BrideZilla!!!!

Scary Funny!

Bride Zilla caught on video! 

What are the Top Trends for Weddings and wedding DJ's in 2017?

Each year I chat with Hundreds of DJ's, wedding Vendors and lot's of brides too, from across the Nation to find out what's trending! I found these as the TOP TRENDS for BRIDES planning for their 2017 celebration!...

MORE Brides will use online tools to plan their 2017 wedding! Online magazines...including our FAV at www.centraloregonevents.net will become more popular...the big wedding magazines are available at stores have always been a favorite of the past to thumb through...but many have become more Advertising heavy and lite on content, tips and ideas...Brides are focused on local resources in Bend Oregon, for their Central Oregon Wedding Planning Ideas now more than ever!

Wedding Blogs will be accessed more while the bride researches options and a huge site pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/davestarman/ will be accessed by more brides than ever!

Wedding Web Sites will increase by 30%! Wedding Wire will be a big HIT in 2017! Brides and Grooms can announce their celebration through their partner portal, as well as plan their event with tools available through Wedding Wire...one of the most comprehensive planning and organizational tools available. Check it out HERE. The KNOTT has great websites too!

More Brides will ASK..."can i talk to or email your references!?". Yes a TOP Trend for 2017 will be that more Brides will use past customer referrals ... by calling or emailing for a reference, and even more through Technology. The primary reason is that Brides rely on referrals and recommendations more than ever to pick the pro's they can trust for the biggest party they will ever throw. With resources like wedding wire, the knot.com and other growing online referral sources it's easy to check on the wedding professional's past experiences. If a event professional does not show references on their website...maybe they are hiding something? While other sites like YELP offer referrals too...wedding wire is based on wedding customers and clients making your referral searches alot more selective.

DIY Produced "Save the Date" Video's...www.Animoto.com offers a FREE way to input your scanned or digital pix and create a really fun way to announce your wedding date to your family and friends to save the date as well as get a pulse on how many of your friends. See a sample here www.starproductionsdjs.com



Decor Lighting or Up Lighting: Lighting can really make a normal room with decorations  into a room that spotlights elements with light! For instance...the cake can be lit with small lighting to make it stand out more...Up lighting can emphasize or soften parts of the room...Brides and Groom's initials projected with lighting on a wall or dance floor will be used more in 2017!


More "Dance-Able" Sets: A Professional DJ has the ability to take a POP song recorded in the 60's and transform the same song into a more "dance able" track! We use this as a tool to bring all ages to the dance floor...while remixed songs is not new to the industry, the remix tools that are available to the DJ are more accessible and work within multi-platform computers...Mac or PC...


Many wedding businesses will offer one stop shop options with related products or services. For instance Caterer's will work with Beverage Vendors to work with them and design food and drink options as a combination of services. DJ's will have systems for "rent" for the wedding and offer a sound technician to handle the ceremony needs of additional mics and music...many times allowing a small trio to plug into the ceremony system may lower costs of a live band, since they don't need to bring in extra equipment.

Dance Instructors at wedding receptions will be more popular in 2017! We have found this increasing on the east coast.

Pre-Produced Choreographed First dance's will be a big 2017 HIT!....check out the best first dance ever on you tube...this will give the bride and groom a way to spotlight their styles in a creative and fun way!

More "Guest Interaction": Your DJ/MC has more tools to bring everyone to the dance floor...ask your DJ about Dance elements like the groove line, the Stroll,the hustle...some fun dances of the past that are designed to get older guests to the dance floor...and mix with some popular dances like the wobble or Cupid Shuffle or "Back it UP"! a good DJ can come up with at least 5 elements that would work to get your guests on the dance floor!

Flash Mob Dances...YES...a 2017 Trend! I have done several events now that involved friends that come to the event prepared with a CUE...and simple choreographed dance sets that will get everyone on the floor! We've used Thriller and a few others that have been entertaining and hilarious to watch the reactions from the guests!

Game's or NO Games? There are ways that rehearsal dinners or early parts of the reception would include...bride and groom trivia cards placed in guest tables to involve the guests and invite conversation based on the couple...we use the "shoe drop" more often now. We even do "Game Show" for rehearsal dinners!

It's no surprise that wedding businesses, including DJ's, are run as a small business. Small businesses generally are distracted, dealing with many daily issues of running a business in addition to maybe working a full time job...
"Increased Customer Service" was recently a discussion at a national convention that seemed to be on the TOP Trending list. Here's what you can learn to expect in 2017.

One way Small successful wedding businesses WILL improve in 2017: Answer their phone and or return phone calls and or emails within 24 hours. If your vendor can't promise this...try selecting another Vendor! As your event gets close, you may want to call or email your vendor for an important question or two and you don't want to wait for an answer...many web sites will have a "contact us now" button, making them more accessible from their web site! Many Vendors will have a Smart Phone and be able to get back to you within an hour...not days...

We will have more trends from more vendors soon! Stay tuned! of course you can email me your questions to us as well!

The Best DJ? TOP 100! WOW!!!

Dave Star Receives the Elite WeddingWire Rated™ Black Badge For Commitment To Providing Quality Service

Bend, OR – 10.27.2016 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading online wedding marketplace, is pleased to announce that Dave Star at Star Productions DJs has reached the prestigious WeddingWire Rated™ Black Level, by earning more than 100 wedding reviews for DJ Services in Bend, Oregon,

The esteemed WeddingWire Rated™ program recognizes wedding professionals who have received positive newlywed reviews about their business on WeddingWire.  Since receiving over 100 wedding reviews, Star Productions DJs is now placed at the elite Rated™ Black Level. The program recognizes businesses across more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and requires a minimum of three wedding reviews and an average score of 3.5 stars or higher.

Within the WeddingWire Rated™ program, there are seven different levels that wedding professionals can reach based on the number of wedding reviews they receive (3, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500).  The prestigious WeddingWire Rated™ Black badge is reserved for a select group of businesses who have received 100 or more newlywed reviews.

As a member of WeddingWire, the world's largest wedding review site with over one million reviews, Star Productions DJ's advancement to the Rated™ Black Level is considered the ultimate milestone, illustrating the business' commitment to regularly providing quality service to their clients. As a WeddingWire Rated™ Black badge-holder, Star Productions DJs has reached the highest level of achievement on WeddingWire.

"To have exceeded 100 client reviews is a tremendous accomplishment that only a select group of wedding professionals have reached," said Sonny Ganguly, CMO, WeddingWire. "We are honored to recognize  Star Productions DJs for their impressive work within the wedding industry as indicated by their past clients. This great achievement showcases their strong track record of success and a steadfast commitment to earning positive reviews, each and every year."

           

StarProductionsDJs.com offers unique holiday party ideas!

Want your holiday party to be something your staff and guests will enjoy?

email me now for availability and pricing.

Still Considering the DIY DJ idea?

Thought i'd share this great DIY DJ idea from the web....read on...(my comments and Avg cost in brackets)

"How to DJ Your Own Wedding With an iPod or Laptop

DIY DJ Tips and Tricks

By Nina Callaway, About.com Guide

DJing your own wedding is a great way to save money, and it allows you control of your reception playlist. Yet a DJ does a lot more than just push play, and if you don't plan ahead, you might end up with poor sound, the wrong songs, or technical difficulties!

What You'll Need to DIY DJ Your Wedding

Obviously, you'll need a reliable Mp3 player such as an IPod (Cost $300.00) capable of holding enough music (Enough music is about 150 songs...cost about 1.20 per track $200.00). I recommend that you have a playlist that is an hour or two longer than the length of your reception, which will allow you to start the music before guests arrive and have backup. You'll also need a good speaker system, a mixing console, a microphone (either wireless or with a long enough cable), and a cable to connect the Mp3 player – most likely a mini-stereo to dual RCA (male) cord, depending on your mixing console. (Average cost for a PA system rental like this $500.00)

Test It Out

This might seem obvious, but you'll want to leave plenty of time to test out your system and speakers. (Time for set up about 1.5 hours) You may need a different kind of cable, or your mp3 player might not play well with others. (Whoops...better find that cord in sound check mode) Rental equipment has been known to fail, (TRUE)  and you'll need time to get a replacement delivered. (Time? to get 2nd system up? about 1 hour...maybe) Static, feedback, poor sound balance, and low volume are just a few of the problems you might encounter. If your venue does weddings regularly, chances are they can walk you through the DIY DJ setup, but it's better to be safe than sorry. (cost for this... 75.00 to 100.00 for system delivery, $250.00 for a tech to deliver run and remove the system at the end of the night...totally worth a TECH!!!!! Trust me!)

Have a Backup Plan and a Backup Backup Plan

Along with your main Mp3 player and its power cable, it's a good idea to bring a second Mp3 player or a laptop - all loaded with your music. You'll also want to have on hand the name of an equipment rental company who does last minute deliveries. In case no one is dancing and you need to switch directions, you'll want that extra hour or two of music mentioned above. Odds are, you won't need any of your backups, but the cliché of "it's better to be safe than sorry" is especially true in this case.

Prevent "Guest DJs"

There's always that one guest who doesn't like what's playing and tries to change things up. Instead of bombarding a regular DJ with requests, she'll be trying to hit shuffle on your playlist, or even switch the cable to her own device. But you can prepare for this bad wedding guest. First, ask for music requests, either on your wedding website, or on your reply cardswith a line like "Name some artists or songs you're hoping to hear at our reception" or "What songs are sure to get you dancing?" Hearing a favorite song might satisfy a would-be guest DJ, but in case it doesn't, you should have an IPod minder or "freejay" who can guard and hit play for any special songs. When the freejay inevitably needs to take a break, hide your device under a taped-down piece of paper that says, "We've chosen our wedding playlist carefully. Please don't touch the IPod!"

Make a Music Plan and Checklist

Make sure you've got a song for every special moment in your wedding, from the first dance to the last one. Here's a wedding reception music plan, which will make sure you know which song should be played and when. Load these key pieces of music onto a separate playlist, ready to cue when necessary, or use an app like MyWeddingDJ.

Crossfade and Cut

One of the most important things that a DJ does is create transitions between songs. Six seconds of silence might not sound like much, but it's certainly enough to kill a mood and empty a dance floor. You might also have a favorite tune with a long intro or an extended ending that just won't work. Fortunately, there are DIY DJ solutions to these problems. Some models of IPods allow gapless playback. You can also use iTunes to both crossfade and cut songs, and DJ apps like Virtual DJ or My Wedding DJ can help you with advanced techniques.

Amplify It

Music that sounds plenty loud in an empty room will be a mere whisper when it competes with a hundred people chatting and laughing. Even if they are completely silent, their bodies alone will absorb sound. Your space may already have a speaker set-up, but be sure to test it out. Many have older speakers that don't operate well at loud volumes, or which may need to be supplemented with additional woofers and speakers. You can rent a basic set-up of an amp and some speakers for about $100 in many areas of the US. (not true here in Central Oregon)

Play Crowd Pleasers and Music That Will Get Them Dancing

As soon as I posted my Do Not Play List, I started to hear complaints from professional DJsthat these were the best songs to fill a dance floor. While I agree that you can use the Chicken Dance or the Electric Slide to bring out some shy folks, there are better and less cheesy ways: Wedding Music To Get Guests Dancing. One of the prime reasons to DIY DJ is that you can control what gets played and avoid the cheese, but I think we can all agree that your wedding is not a time to play only death metal or emo music. You need to think about your guests as well as yourselves.

Don't Rely on an Internet Connection

Streaming music services like Spotify or MOG are great for personal listening, but they can cause big problems at a wedding. If the internet connection goes out or resets, you'll be left without music. Instead, use offline music sources. (like your ipod or CD's)

Reconsider Hiring a Professional DJ
(I like this part)

So all these tips might leave you feeling more prepared. But they could also be overwhelming -- suddenly the simple DIY DJ isn't as simple as you thought. Once you add up the cost of of renting equipment, system delivery...set up take down, and purchasing songs, and the time you'll spend making playlists and getting prepared, you may decide that it's worth it to go pro. To save money, you could consider using a DIY setup for the cocktail hour, and a pro for the reception. (many DJ's include an hour or more of music for dinner & cocktails)

So...if you were doing the math...a DIY DJ can cost you a mere $850.00 plus! Where is the savings in a DIY DJ?)

When Lighting Matters...

Many of my clients don't even think of lighting...but we do.

Why Lighting?

What type of lighting options are there?

Many times events will go on late into the evening. You'll need some basic lighting to illuminate the room or party area. Often times my clients will use cafe style lighting.

Cafe lighting:

Up lighting:
Up lighting is used to give a colored effect that can really make a room look very cool at night! We also use monogram lighting shown in the picture below. Lots of different color options are available

Dance floor effect lighting
Really want your party to bump....then lighting adds that desired "club effect"

Here are some of the fixtures (linked below), we use and video's that show the effect.

Intimidator Spots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O5ecp1oCXs

You may consider dance music videos as well.

Call us to find out more of your lighting options. We can walk your space and give you recommendations...many times our site survey is free! We are happy to help.

Black out just moments before the ceremony! What do you do?!

Recently...our lovely Bride and Groom's (Jen and Charlie) Wedding was hit by a black out!

A total power outage happened as the girls and the bride were lining up to take the forever walk down the isle...Then BAM! All power went out!

The guys were all at the altar, waiting....not sure what to do!

After a few minutes of shock in darkness...the decided they were going to go on with their ceremony!

The Great Hall in Sunriver looked fabulous for an intimate candle lit ceremony for them and the 180 guests in attendance...What a great ...very unique ceremony...in the minutes following the ceremony we had generator power for the outside and indoor celebration that followed!

What a GREAT PARTY! Here's what they had to say about our service's on their day! Star Productions Entertainment Services NW - Satisfaction Survey

can't wait to post the pictures!!!!