Wedding Officiant AND a DJ? How does that work?

I had a wedding this last weekend and it was a blast.

I got to preside as Officiant over the Marriage Ceremony of Crystal and Davie Bushong. It was at a truly beautiful location Crawfords Barn in the Rancho Cordova/Sacramento area. It is a barn in a residential neighborhood with a surrounding park. We had over 200 guests and the wooded natural beauty of the location lent its hand to make for quite a good memory for the bride and groom!

We also were able to provide DJ services for the reception immediately following the Ceremony. During dinner the Photographer asked me how it is that I am the Officiant and the DJ at the wedding.
I pointed out that I bring an associate DJ, in this case Dennis Boswell to help with the ceremony and reception music. This allows me to be free to do my duties as an Officiant and when the time comes I take the lead as DJ for the Reception. Having an associate DJ at the wedding allows me to train my DJ's to work a reception the way I want it to be done.
My DJ's train with me for about a year and then they usually are able to DJ a reception on their own.

Being the DJ and Officiant is HARD work. There is so much planning that goes into the back end of a wedding Ceremony AND reception. I find that a average 5 hour booking takes up about 20 hours of my time in preparation and implementation. Most people thing a DJ just shows up and plays some music and gets to leave.

I love my job it allows me to meet great couples and help them start off their married lives together the right way. The fun way! What better job could there be?
A true professional is going to do a LOT of planning to make sure the bride and groom have a great night, A Night to Remember!

Give me a call to see how we can make your wedding or special event everything you want it to be!

Check out our Youtube channel for recommendations from recent weddings.
Become a fan on Facebook too, while you are at it!

Be careful who you hire for your wedding.

We recently did a wedding for a couple at the Red Lion Hotel. The engaged couple had issues of time management of their own to deal with. But to compound their issues they hired a Photographer who forgot he was just ONE part of many to make up the couples wedding day.

The photographer who will remain nameless, so I do not get sued for some stupid reason,
1) Did not communicate with ANY of the other vendors, got in the coordinators' face about the timeline(which he was screwing up royally),
2) Made a nuisance of himself to the wait staff.

3) HE actually was drinking on the job, from the Free Champagne Punch bowl since the bar was a cash bar!

4) Was giving minors punch from the Alcoholic Champagne Punch bowl, and when asked to stop gave attitude to the red Lion staff

5) On more than one occasion Photographer Staff took the liberty to touch the DJ Equipment, even after told not to, MANY times!



This guy made a once in a lifetime event so hard to be a success.

Instead of focusing our energies on entertaining the Bride, Groom and guests we were busy putting out "fires" this unprofessional "professional" photographer was lighting all night.

If you want a great wedding hire sacramento professionals who are highly recommended by people who have actually worked with the vendor. Whether it is a Sacramento DJ or Officiant like A Night to Remember, or an Elegant Photographer for your wedding. Make sure they willplay nice with the other integral pieces of your wedding!

Get references from other vendors willing to put thier name on the line for the vendor in question!!

National vs. Local

There are several National DJ, National Officiant, National Photography and Videography companies out there that do booking for Weddings and events.

National Companies meet with you via email and phone and listen to your needs Most of the services provided are by local vendors, but the responsibility for fulfillment of these services are left to the national companies you are booking with.

Local companies and vendors take responsibility AT the local level. They meet with you personally, listen to your needs and watch your body language as you deliver your dreams and ideas for your event. Phone and email follow ups are a possibility but the local vendor who books LOCALLY with you directly becomes your resource for all your local event planning needs.

You may pay almost the same with a local vendor as a national customer, but 100% of the money stays local and you get the benefit of a fully engaged vendor who is committed to the success of your Wedding or event.

The point I am trying to make is look nationally but buy locally and support your own regional economy! It guarantees you the best of contracted vendors at a good price and the piece of mind that your needs will be handled here in your town.

Your local event resource,
Mike McCune
A Night to Remember DJ and Officiant Services