The DJ Insider Podcast

Thank you Kris Livovich With Sugarfield Flowers for joining us on today's podcast! We constantly talk about the roles vendors play in keeping the day smooth and organized, but making it all look spectacular and gorgeous? That is something that you want to hire a professional for. Kris has been working with flowers since she was 19, and has always been a huge part of her life. She works with fr...

Thanks Steve Vansak with Region Weddings for joining us! From starting with live music to now behind the lens of a camera, Steve found that photography let him express himself creatively in a different way. His work as a musician opened doors to working in wedding photography which leads him to running Region Weddings today! Mike and Steve dive into the struggles of a wedding day as a DJ and photo...

Thank you Jon Krus for joining us on today's podcast! We are sad to see Jon go after this wedding season, but are excited for his future of starting his own DJ company! Mike and Jon get into the whacky and fun moments that always come unexpected at weddings. We say it a lot, but this job is unlike any other. We can show up expecting one thing, and be completely blind sided with so many differe...

On today's podcast we sit down with Sonia Arkkelin, the owner of White Border Photography. We discuss a recent wedding we did together. Sonia shares how she got started and what she loves about photography. She gives advice for couples who are looking to book a photographer and how important it is to really get to know the professionals you're going to be working with on your wedding day....

We have had a multitude of horror stories about guests throughout the years, but there truly more positive/wholesome moments than not. The relationship between DJ and crowd is so important, and we want to make sure everyone walks away happy. We try and get everyone on our team, and wanting to be on the dance floor when we kick things off. If we have equal trust when it comes to when and how songs...

We can have every part of the equation necessary for a solid wedding night, and it can still go stale. Keeping the energy up during our dance floors is extremely important. There are things that DJs can do to kill the vibe of the night, and there are things that guests/couples can do. We want to make sure that with our song selection, nothing ever gets boring. There are things that you can avoid d...

Thank you Trysh Jaeger for joining today's podcast! https://tryshjaeger.com/ For a lot of industry professionals, the feeling of nervousness, butterflies, jitters, whatever you want to call it, is always present. We believe that when you still have this feeling, you still care. We all want to do the best job possible, and you have to love every part of this job if you want the best. Trysh cove...

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 trust...

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, f...

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....

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 c...

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 surpris...

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 am...

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...

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...

We are striving for perfection anytime we work a wedding. All we can do as professionals is offer the advice and words of warning on what to do, and not to do. We want to make sure your dream is achieved with the day going as smoothly as possible, but also realistically. We and vendors along side us are united in the common goal of everyone happiness, and for the day to go as smoothly as possible....

We only get one chance at this. There is a lot of pressure with our work to please, entertain, and make everyone around us happy. We work very hard to make sure that no mistakes are made. If not, we work even harder to make sure we recover from them immediately. What separates a professional from a amateur at this job is how they adapt to the day, and all the curve balls thrown their way.

When something goes wrong, it is very easy to point fingers at the person who looks the most in charge. Typically at the weddings we work, that is us! We have control of the room with a microphone, and we help coordinate the wedding day. Plenty of times there are things that are completely out of our hands, and plenty more going on behind the scenes than you think. 99.9% of vendors we work with ha...

I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna really, really, really Wanna zigazig, ah Sometimes you know exactly what you want to hear on the dance floor. Our job is to play the songs you don't even know you want to hear. This is the fundamental that divides a good DJ from a great DJ. 2023 has been an absolutely killer wedding season so far, and we cannot get enough of the p...

You have been around them at a party, bar, and/or family event. No matter what you do, there will always be someone that will make it about them . With being at a wedding nearly every weekend of the year, this is something that is unavoidable for us. Today we share advice on what not to do as a guest to make the wedding day as fun as possible, for EVERYONE!

There is only so much you can fit into a wedding day. You will be limited to the time you can eat, socialize with guests, and relax. In today's episode we discuss what we have found to be worth doing at your wedding, or things we think should be skipped overall. Obviously, we want to do whatever we can to make your day the most enjoyable. We hope our insight will alleviate future headache and...

Leaving a review for a business is a powerful thing. Seeing that a business has any reviews is the indicator we all look for initially. Sharing these experiences we have had with one another will impact if a consumer decides to go with a businesses services. The entire "idea" of good reviews is a very complex matter. Although a business may have "5 stars (89 reviews)", I will g...

No matter how much time is put into planning your wedding, curve balls will still fly your way. It is our job as a vendor to make sure that we are there to catch them for you! We have been to hundreds of weddings, so our relationship with a wedding day is vastly different than most. All we want is to share our perspective to provide insight, and give you as much creative control over your big day...