Most wedding DJs would be thrilled to hear a couple say they want to do something completely different or unique at their event.
For Dan Blankowski of DJ Dano Atlanta Entertainment, it’s the sort of wish that causes him to go into creative overload.
“It’s a VERY exciting process and fuels my celebratory spirit with adrenaline,” he said. “It’s one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a wedding MC and interactive DJ.”
We asked Dan to give us a couple examples of how he was able to create a unique experience for his clients. This is what he told us:
Story #1: The father of the bride had five girls under 30, the oldest was getting married, and her four sisters were bridesmaids. Dad wanted to help in a unique way.
After separate meetings with both the Dad and the five girls, I had learned a few things.
The Bride was looking for an alternative to the traditional wedding cake, and was considering both donuts and unique cupcakes — but hadn’t thought any more about it than that.
As brides will do, she asked me what I had seen in the past, and I mentioned everything from personal cakes to cupcakes and “donut boards.”
I also asked the girls to describe their Dad to me. They kept using the word “sweet,” and they also told me he always called them “Sweetie” (when he forgot their names!). Then they told me about their Dad’s passion and national reputation as a wood sculptor and master craftsman.
It didn’t take a rocket surgeon to connect these dots and help the girls and their Dad create a Magical Moment.
The meeting with the Dad was a brainstorming session. We arrived at the idea of creating serving-platters from an oak tree in their backyard – a tree where the girls played when they were young, and was destroyed by lightning 10 years ago.
Dad ended up spending many weeks creating these platters from slices of wood, of various heights and thicknesses, on which to display the special cupcakes that the girls were creating for guests. One platter was used for the bridal table as a special centerpiece.
The best part — the Dad wood-burned the date and names of the bride and groom on the bottom of each piece, leaving lots of room to add the names and dates of each family bride in this generation (four more girls), and at least three more generations of brides. The quality is so high that they’ll easily last for 100 years.
The girls in this generation are so excited, and I’m thrilled that I played a small role in putting this tradition together.
It’s a story I’ll share with future brides often.
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Story #2. A bride and groom had two large pets dogs and were trying to include them in the ceremony, but they weren’t trained enough to walk down the aisle or pull a wagon or similar stunts.
We talked about these beautiful dogs and their lack of training, and we decided to consult a friend of mine who is a skilled dog trainer to see if we could teach the dogs to “stay” for about 30 minutes at a time (sitting, not laying down).
The trainer assured us it could be done within the 8-week time period before the wedding, and he was right.
The bridal party members walked the dogs down the aisle on leashes, and the dogs sat perfectly still for 25 minutes at the ankles of the bride and groom, and created some amazing photos.
Sometimes these suggestions appear to be easy for experienced MCs and DJs, but this particular couple didn’t have a lot of wedding experience (or imagination). The activity/theme sharing I do with several mentors on an ongoing basis enabled me to suggest the “posed” training and I was thrilled that is was successful.
So in both cases I was able to take a couple’s wishes and “vision” and help to shape them into reality.
You can do the same by first asking the couple if they have anything special they’d like to do, or anyone special they’d like to honor.
Dan Blankowski is the owner of DJ Dano Atlanta Entertainment in Marietta, Georgia.
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