Venue Review - St. Agnes & Gerards Catering

It's not very often that I get an older couple for a wedding reception. I do plenty of anniversary parties, but this past Saturday was different. The Swains got married a year ago down south and had a wedding reception for her side of the family. They did it again this past weekend for his family and I had the opportunity to DJ their reception.

I had met with them the week before and while showing them pictures of my previous setup, they inquired about the lighting I had used, which led to them adding lighting to the room. This is the easiest way to make a big impact in the look of the room without spending hours decorating.

I'm not exactly sure of their ages, but I'd guess late 70's to early 80's. This makes playing the right music challenging for some and impossible for most. Only an experienced DJ knows how to get the balance right. With their grandchildren, children, brothers, sisters and friends, the ages were all over.

They weren't concerned with picking specific songs and left that to me.  Their first dance was Doris Day - Cheek to Cheek, which they told me was perfect.

Shortly after their first dance, they had a little family tradition that took place. A 250lb ball and chain was locked to the groom's leg and the key given to the bride. They then had to sit back to back and answer questions (similar to the newlywed game) until the end when she unlocked him.

That ball is cast iron and weighs nearly 250lbs!

Guests enjoyed the music as the mix progressed from old to new, until the end, when most of the grandchildren were the ones dancing.
 
The reception took place at St. Agnes (in their hall behind the church) in Fowlerville. It is very clean and with a little lighting and decor, can be a very nice reception location. The block wall and height of the room do contribute a slight echo, but that shouldn't detract from the appeal of this location. The contact for the hall is Tonya Spisz (517-223-8684) and their website is:
http://www.stagnesfowlerville.parishesonline.com/scripts/HostedSites/org.asp?p=22&ID=4447

I highly recommend checking them out as a potential reception location. Tonya is excellent at assisting clients with their needs. The room can accommodate about 275 people and the pricing is among the best in the county.

The caterer that they use is Gerard's Catering. I've worked with them on several occasions as they also do the Opera House in Howell. Chef Joe created an excellent menu for the Swains and was possibly one of the best meals I've had from this caterer.

I don't know all the names for each of these, so excuse my poor descriptions. The chicken had a basil garlic seasoning with fresh mozzarella and a roma tomato slice baked on top.  The fettuccini had olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and shaved red pepper on it; and the vegetables were a mix of squash, mushrooms and asparagus with tomatoes baked on top. Seasoned red skin potatoes and a salad were also available. The meat was a carved pork loin with honey mustard glaze. 

I highly recommend Gerard's Catering for any event.  There contact email is gerardsfood@sbcglobal.net and their phone number is 517-548-1303.

 

Don't get ripped off... Call us, not them.

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to do a "lighting only" gig.  The client had already booked a DJ and photo booth (with another company), but wanted lighting, which I was more than happy to provide.

I thought this would give me some insight into what other local DJs are doing, what they are using and what they charge.  I was shocked at what I found...

I will not name the other company, but I will say that they offer DJ, photography and photo booths in Michigan, Ohio and Florida.  They have about 8 DJs that work for them on a "contract" basis.  Many DJs do this to fill gaps in their schedule as we all have to work to make a living.  I do 3-4 contract events per year, myself (not for this particular company though).

I was shocked to see this...

 

This picture could have easily been taken back in the '90s, but it was taken this past Friday in 2013!  The equipment and extremely small collection of CDs are relics of an era long gone.  Don't get me wrong, CDs are fine for home use, but not for a professional.  At the most, this DJ had no more than 5,000 songs with him.

The DJ Guy carries nearly 100,000 songs with instant access to any one of the 26 million songs from iTunes or Amazon.

 

The lighting he uses wasn't any better... par cans with incandescent bulbs and gel colored sheets over them to provide a whopping FOUR colors! (and the only other light was from the spot and disco ball)

The DJ Guy uses all LED lighting.  It's brighter, more vibrant and doesn't burn out (20 year life expectancy).  Our two par cans flood the dance floor with up to 16 colors, in addition to the specialty gobo scanner and whole-room pattern lighting of our other specialty lights.

You'll also notice that his speakers are on the floor.  This is an absolute no-no.  When speakers are left on the ground, you get horrible sound that doesn't reach very far and certainly CANNOT be heard at the other end of the room.  This is a problem because announcements, speeches and toasts will not be heard by the guests.

I arrived back at the end of the reception about 20 minutes early for lighting removal and walked in to see if it had ended early.  There were about 5 people dancing so I stood out in the hallway waiting.  I got to hear him speak, which he did very professionally, so there was no problem there, but... the songs he played at the end of the night were all very dated.  I realize that every couple has different music tastes, but having met the (young) couple myself, I don't think these were their choices.

I did ask him what company he was with and the next day, I inquired about a wedding DJ for 6 hours at the same venue.  I first received a automated reply, which stated: "We deliver ALL of our services using a very high minimum standard.  It is our passion, time and experience that puts us above the rest, and we show it time and time again!"

If standards are so high, why isn't the quality of the equipment?  Why is the DJ carrying such a limited selection?  Why are the speakers on the ground?

I was dying to know what they charge for an event and finally a few hours later, I got my answer - sort of.

The email said they had my fictitious wedding date available and that they would like to speak to me about the date (though I had already provided everything needed for a proper quote.  At the very bottom in small print was a link to pricing...

$900!

I couldn't believe it.  For that same amount you could get our Gold Package, which not only includes a FAR better DJ, sound system, music selection and lighting; but also two additional services of your choice!  (up lighting, ceremony sound, monogram projection or slide show).

This particular company had a very nice website, which other than my own, is rare.  Having done web design in the past, I know the importance of a good, easy to navigate site.  A good website isn't everything though and that's something this other company needs to learn.

I also inquired about their photo booth. Their photo booth is TWICE the price of ours!

As the owner of The DJ Guy, I GUARANTEE that you will have the absolute best in sound, music selection, lighting and professional looking setup; at the best prices.

Call us today to book your "once in a lifetime" event!

Venue Review: Joy Manor in Westland

I've been a bit behind on venue reviews this summer.  Putting together a high quality photo booth and getting the word out takes a LOT of time and energy.  That being said, the photo booth is going strong now and I need get some reviews up, so expect to see a bunch of them over the next few weeks.

Joy Manor in Westland is one of the very first venues I worked in.  I believe it has changed owners a few times since then, but not a whole lot has changed.  I've been here at least 25 times over the years.

It's still in a slightly run down area, located behind a rock bar with seedy patrons.

 

The food is questionable at best. A prime example would be packaged ham slices with who knows what, rolled up inside and a white cream of some sort on top... veggies that have been cooking for 6 hours and are nothing more than mush... I have had a few "day after" situations that I don't care to discuss online.  While the food doesn't look too bad, most of the time, you aren't even sure what it is you're eating.

 (from a wedding in early 2013)

The hall has two rooms upstairs and one downstairs (that I have never seen). The room on the left is smaller and less ornate than the larger room on the right.

 (from a wedding in early 2013)

In July, I did a wedding reception for a really great couple in the larger room. The food was on the better end of their spectrum and the couple were celebrating their marriage (and more) a year late, as the groom is in the military. (I have the highest respect for those that serve our country and offer a discount to active military members as a thank you to them)

One of the problems I have with this room is the setup. As you've seen from my previous post on room setup, this is NOT an ideal situation for sound. The dance floor is located in the middle of the room with no power outlets near it. This leaves the DJ no choice, but to setup along the wall, placing tables between the speakers, lighting and dance floor.

The couple had a surprise in store for their guests and family as you'll see in the video...

 
Overall, Joy Manor is an average venue at best, with below average food and dated decor.  I'm sure that pricing for this venue is very reasonable as it is always busy with various events, but the poor layout of the larger room makes it one of my least favorite places to hold a wedding reception. That being said, it's still not the worst.  http://www.joymanor.com/

 

My comments are strictly my opinion based on experiences I have had here and are meant to help couples find a location that best fits their needs and budget.

NEW SOUND SYSTEM!

Over the last 11 years, I've used an outstanding Yamaha sound system.  Not once in the 11 years, have I ever had any issue with this sound system.  Unfortunately, everything becomes outdated over time and in order to keep up with the newer, lighter, and more powerful systems, it was time to upgrade.  While I would have liked to stay with Yamaha, I couldn't justify paying three times the price for a new sound system.

This past Spring I made the decision to go with a lighter, powered speaker.  A friend of mine had told me about the ALTO pro sound (I like the name too!) speakers.  They are made by parent company, InMusic Brands, which also owns Akai, Alesis, MAudio and Numark, so their background is rock solid.  I was a bit skeptical about going with smaller speakers as I've always had 15" speakers to get the bass to kick.  After hearing the 12" speakers, I was amazed at the size, weight and sound.  I made the decision to go with two of those and a 15" subwoofer.  This is quite a change as I've always used just two speakers (and an 800 watt mixer/amp) and have now gone to a three speaker setup (with 2000 watts available).

Alto TS112a powered speaker

The result is incredible.   I have more than double the power of the old system and excellent bass response from the sub, creating a sound system that is top notch!  That doesn't mean I'll be using all that power, but it's nice to know I have it when I need it.

I've already received great response from the first wedding I did.  They commented how clean and clear the sound was that was coming out of the speakers.

My back will also appreciate the weight difference... the new speakers with amps are HALF the weight of my old speakers without amps.  Having amps built in also means I have not one, not two, but THREE speakers that have their own power supply, eliminating the need to carry a backup amp.  The amps are also class D, which means they use the latest technology to provide clean sound with VERY little power draw.

Call today and book your event!  517-404-0418

EcoBooth Photo Booth - Ready To Go!

Looking to add a photo booth to your event?  How about just having the photo booth without a DJ?

NO PROBLEM!  There are three options to choose from, each a little more expensive than the other, but offering quite a bit more with each step up.  You can add a photo booth to your event for as little as $200 or if you just want a stand alone photo booth with the full package... you can take advantage of the LIMITED TIME SPECIAL!

2013 Weddings - some familiar places

Tonight's wedding, while short, was very nice.  This one took place at the Howell Opera House, which I have reviewed before.  In case you missed my review, search for "opera house" in the search bar on the left.  What I haven't done in the past is provide a lot of pictures, so here they are...

This is my setup, with the new lighted facade.  I think it looks clean and professional, hopefully you feel the same way.  The reflective tape on the tripods prevents numerous accidents every year.  I see a lot of DJs who wrap their tripods in white (which looks a little tacky to me) and worse yet, in black, which makes them even harder to see when the lights are low and people are dancing.  There are plenty of venues that don't allow sufficient space for the DJ's setup or have them setup in a high traffic area and having someone's grandmother or aunt trip over a speaker stand with her walker is just not a good thing, so I made sure they COULD be seen.

Food was provided by Gerard's Catering and was VERY good.  They were also smart enough to put the salad and salad plates at the end of the line so you don't have to carry two plates while getting your main course - SMART!

 

EcoBooth at Pink Party

The 2013 Howell Pink Party was huge success once again.  Guests tried out our new EcoBooth photo booth and loved it!

Over 150 pictures were taken and placed in our wedpics.com gallery.  Everyone seemed to like the fact that EcoBooth is the ONLY socially-networked photo booth of it's kind.

The full gallery of pictures from the photo booth can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151671308470733.1073741827.604480732&type=3

For details on how to book EcoBooth for your event, call us today at 517-404-0418 or visit us online at www.thedjguy.info