JD Dances "The Cupid Shuffle" with Cupid!

Las Vegas Feb. 1, 2011 - JD the DJ of JD Productions Quality DJ Entertainment attended the American Disc Jockey customer appreciation party at the top of the Riviera Hotel and had the privilege of getting on stage and dancing the "Cupid Shuffle" with several of his fellow DJs as Cupid performed the song live for the audience. Cupid then wowed the crowd when he busted some moves as he taught JD and the others the Cupid Suffle Part 2 to his soon-to-be-released song "CU-Step". Now JD can teach you those new moves at your next event!

JD the DJ Heads to Vegas!

JD the DJ is heading to Las Vegas to attend the 2011 Mobile Beat DJ Show where professional disc jockeys/emcees from around the country (and even other continents) gather to attend continuing education seminars, share ideas, build camaraderie, check out the latest equipment and, of course, have fun -- with the goal of improving skills to continue delivering quality entertainment!

Wedding Tip #34 - Share Your Love Story

Do your friends and family know your love story? They know you're in love because you're getting married; but do they know what brought you to that point? Imagine revisiting those moments of when you first met, your first date, how your relationship progressed, the point you realized it had the potential to become permanent, when you fell in love, and the proposal! By interviewing you and learning the details of your relationship, your professional disc jockey/emcee can get to know more about you and your fiancé and then share that information with your guests, who will be taken on an audio journey to relive those magical moments as he tells your love story, set to music, in a format that is romantic, sentimental, and perhaps even humorous!

Wedding Tip #33 - Will You Accept This Rose?

The Rose Ceremony: After you are pronounced husband and wife, you can exchange a rose with each other to symbolize the giving and receiving of love throughout your entire married life. Your officiant can explain how you will pick a special locale in your home for roses so that on your anniversaries you will each take a rose to that spot as a recommitment to your marriage. Additionally, if you ever reach a point in your marriage where it is difficult to find the right words to say how you feel, such as “I’m sorry,” “I forgive you,” “I am hurting,” or “I need you,” you can leave a rose in that spot – for that rose says what matters most and should overpower all other things ... it says “I still love you!” The other should accept that rose for the words which cannot be found, recalling the love and hope you shared on your wedding day and the love you still have for each other. Your professional disc jockey can play soft instrumental background music during the exchange of roses and the officiant's explanation of what they symbolize.

Wedding Tip #32 - "Mister Sandman, Bring Me A Dream!"

The Sand Pouring Ceremony: A symbolic act representing your union as husband and wife and your individual families becoming one united family. The bride and groom take vessels filled with different colors of sand and simultaneously alternate pouring their separate containers into one larger clear glass container creating a unique, mixed sand pattern. Just as it would be difficult to separate the individual grains of sand back into their separate colors, so too will it be to ever separate both of you. You can even incorporate your hobbies, e.g., if you’re into home-brewing, use a six-pack of beer bottles and have each parent pour from a bottle and then pour your bottles together; if you are wine enthusiasts, use bottles from your favorite wine or a wine carafe, if you enjoy the beach, use sea shells. If you already have children, you can have them participate as well. Your professional disc jockey can play soft instrumental background music during the sand pouring and as your officiant's explains its significance. Thereafter, you will have the sand mixture as a keepsake of your unity, to proudly display in your home for years to come.

JD the DJ to DJ/Emcee AfWPI's Holiday Party

JD Firestone (JD the DJ) has been selected to provide the musical entertainment and emcee the Association for Wedding Professionals, International (AfWPI) Holiday Party on Sunday December 5, 2010. The event, dubbed a "Ho...Ho... Hoe Down for the Holidays," will be a fun-filled, downhome country celebration for vendors in the special event and entertainment industry, their friends, and families. It will be held in the Sky Room at the Country Club Event Center, Sacramento and will feature dinner, dancing, laser tag, bowling, and even a visit from Santa!

Wedding Tip #31 - May I Take Your Request

To add to your guest’s enjoyment at your reception, allow them to make song requests so they can listen and dance to music they like! If there’s a particular style of music or song you do not want played, however, be sure to let your professional disc jockey/emcee know in advance to not play those types of requests. A cute thing to do is to include a line on your wedding invitation’s RSVP for guests to write down a song/artist request and perhaps note its significance. As you get the RSVPs, compile a list of their requests to share with your DJ/MC, who can dedicate the song to them (e.g., “This song’s going out to Jim and Michelle, it was their 1st dance song when they wed 15 years ago”, “next up, we’ve got the Chicken Dance for Aunt Lisa”). By customizing the music to suit your guests tastes and personalizing their dedications, they’ll feel more part of the celebration and have great memories!

Wedding Tip #29 - Picture Perfect Table Placards

For table placards, a fun thing to do is to display a photo of the couple at various locales (e.g., Las Vegas, San Francisco, Disneyland, etc.) and then assign seating to guests based on their table designation (e.g., Mr. & Mrs. Charles Smith - Hawaii; Ms. Betty Wilson - New York City). If you are having a buffet, for added entertainment your professional disc jockey/emcee can release guests at each table by playing snippets of songs associated with their assigned locale (e.g., Viva Las Vegas by Elvis, I Left My Heart In San Francisco by Tony Bennett, It’s A Small World by Robert & Richard Sherman, Hawaiian Wedding Song by Andy Williams, New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, etc.) This will create some great memories for your guests!

Wedding Tip #28 - Centerpiece Giveaway

A neat way to interject some fun during the meal is to do a centerpiece giveaway where a guest wins the centerpiece to take home at the end of your reception. Selecting a winner from each table: distance – the guest who traveled the farthest wins; birthday or anniversary – the guest whose birthday or the couple whose anniversary is closest to your wedding date wins; sticker – the guest sitting in a chair that has a sticker under it wins; musical chairs – your professional disc jockey/emcee plays a song as the guests circle the chairs and when the music stops the guest sitting in a chair that has a sticker under it wins; dollar pass – one guest takes out a dollar and it is passed around the table, when the music stops the person holding the dollar is out, repeat and the next person who holds the dollar is out too, repeat once more and the person holding the dollar keeps it and the guest who donated the dollar wins.

Wedding Tip #27 - RSVP Has Its Privileges

A fun way to surprise and highlight some of your guests is to recognize the first and last guests to RSVP to attend your wedding. Your professional disc jockey/emcee can announce their names and have them stand or come to the dance floor where you can present them with a special gift. For those who RSVP’d first, you can play songs like I’m So Excited by The Pointer Sisters, Feels Like The First Time by Foreigner or Let’s Get It Started by The Black Eyed Peas. For those who RSVP’d last you can play songs like Mission Impossible by Lalo Schifrin, At Last by Etta James or Finally by CeCe Peniston.

Wedding Tip #25 - ♪ ♬ Sing for Your Supper ♬ ♪

For the buffet, you can dismiss guests table-by-table (boring), ring a dinner bell and let them stampede (dangerous) or make it festive. One way is Sing for Your Supper! Think of it like this: at your ceremony you performed your vows, which you take seriously, but at your reception it's time to cut loose and have fun; because you "performed" for your guests, it's only fair they get a chance to perform for you! Your professional disc jockey/emcee can invite them to sing a few lines from a love song; once they do, their table will join the buffet line. For each table, there can be a spokesinger, a duet, a trio or all guests can sing. This is a fun ice-breaker and creates great memories!

Wedding Tip #23 - Chill Out With an Ice Cream Social

Want something really COOL at your wedding reception? Host an ice cream bar for dessert! You can have several types of ice cream with a selection of toppings (M&Ms, candy sprinkles, cherries, whip cream, nuts, gummy bears, fresh fruit, etc.) and sauces (hot fudge, caramel, strawberry, butterscotch). As for flavors, you could go traditional (e.g., vanilla and chocolate) or go wild with less traditional flavors (e.g., bubble gum, chocolate chip cookie dough, rainbow sherbert). You could even select flavors that match your color theme. Your professional disc jockey/emcee can add to the festivities by playing songs such as (Your Love Is Better Than) Ice Cream by Sara McLachlan, How Your Love Makes Me Feel by Diamond Rio ("Buy an ice cream and see how far we can drive before it melts kinda feelin'") and Ice Cream Freeze (Let’s Chill) by Hannah Montana.

Wedding Tip #22 Bouquet – More Than Just to Hold

Rather than laying your bouquet on the head table where it can’t be seen, make it part of your decor by using Bouquet Display® holders to transform your head table from ordinary to elegant! Make it sentimental – Attach a photo of a departed love one to your bouquet with a ribbon using a photo buckle, a small photo charm, or a miniature paper frame. After your wedding, make it a keepsake by using a flower preservation service or hang dry or press the flowers yourself. A practical bride can use a “break-away” bouquet, which appears to be one large bouquet, but actually is three separate smaller bouquets bound together by a ribbon; carry the combined bouquet during your ceremony and then untie the ribbon at your reception and separate the bouquets for one to keep, one for the bouquet toss, and another to present as a special gift, e.g., to the longest married lady when your professional disc jockey/emcee performs the Generations Dance. Want to add more fun? Surprise the single ladies – use the entire break-away bouquet for the bouquet toss so several gals can catch one!

Wedding Tip #21 - Toast of the Town

No doubt you’ll have your best man do a toast. You’ll probably want your maid/matron of honor to say one too! Anyone else? You could invite the entire bridal party to participate. Your parents can perform toasts as well. Additionally, you may want to incorporate open-toasting, which allows any guest to publicly share their sentiments. Before choosing that option, be sure you have enough time as it can be very time consuming; also make sure you have the right guests for it because guests who over imbibe may say inappropriate things. A better option may be to pre-select key guests to toast. If you choose that option, inform them in advance so they will be prepared. Also inform your professional disc jockey/emcee of who they are and their relationship to you so he can pick out a special song to play when introducing them.

Wedding Tip #20 - Sweetheart ♥ Messages

Imagine when you step onto the dance floor for the very first time as husband and wife and the song for your first dance begins, you suddenly hear your new husband’s voice over the music as he delivers a special message to you and then, while he embraces you, he hears your loving words as his new wife during the instrumental prelude to your first dance. Your professional disc jockey/emcee can turn this image into a reality by recording and then custom editing your sweetheart messages and looping and mixing in music to create this magical moment!

Wedding Tip #18 - He Can Express Himself with a Groom’s Cake

Unlike wedding cakes, which often are tiered, decorated in white and are light in texture and/or color, the groom's cake can take a variety of forms, shapes, texture and color and often will incorporate chocolate or fruit. It not only provides an alternative tasty treat for your guests, but it also enables the groom to express himself and his individual style by visually depicting his favorite sport, hobby, character, animal, etc. It also lends itself to some fun photo opps! Your professional disc jockey/emcee can introduce the cake cutting for the groom’s cake with a special song that fits the groom’s style or corresponds with the cake’s theme.

Wedding Tip #17 - Phases of a Reception: Music Sets the Mood and Ambience!

Couples should keep in mind that there are several phases to a reception: the cocktail/social phase, the meal phase, the traditional phase (toasting, cake cutting, first dance, etc.) and the open dancing/party phase. Different styles of music and song selections help set the mood and ambience for each phase. Do you want your reception to be classy, romantic, fun-filled, or energetic? It doesn’t have to be just one or the other. It can be all of the above! Think about each phase separately and decide the kind of atmosphere you want created. A professional disc jockey/emcee will know a variety of music styles and songs to help set the mood and ambience you desire. He also will make the transition between each phase run smoothly.

Wedding Tip #16 - A Professional Disc Jockey/Emcee Is Priceless!

Investing in a professional disc jockey/emcee may save money and stress in the long run. A professional will maintain the flow of events to ensure the reception runs smoothly. In turn, that can reduce unnecessary costs and headaches. For example, he can sequence and time key events (parent-child dances, bouquet/garter toss, etc.) to keep them on track and avoid putting a photographer or videographer into unnecessary overtime. This saves the couple the dilemma of paying extra costs or missing out on capturing special moments. Also scheduling some things earlier, such as the cake cutting, may translate into lower catering costs as the caterer may be able to release some staff once the cake is served. The true value of a professional disc jockey/emcee is priceless!

Wedding Tip #14 - Something Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

It’s a tradition for a bride to wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” for good luck on her wedding day. Many times the item(s) could have great significance or meaning, such as something old passed down for generations, something borrowed from a dear friend, or something new picked out specially for the bride by a bridesmaid. While some items may be too intimate to discuss, others may be perfectly okay to mention. If appropriate, have your professional disc jockey/emcee announce at the reception what the special item is and how you acquired it to allow others to share in knowing the source of your good luck!

Wedding Tip #13 - Candid Camera

A bride and groom should hire a professional photographer to capture their special moments. While staged photos are nice, some of the best photos are candid shots! Encourage your photographer to take such shots. To add extra fun also have “disposable” cameras on hand for your guests to use. Your professional disc jockey/emcee will invite your guests to snap a few shots and then pass the camera onto someone else, will tell them to not only take photos of the bride and groom but of other guests as well, and will remind your guests to leave the cameras on the gift table at the end of the evening so you can have the film developed.