The bet - Clarke MacArthur - the next Ovechkin or Flash in the pan?

I’m in this hockey pool right now and I have this one buddy who picked up Clarke MacArthur who plays for the Maple Leafs. So MacArthur has been on a tear over the first few games of the season, and after my buddy picked him up, I made fun of him for his choice and then we got in a debate as to how good MacArthur really is. I’m calling BS on the whole thing as he’s clearly over achieving and he’s saying he’s the next Ovechkin. Only way to resolve the dispute, put something on the line. I bet that MacArthur will not clear over 50 points this year, while my buddy thinks he will crush that. 50 or under points – I’m good, 51 or over – it’s not good for me.

So what’s on the line? We tried to do money, but that’s just lame, so we came up with something a little more creative… My buddy hates house music – HATES it. Ha ha ha. And right now he’s in this cosmic vortex where he only listens to reggae. Not your Bob Marley stuff either, the hard core Rasta vibes. Like the stuff where the guy on the mic randomly blurts out – WO-man, or Ladies, Ladies, Ladies. We determined that the loser of the bet has to listen to a CD that the other guy makes for him for 1 whole week. Every time he gets in the car the CD has to be fired up, full volume, no wussing out, on repeat, all day everyday for 7 days. Of course he’s planning to give me the most annoying Rasta vibes out there while I’m gunning for nothing but 140 BPM’s that’s as repetitive and annoying as it can possibly be! Ha ha ha, should be great! I think it’s win-win for me though – I win the bet I get to laugh at him all week. I lose, no biggy, I like Reggae anyway! Ha ha ha! Pride’s on the line though so giddy up! Here’s the link for Clarke MacArthur’s stats:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=3565&hubname=nhl-maple_leafs

Currently he’s on pace for 65 points – ruh ro! All good though, at the time of the bet he was on pace for 40 goals and 80 points, so at least the curve is flattening out in my direction…

Boom, boom, boom, shake the room!!!

Sub woofers are the key to turning your dance into a mini club! Effects go a long way as well, but really it's all about the sound. I'm talking bass in yo face! Not only are subs the bomb, but they also happen to be a great place for people to put their drinks, since they're dancing and all. But what people forget is bass bins create a low sound vibration which will fill the entire room and sounds great, but they cause objects (ex - wine glasses, beer bottles, glasses) to shake, shake, shake, and magically move. 

I was doing this one event where alcohol was flowing freely, tons of people were there and the bass bins doing what their thing. Anyway everyone was putting their glasses on the subs and I kept hearing these funny "ching" noises all night. See the picture below to see the carnage that was done by the bass bins - bah ha ha! It's enough to make a glass maker cry!!!

 

Keep in mind that's just one of the bass bins, the other one had the same amount of damage! Ha ha! Next time you're at a dance and that sub woofer is looking like a great spot to put your drink, think twice - especially if you're paying for the drinks!!!

Dance floor Rihanna is back!!!

Dance Floor Rihanna is back! And I for one cannot be happier about this. Her last album was yeah – she had popular hits on there but c’mon you’re targeting the Junior High crowd with Rated R (her last album). You got to give her a free pass as she just broke up with Chris Brown (and yeah we all know what happened there), but let’s move on! This is her niche, her forte and I’m hoping her new album “Loud” which will drop in Novy will stick with this formula.

So I was just in New Orleans or N’Awlins as the locals call it – anyway total gong show! I was in one of the touristy stores buying stuff and in the stores in N'Awlins, the doors are wide open – almost like Flea Market styles and they’re all equipped with almost DJ’ish sound systems. The store operator was a female, about 55 ish yrs old, East Indian, is at the till and I’m just about to pay for my items and then Rihanna “Only Girl” comes on and here’s the dialogue below:

Her: Vait a minute (walks over to the amplifier and CRANKS IT!!! Ba ha ha!!!)

Me: This song is killer hey?

Her: (as she’s bobbing her head to the music) I just love this song. It makes me so happy

Me: Yeah it’s great

Her: You know… so many songs are depressing and don’t make you feel good, but this song…it makes me happy every time I hear it

Ha ha ha! So wicked. Especially since she was older’ish and full on getting into the grove while she was ringing my order through. Ha ha ha.

Here’s to happy tunes and songs that make you feel good! To Rihanna and the store operator “Yo go girl”.

Mic usage 101 - How to be the shiznit on the mic

Hello is this thing on?!?!? Tap, Tap, Tap…Pssssssshhhhhhhh…Psssssssshhhhh…

Yes the microphone is on!!!

I thought I’d go over some basics on microphone usage because the above sequence happens a lot more than I would like.

DON’T BLOW INTO THE MICROPHONE!!!

REPEAT - DON'T BLOW INTO THE MICROPHONE!!! I used caps for a reason. Not just because I wanted to be obnoxious and make it hard for you to read that sentence – as a side note why do some realtors write their entire description on their property for sale in caps?!?! Hello, we can’t read that crap! Blowing into the microphone can cause serious damage to the sensitive filaments inside the microphone. If it was a $20 mic, whatever, but seeing as our wireless mics are around $500 each, we want to keep that mic going for sometime. Talk into it, shout, whisper, rap if you feel so inclined, but please don’t blow into it!

Holding the microphone

If you’re going to hold the microphone, the proper technique is to hold it vertically or at a slight angle with the mic at or near chin level. You’re really aiming for an inch or so below the lips and the chin - but not touching the face.

Talking from a podium

If you’re giving a speech at a wedding and you’re not reading your speech, I recommend holding it as above and you’ll get crystal clear sound. If you have a long speech that you’re going to read, leave the mic in the stand but be conscientious of where the mic is located. Last thing you want to do is deliver discourse of the year but nobody in attendance was able to hear what you were saying because you were too far away from the mic. If you do wander from the mic, we will adjust the volume but keep in mind that you’re increasing the chances of blowing the crowd away with feedback (amplified hum that is picked up by the mic from the speaker, re-amplified, picked up by the mic, re-amplified by the speaker – this looping can get LOUD quick!!!). Watch your distances with the mic but keep it consistent and your DJ, who is now acting as your sound technician, will compensate.

Stay in formation

Never get the microphone out of position! So you have a wireless mic, you’re the star of the show and you can go wherever you want as you’re not bound by cords – ahhhh… Well remember that thing called feedback? You will have hot/danger zones that you will want to avoid so you will reduce the amount of feedback. For one, right in front of the speaker is a horrible place to stand. Especially if you’re a male with a deeeeeeep voice, stay away from the sub woofers! Repeat stay away! Should you encounter feedback we’ll do our best to eliminate it, but really the best thing you can do is ask your DJ where the “hot spots” are before you go on your journey with your cordless mic. Funny story, I was doing this event and this one guy wanted to get on the mic and congratulate everyone on a job well done. As I’m handing over the mic he asks “where are the hot spots? I used to DJ so I know this stuff”. As I pass him the mic and begin to tell him where they are he drops the mic to his side, waist level which co-incidentally happens to be directly in front of the sub woofer – NICE! Ha ha ha. Can you say “Feedback” boys and girls? Ha ha ha. His face gave me the “Ooooh Riiiiiiight” kinda look. Once he got the initial awkwardness out of the way - he was good to go.

Anyway hope that helps you out with mic usage. It’s one of those small things, but if you use the mic correctly it can mean a world of difference.

And the winner goes to...

On Sunday Lady Gaga cleaned up at the MTV VMA awards and won best pop video for Bad Romance - Kudos. Great track, burned up the charts, and a fairly entertaining video to watch. The award basically goes to the top song of the year as opposed to best video or most creative. No disrespect to Gaga (Cause honestly I love her tunes and beleive she's making a run at Madonna - who by the way is the best female recording artist of our time - followed by a close second with Janet Jackson) but here's my top 2 videos of the year.

1) Marco Calliari - We No Speak Americano. Ok it's not the greatest video ever, but it's wicked entertaining to watch, the tune is contagious, and who doesn't love fat clowns and fake donkeys?!?! Ha ha ha!

2) Gorillaz - Stylo. For entertainment value - Best video of the year. It's like you're watching a movie - and seriously, how can you not like anything with Bruce Willis in it?!?! Love the song, the CD is killer, and the video from a creative standpoint cannot be beat. Enjoy.

Wedding DJ's...more than just music!

Here's a few of the great youtube clips out there that showcase some Wedding DJ's skills - or serious lack thereof! Ha ha! But hey, you're paying for entertainment right? Ha ha ha!

This guy has the best moves ever! If only I could have used those moves in my club kid days - Electric Circus would have had me on the show weekly...

Mad skills

I don't even know what to think about this guy - ha ha! Two questions - 1) What was he thinking?!?!? 2) How... how oh HOW does she not even flinch during that?!?!?!

Keep it real at your wedding reception

Everyone loves a drink and more often than not alcohol flows freely and often during a wedding reception. This may or may not be bad in your opinion. But please consider this, just think of the amount of money you have invested into this one moment, this one day, is it really the time to get completely hammered beyond any point of recognition? Now I’m not saying you should completely abstain (although there may be upside to this as you can watch your friends make jackasses of themselves instead!) but it comes down to this – keep it real! You see what I’m sayin’? Case in point – Groomzilla. Groomzilla was hitting the alcohol hard and early. I wasn’t at the ceremony but was told he was blitzed for the entire thing and was quite entertaining to watch – guest satisfaction - off the charts, bride not so much. As the day continued, so did the alcohol. By the time Groomzilla got through dinner and it was his turn to toast the bride - his speech was completely unrecognizable. I was seriously wondering if the Groom was speaking English – ha ha! So after that we get to the cake cutting. While the bride was looking all pretty and cutting the cake Groomzilla grabs the cake with his hand and jams it into the brides face. Now this is funny in just about any other setting, but at a wedding reception when your soon to be wifey is wearing a WHITE dress and the icing on the cake is dark brown, yowza – that dress just becomes a Tide special. So not only is her dress stained, but her make up is ruined as well. On a normal day my wifey is spending 20 mins or so doing make up and all that fun stuff. On a bride’s wedding day times that by 10. So our poor bride has just enjoyed cake in the face and brown on the gown – perfect way to start the marriage. But oh it gets better. Groomzilla is the King Kong of what to do wrong (I’m digging on the rhyming, shoulda been a rapper). So after all this there’s this major hole in the program while we’re waiting for this poor bride to wash her clothes and redo her make-up. 40 mins later she returns and amazingly is all good with the groom. In the meantime he’s pounding more alcohol and living it up with his buddies up until the first dance. Groomzilla is so tanked that he can’t dance with the bride! But oh it get’s better, when he dances with his Mom it’s down to the drunk sway and after that charming moment, Groomzilla begins to walk off the dance floor and BAM! Face plants on the floor. Finally he gets helped up by a few friends after the laughs, and then they help him to the nearest chair to catch a breather. A few precious moments later and BAM, he falls sideways off the chair! Ha ha. Finally he’s escorted outside to “have a breather” and sober up, however he ends up passing out and sleeping off the alcohol for 4 hours!!! 4!!! So basically he’s off on his own sleeping off the alcohol, while the bride is left to deal with the mess. Nice. Surprisingly the dance was actually ok, and we got the crowd moving but there’s no question the actions of Groomzilla hampered the flow of the party and affected the mood. Pitty the party had so much potential…He did show up for the dance but by this time it was 12:20 am and there was about an hour that he had to light it up. Perfect, I’m sure that’s what the bride had always dreamed of… So while you may want to pound a few brews during your wedding day to celebrate with your bro's, make sure you keep it real!!!

“Be Your Own Miracle” - Come out and support the kids!

UPDATE!!!

Congrats to Chad and Traci for putting on a great event! Through their amazing work and efforts they were able to raise over $14,000!!! Amazing. We were honoured to help out and contribute to such a great cause. If you would still like to donate - feel free to do so at:

http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=8479

https://secure.csfm.com/kidscancer/donate/general/index.php

Bakground

Last week I received a call from Chad who is putting on a baseball tourney to raise funds for the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta and the Oncology Group at the Alberta Children’s hospital. I was touched by what Traci and Chad were trying to do – and honestly how can you say “no” to supporting kids with cancer?!?!  If you can come out or donate to support a great cause, it would be much appreciated! Here are the details I received on the event (posted on behalf of Traci and Chad Rhyason).

Leland’s Tournament

“Be Your Own Miracle”

Baseball Tournament, Silent Auction and Dance

When: August 20-22, 2010

Where: Huntington Hills Community Association - 78th Ave. & Centre St. NW

Cost: $20.00/person for the slo-pitch tournament mixed format (at least 3 females) $10.00/person for the dance/silent auction

What: We will be hosting a mixed slow-pitch tournament at Huntington Hills diamonds; there will be a dance/silent auction after the games on August 21 with ALL the proceeds going to charities. You can join as a team or an individual and we assist in putting teams together. Registration deadline is August 13, 2010

Why: Our son was diagnosed with Leukemia on May 14, 2010; this news has changed our lives in so many ways. With an amazing support group and a strong little boy our son, Leland, is responding well to treatments but, not everyone is as fortunate as we are. We are raising funds for two causes which are near and dear to our hearts. Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta (KCCFA) is a charitable organization that helps build bridges of hope and pillars of support for families fighting childhood cancer. The Oncology Group at the Alberta Children’s hospital are the ones that have taken wonderful care of us throughout this experience. They are members of a country wide group that shares research so they can hopefully one day find a cure. Cancer touches the life’s of many but until you wake up one morning and are living with it daily you tend not to advocate for it hard enough. So here we are asking for your help in any way, join the tournament, donate a prize for the silent auction, come to the dance, bid on silent auction items or donate any amount directly to the cause by clicking on the link below:

http://www.canadahelps.org/gp/8479

Regards,

Traci Rhyason.

If you would like to donate/play in the tourney, e-mail me via the form submission on the Contact Us page and I will forward your info on to Chad. If you would like to make an online donation click on the following link:

https://secure.csfm.com/kidscancer/donate/general/index.php

If you want to come down and enjoy the silent auction and dance, we’ll be spinning tracks on August 21 at the Huntington Community Centre (Centre Street and 72^nd Ave) from 7pm-1am. See you there!

Happy Birthday DJ!!!

Another year, another number. Just wanted to post about a surprise party that my wifey planned for me that was killer!!! She rented a Gladiator joust ring, had a bunch of friends over, BBQ, games - good times all around. Great job babe! And I wanted to highlight a cake that was made for me - check this DJ Turntable cake - it's awesome!

The cake was made by my cousin's wifey (Alita) and she did a fabulous job - Thanks Alita!!! She makes all kinds of cakes - wedding, birthday party, sweet 16, anniversary - whatever event you have planned, she can help you out. If you want to contact Alita, shoot me an e-mail and I'll pass your info onto her.

Background Music

Background music at your wedding reception is the most important thing you’re going to choose all day!!! Ha ha ha, ok well not really but it does carry some weight. When I ask couples what kind of background music they want during Cocktails/Dinner the frequent response is "something traditional" or "mellow". That's fine, but you should really be playing music that identifies with you and the people there as opposed to what you think the background music should be that’s played at a wedding. Make sense? Here's an example - I did a wedding a few weeks ago in Rural Alberta and I got the frequent response that they wanted "traditional music" - which I played. When I arrived at the wedding and saw those in attendance, clearly "traditional music" was not going to work with this crowd when the bulk of those in attendance were wearing cowboy hats etc. Not to misrepresent cowboys/cowgirls, but let's be honest, do they really want to hear Mozart? Or would they much rather hear some mellow country - Lonestar, Faith Hill, etc? Funny thing is one of the guests came up to me and said "Why are you playing this crap?!?!? Give us something we want to hear!!!". I couldn't help but laugh as I couldn't have agreed with him more.

If you're going for traditional and elegant, then Mozart and classical is where you need to go. If your wedding reception is more casual then you should think of adjusting the background music to reflect that. The background music will not make or break your wedding but it DOES add to the overall ambiance on the night. Like everything on your wedding day, go with what's you.

Make an Entrance!!!

Probably one of the most overlooked segments of the night however one that I feel carries great importance is the selection of your entrance song. True you can follow standard code and go with something mellow and romantic, but why follow tradition?!?! Go with a high energy, high impact song that is upbeat and gets the crowd going! Your entrance song will set the mood for the night. You want a party? This is the best and easiest way to do it! So how do you select your entrance song – well that’s up to you. It is your wedding reception and it’s imperative that it has “your touch” all over it. Grab your iPod, go to your top 10 most played songs and find a song that you identify with and a vast majority of your crowd. If for example a bulk of “your girls” are going to be there and you all have a party song that you love that represents all those times that you went out and had a great time – that could be your song. Whether it’s Rock, Hip-Hop, Dance, whatever, if you identify with it and so does a majority of your crowd, you’ve just made the best possible start to your night.

While you’re walking in and your MC is introducing you, don’t just walk in – MAKE AN ENTRANCE!!! Do you have to choreograph everything - well it would be great if you did, but it is not necessary. The best thing you can do is acknowledge your guests as you are walking in, wave at them, wink, celebrate, high five, bow, dance with your spouse, whatever. But what you have done is instead of just walking in; you have made your guests a part of your entrance and your moment. The night is all about you but if you can include some of your guests along the way and highlight how important they are to you in your life, you’ll leave a lasting impression. Here’s to you and hoping you find that one entrance song that will set you apart from every other wedding.

Entrance Song Rule of thumb - the more energy this songs carries, the better…

K'naan waving Flag Song

Ok this is so not DJ related, but I love soccer and seriously can't wait until the World Cup starts. Whether you're a fan or not, you gotta love this song - Wavin' Flag by K'naan.

Boom Boom Pow!!!

When you’re looking for a DJ a question that should be asked a lot more than it is the following “what type of system do you have and how many watts?”. The thing that most people look for is price which is fine, but do you really want your DJ showing up with a system that is equivalent to a Ghetto Blaster?

A general rule of thumb (and I use this loosely as many different factors can debunk this rule such as smaller/larger rooms, being outdoors, if the venue is contained, and general acoustics within the room) is you’ll need 1 Watt per person. Without getting into the science, angles etc, it is a good general rule. If you’re having a wedding reception with 150 guests a system that can pump out 150 Watts (75 watts per channel) should have you covered. Although with speakers, amps etc more is always better. Most DJ’s use a 2 speaker set up with varying amps which is fine and appropriate for certain events. But to get rich, and better sound you’re better off using a 4 speaker set up or more. If you’re afraid of having bass bins at your reception because you don’t want to shake Grandma Jones’ dentures out – have no fear, although it can be done I you want! Ha ha! Bass bins actually allow for better sound quality and you are able to actually turn the volume down as you are getting the right type of sound. If you have a traditional two speaker set up with 150+ guests, often it is necessary to crank the volume and give the audience everything you got! What you end up with is loud music (which isn’t necessarily a good thing) and the high range gives you the “tiss, tiss, tiss” sound that kills your eardrums. When you add bass bins to the mix, you can turn down the volume as your Watt per person is still being achieved, yet the sound is better, carries more, and you don’t leave the reception/party like you just left a high powered concert. We like using a 4 speaker set up regardless of the venue or amount of people (unless we’re talking over 300 people, then we’ll use more speakers, and amps) just so we can reach that sweet spot on sound quality. Less volume is more with the right set up and it gives you that boom boom pow at your event.

“Making a list, and checking it twice…”

Once you have chosen a DJ or you are in the process of choosing a DJ for your event, it's always good to go do the following:

Meet your DJ. It’s a fairly simple task to e-mail a few DJ’s go with whatever package meets what you’re looking for and go ahead and book them. However it’s a great idea to sit down face to face with your DJ get to know them (actually find out if the person you’re meeting will in fact be your DJ, instead of sales rep. who then sub-contracts your job out to another DJ or DJ service) and make sure there’s at least some form of “mojo” there with your DJ. If not, you may find that on your event date, things pan out exactly as your first meeting together - mojo was a no-go, and there are personality conflicts. If you find that you do in fact have a different personality than your DJ but still want to book them for your event, just be clear on the type of interaction level you want at your event.

What’s the plan for the night? You should at least have a rough idea of how you want things to go for the night and with Get the Party Started, we insist on planning as much as possible on the time line just so the event flows. Make sure you do this with your DJ in advance and review it as your event nears. Sure you can pull off the perfect event without planning, but it sure makes it a lot easier and less stressful when things are planned in advance.

Where is your event and does your DJ know where it is? This should go without saying, but it’s always good to go over it with your DJ. Since timelines are paramount at your event, the last thing you want is your DJ showing up late because he/she was “lost”. It’s always good to go to your venue location with your DJ, discuss setup and have a plan for how things will look just to avoid any possible confusion.

Ask about advertising. Do you really want your DJ ramming propaganda down your guest’s throat to promote their business?!?! Your event is about you! You are the star of the show, not your DJ. Make sure that is understood from Day 1. Would we like to receive extra business as a result of your event? Yes, but there is a time and a place for everything. Trying to pump shameless propaganda during your wedding reception or event is definitely not the appropriate time.

Plan and plan some more. Wow that’s a common theme on this thread…Hmmm almost as if it’s important – ha ha ha. Work with your DJ to carve out a list of songs that you want played and even more importantly songs you don’t want played! I’m not suggesting that the entire play list needs to be set out from Day 1 (otherwise use an iPod) but what I am suggesting is creating a list or at least a feel for what you want. That way your DJ can work your list, incorporate that into the current music being played and read the crowd into how and when to play that certain song next.

Where’s the love? You found your DJ, stress is over, you’ve signed a contract and now your DJ is missing in action. Contact should occur after you book your event. Whether it’s firming up details, changing details at your event, or song selections, there should be contact after you book your event. First of all everyone is in the loop, second you have just formed a relationship with someone who will be a part of your big day; surely a few e-mails after booking will not be too much to ask. Keeping in contact with your DJ is the best way to stay on the same level and ensure you receive what you’re paying for.

Doing the little things in advance is what makes an average event a great one. Primarily because you’ll get what you expect and the DJ knows what you want. Plan, plan, plan and plan some more and you'll find that your event will pan out as expected. Happy Planning!!!

Hire a DJ or use an iPod?

Hey it’s a recession, bills are adding up and now the great debate – hire a DJ or use an iPod?

There are benefits to using an iPod over a DJ (why I am arguing for this I do not know…Ha ha)

• You’re able to create a play list of all your favourite tunes and ensure they all get played at a fixed time
• Have direct control of what songs get played
• Not have to worry about the DJ showing up
• Save some money – hey it is a recession!

Benefits to using a DJ over an iPod

• Play requests that your guests may have
• Ability to read the audience on the dance floor and know when to change the type of music
• Format can be adjusted to the appetite of the crowd
• Effects, effects, effects – I can’t overstate this enough. Ambiance is key!!! If you plan on wowing your crowd and giving them that extra motivation to shake, shake, shake their booty, effects can often do the trick
• Do you really plan on using a home stereo system on one of the biggest days of your life?!?!
• A DJ should have licensed music that he/she can play at your event. Did you know that it is necessary to have a license just to play music in any digital form (you can play music has been bought directly from the store – CD’s, but then someone is going to have to change from CD to CD)
• Maintain flow at your event and be able to sit back, relax and enjoy yourself

I was talking with another DJ about this same dilemma and he replied “The whole idea of using an iPod for your music for your event is equal to going out in a field and picking some flowers and saying your florist arrangements are taken care of for your wedding”. Ha ha ha!!! Which answer is the correct one? I’ll leave that up to you; but in my opinion I do recommend using the services of a professional DJ at your event.

"How much do you cost?"

If you're looking for a DJ, your search parameters have to be larger than "how much do you cost?". It's a great starting point for sure, but at some point value and product has to come into play. I've heard from multiple sources telling me of mistakes their friends have made in hiring a DJ. The story often goes that their friend came accross a "great deal" for a DJ only charging a minimal amount for their wedding reception, limited questions were asked/presented, and the result is all too familiar - the dancefloor was dead, everybody left early and the dance was over before it even started - nice! So how do you determine if a DJ is what they say they are? First of all they should act in a professional manner and should at least have the following to be deemed a true "professional"

• Liability insurance
• Licensed music
• Business cards
• Website
• State of the art equipment
• Lighting effects that will transform your event and create the proper ambiance
• Photo's and videos from past events
• Meet with you in person
• Have a contract that secures your booking
• Plan, plan, plan and plan some more

I cannot stress that last point enough! If your DJ is just going to meet with you the day before or casually talk on the phone to determine what you want - yikes! Run for your iPod or get somebody else! Your dance is the key to your reception and planning in advance is only going to help things go even more smoothly.

So next time you're looking for a DJ for your event, see if they're able to answer more than the golden question "how much do you cost?"

Wedding Pictures

For most couples, the majority of their pictures with the family and bridal party are taken directly after the ceremony while the guests are enjoying cocktails. However, some photographers like to take the Bride and Groom away from the reception to snap a few photos or to capture a sunset shot. That is fine, but please be aware of the time - remember, your guests want to have a great time and party with you. If they don't see you, they may assume that you have left and that the reception is ending soon. This kills the dance and people will start to leave. To avoid this, simply schedule the majority of your family and bridal party photos before your grand entrance. Always let your DJ know ahead of time if you are going to leave the reception area for photos so that he can plan something to entertain the guests while you are gone. Your wedding reception is going to fly by very quickly; make sure you are there to enjoy it!