Royal Wedding Contest by Toronto Wedding Professionals

Royal Wedding Contest Info: The Royal Wedding Contest is now underway and One lucky winner will receive the following:

The Winner will receive:

Day-of Management Services** by me, WeDDings Jubilee Planning.

$250 off any DJ Package* with Scotia Entertainment services.

1 free engagement session with Eve and Jennifer, from Eve Traetto Photography & Jen Shoots Weddings, including a 1 hour session at the location/s of choice within the GTA, 5 8x10 prints and an online gallery. Also, 25% off wedding photography packages for 2011 and 15% off for 2012 weddings for everyone that enters the competition.

Rules:

What do you have to do? Easy. Answer my 7 trivia questions correctly, share the link to this post on Facebook or Twitter and you are automatically entered. You can either reply with your responses to this post (below), or you can email me the answers (info@weddingsjubilee.com); please use the subject line Royal Wedding Contest and include your name. Good luck to you all. I will select the winner on April 30th, 2011 & will announce the winner on May 1, 2011.

Question 1: What is a Milliner?

Question 2: How many wedding cakes did Princess Diana and Prince Charles actually have for their wedding?

Question 3: How long was Princess Diana's Veil at her Wedding to Prince Charles?

Question 4: Where will the Royal Wedding Reception take place?

Question 5: What have Kate and Prince William asked for in lieu of wedding gifts?

Question 6: In what year did Alcohol Consumption decline, thanks to Tea?

Question 7: What time is The Royal Wedding Ceremony taking place tomorrow (London, UK Time)?

I will also be offering all entrants of the contest as well as all my other readers a $200* special discount off any one of our planning packages in honor of Wills & Kate!

*Must be booked by May 31, 2011. Ceremony only & Reception only are not included in our packages.
**Transportation and Accommodations are not included. The wedding, event, or special occasion must be before April 2012. Expires May 31, 2011.

DJ Service prize added on to our Royal Contest!

My good friends over at Scotia Entertainment Services, Terry Holdershaw and Michelle Clayton, have decided to add to the Prize Giveway for the Royal Contest. For the contest winner they will include $250 off any of their DJ Packages.



They are also offering a great, limited time special offer of their Royal Wedding Package:

Royal Wedding Package – $1999 Sale Price $1749*

- Up to 8 hours of Service w/ Professional DJ & Digital Music Library
- Assistant DJ & Lighting Programmer
- Clear Sound System with Subwoofers for The Best Sound
- Premium Intelligent Moving Head Light Show on Upright Truss
- Disco Ball
- 10 LED Up-Wall Lights
- Wireless Microphone
- Red Carpet at Entrance

*Valid until Kate becomes a Princess on April 29th, 2011

Email michelle@scotiaentertainment.com for more info or to confirm your booking!

Vendor Spotlight: Maximum Music

No one can deny that music is important at any event. Whether it is by a band or DJ, it should definitely not be taken lightly. You MUST and I really mean it, you MUST hire a professional. As a planner, I hear it all: "We are on a budget, so our friend is gonna create a playlist on his iPod and cue it with his remote." or "Our guests aren't dancers, so we are just gonna pop in a CD during dinner." and then there is my absolute favorite "My uncle used work in Radio, so he's renting equipment and DJ'ing as a wedding gift."

Each of these scenarios are bad news because 99% of the time they will not end well. Believe me, the iPod will not play on cue throughout the night; if the CD is not forgotten at home, it will be quite embarrassing when your guests watch as your pal runs to click play on the player; and your loving uncle, although he means well, will not know how to read the crowd and will only play the things he likes to hear.

Luckily for you, my lovely readers, there are quite a few fantastic DJ's and bands throughout Toronto and all across Canada. One of these are Maximum Music. The ever so gracious Rod McMahon, owner of Maximum Music, was happy to sit with us and provide his tips and opinions on hiring a DJ.



How did Maximum Music get started?

Maximum Music was a hobby in high school and university that because of my love of music became full time employment for me in 1994 and we have not looked back since then!


What sets you apart from other DJ's?

Clients like the accessibility and personal attention from the office and then we can match them up with the most appropriate DJ from our staff a month or two before the wedding. We are also specialists in weddings and that is where our focus is, not high school dances and night clubs.

Are you part of any professional associations? Which?

We are members of the CDJA ( Canadian Disc Jockey Association) and CPDJA ( Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association) I was on the executive of the CDJA back in the mid to late 90's and now am part of an advisory board for the CPDJA. They are both networking and lobby groups for the DJ industry and allow us to get our music licensing that allows us to use recorded music for public performance.



What 5 tips can you give a couple to help them make the best choice in DJ's/MC's?

1. When getting a referral to a DJ service make sure you have similar taste to the person who is referring you. You may not enjoy the DJ at your small and intimate reception that was appropriate for your co-workers big Italian wedding.

2. Choose some "must play" and "do not play" songs for the DJ to play that are your favorites but also leave some room for the DJ to take requests and play to the crowd.

3. If you have the DJ introducing the bridal party, make sure they know how to pronounce your names or, have a family member do it if the names are complicated.

4. Even though you may like a certain type of music yourself you may have to compromise and make sure that the choices are danceable and a reputable DJ company will work with you to create a list that you really like and will still get the guests dancing.

5. If you are inclined, take some dance lessons or choreograph your first dance. It does not need to be fancy or complicated but it is really nice to see a couple that are comfortable and confident during the first dance ( and the photos will show this ).



What are important questions that a couple should ask their DJ's before booking?

Don't just take their word that they have a back up structure in place to deal with a last minute emergency. It is easy to promise, but more complicated to deliver should there be a last minute incident.

Working with the DJ service to build some "must plays" and "do not plays" in advance of the wedding is important. You do not want to be redirecting a DJ at your wedding reception if the music is not moving the guests to dance.

Are there any misconceptions that couples have, that you'd like to clear up?

The price is not a direct correlation to quality. You can get a great DJ in the $800 to $1500 range any more or less than that should be looked at critically.

Do you feel it is important for a couple to hire a Wedding Coordinator? Why?

A wedding coordinator is a great asset at the reception for our DJ for a few reasons.

1. We tend to get better and more realistic time lines and itineraries from weddings that have a coordinator.

2. At the reception we can deal with the wedding coordinator to tweek schedule issues and make decisions on the fly without bothering the bride and groom and if the coordinator thinks the bride and groom need to be consulted then they can be the intermediary.

3. Often a wedding coordinator can get you a 10% discount on services. We offer this as a way for coordinators to justify their fee by saving you the cost of the wedding planner over the suppliers.



Are there any special promotions you have going on right now?

We have a new brochure that was released at the Total Wedding Show at the International Center and we have committed to no price increases through 2012. We have a promotion of $925.00 for a Friday or Sunday wedding and weddings from January 1 to April 30; we also have a special price for venues that have in house sound systems that we can use. The best thing to do is check our website and call or email and Allison, Suzanne and myself will look after you as best we can! www.maximumDJ.com and (416) 255-2910

Maximum Music
www.maximumDJ.com
416-255-2910

Toronto Wedding Professionals 2011/12 Wedding Give-Away-Palooza!

We are pleased to announce our participation with a great giveaway for one lucky couple. When Jason Miles of Blue Six Creative and Toronto Wedding Professionals presented the idea of an awesome contest for one lucky couple, we did not hesitate to jump on board!

We are thrilled to award the winner of the contest 3 hours of Wedding Planning consultation as well as a gift certificate worth $250 to be used against any of our planning packages.  In addition, we would also like to offer the winner a 3 hour Travel Planning and Consulting prize for any travel consultation or guest service arrangements the winner may need for their wedding or wedding related festivities, guest arrangements, room blocks, car services etc. 

Click Here for the full contest details and a list of all the incredible prizes worth over $10,000!

Vendor Spotlight: Hello DJ

Anything I say about Lisa Ng of Hello DJ just wouldn't be enough. She is not only an fabulous DJ and a versatile entrepreneur, but she is also one Hip, Urban Girl!

Her knack of knowing her client's music tastes and their guests 'flavour' is incredible and she makes sure the entire room is up, dancing and enjoying the night. It's her mission to provide an unforgettable and fun-filled night and she delivers 100% of the time!

The pleasure was mine when she made time in her very busy schedule to be interviewed for our blog!

 
Q. When/How did you decide that DJ'ing was your 'calling'?

A. I really loved performing and actually set out for a career in acting and musical theatre. I think DJ-ing is the perfect combination of my love for performance and music. I also have a passion for planning events and was always the unofficial social director in whatever group I was in. My personality is pretty outgoing and I'm a people person. So working in the events industry is perfect for me.

Q. How did you come up with the name 'Hello DJ'?

A. My husband came up with it! He said it was like Hello Kitty :) I thought it was really cute and fit the fun, pink brand that is hello DJ! I'm also a big Hello Kitty fan. I have a toaster that burns her face into my toast.

Q. How did Hello DJ get started?

A. I started the company in the last year of my degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto. It was something I started to help pay for school - I always kept tabs on music and grew up listening to a lot of different genres. I'm crazy for 90s hip-hop, but am also a serious Edge 102.1 listener and love my share of rock/alt and indie. I'll also sing along to Top 40 in my car, so my tastes are pretty open and I just brought my female approach to DJ-ing. I also worked at a bunch of different record stores while growing up, so I was exposed to stuff I normally wouldn't have picked up. My niche as a female DJ grew very quickly and became a full-time company by the time I graduated. It's now been almost six years!

Q. What sets you apart from other DJ's?

A. I love details. I would rather have more information than less. I try to get to know my clients as best as possible and ask lots of questions about their guests, that way I can build a good playlist in my head for their reception. We're also a small, boutique DJ company. Means when you meet with me, I'll be your DJ. We never farm work out and we're not a big box DJ company.

Q. What 5 tips can you give a couple looking for a DJ?

A. 1) Don't book the cheapest DJ out there, sometimes you really do get what you pay for
2) Hire a professional! Avoid using a friend or amateur - they usually panic, realize how much work it is and drop out at the last-minute
3) Make sure you click with the personality of the DJ you are booking. If it's not a fit, that's OK - there's a DJ out there for you.
4) Book at least one year or more in advance to ensure you get the DJ you want
5) Make sure your DJ carries back-up equipment in case anything gets damaged or malfunctions on the day of your event.

Q. What are the most important questions a couple should ask a DJ before booking with them?

A. When sending an inquiry, do try to give as much information as possible so the DJ can properly put together a quote. We like to know the date, venue, guest count and basic elements of your wedding and ideas you have for music style. Once we can determine our availability and the price is within budget for the client, we can move forward to a consultation. Do also ask that the DJ you meet with is going to be the DJ at your event. If not, ask if you will be able to meet with your DJ before the wedding.

Q. Are there any misconceptions that couples have that you'd like to clear up?

A. We're not all cheesy! Cheesy is cool, but we understand that it's not for everyone. Which is why aim to be a hip, fun and young DJ company.

Q. Do you feel it is important for a couple to hire a Wedding Planner? Why?

A. Yes it is important to hire a wedding planner, because they are your insurance policy and advocate. They make sure that your interests come first and not the worries of the venue, florist or anyone else. It's nice to let go and not worry about things being bumpy because you have a wedding planner to do that for you and to keep your event on track.

Q. Any upcoming news or promos you'd like mention?

A. Please visit our blog to read all about the life of a hip + urban girl DJ in the city @ www.hipurbangirl.com

Lisa Ng

hello DJ!

Blog - The Hip & Urban Girl's Guide:

http://www.hipurbangirl.com

Follow on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/hipurbangirl

(416) 891-8440

http://www.helloDJ.ca

***Hello DJ has moved to St. Lawrence Market!***

39 Jarvis Street, Unit #612

Toronto, Ontario

M5E 1Z5