The last thing that a couple wants to feel on their wedding day is embarrassed. Parents and bridal party members job on the wedding day is to support and love the couple, not make them feel humiliated. Unfortunately, we have seen this time and time again. Speeches that were planned to be funny, did not work the way they intended. In today's episode we also highlight a few examples of how trusting us and planning ahead, will result in a smooth wedding day.

This week on the podcast we discuss the concept of wedding themes. "The Roaring Twenties", "Magic in Vegas", and "Havana Nights" are a few of the wedding themes we've seen and experienced. When couples are planning their weddings, they are looking for ways to make it more unique and to incorpate the elements of things they like. Some couples pick a color scheme, font, or theme. Some couples look to television, films and literature that they enjoy. When it comes to wedding themes, we've seen the best and the worst. It's okay to have a theme, but when you lean so heavily on the theme, it has an effect on the outcome and overall experience of the day. When it comes to themes...a little goes a long way. We also discuss things that you should avoid when looking to hire DJs, the best time of year to have a wedding, and great wedding gifts and party favors we've received.

This week we're talking with Natalie Hojnacki. Natalie is the Sales Manager and Coordinator at the Allure on the Lake in Chesterton. We talk about what it's like being a day-of coordinator at one of the top venues in the area. On your wedding day the best laid plans can go inevitably wrong. Natalie talks about what she and her team do behind the scenes to make sure your day goes smoothly. She shares personal experiences from her history as an industry professional and gives insider advice on the best way to get the most out of your big day. True to form, on this weeks podcast...things went inevitably wrong with the SD cards on two of our cameras so, unfortunately, we don't have a video feed for this weeks podcast. We apologize for the error, but luckily we still have the audio from our conversation.

Thanks Maycen from Raycroft Recordings for joining us!!! The life of a videographer has some very stressful moments that can be missed in an instant. From their first kiss at ceremony, to the behind the scenes moments, you have to capture it all! Since most people are not on in front of a camera often, it can be a very new experience. Maycen does a great job at making couples feel comfortable on camera, while also capturing the beauty of their wedding day.

In the final season of NBC's Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson creates the company "Very Good Building and Development Co". Amplified Events strives for the exact motto of their business. We do a very good job. At the end of the day, that's it! We focus on making our dance floors lively, our MC skills sharp, and communication before the wedding clear and quick. It always surprises us to see DJs that focus on the wrong area. Having a huge speaker setup and giant light bar looks cool, but will it elevate the experience of a party?

We constantly are working on becoming better wedding DJ's. We obviously will provide what is offered in our DJ service that you book with us, but what about the extra work that we put in? Any opportunity we have to make your wedding day special we will take! Thanks Eric Jaeger for coming on the podcast this week to highlight some of the extremes he has gone to just to make the day even more amazing for a couple. One of the highlights of working with Eric is that he belives in collaboration over competition. When Mike and I were getting this company started, Eric was there to make sure we felt welcome in our community of DJ's. Make sure to check out MB events based out of Crown Point!

Timing is everything. A song placed at the exact right moment of the night will bring the dance floor alive. Played at the wrong time, and you have yourself a missed opportunity for success. A huge part of our job as professionals, is playing the music for the moment it fits best in. Amazing sing alongs like "Mr. Brightside" are meant for a crowd that has partied all night, and the night is coming to an end. "Turn down for what" played too early in the night will scare grandma RIGHT away.

You have been charged with manslaughter. On account of those dance moves being absolutely killer. Thanks Joe from Arrested Sounds for joining us on this episode! We loved having another perspective the wedding industry, and we can't wait to have more vendors on in the future! Maybe we will have another DJ coming soon...

We have dived deep into some things that can either make your wedding day stress free, or that can add stress. Today we cover some of the very specific factors that can impact the success of a dance floor and wedding day. Weather, lighting, venue layout, can all impact how well it goes, and how comfortable people are.

The energy of your dance floor and overall vibe will depend mostly on two factors. 1. The type of guests you invite 2. The music you pick for your dance floor Today we cover many things you can do to have a successful dance floor, and a overall amazing party. As certain trends and traditions fade over the years, we try and cater towards what will work well for guests that were invited, while also sticking to the requests that couple has given us.