selection easy to choose from. They have a script to use to help guide them with announcements. You want someone who commands attention of the audience and want them to lead the audience in whatever needs to be done.  They have vast amount of good quality music at 320 kbps quality and did not rip music from YouTube at a low quality which is tacky and also illegal. You want them to be able to beat match so the songs do not end suddenly and want it to sound seamless. 

Professional djs have a backup system with the best equipment and have the experience to solve gear issues. I have learned to always carry multiple microphones so voices can be amplified. My wire microphones have always worked but once in Sacramento it was cutting out although it did sound fine in the sound check. With experience, I know to always have a wired microphone close by to handle any wireless issues. 

A good dj for a wedding will easily be over 1000 for just a reception. If you are requiring the ceremony and a reception a good dj will be 1500 to 2000. They can also bring up lights or have photo booths if you want more for the wedding. 

Hire a budget dj if you want some background music at a backyard BBQ. But hire a professional dj to do the soundtrack for one of the most important days of your life. Please look at the reviews of all the djs you and selecting and also keep tabs on how quickly they respond. It is important to have good communication with your dj. 

For your professional dj please call Black and White Affair Dj Services to help you plan your music and events for your big day. We serve the Bay Area and would love the opportunity to make your day memorable and stress free as possible. 

99 percent of the schools I do events for the student body provides of their songs they like to hear. I also recommend that it’s a combined effort from different students to make sure you get different types of music.  I try to find them and I make sure they are school appropriate then I put it in the playlist. If the song does have profanity, then I can edit it so the bad words cannot be heard but for the most part the songs I find are clean. The list that they give me is a good starting point. They may give me 50 to 60 songs. If you think about it, you can play around 25 songs per hour and you have 2 hours of music to choose from that list. Most school events are 3 to 4 hours and proms are like 5 hours. From the list you can get similar songs that fit the vibe that school is trying to have.

The small percentage of schools who provide a list of must plays and cannot play other songs can also work. The only difference is the school has to do most of the prep work to send the list and it has to be enough for 4 to 5 hours if it’s like for a 3-hour event. Some songs are really good to dance to while others may not be much of a hit. So the dj too has to prep to locate pretty much all the songs on the list so to keep the party going. The dj cannot rely on his/her crutch of other school’s playlists to help in a jam. The event I did this past fall it went pretty well. I just went by their list and made it work. Students were very respectful and it was a good time. 

What do I prefer? I can do both. When I have a playlist where I can stray from I can use prior school dance lists where students really enjoyed the music. It would take less time to prep. With only songs to be played on this list dances, it helps me focus on new songs I never considered and I can incorporate in my rotation. 

Please consider Black and White Affair DJ services for your High School Dance event. From August to November 2021 we did 5 high school dances and loved every minute of it. We have the experience and the sound to keep the dance floor packed and school officials content!

Are you thinking of having an office party? Please contact us!

If you are planning a Bay Area Corporate event in San Jose, Milpitas, Fremont, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Livermore, Sunnyvale or Mountain View, or Palo Alto, we are the go to!

We are able to beat match favorites and new chart tracks seamlessly and bring excitement to your team. We are all about being professional and classy.

The boss has given you the opportunity to throw an event. It can be a bit of stress. What happens if the vendors are not good? I believe in surrounding myself with like minded folks so I can recommend folks to are a master of their craft and I know a lot of nice venues to throw events. Let me help you make this event stress free as possible. 

I am a firm believer of showing employees that they are appreciated for what they do. Don’t let them down by not getting the right entertainment for the event. The right dj will provide the right atmosphere for the event.

What do we bring? We bring enough sound for the event. Do you need 2 speakers or 6? We have enough to make sure there is enough sound for the event. Do you need an Emcee to host the event? That is easy as Sunday Morning! We can play music to fit the mood whatever you want for the event. We also work with all sorts of talent so we can recommend anyone locally in case you need those referrals.

Ideas in case you want to have a dj at your company events:

Holiday parties

Celebration of a good quarter 

Galas

Outdoor socials

Network events

Charity Events

Please contact Black and White Affair Dj Services for you next corporate event. We believe in making everything like our mixes seamless and enjoyable. Events are our thing and come second nature. We worked with different corporations and no two are the same and we make sure we make each event custom as can be. 

It maybe time to set up your Dj for your prom in the Bay Area. Proms are usually hitting at the end of the school year. I am seeing them set up Mid April till Mid May. Schools are picking those dates since they don’t want it to interfere with the ending of school. At that time the weather is getting warmer so people are setting up their parties. 

So what do you look for in a prom DJ? Make sure they have experience playing at schools. Playing at schools is a totally different animal compared to playing at private events outside of schools. The dj has to make sure the music is clean meaning that there are no profanity. Also a lot of students like having a dj that can quick mix. That means they can play a song for a short period of time and throw in another song so it blends perfectly. Long gone are the days where a dj plays the whole song from start to finish. It seems the only songs that can be played out like that would be songs to play during dinner or Spanish songs on the dance floor. 

Speaking of dinner, songs should not be slow songs to put students to sleep. They rather be songs that everybody knows and keep everyone excited and you start building it at the end of dinner so they go straight to the dance floor when its ready to party. 

I am all about playing good dance music but during proms a few slow songs need to be put in the mix spread out through the night. 

If you are looking to book your prom dj now please look no further than Black and White Affair Dj services. We have enough sound for any events and please check out our reviews. 

We do all sorts of events. We can do weddings properly in which we can also emcee. 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. 

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 during the warm months so we make sure we have enough sound to cover more ground. But now schools are having events indoors in 2022.

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 and to be interactive.

Private events are ideal for us since we can collaborate to make custom playlist and our set up is really mobile so we can play anywhere.