Money Dollar Dance

This tradition dates back for literally thousands of years.  Primarily of Asian origins it usually entails a collection of money for the bride and groom to help pay for their honeymoon expenses.  How it got started is not for me to explain since that is another author's story I will let you research that one. 

Traditional - Performing the Money Dollar Dance traditional style will entail the bride and groom dancing to a few songs while everyone joins in by pinning money on them. 

Modified - Involves a collection of money in a basket for the bride and groom while they dance.

DJ PorkChop Style - A few songs are pre-selected prior to the engagement and a theme song from one of PorkChop's all time favorite show's is played while I ask the bride and groom to the dance floor.  I then ask for a bridesmaid to collect money for the bride and a groomsman to collect money for the groom.  The bride and groom are instructed to dance with whom ever gives money for a short period of time.  The Bridesmaid and Groomsman will have them switch off every 15 to 30 seconds or so.  Whoever collects the most money, the bride or the groom, wins it all.  A few songs are played and then we retire the dance in our traditional style with a count off. We then have the bridesmaid and groomsman announce the amounts and award the winner. 

With our DJ PorkChop Money Dollar dance we have a few trade secrets we do not wish to share here.  All we can say is the DJ is highly involved with the crowd and the bridesmaid and groomsman in making this a honeymoon and a money dollar dance to be remembered.  I have been doing fundraisers for over 20 years and have a little experience egging people to give up cash for worthy causes. 

We have done the traditional and the modified way and made around $50 to $200  for the bride and groom.  With the DJ PorkChop style we have a range of $100 to $3800 with the average being about $250 per gig.  Yes, one wedding was $3800 for the bride and groom that could not afford a honeymoon and yes they did go to Cancun.   POETRY! 

Some say this may be tacky so please consider your guest opinions, then again it is your wedding day so you do what is right for you.  I recommend if you have a lot of guest flying in don't do it, if the majority of guest can drive to their home from the venue within a couple of hours then by all means consider doing it.  Some would prefer this dance in lieu of giving a gift or some may even have forgotten a gift altogether and this is their way to make up for it.  Either way, they get to dance with you and you get to spend their money. We won't twist their arm but we will entice them to participate and have fun with you on the dance floor.  

If you want some more poetry and some way to get your crowd involved and help you pay for your DJ or your honeymoon the DJ PorkChop Money Dollar dance is the sure fire way to do make the money. 

See you at the Party!  DJ PorkChop Out!   www.DJPorkChop.com

DO YOU KNOW ANY REDNECKS?

Hey, there is nothing wrong with admitting you are a redneck! This coming from a guy with PorkChop as a nickname!  Seriously, if you do please let me or CMT know.  For the past few years Country Music Television and Pink Sneakers have been asking me to be part of the show by finding someone who wanted to be on their show.  This is an opportunity to not only get on CMT but to get a free DJ and Free Wedding Officiant!  You have to be selected by the show and have me as the Officiant and Disc Jockey for your event in order to get the free DJ PorkChop.

Here is more information in case you know or might be a Redneck:

CMT

NOW CASTING

“My Big Redneck Wedding”

Are you Redneck and proud of it?

The hit show that documents the planning and preparation it takes to pull off a truly fun, down-to-earth, redneck nuptial. From denim wedding dresses, to camouflage tuxedos, shotgun salutes, and arriving at the reception on an ATV--anything goes, as long as it’s rowdy & redneck!

“Redneck & Pregnant”

Are you knocked-up and keepin’ it country?

The exciting new series chronicling loud-and-proud redneck parents-to-be! We are looking for parents expecting a baby within the next few months. If your dream nursery is painted in camouflage or if you still riding ATVs, muddin’ and huntin’ with a bun-in the-oven this is your chance to be on TV!

“MY BIG Redneck REUNION”

Calling all aunts, cousins, and kin for a redneck reunion!

The hour-long special, hosted by Tom Arnold, will reunite one redneck family with a big-city slicker relative for a family reunion they’ll NEVER forget. If you and your family would like to reconnect with a relative who abandoned his or her country roots we can help! 

If interested or would like more information contact our casting team.

Phone 407-464-2080 Ext. 147

Email redneckwedding@pinksneakers.net

 To find out about the Free DJ & Officiant please call me at (850) 624-4617 or email DJPorkChop@msn.com.  See you at the Party!  DJ PorkChop Out!  www.DJPorkChop.com

HOLIDAY PARTY GAMES

There are several ways to find Holiday Party Game Ideas. Number one is by using search engines and number two is by making up your own.  Here are some Party Game Ideas to get you started:

325th ACS Party Scavenger Hunt Begins

Scavenger Hunt - a list of items must be collected by the participants narrowing the number down as you go.

Musical or Combat Chairs - Never will this go out of style.  An All Time Favorite. No Explanation needed.

Music Gift - Same as Musical Chairs but pass the gift around the table until the music stops, reverse, pass across, hand to the person next to you then they open.  Gift goes until music stops.  Best way to give away prizes quickly.

Hidden Gift - Tape Gift cards under a chair and make an announcement for them to look. Quick Give Away.

Limbo - Risky, but if you can get the line going it could be fun. Only for the limber or young crowd.

Christmas Tree - Decorate someone as a Christmas tree using only the items provided. Audience Judged.

Christmas Wrap- Wrap them up and put a bow on.  The best wrapping judged by Audience wins.

Spoon Egg Relay - Messy indoors but really funny. Line participants up and have them race around the room to get back to start without breaking their egg.  Works with water balloons too but not as funny.

Hula Hoop Contest - Fun to watch and if you do it the American Idol way, makes for a great Skit.

Santa & Mrs. Claus - Dress up and decorate someone as the lovely couple -current event skit or wedding.

Beer Pong - Solo cups and Ping Pong Balls - Hit and you appoint who drinks. This is for the wild parties.

Life Saver - Pass a life saver to partners using only toothpicks. - Only funny until someone gets poked.

Bust the Balloon- Couples participate by trying to bust a balloon with no hands- place balloon between them and see who is the last to bust their balloon - Absolutely hilarious - Don't put too much air in the balloon.

Pass the Hula - Tables participate by lining up on the dance floor facing each other. Table one of 5 or more will join hands in line and try to pass the hula hoop from one end to the other without using their hands.

Stringy linking - Long string with an object or ornament tied to the end, must be passed through the line of people like pass the Hula except through the shirt sleeves and out the pant leg and up the pant leg and out the shirt sleeve. You get the idea! Only the partner next to them can assist. Without hands for experts with only one hand for amateurs.

This is just a small list to get you thinking of some great party games.  Keep thinking of what you can do to have fun at your event.  There are quite a few better than this but you have to have me do your party to find out what they are and how to do them. 

See you at the Party!  DJ PorkChop Out! www.DJPorkChop.com

Wedding Vows

As a wedding officiant I am often asked about wedding vows. When I am asked I must tell them that the majority of information comes from two sources:  the internet and my experience. With experience comes knowledge. The best advice I can give a bride and groom when they write their own vows (either saying them to each other or in the repeat after me format) is to make sure the vows are written as a first person as if speaking to each other from the heart.

Where do you start, well one site I point to is www.WeddingVowsDen.com and for all else I point to search engines.  I have found that if you want to find the perfect vows they are not already written specifically for you.  These websites give you a good jump off point to get you started but you have to do some work yourself and personalize them.

www.WeddingVowsDen.com

A typical wedding cost $10,000 or more and sometimes upwards of $30,000 to $40,000. A typical ceremony last 10 to 20 minutes.  Anymore than that is probably too much.  The time is short relative to the amount of money you spend so make use of that time to get it all out in the open and express your true feelings for one another in that moment.  Remember the time is precious and the memories you make the moment you say "I Do" are to be cherished for a lifetime.  Don't just copy and paste your vows, make sure you spend some time to write your own.

I assist all my clients with free advice on wedding vows and I will read through them for errors. However, I never change the intent of their personal vows written for one another. What they say is what they mean to say and you must allow the emotion to be projected by the words. Write what you feel.  

Now I have to load up my equipment and go prepare to walk another couple down the isle again today.  David & Emily have written their own vows and we all have a lot to say today to make sure everyone knows their story. At the end of the day I know that their family and friends will feel the emotions that they have for one another. Once their families are joined together by this union it will be for infinity because I now know how they truly feel for each other. I know their story and the only reason I know is because they have written their own.

See you at the Party! Dr. PorkChop Out!  www.DJPorkChop.com

Mother Son Dance

Mom! Mother! The most powerful name on the planet! A mother and the love she has for her children is something that cannot be described. Without a mother we would not be for we all need one.  Now with that said I am not going to get all mushy about Mom!  I like many others love my Mother like no other. 

   All I will say is consider how you feel about Mom before choosing the Mother/Son Dance and if you don't know then give it to your Mom to decide. I know that most Mom's will pop off a list of songs telling how they feel about their son.   Let her have a chance to pick the Mother/ Son Dance and if she doesn't know or want to then start by listening to two of my most highly requested songs "Mama" by Boys II Men and "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart.

Just consider asking Mom one more favor in life and get her to choose the song to reflect the way she feels about you. However, if she's like my Mom you might get a why can't you do it - if that happens which it often does then just contact me and I will give you some recommendations.

See You at the Party! DJ PorkChop Out!  www.DJPorkChop.com

The Father Daughter Dance

How is it to give your daughter away to a man for the rest of her life?  I can't honestly say since I have never done so myself.  So I must ask the fathers who have daughters and have given them away. 

The Father Daughter Dance is a celebration of a Father's Love for his Daughter and the way he feels about her should be reflected in the choice of song.  Typically the daughter will choose the song to symbolize how she feels about her father.  What I always recommend is for the bride's father to make a choice to symbolize how he feels about giving her away. 

The symbolism rings true for the moment the Father tells the Officiate after being asked "Who gives this woman to be wed?" he is relinquishing his trust and faith that the man in which chose his daughter to wed will do what he has done all along. Protection and love as well as friendship and caring each and every day of the life of his daughter is of utmost importance to any Father but most importantly to the Father of the Bride. 

Give your Father the honor of choosing the song you dance to with him at your reception.  If he is not there for any reason then dance with a brother, uncle, or significant other in honor of your father. 

Yes, mothers are important too and I will save that for another day.   Give dad a big hug and kiss and tell him Porkchop told you too. 

See you at the Party!  DJ Porkchop Out!  www.DJPorkChop.com

Treating Yourself Right!

One primary lesson I had to learn in my life was to treat myself right.  Why?  Because I was always looking out for everyone else and not for myself.  That is why I am now the way I am, I care about everyone and I want you to care about you.

With the world we live in sometimes seeming to crumble around us we need to go and get the ice cream and taste the flavor.  We need to have cake and eat it too.  We need to plan ahead and most of all we need to treat ourselves right.

Taking care of yourself can be applied in both physical and mental processes. However, you are reading a Disc Jockey blog right now and I must put it to you on a DJ's terms.

Let's say you plan a party, anniversary, birthday or wedding ceremony and/or rehearsal and you spend all that money to make sure you look good, have a great place to conduct the event, and have great food for your family, friends, and co-workers to enjoy. After all these plans are made, you settle for a boom box, an MP3 player system, or even no entertainment at all.

What do you think your event will be with a boom box or MP3 player with the sound stopping, skipping, or no one to make announcements?  How long do you expect your guest to stay when there is no entertainment?  The answer is time tested and proven and there are plenty of YOUTUBE VIDEOS of BAD IPOD WEDDINGS (CLICK HERE TO SEE ONE) to prove it.  Your event will not last long at all and the impression you make will last a lifetime.  A lifetime of regret that you will never live down.

A Crowd of 450 at the 325th MXS Christmas Party
at Edge Water in PCB

Imagine, you hire a professional Master of Ceremonies, Disc Jockey, and Entertainment Director with the professional fortitude to assemble your crowd, control the flow of events, and to properly mix the music. Everyone is guided through the formalities in which you have planned. The execution is perfect because you have pre-coordinated and preplanned with a professional DJ.

After the event everyone will be talking about how long they stayed and how great the music was, how great a time they had, and how the flow of events melded with your personality. You are now thought highly of and when someone else plans an event, you become the go to person to make it all happen for them.

How would you feel if everyone was talking about your event around the water cooler or at all the family gatherings for years to come?  SUPERSTAR!  I know that is how you would feel because my clients give me feedback and tell me that is how they feel.

No more preaching, think about your event, think about your reputation, treat yourself right and hire a Professional Disc Jockey and Master of Ceremonies for your next event.

Hey, we know a great place to start: www.DJPorkChop.com.
See You At The Party!  DJ PorkChop Out!

Fund Raisers

When I was in the USAF I had the honor of being elected as our Unit Advisory Club Vice President for 2 years and then the Unit Booster Club (same thing) President for 2 years.  During this time at the 325th ACS I enjoyed a great measure of success in raising funds for our FREE to our Annual Free to All Airmen Christmas party.  The pay grades of E3 and below went for free and the other ranks were reduced.

If you have ever seen a bill for a Christmas Party with 450 people you would know it ranges in the $13,000 to $20,000 just for the room and the food.  We also gave away about $3000 in prizes and $2000 in donated business swag & prizes.

How did we raise so much money?  I will answer this in 3 letters F.U.N.  and no it is not an acronym.  We had fun with everything we did and we did not always focus on the money.  We never worried that we would have a shortage at the end of the year.  So this does you a lot of good trying to find an answer to how you are going to pay for your event. 

Well I can't tell you how your command or your business raises money because I don't know what your boss or commander will think of my idea of fun.  We always had money flowing in to the booster club, we always invested low and sold high.

Here are some of the things we did to raise money.

Car Wash - $300 to $500 on a Saturday - Invest a few dollars in Soap & Rags and have a business donate a parking lot.

Squadron Cook Out -  $300 easy profit with about $50 investment in Burgers, Dogs, etc.

Squadron Coins - Got to have a coin or buy a drink - A tradition but a very small profit margin $2 per coin.

Squadron T-Shirts -  $10 profit per shirt -Read the next one.

Civilian Clothes converted to Squadron T-Shirt Day - A Friday of Camraderie in Blue Jeans and of course the Squadron T-Shirt - if you have one you don't ever have to pay to be in Blue Jeans. If you don't have a T-Shirt you have to pay $5 to wear Civilian Clothes.

Pie in the Face - Raised upwards of $30,000 doing just this.  Whip Cream, Paper Plate, Chocolate Syrup, & Cherries.  NICE!  You take bids for 2 months at .10 cents a vote with a weekly update at the Friday Squadron T-Shirt Picnic in which you sell burgers, dogs, T-Shirts, & Bids.  After 2 months you have a countdown at you guessed it a Squadron Picnic but you lower the bids to 1 cent a vote and then close out the Top 10 Board at 12 O'Clock Noon on the dot while you count down while you have volunteers collect and update the marker board.

Pie - Who ever is Top 10 will be auctioned off to have a pie in their face.  Forget the Trash Bag cover, you are in civilian clothes.  You bring them forward and they can bid on their own pie, IOU's Accepted and must be paid on the 1st or 15th of the month aka military pay day.  Who ever is the winning bidder will throw a pie in the face of the awesome volunteer who is then awarded with a free T-Shirt for participating.

Now we also offered a mystery pie to anyone wanting to bid more than $500, as an individual or group and they could hit anyone they wanted. I got this one slammed in my face more often than not, but at the end of the day we had a lot of great memories and a lot of sticky faces.

Last but not least our SILENT TO OPEN 50/50 Auction - Forget Flea Market and Yard Sale - Never enough money.  We had donations and when all was said and done we split the profit with the person who donated the times.  This resulted in big ticket items.  Each individual item was displayed with a bid card.  Bidders could come by and see the last bid and make a written bid which would always have their contact card number - Pre Register for all bidders.  The bids would be made silent and who ever had the highest bid on any item at 11 PM on Squadron T-Shirt Day got a Ticket for a prize (not an illegal raffle since no money exchanged hands for the ticket), the prize was usually a T-Shirt or a donated item or $100 cash. 

We also took all of the items or pictures (we had a car and a refrigerator once) and we did an open air auction with the starting bid at the last silent bid.  We raised a ton of money like this because we always had the Commanders Parking Spot as well as the Chief and Shirt for a week.  We of course played up the next Pie in the Face with another Mystery Pie. 

As for getting free prizes to give away: one year we did not spend a dime.  We went to the local businesses and they donated free Food, Prizes, and even Airline Tickets just to promote their business.  We had helicopter rides, cruises, dinner for two, weekend stays at local Bed & Breakfast, and even tickets to Disney (MWR).

There are tons of other things we did like Gift Wrap at the BX and the Air Show but we never made as much money at those.  If you need ideas on how to raise money for your Holiday Party or Event for Civilian or Military please call us for a free consultation.

In closing I must say that the one thing we never paid for while I was VP and President was the Disc Jockey because the World's Greatest and Legendary (in his own mind) DJ PorkChop of Panama City Beach was always there to perform the Best Christmas Parties ever.  What he does to make them great is another topic for another day. 

 Visit DJPorkChop.com for more information.  See you at the Party.  DJ PorkChop Out!

Semper Gumbi - Always Flexible at the VILLA ROSA

I have to first give credit to Rich Allen, USAF Retired, my former boss from the early 90's after our stint in Desert Storm, and one of the first leaders that I ever looked up to who coined the phrase Semper Gumbi.  Semper Gumbi is Rich Allen's catch phrase.  He took the US Marine Corps motto Semper Fi (Always Faithful) and made our own RADIC Ranger motto.  RADIC stood for Rapidly Deploy-able Integrated Command and Control.  The new motto was Semper Gumbi, as you may know Gumbi is a very rubbery 80's cartoon character.  Thus Semper Gumbi or Always Flexible was born and we utilized this motto in our RADIC Ranger lives. We could deploy anywhere in the world on a moments notice.

DJ PorkChop has now applied this Semper Gumbi Mentality to our business model.

Saturday Night we had a great wedding.  It all began outside on the lawn at VILLA ROSA aka 53 Buddy Street in Santa Rosa Beach.  Great place for a wedding and we know because we have been there quite a few times now.  The only thing is, the place is so big it is hard to keep everyone in one place to knock out the formalities.

A view front the Pool House of the corner driveway of Villa Rosa

On one side of the VILLA ROSA complex is the yard, then the gazebo leads you into the pool, then the driveway, then the main house.  Way big!  Big enough for a very large family to spend an entire week in and not get to each other.  Plus it is only a short walk to the beach, perfect for ceremonies and receptions to follow. 

Left to Right Swingset, Pool House, Gazeebo and POOL at Villa Rosa.

Ceremony in the Corner of the Villa Rosa Complex

                                                           

Cake Cutting on the Lawn at Villa Rosa

VILLA ROSA HOUSE VIEW FROM THE GAZEBO

FROM THE VILLA ROSA WEBSITE:

7000+ sq. ft of Living Area

        2 Master Suites

        9 Bedrooms

        10 Bathrooms

        Sleeps 29 Guests

        Dining Room Seats 28+

        Game/Sports & Entertainment Room

        2500+ sq ft. Covered Porches and Patios

        Swimming Pool & Hot Tub

        Gazebo w/ Outdoor Kitchen

 

VILLA ROSA Living Room Dance Floor

Now with experience, we always start on the pool deck and end up in the living room.  Without fail, every time we have been there we have learned a lot about flexibility. This home has taught us as disc jockeys, performers, planners, and masters of ceremony that the amplification systems must be flexible and portable.  We have to be able to set up in different areas and be able to move at a moments notice.

This weekend the temperature dropped suddenly and we set up our back up battery PA system while we retrieved our amplified back up speaker and computer set up for the indoor party.  All the while my wife DJ Ting aka "THE BOSS"  tore down the primary system and loaded it up.  What we learned a while back was as a Professional Disc Jockey we needed 3 systems. One Primary for the large areas, one back up to flex with, and a battery powered shoulder carried PA to be mobile and to be able to perform ceremonies with.

This demonstrates why you should always have a Disc Jockey with the knowledge and flexibility as well as the equipment to keep your event flowing.  We deployed our equipment on 3 occasions in one night in 2 key areas and kept the event going for a little more than 8 hours.  Now that is Semper Gumbi - DJ PorkChop style!
VILLA ROSA can be seen at: http://villarosahouse.com or call  678-852-4502...   

Check us out at www.DJPorkChop.com.  See you at the Party!

The First Dance

If you do not already have a First Dance song then you need to do a lot of thinking and romancing to find out what fits you both the best. Some couples are fortunate enough to meet by being asked to dance and they end up falling in love and of course they remember the first dance they had with that person. 

I remember the first dance with my wife. We are both remarried so we were on the singles scene and I met her at Stetsun's in Callaway, Florida.  I bought her a drink and asked her to dance and I will never forget the song. Amazed by Lonestar with the line "hair all around me".  The reason I remember it is really funny because I did not know at the time how literal that line would be.  She is a Filipina with long black hair and it is everywhere, but I love her just the same. As I write this right now she is reading it and yes, I just got slapped in the back of the head, how endearing.    

First Dance of Mr. & Mrs. Timothy & Lindsey Denney at Carillon in Panama City Beach Florida.

Now since I did not intend for this to be about us, I want you to think of the moment you first met, the first date, the first kiss, and the moment you knew that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together.  Go out on a date and get away from the city, go lay out under the stars and listen to a few different songs. The one that fits you best will be agreed upon by both.  Only you two know what you feel about each other but somewhere out there is a song for you.

Now if you have the talent to write and produce your own song or the fortune enough to pay someone to do it for you, then by all means lay it down and produce it.  The Wedding DJ will be more than happen to let everyone know who wrote and produced it for you and ecstatic about playing it for you.

If you are looking for some songs, we recommend you check our music library at www.DJPorkChop.com and listen to a few before you decide which one is right for you.  Have your wedding in Panama City Beach, Mexico Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Santa Rosa, Port St. Joe Beach, and make sure you hire a Professional Disc Jockey to play that first dance for you. 

See you on your wedding day!  DJ PorkChop Out! 

Holiday Office Party

It's that time of year again when we dawn our tuxedo's & our best dresses and get out on the dance floor in front of our co-workers and show them we really can dance.  It's time for the annual Christmas Holiday Party and the New Years eve party.  If you are the one responsible for the entertainment you want to be sure to book great entertainment for your event.

In planning a holiday party there are a lot of things  to consider.  How many people will determine the size of the room, the size of the buffet, and most importantly the size of the dance floor.  The latter we can assist with, try 1 sq. foot of dance floor per person, the smaller the crowd the smaller you want the dance floor to be for obvious reasons. 

We highly recommend due to weather that all parties be indoors with access to the outdoors for those who still smoke when they drink and for easier access to and from the room to the beach area (if it is on a beach). 

Now if you have an event in a tent use a licensed contractor for tents and they can provide you with the large outdoor heaters to keep you comfortable while the cold blows around outside.

Now as for entertainment I can only speak for Disc Jockey's.  I have been to the Holiday parties where someone from the office was going to rent some equipment and try to DJ the event.  As far as the Master of Ceremonies and the Disc Jockey goes all I ask is don't stake your reputation on an unqualified person. 

Whom ever you choose for your entertainment make sure it is a Disc Jockey so you can get a wide variety for the entire crowd.  Make sure the DJ is an interactive personality type and will interact with your crowd to keep the night lively and I don't mean one that screams and yells stuff like "get on the dance floor" all night.  I mean one that does not have to yell but can motivate everyone to want to have a good time.  Also, do not hire someone that believes in cooling the floor by playing music that stinks, make sure your DJ will change the music if the song is bad. 

If no one is willing to start dancing then you can help the DJ: have a back up plan like an interactive ice breaker for your DJ to implement and having a prize to give away does not hurt matters. Some examples are limbo, Combat Chairs, Scavenger Hunt, Dance Off, Tree Wrap, and let's not forget the office skit.  How we do ours is of course a trade secret but you can Google those and with your DJ's advice you can put together something fun for your DJ to do for you. 

The Shirt aka Mrs. Claus and the Chief aka Santa with their elves were nominated by their co-workers to perform a "Santa's cheating like Tiger Woods" Skit. 

Now of course we have to brag since we love ourselves so much.  We have done Holiday Parties as a Mobile DJ for a number of years now and we have the experience to make this interactivity happen for you.  Trust only a Professional Mobile Disc Jockey when you are planning a Holiday Party in Panama City or the Florida Panhandle area.  We want you to get the most out of your Holiday Party because we know with experience and repeat customers what will be talked about around the water cooler on Monday.  

If you are responsible for planning your event, make sure you book the best entertainment that you can book. I know a great DJ and MC for your next event in Bay County, Walton County, & Gulf County Florida, try this guy www.DJPorkChop.com..

See you at the Party!  PorkChop Out! 

Request

Back in the beginning when I was DJ'ing in clubs during my Air Force career I could not stand when someone made a request.  That is unless they dropped money in my tip jar.  Unfortunately I carried that same habit into the beginning of my Mobile DJ business.  In the beginning I did not understand the fact that not everyone liked what I mixed for them.  Not everyone has the same taste. 

The reason the majority of individuals hire a Disc Jockey for their event is because they have decided that they want a certain mixture of music for their crowd.  Unlike many bands and performers, the DJ has access to literally any type of music they want played for all ages and all walks of people at a moments notice.

The number one lesson I have learned over the years is to ask for request from my clients.  Even though I have the experience under my belt to read a crowd for the types of music they like, I don't know everything and by making request we both learn more.  I sincerely believe that each person we meet we take something from them and that becomes part of who we are as a person and as a performer. 

If the request are made far in advance on our music request system I will ensure that I have every song requested prior to the event.  If I don't have a song when it is requested during the event I always say "I will play it for you next time!"  I will play it for them next time if they book me for their next event.

Now remember the amount of time you have booked the DJ for and consider the value of songs to you before you take up all the time with just something you think the others might like.  I usually ask that request be limited them to the number of hours the DJ is booked. However, if you want to book extra time, I don't have a problem with that at all.  The average DJ can play 15 to 20 songs every hour depending on the length of the song.  So keep that and the songs that are most important to you in mind when making request. 

So unlike the young DJ I was, I now ask my clients for request because it helps me understand their musical taste and you never know I might run into some music in which I am not familiar, it is rare but it happens. 

So go ahead and go to my site at www.DJPorkChop.com, check your date, get your quote, fill out your contract, pay your deposit, and start making plans and music request for your event. 
See you at the Party!  DJ Porkchop Out!

Bridal Party Dance

Quite often the bride and groom have a hard time trying to find everyone to line up for the grand entrance at the reception. After the ceremony, who has time to concentrate on where everyone is? Trying to get those last minute pictures in at the ceremony location prior to heading to the reception venue is a priority on every bride and grooms, bridal party member, and photographers mind. 

The rest of the bridal party tend to disappear, or sometimes even leave the event altogether. This makes for a big hassle trying to get them all back in one place just for another grand entrance at the reception.We have mastered the solution in our 2010 events and are now recommending a Grand Entrance only for the Bride and Groom. After all, isn't that what the whole day is supposed to be about anyway. 

But, let's not forget all the bridal party members who have tolerated their nice new wedding outfits, stood there in the hot sun, or cramped up while by the alter, all waiting to be pushed in line and walked down the isle not to be seen or heard from again until the toast. Let's dedicate a dance to the weary worn foot soldiers of the wedding ceremony; I give you the Bridal Party Dance.

This year, we have emphasized to our clients that gone are the days of trying to round everyone up. It's time to get real, and dedicate a special song from the bride and groom to the wonderful parents, grandparents, and bridal party members. It is now time for all members to be called by name and given a round of applause as they make their way to the dance floor and join the bride and groom for the bridal party dance. 

Members of the Bridal Party begin to dance with each other.

The majority of the dedications have been; Friends in Low Places  by Garth Brooks, & Forever by Chris Brown, and Lean on Me by Club Nouveau. No matter what the song is, the bride and groom will pick the song and it will be something special and unique that no one else does at their wedding.At least they haven;t started doing this dance too much until now.

I have only introduced 1 lined up bridal party this year and that consisted of a group of 12. This again, did not go very well since the ring bearer could not be found as well as the father of the groom. We introduced them anyway but they walked in and then the bride and groom had their traditional entrance and first dance. It did not seem right that a big fuss was made to get them in order twice in one day and nothing was done for them specifically. So ever since this January entrance we have done the bridal party dance dedication and it has been flawless. 

There have even been a few repeats to the Kevin & Jill's Viral Youtube Video bridal party dance or Jim & Pam's Wedding Entrance on "The Office"which have been really a kick to watch. Not to mention the Grand Entrance is now back to being all about the Bride and Groom which is the way it should be. 

The coolest thing is we save the hassle of making sure everyone is in place, therefore leaving more time to dance and have a great time. A reception should be about melding the two new families and friends into one tight knit group for which the bride and groom take the lead. The best way we see to start this off right is with some great music and some great dancing.

Leave the stuffy formal stuff for the ceremony. When you get to the reception, knock out the formalities quick and get to the party. We all know when the party starts everyone wants to get in on it so make it happen as quick as possible. 

Brides and grooms consider asking your DJ  to do the bridal party dance and eliminate the necessity to line everyone up twice in one day. This way it will be a blast for everyone. Consider the Bridal Party Dance at your reception and make sure you have a great DJ for www.DJPorkChop.com that knows how to make it happen for you.

For More Information Contact DJPorkChop@msn.com or call (850) 624-4617

Anniversary Dance

What is the Anniversary Dance?  Is it where I have everyone with an anniversary close to the current date get up and dance during a reception.  Well, that is what it started out as when we first began. 

In the beginning there was a DJ called Porkchop and he was looking for a great idea to get the party rolling and get the married folks involved in the reception. 

Then there came a bride and a brides mother with the idea of having every married couple on the dance floor with the bride and groom. 

Then there was the groom that said I want to know who has been married the longest. So the DJ said, I can ask them to leave the dance floor until the only one's remaining are the Bride & Groom and the Anniversary Dance winners.

Then there was the DJ's wife (and boss) that said why not reward them with a crown and tiara. 

Anniversary Dance winners with Mr. & Mrs. Scot & Kaylyn Gutierrez

That is the evolution of what we call the Anniversary Dance.

How we conduct the anniversary dance is our trade secret but that gives you a general idea of what it is, but you have to see how we do it and in order to do so you need to book a great DJ for your wedding.  It's simple, just go to www.DJPorkChop.com and you can do the Anniversary Dance at your wedding.

 

Halloween Party

It's that day of the year when we can all dress up and be the horrific monster we hold inside.  Or for those of you more lighthearted we can be the cartoon character that we always wanted to be.  It's time for a Halloween Party!

I remember when I was a kid going to Sumiton Elementary School in Sumiton, Alabama we used to have a Fall Festival right before Halloween (we also had Christmas Parties and a really cool May Day).  I remember the Fall Festival as one of my fondest memories. 

I got to dress up and bring my little sister Tracy as well as my Mom & Dad (hey you had to have money) and go hang out in the gym at school.  We would walk around to the different little booths that they had set up and play the Halloween games that the PTA had wisely devised for us to spend our nickels & dimes on. 

I remember the bobbing for apples game and the fishing game as well as the one I dreaded as a short guy; the basketball toss.  But most of all I remember the student haunted house that was always set up in the boys locker room.  I can still hear the echos of the scary music, seeing the low lying fog from the dry ice, the headless dude, the vampire in a coffin, a  knife wielding Jason, Michael Myers, as well as the loud chainsaw dude in the shower stalls. Halfway through I went from amused to scared out of my wits. If you make it through there without being scared out of your wits you were lucky or demented.  I also remember the best part, DOING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Now you know as a DJ I have to mention the Party aspect.  The coolest thing about the whole festival was getting to go into a Disco for the first time. Set in a hallway on the other end of the school.  Authentic mirror ball, black out light, and strobe lights.  The DJ was a high school kid stuck on Prince, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Ritchie.  I loved it because of course I got to dance with some of the hottest chicks in school that night.

I didn't know how to dance at first but I learned how to break dance and do the robot as well as the worm.  I loved the strobe because you didn't even have to know how to dance, just move and it made you look really weird.  We all glowed in the dark to the wonderful black lights as I danced with a tall girl that held me really tight throughout the entire ballad of "Truly".  She is the one that taught me how to hold a woman respectfully during a slow dance, watch the hands. LOL! 

As a parent I know my kids remember all  the parties they attended as they were growing up.  The best advice I can give you, is take part in their Fall Festival, their Halloween parties, and their school dances and they will never forget you. 

Make sure they have a great Panama City style DJ with a lot of heart. Hey, I know a great DJ for your next Halloween party. We wish you a really Scary Halloween.  Later, DJ PorkChop of www.DJPorkChop.com.

Newlywed Game

The Newlywed Game actually does not stem from the 70's television show as we often lead people to believe.  Probably because we play the theme song for it prior to starting this crazy little battle of who knows the other one better.  It actually stems from an ancient Chinese wedding ritual.  I will get into Chinese wedding games later on but for now just take my advice; some are really raunchy.  The Newlywed Game is one of the cleanest and funniest of all the Chinese wedding games.

Now as for appropriateness of this little show and tell about each other, that is entirely up to you.  The game works like this: The DJ ask the bride and groom to the dance floor, ask them to remove their shoes, and take one of the brides shoes and one of the grooms shoes in their hands.  Each has two shoes, one groom shoe and one bride shoe.  They are asked to raise their shoes in the air in response to a series of questions about how well they really know each other.

Phillip & Lindsay Money answer questions by raising the grooms shoe in the air during the Newlywed Game. Must have been the question about washing dishes.  LOL!

The fun begins when the DJ ask a question and both raise their own shoe in the air.  You have to be there and see it but we sometimes find out that they don't always agree on things like the First Kiss, Children, Driving, and household duties.  This is sometime hilarious and even funnier when the bride whacks him in the head with a shoe. Not advisable unless you are wearing flip flops, plus you don't want your groom going to the honeymoon with a headache.

This has been a real fun favorite at the majority of weddings I have performed.  It also adds spice to the toast, by the way I advise you to break the monotony of the dinner and do this right before the toast.  It will give them something to talk about and everyone will be relaxed and in a really good mood after this.

Try the Newlywed game, you won't regret it, and make sure you get it on video too.

Off to do a wedding in Destin Florida.  Look for my daily blog tomorrow.  Check us out at www.DJPorkChop.com.
DJ PorkChop

Why a Professional?

Why do you hire a photographer, a caterer, a wedding planner, or a disc jockey?  Why do we pay others to do things for us during our wedding or event?

Very Happy Newlyweds Mr. & Mrs. DL & Erin Lambert Hired Professionals for their Wedding Day.

I can only speak from my heart when I say that I hire people to fix my car because I don't want to do it myself and I deserve to have a car in good working order because I work hard for a living. Now with that said, when a person hires a professional to do a job they are hiring them for more than one reason but it boils down to one thing "Peace of Mind!"

A MOB or Mother of Bride once said to me "Thank God we had you do all that announcing and stuff, we would have never thought of all that."  Another MOB made this statement "I ain't never seen a Wedding as good as this before. I wish I had used a DJ at my reception."  Now I know this is bragging just a little but in those statements the Mom's make sense.

When you plan for the event or the wedding or party in Panama City Beach or along the Gulf Coast you are most likely either from here or not from here.  Some of your guest are from here or not from here, either way someone is visiting here as a tourist during your event.  Please take into consideration that some have never seen a wedding done the way we consider traditional now along the Panhandle now.  We are used to having entertainment at every event we attend.  Some people, believe it or not, have only seen a wedding unscripted and without a lot of hype. 

A typical wedding here consist of a ceremony, usually on the beach, then a reception to follow.  The reception is sometimes held either in a tent, on a back deck, or inside an air conditioned room and most of the time is close to the sunset for pictures.  The professional service providers aka DJ, Caterer, Photographer, Cake Designers, and Planners have all come together to put in play all the elements of the reception.  With that said, who will implement the plan?  Most likely a master of ceremonies also known as the Professional Disc Jockey. 

Now why hire a Professional DJ or any type of professional for your event.
Let me quote Clarence Carter (if you don't know who he is look it up)
"Let me ask you this, What time of day do you like to make love?"

Now that is a very important question, because without a Professional Master of Ceremonies you better delay that time because you have no one to make the announcements of the Bridal Party, the First Dance, the Cake Cutting, the Father Daughter Dance, the Mother Son Dance, the Bouquet Toss, The Garter Toss, Wedding Games, Party Games, The Last Dance, Prize giveaways, etc, etc, etc......

How do you prepare and serve food to everyone?  Professional Caterer

How do you take pictures and photoshop them to make me look good? Professional Photographer

Who is going to get help me plan, design, and dress everyone for the ceremony? Professional Planner

Who is going to play the music, get all the reception events in order, call everyone's name, get my crowd motivated and entertained and keep everyone from leaving after the cake cutting? A Professional DJ

You may want to get some "Peace of Mind" and find yourself a Professional.   You don't want to be late for the honeymoon.

For a Great Professional Disc Jockey look no further than www.DJPorkChop.com.   Looking forward to celebrating your event with you.

Where to Place the DJ?

Hearing and seeing!  I was once told about a psychological experiment where a person was driving a virtual car and listening to the usual noise inside the vehicle (radio, cell phone, etc.) then a siren would blast and the person would jerk the car toward the noise.  The same type of experiment was done visually where the person was driving and a distraction was placed on the side of the road at different intervals.  Every time a distraction was on the left and the person saw it, within milliseconds the person jerked the vehicle in the direction of the distraction.

Why am I telling you all of this?  With experience comes knowledge and we all know that knowledge is power.  I don't want to harp on how important the music is to the party or reception right now so I will just say that gone are the day when the DJ remains out of sight or seen and not heard.

The DJ today now has improved not only the sound of the system with all digital mixes and reduced skipping and stopping of CD's, tapes, and vinyl with the MP3.  The DJ today has also added visual to the show.

Let me get to the point, stop worrying about all the wires hanging out and making your pictures look bad.  Put the DJ in front of the dance floor to attract the crowd to the noise.

DJ Ting of DJPorkChop.com demonstrates proper placement of the DJ Equipment in front of the dance floor.

If your guest see a blank dance floor with music coming from the corner of the room guess what? They will gravitate toward the sound and the visual of the DJ in the corner and not the dance floor.  Place your dance floor in the center of all activity and make it small.  The smaller the dance floor the larger the crowd will look.  A good rule of thumb 1 ft per person, meaning a crowd of 100 will need a 10' x 10' dance floor.

If the DJ is in front of the dance floor, the DJ will exercise control over the entire event as you hired them to do.  You control the DJ, the DJ controls the crowd for you.  You hired them so you and your guest can dance to your selected tunes so put them in the center and get your moneys worth.    

If you use DJPorkChop.com, we use DJ Skirting and we have a Professional White DJ Facade that has LED lighting in Sync with the music.  If you have hired another DJ, make sure they have a Facade to cover all the wires.  If not, then it is simple, go spend about $10 for a couple of yards of fabric and have the DJ cover up the wires or use the venues table cloths and ask them to place a screen in front of the DJ.  Either way, have your DJ hide wires so they don't get into the pictures.

Hiding wires is not the most important point, the most important point would be to make sure that the DJ is where the crowd will be.  You hired the DJ to do a job and that job entails using DJ expertise to get people to dance.

Don't handicap your DJ by placing them in locations I can testify to: like underneath a house when everyone is upstairs, all the way in the corner, in the middle of a room full of tables and not dance area, outside on a pool deck with no one around.

I am not saying you need a dance floor in all circumstances, just an area with a DJ in front of it specifically set aside for dancing. In all of these situations, we have still performed. However, the event will have a better flow and the dance floor will have stayed busy if the DJ and dance floor are interconnected.

I will testify to this, the best parties we have had where we have kept the crowd dancing all night have been where we were in front of a 10' x 10' dance floor in the center of the room with a crowd of about 120.  The dance floor looked packed and stayed packed all night long.  For examples just look at our website at www.djporkchop.com or check out our You Tube videos at www.youtube.com/djporkchop68.

By the way, if you need a dance floor, we have connections on our links page.

Looking forward to celebrating with you.  DJ PorkChop

Chill & $ave Parties & Weddings

Getting cooler outside! It's never too late to do a wedding on Panama City Beach.  Right now it is late October and we still have over half a dozen weddings planned for the next 2 months of the year along with a few holiday parties mixed in between. We are also starting to book beach weddings for January and February.

Why would someone want to do their wedding ceremony on the beach in cold weather?  To save money!

The point of this, my first blog entry, is to let you in on a little secret: the best time to save money on
your beach wedding is during the winter months.  Most of the tourist business slacks off around the holidays and we in the wedding & event business need you more than you need us. Thus, allowing you great discounts which echo through from the officiate, planner, photographer, caterer, cake, DJ, and venue.  Not to mention the great discounts on room rates right now.  

 First Dance during an October Wedding Reception in Panama City Beach: Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin & Megan Merckle

 

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 I see a lot of client's in October and November and when I asked them why they did their event in the winter they say "to save money" or "no crowds". Regardless of what ever reason the proof is in our bookings.  We have booked more this October than any October we have been in business over the past 10 years.  Why? I can only attribute that to two things - oil spill has subsided and couples are catching on and cashing in.

So, I must recommend that if you want to save money on your next event or wedding in Panama City Beach and the Florida Panhandle area, now is the time to book your event and save.   Chill out with us this winter and $ave big: ask for our winter discount and save at www.DJPorkChop.com