Our Visit To The Avalon Retirement Lodge

This morning, we participated in our first outing on behalf of the CPDJA's 'Music is Timeless' program at The Avalon Retirement Lodge in Orangeville. As I am sure you have read on our previous blog about this program, it is a movement that has been set in place to enhance the lives of those who are in facilities such as The Avalon.

Music is timeless, I know this first hand from watching the reaction of the seniors today and seeing the excitement and energy in our 3 year old who was dancing up a storm for their entertainment. A gentleman I was speaking with, was to thankful for someone to come in and 'liven up the joint' and provide classic tunes and restore some old memories. There was singing, toe tapping and even a little dancing today which was amazing to see. I look forward to returning and spending some more time with my new friends.

Here is a Thank you card that we were given on behalf of the Avalon:

Dan,
Thank you for coming to the Avalon Retirement Lodge for the music is timeless program. We really enjoyed & appreciated the music. It was great to see the residents toe tapping & singing along.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Life Enrichment Dept.
The Avalon Retirement Lodge

Music is Timeless

As part of the CPDJA (Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association) initiative 'Music is Timeless', we have started our community outreach here at home. This Monday, we will be setting up and providing some classic music to the residents at Avalon Retirement Home in Orangeville for a couple of hours. On February the 9th, we will be at Lord Duffrin Centre doing the same. We have been in contact with a few other local facilities in the area and are still waiting on tentative dates.

This is an amazing opportunity to give back within our own community, and bring some old memories back to life. Another great idea that the CPDJA has brought to the table to enhance the DJ industry. This program really struck close to home for us as Laura's grandfather has spend the last 3 months in a similar residence recuperating from surgery and we have seen first hand just how lonely and bored some residence can become over time. We are hoping to lighting up someones day and try and start a trend within the community to reach beyond.

This is a charitable donation on our part so there is no cost incurred to anyone within the facilities. To get more information on the CPDJA program or book a time for your facility, please contact Dan or Laura at 519-941-0937 or by visiting us online at www.soundsofdistinction.ca

Top 10 Questions to ask a Prospective DJ

Last night I attended a CPDJA meeting and we were handed this piece of material.



We had to share this with everyone because it is so dead on. If your DJ couldn't answer these questions correctly, why would you even consider working along with them on such an important milestone in your life?

We would like to honestly answer every question ourselves to give you an idea of our values regarding our business.

1. Yes we are a member of CPDJA and have been involved for several years now.
2. Absolutely, in fact when you book with us, you are booking us, we do not out source weddings.
3. Absolutely Yes. We would never take the risk to operate without proper licensing.
4. Once again absolutely. We do not take risks with our business especially when clients are booking for such important events.
5. Next year we will be celebrating our 10th year in business as a professional DJ service.
6. Hard to give an exact number as we have never truly counted, but probably close to 250 weddings so far.
7. Definitely, we have a mutual contract for all bookings.
8. We have tons of testimonials directly on our website and we would be delighted to have previous clients rave about our services directly to you.
9. We have that guarantee for every event. We would never leave our customers in such a situation with no equipment or even worse no DJ.
10. What is stated is what you pay. No extras, nothing unexpected.

While I was at this meeting, another DJ approached me a said, "Hey, I lost an event to you last week." I already knew this as my clients had talked about the other DJ's that they were interviewing. I responded "I know that I have lost events to you in the past too and I would rather lose them to another professional DJ then one of those other guys." I firmly believe that competition is needed in every business, it keeps the industry's up to certain standards. I just wish that all the competition was meeting these certain standards set in place by associations like CPDJA.

Do yourself a favour and when interviewing potential DJ's for your upcoming event, use this as a guideline for who you would like to work with further. You will be saving yourself time and grief. You will also be doing your part in keeping the standards up.

Happy Planning!

Dan and Laura Forbes

Martin Kolditz MGX Productions - Videographer

This week we have decided to feature our favorite videographer and friend Martin Kolditz. His work is truly amazing and having seen him in action, he does so in such a non intrusive way. I recommend checking out his work and contacting him through his website www.mgxproductions.com

1. Why do you love being a videographer?
What I really love is seeing the couple's reactions when seeing their video for the first time. Makes all my hard work worth it.

2. How did you get into this business?
I started off by doing a friend's wedding video for free as a favor. Then I thought, "Hey, I could make some money doing this!"

3. What is your favorite wedding that you have ever captured?
I shot a friend's wedding in California in 2008. Not only was the weather amazing, but the wedding took place on a beautiful beach at sunset.

4. Where do you see your company going in the next five years?
The sky's the limit. In addition to offering HD exclusively, I'll also be offering Steadicam in the springtime. I welcome growth, however, as I've said from the start, I don't want my business to become too big as to replace quality with quantity.

5. Why do we love you? What makes you special?
From the get-go, I try to instill a foundation of friendship with the couples that I meet. This way, the whole process is much more relaxed, and the couples feel a level of comfort that might not be possible with a traditional "business-like" relationship.


Thanks for being a part of our blog Martin and we hope to bump into you again soon at another fantastic wedding!

Dan and Laura

What Can We Do to Help in Haiti

By this time, we are positive that everyone has learned about the devastation in Haiti. Let's make an effort to think of all the people who are suffering, and all those who are there helping and keep them in our prayers.

Well what can we do in a time of need like this? We may just be DJ's in the town of Orangeville, but we can give. The Salvation Army is a wonderful organization and over the last year, our family has become a part of their community here in town. We attend the local church and we spent some time manning the Kettle over the holidays. When something like this tragedy has happened you get a great feel for what the Salvation Army is doing to help.

For the remainder of the this Month, for every wedding that we have a secure booking on, we will donate $50 to the Salvation Army to assist in their efforts over in Hatti. This is our busiest time of year with bookings and we are hoping to be able to donate a few hundred dollars. Check back at the end of the month and we will let you all know how much money we were able to donate and thank all of those who booked our services in that time.

Thank you

Dan and Laura Forbes

To learn more about the Salvation Army and what they are doing to help in this time of need, please visit www.salvationarmy.ca

What a Day of Coordinator Can Do For You

As a DJ, I have attended hundreds of weddings. Some of those weddings involved a coordinator and many of them did not. The ones with coordinators 90% of the time were well under control, the bride & groom were cool and collected, and the families were able to enjoy the evening. On the other hand the weddings where the couple did not hire a coordinator, 50% of them were stressed to the max, on the day of their weddings things were left at home, vendors did not provide the services that were agreed upon, and family members and wedding party members were more helpers then guests at these events.

This is where investing in a Day of Coordinator can really be one of the most important decisions that you can make for your wedding. Before the wedding date has come, to have a professional sit down and hear exactly what you have envisioned and learn about the things that need to be done before and during your ceremony and reception, and remind you of other details that might have been forgotten. All of these things will start to put your mind to ease. No only are they there for you on the day of your wedding, they are there to go over contracts with other vendors and make contact to see that everything is in order and on time.

On the day of your wedding, really the only things that you should be doing is getting ready, getting married and celebrating with your friends and family. Leave the small tasks and details to your coordinator to see that the finishing touches are already finished when you arrive. During the reception, enjoy it and stop worrying if the favours are on the table or if the MC will remember all of the speeches, and if Aunt Betty was served the proper nut free dinner.

This is why I have become certified as a wedding consultant and coordinator through The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada and opened our sister company Marvelle Events. After being a part of so many weddings in so many different aspects from DJ to MC to Guest to Coordinator, I know what it takes to make a reception run smoothly, and how to let the Bride and Groom truly enjoy there wedding day.

To Learn more about Marvelle Events please visit us on the web, www.marvelleevents.ca

Happy Planning!

Laura Forbes, WPICC

Naledi and Jason, November 7th, 2009

We received this card in the mail recently and thought that we would share it with you. Naledi and Jason were married at Grey Silo Golf and Country Club in Waterloo. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was a huge party. We had so much fun working along with them both and became very close friends through the entire process.


Dan & Laura,

Oh my, we cannot say thank you enough for the amazing job you both did at the wedding. The music was the most important element and you rocked it!

Here's to many more parties we hope to share with you!

We wish you, Dawn & your baby bump a wonderful holiday season.

Love Naledi and Jason

James Lee, An Amazing Photographer!

Recently we asked a few of our favorite vendors a couple of questions about themselves to feature on our new blog. Over the next few months we will be featuring one a week. This week we are starting with James Lee. We work along with James frequently throughout the wedding season and always love snooping his website after a wedding that we were at to see just how amazing his photography really is. I certainly hope that you snoop around his site as well. www.jamesleephoto.com

1. Why do you love being a photographer?

I love being a photographer because I'm passionate about people, I love connecting with people especially on their wedding day; I really consider it to be the highest honour to be selected to be part of a couples' wedding day. I love being able to capture a small glimpse of the emotion between a couple that I think really resonates everything about their connection.



2. How did you get into this business?

I'm not really sure, to be honest I started shooting in the late 80's when I was finishing up high-school. Like many other photographers my professional photography career started as an interest, that turned into an avid hobby. Early on I realized that I loved the interaction I would have shooting portraits so being a people photographer was definitely for me, eventually this led me to specializing in Weddings.



3. What is your favorite wedding that you have ever captured?


I have built so many friendships with couples over the years it's hard to pick a favourite, however in 2009 I must say I was most moved by the speeches at Gillian & Dan's wedding. I was so impressed by how much love the couples' families had for each other and how much Gillian's Brothers loved her and how they showed their support for her on her wedding day.



4. Where do you see your company going in the next five years?

I don't see much change in my company over the next five years, I really just want to continue to grow as an artist, and have good fortune to build more relationships in the wedding industry. I really hope to grow my business to cater to couples who care deeply about their wedding imagery.




5. Why do we love you? What makes you special?

Ha ha, I'm not sure what makes me special, although, based on what I've learned over the past 10 years, I approach each wedding the same way and that's to show up like an old friend with a fancy camera. My business is my clients, and I feel like I'm performing at every wedding I photograph, and my commitment is to give my clients my heart and soul for their day.



Thanks so much James!

Were looking forward working with you this 2010!

Dan and Laura

Planning Your Winter Wedding

Did he propose to you during the holidays? Did he leave a knee print in the snow, or did he surprise you with a gift under the tree? Did your breath shimmer as he placed the ring on your finger, and you thought this is the most exquisite season for your love?

Give yourselves a year to organize the most magical moment of your lives as you plan for the wedding of your dreams next winter.

Winter is such a magical time of the year that is full of celebrations, family, laughter and cheer. Use the elegance of winter in your wedding for a glamorous and exotic feel that can’t be felt under the scorching heat of summer.

Once you have decided what colour and décor scheme you plan on following, visit all the clearance sales that will be happening right after the holidays. You will save a lot of money and remember that everything that you purchase can be used in your home for all of the holidays to follow.

Borrow from friends and family the things that you might use to decor your hall. Artificial trees, decorations, lights. To get the feel of the holidays, try to bring the outdoors in. Try using potted plants as centerpieces and then decorate them to fit your scheme.

There are many things to consider when booking your event. The location? Local accommodations? The ambiance? Many places already use heavy décor for the holidays and may save you time and money in the long run. Choose a place with a fire place to create the feeling of warmth. Old Inns are a perfect choice for warmth and ambiance. Places that offer winter activities like a ski resorts will put all your guests in the mood for the holidays and give them some fun activities before and after your wedding. During cocktails consider having hosts who serve hot chocolate, eggnog and spiced wines for a special treat to help everyone warm up this time of year.

Keep in mind that we are not always guaranteed snow in Canada so be prepared to improvise. Also when looking for your hall and or church, look into heating as some old churches can be quite drafty and some halls are not adequately heated during the winter months.

Should the snow prevail, don’t forget to get yourself a cloak, cape, wrap or some fur that accentuates your beautiful gown. Your bridesmaids are going to need something to cover up as well. You can accessorise with these to dress up any gown.

Themes can be so fun during this season. You can go for the icy look with diamonds, glitter, creamy whites and beautiful silvers, even a touch of blues to give that frosty look. You can do a more traditional look with the deep greens and sharp reds of Christmas. Poinsettias and artificial trees are a wonderful way to dress up the room. Maybe you are more interested in making it a winter wonderland. Use snowflakes and star lights to cozy up your hall, hang and old pair of skates above the fireplace. Incorporate all things of winter that you love into your wedding day.

Whatever the theme that you decide to go with for your winter wedding, know that with a little research and imagination, you can get everything that you need suited to winter. Bouquets made perfectly for your theme, favours that your guest with love and cherish, an instant ambiance that cannot be questioned.

I personally could not think of a more magical time of year to exchange vows, and celebrate love in its purist form.

Happy Holidays!

Laura Forbes