DJ Arnel

A few years ago, I came up with a signature ending for my wedding receptions. It involves all of the guests and ends the night on a “kumbaya” note. With each successive wedding, I’ve refined it and modified it to the point where my videos of it on Facebook have helped me book several weddings each year. The best part was when DJ Adam Bomb incorporated it into his offerings!

Rihanna is my favorite artist when opening up the dance floor! Music similar to hers, plus the proper lighting setup, gets the guests onto the floor.

We Found Love, Don’t Stop Believin’, Tipsy, Shut Up and Dance, I Wanna Dance With Somebody…whatever it takes…I love it when I can get them loud and excited!

Being able to read the room and bringing an ebb and flow that doesn’t tire the guests out, yet keeps them wanting to be active on the dance floor. I’m not running an aerobics class, so I’ll break the high pace with sentimental ballads that will get people from the bridal party to their 80-90-year-old grandparents dancing. And then when the slow set is over…BOOM..I will keep them on the floor all night!

Weddings – Several couples have been surprised by the amount of detail that we cover so as to relieve them of any concerns on the day of the big event. There have been times when I replaced a DJ and later found out that my attention to detail is what made the event a success.

I had two weddings in the same year that were intertwined. The Bride and Groom from the first wedding ended up being the Maid of Honor and Officiant of a different wedding 7 months later. When we began the planning stages with the second couple, it was revealed that there was an overlap between the two events. The second couple sought me out because of the first couple’s reception. Seeing several families and guests that I was already familiar with were thrilled that I was the DJ, and it made the night so much more rewarding. Even with the familiarity, I was able to exceed even the second couple’s expectations. At the end of the night, I got sincere hugs, high fives, and fist bumps from all of the wedding couples’ families from BOTH weddings!

I ask them to provide me with a playlist of one or two dozen songs to serve as inspiration for the rest of their playlist outside of the core songs (1st dance, parental dances, etc.). I tell them about things that I’ve succeeded with at other events and offer to tailor those things to be personal and customized for them. Truthfully, the first planning session is just an introduction. I let them get a sense of who I am and what I plan to do for them to knock it out of the park. I make casual inquiries about the couple so that I have something that I can leverage to ease any concerns they may have. Then I lay out expectations and the direction of the planning process so that they know what to expect, what will be needed, and leave them knowing that I will leave them in awe of what we do at Moxie/Powerbomb.

I’ve aided Adam and other DJ’s by operating the sparkler fountains and fog machine. Upgrading my lights to a Chauvet GigBar Move has made a massive difference in my presentation.

The week of the event, I email the other vendors a “roadmap” of the event. The day of, I walk up to each of them and introduce myself to them, and let them know that the best event possible only happens when we work in sync. When we are cognizant of each other, we look out for each other, and are able to enhance and exceed the expectations of the Bride and Groom. We swap business cards and contact info.

That I’m a late bloomer at DJing, I worked at college radio in the mid-80’s to mid-90’s, I actually got into weddings via film photography. I host live trivia at bars and restaurants. When my regulars started asking me to DJ the most memorable events of their lives, I realized that I had a knack for it.

I’ve known Adam for over 15 years. We met as hosts for Team Trivia. I love working for and with Adam because when I look back at our beginnings, it amazes me what we are doing NOW!